Lily felt a little better once she had showered. She slipped into a pair of
comfortable pants and a sweatshirt before piling all her laundry in a
basket and heading down to the washers. On her way back up, she poked her
head outside the front door of her dorm to check the weather.
Overnight, the main campus of Moorland College had been coated in ice. The trees shimmered as the sunlight shone through the branches. Everything was covered in crystal; the whole world was made of glass.
Very cold glass, Lily thought. She hugged her arms to her chest and turned to go back inside.
"Lily."
She turned when she heard her name but again there was no one there. "Stupid wind." She muttered to herself. Still, she could not suppress the shiver that ran down her spine. She hurried back into the dorm and up to her room.
Once inside, she flopped down on her bed. She looked over at the easel sitting by the window, the half-finished painting on the tray. It was of a young woman sitting at the base of a tombstone. In the shadows around her were eyes watching the girl. The eyes still weren't quiet right and she picked up a brush to try and fix them.
When she finally set her brush down, Lily was startled to find it dark outside. She had worked through the entire day. She turned on a light and looked over the painting. It was better, still not quite right. With a sigh, she changed into a nightgown and gathered some change for the vending machines.
Dinner was a bag of baked Lays chips and a diet Coke. She sat in the lounge and turned on a mindless sitcom. Before long, she dozed off.
***
"Lily? Lily, are you okay?"
She opened her eyes and looked at the person calling her. Dwayne was sitting on the lounge coffee table. She had fallen asleep on the couch. "Dwayne? What are you doing here? You're dead."
"Dead? I'm not dead princess. Are you feeling all right? It's not like you to forget your weekends home." Dwayne brushed her hair back from her forehead. "You want to cancel? We can do this next weekend."
Lily shook her head and sat up. "No. No, I'm okay." She tried to stand up and found herself being held down to the couch. "What's going on?"
"Sorry Lily." Dwayne's eyes turned red and his fangs extended. He knelt over her and struck, tearing into her neck.
***
"NO!" Lily sat upright on the couch, her hand on her throat. "Damn it. Another one." She rubbed her face and got to her feet with a groan. She threw away her trash and went up to her room.
A few months after Lily began school, she began having horrible nightmares. She would wake up screaming, desperately hoping that the massacre in Santa Carla had never taken place. That she was in the bed in her cavern room, surrounded by down blankets, one of the Boys sleeping at her back.
But it wasn't to be. She would wake in her room, security and Kelly banging on the door wanting to be let in. Finally, she'd gone to the campus clinic and saw the doctor. He prescribed some sleeping pills and sent her on her way. The dreams went away not long after and she stopped taking the pills, tucking the bottle away in a dresser drawer.
Lily found the bottle and spilled out one into her hand. She set it on her nightstand with a glass of water and climbed into bed with her journal. She opened it to a blank page and started drawing a rough landscape, just an exercise to clear her mind. The tension from her nightmare poured out onto the page. When she finished, she felt calmer. She set the book aside and took
the sleeping pill and crawled under the blankets.
She felt only a little better the next day. Outside it was gray and dismal. Snow had fallen during the night, coating everything in fluffy whiteness.
"God, I have to get back to someplace warm." Lily said aloud as she stared out the window. "Winter is killing me." She climbed back into bed and pulled the covers up over her.
The phone rang around 4 pm. Lily grabbed for the phone, pulling it under the covers with her.
"'Ello?"
"Are you still in bed?" Kelly demanded.
Lily groaned. "No. Really. I've been up since morning."
"Right. And pigs fly. I knew you'd be moping around during break." Kelly said exasperatedly. "I'm coming up to get you."
Lily sat up. "No, don't. I'm fine, really. I had a nightmare last night so I took a sleeping pill. I'm just groggy from that."
"Still?"
"Yeah. But I've been getting a lot of work done." She told Kelly, moving to sit on the edge of her bed. She leaned her head down and let her free arm hang down, stretching her back. "I'm keeping busy."
"Did you even get dressed yesterday? I know it's too much to hope you might have left the dorm." Kelly's voice was both amused and concerned.
"Hey, it's miserable here. Of course I didn't leave the dorm. And yes, I got dressed. I even showered."
"Well, I can't resist telling you that the weather here is lovely. I'll try and bring some back with me on Sunday. Okay?"
"I'm going to hold you to that."
"Okay. I'll call you Wednesday."
Lily shook her head. "All right. Bye hon."
"Stay out of trouble." Kelly told her and hung up. Lily shut off her phone and set it back on the charger. She got up and moved to her desk. She settled into her chair and looked over her homework. Picking up the nearest book, she opened it, trying to read. The words on the page blurred together. After reading the same passage three times, Lily threw the book on the floor in
frustration. She sat back in her chair and watched the lightening streak across the sky.
Lily stared out the window, watching the thunderstorm roll across the sky. David's eyes haunted her from the painting. Her fingers absently rubbed over the rings on her left hand, lost in the sorrow of her memories. She could almost feel arms around her, remembering the last time she had watched a storm from the shelter of the cave. As if something else was controlling her,
Lily got to her feet and pulled on the wool coat. She tucked her keys into her pocket and pulled her door closed.
Lily took no notice of the cold rain as she stepped outside, even though she was barefoot and only wearing a cotton nightgown under her coat. She headed away from the dorm toward the stone bridge that connected the north and south campuses.
She stopped in the middle of the bridge and looked down at the river rushing under the bridge. She leaned over the guardrail further, mesmerized by the water. It'd be so easy to slip over the rail, to let the water carry her away.
She climbed onto the railing, awkwardly because of the heaviness of her wet clothes. Her toes curled around the edge of the guardrail, dangling over the water and Lily found herself leaning further forward. Spreading her arms wide, she launched herself into the air, plummeting toward the river below. The feeling of falling was almost like flying. She closed her eyes as the river rushed up toward her.
Something slammed into her and she felt herself being carried upward.
"What the hell do you think you're doing girl?" A soft voice asked angrily. "Look at you. You're drenched."
Lily opened her eyes to see the speaker. Familiar dark eyes glared at her. She stared at him, unable to speak. He tightened his hold on her as she fainted and turned toward her dorm.
Overnight, the main campus of Moorland College had been coated in ice. The trees shimmered as the sunlight shone through the branches. Everything was covered in crystal; the whole world was made of glass.
Very cold glass, Lily thought. She hugged her arms to her chest and turned to go back inside.
"Lily."
She turned when she heard her name but again there was no one there. "Stupid wind." She muttered to herself. Still, she could not suppress the shiver that ran down her spine. She hurried back into the dorm and up to her room.
Once inside, she flopped down on her bed. She looked over at the easel sitting by the window, the half-finished painting on the tray. It was of a young woman sitting at the base of a tombstone. In the shadows around her were eyes watching the girl. The eyes still weren't quiet right and she picked up a brush to try and fix them.
When she finally set her brush down, Lily was startled to find it dark outside. She had worked through the entire day. She turned on a light and looked over the painting. It was better, still not quite right. With a sigh, she changed into a nightgown and gathered some change for the vending machines.
Dinner was a bag of baked Lays chips and a diet Coke. She sat in the lounge and turned on a mindless sitcom. Before long, she dozed off.
***
"Lily? Lily, are you okay?"
She opened her eyes and looked at the person calling her. Dwayne was sitting on the lounge coffee table. She had fallen asleep on the couch. "Dwayne? What are you doing here? You're dead."
"Dead? I'm not dead princess. Are you feeling all right? It's not like you to forget your weekends home." Dwayne brushed her hair back from her forehead. "You want to cancel? We can do this next weekend."
Lily shook her head and sat up. "No. No, I'm okay." She tried to stand up and found herself being held down to the couch. "What's going on?"
"Sorry Lily." Dwayne's eyes turned red and his fangs extended. He knelt over her and struck, tearing into her neck.
***
"NO!" Lily sat upright on the couch, her hand on her throat. "Damn it. Another one." She rubbed her face and got to her feet with a groan. She threw away her trash and went up to her room.
A few months after Lily began school, she began having horrible nightmares. She would wake up screaming, desperately hoping that the massacre in Santa Carla had never taken place. That she was in the bed in her cavern room, surrounded by down blankets, one of the Boys sleeping at her back.
But it wasn't to be. She would wake in her room, security and Kelly banging on the door wanting to be let in. Finally, she'd gone to the campus clinic and saw the doctor. He prescribed some sleeping pills and sent her on her way. The dreams went away not long after and she stopped taking the pills, tucking the bottle away in a dresser drawer.
Lily found the bottle and spilled out one into her hand. She set it on her nightstand with a glass of water and climbed into bed with her journal. She opened it to a blank page and started drawing a rough landscape, just an exercise to clear her mind. The tension from her nightmare poured out onto the page. When she finished, she felt calmer. She set the book aside and took
the sleeping pill and crawled under the blankets.
She felt only a little better the next day. Outside it was gray and dismal. Snow had fallen during the night, coating everything in fluffy whiteness.
"God, I have to get back to someplace warm." Lily said aloud as she stared out the window. "Winter is killing me." She climbed back into bed and pulled the covers up over her.
The phone rang around 4 pm. Lily grabbed for the phone, pulling it under the covers with her.
"'Ello?"
"Are you still in bed?" Kelly demanded.
Lily groaned. "No. Really. I've been up since morning."
"Right. And pigs fly. I knew you'd be moping around during break." Kelly said exasperatedly. "I'm coming up to get you."
Lily sat up. "No, don't. I'm fine, really. I had a nightmare last night so I took a sleeping pill. I'm just groggy from that."
"Still?"
"Yeah. But I've been getting a lot of work done." She told Kelly, moving to sit on the edge of her bed. She leaned her head down and let her free arm hang down, stretching her back. "I'm keeping busy."
"Did you even get dressed yesterday? I know it's too much to hope you might have left the dorm." Kelly's voice was both amused and concerned.
"Hey, it's miserable here. Of course I didn't leave the dorm. And yes, I got dressed. I even showered."
"Well, I can't resist telling you that the weather here is lovely. I'll try and bring some back with me on Sunday. Okay?"
"I'm going to hold you to that."
"Okay. I'll call you Wednesday."
Lily shook her head. "All right. Bye hon."
"Stay out of trouble." Kelly told her and hung up. Lily shut off her phone and set it back on the charger. She got up and moved to her desk. She settled into her chair and looked over her homework. Picking up the nearest book, she opened it, trying to read. The words on the page blurred together. After reading the same passage three times, Lily threw the book on the floor in
frustration. She sat back in her chair and watched the lightening streak across the sky.
Lily stared out the window, watching the thunderstorm roll across the sky. David's eyes haunted her from the painting. Her fingers absently rubbed over the rings on her left hand, lost in the sorrow of her memories. She could almost feel arms around her, remembering the last time she had watched a storm from the shelter of the cave. As if something else was controlling her,
Lily got to her feet and pulled on the wool coat. She tucked her keys into her pocket and pulled her door closed.
Lily took no notice of the cold rain as she stepped outside, even though she was barefoot and only wearing a cotton nightgown under her coat. She headed away from the dorm toward the stone bridge that connected the north and south campuses.
She stopped in the middle of the bridge and looked down at the river rushing under the bridge. She leaned over the guardrail further, mesmerized by the water. It'd be so easy to slip over the rail, to let the water carry her away.
She climbed onto the railing, awkwardly because of the heaviness of her wet clothes. Her toes curled around the edge of the guardrail, dangling over the water and Lily found herself leaning further forward. Spreading her arms wide, she launched herself into the air, plummeting toward the river below. The feeling of falling was almost like flying. She closed her eyes as the river rushed up toward her.
Something slammed into her and she felt herself being carried upward.
"What the hell do you think you're doing girl?" A soft voice asked angrily. "Look at you. You're drenched."
Lily opened her eyes to see the speaker. Familiar dark eyes glared at her. She stared at him, unable to speak. He tightened his hold on her as she fainted and turned toward her dorm.