"Lily?" Paul stroked her cheek lightly. The others were already awake,
quietly watching their princess sleep.
David waved his hand at Paul. "Let her sleep. She looks so peaceful."
"Think she'll come home with us David?" Marko asked, curled on the end of Lily's bed.
"She has a life here." Dwayne said quietly. He'd moved from where he'd slept on her floor to her desk chair.
David shrugged. "I haven't asked her yet."
Lily shifted in Paul's arms, making small noises as she came awake. She yawned and opened her eyes. "I could feel you guys staring at me." She said, her voice muffled by Paul's shoulder.
"We were wondering if you're going to come home with us." David said, motioning to the Boys. "You're settled here, you might not want to move."
Lily sat up. "Not want to move? Are you insane? I was wondering when we were going."
"You'll have to leave without telling anyone." David told her. "We can't have someone come looking for you."
Lily looked at the floor, chewing on her lip. "Okay."
He knelt before her on the floor. "Are you sure?"
She raised her eyes to meet his. "I'm sure."
"Good." David got to his feet. "We need to hunt. When we come back, we'll pack up."
Lily nodded and stood up. She leaned forward and kissed him. "Have a good hunt."
He nodded to her, opened her window and launched himself into the night sky. The others followed silently.
***
While they were gone, terrorizing the college town for a little while, Lily pulled her duffel bag from under her bed. In it, she put everything she could fit. Clothes, books, her many sketch books all went inside, along with CDs and the few pieces of jewelry she owned. She tucked her laptop into its carrying case along with the disks of her writing and set it on the floor
next to the duffel bag. She pulled Kelly's favorite painting off the wall and wrapped it in butcher paper. She taped a note onto it and brought it down the hall to her friend's room. Lily left it propped up against the door and went back to her room. When Kelly came back from break she would find Lily's room empty, with only a short vague note as explanation.
David was already in her room when she returned. He was seated on her bed, staring out the window contemplatively. He didn't move when she came in.
"David?" Lily called him, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Lightening quick, he grabbed her wrist before she could touch him. He turned to look at her, no recognition in his eyes and she wondered where he had just been, who he'd been thinking about. "David, are you okay?"
He shook his head and looked back up at her. "Lil? Sorry, I was day dreaming."
"Where were you?" She let him pull her onto his lap, his arms around her waist.
He made a soft noise that might have been a laugh. "Remembering when I had to make this choice." He stroked her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Was it hard for you?" She peered up at him.
"No. Not really. At least I don't remember it being hard." He sighed. "Is hard for you?"
"No."
A pebble hit her window. She looked at David. "It's the guys. I had Dwayne pull your car around."
Lily slid off his lap and went to the window. She slid the sash up and leaned
out. "Hey guys."
Paul leaped up to her window. "Give me some stuff and we'll start loading."
"We only have an hour before the security guard does his rounds again." Lily told him as she handed him her duffel bag.
"No problem."
***
It took them 45 minutes to completely load Lily's car. She checked under her bed and in all her drawers one last time before going to the window. David was waiting for her outside the window. She climbed onto the sill, her legs dangling outside the room. He wrapped his coat around her shoulders and gathered her in his arms.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be. Let's go home." She snaked her arms around his neck and he floated down to the ground.
Marko was waiting for her by the car. "I'm gonna ride with you. My bike wasn't with the others."
Lily grinned. "It'll be nice to have the company."
"We'll meet you at the highway entrance." David told her before he, Dwayne and Paul took to the sky. Lily started the car and pulled around the dorm.
David waved his hand at Paul. "Let her sleep. She looks so peaceful."
"Think she'll come home with us David?" Marko asked, curled on the end of Lily's bed.
"She has a life here." Dwayne said quietly. He'd moved from where he'd slept on her floor to her desk chair.
David shrugged. "I haven't asked her yet."
Lily shifted in Paul's arms, making small noises as she came awake. She yawned and opened her eyes. "I could feel you guys staring at me." She said, her voice muffled by Paul's shoulder.
"We were wondering if you're going to come home with us." David said, motioning to the Boys. "You're settled here, you might not want to move."
Lily sat up. "Not want to move? Are you insane? I was wondering when we were going."
"You'll have to leave without telling anyone." David told her. "We can't have someone come looking for you."
Lily looked at the floor, chewing on her lip. "Okay."
He knelt before her on the floor. "Are you sure?"
She raised her eyes to meet his. "I'm sure."
"Good." David got to his feet. "We need to hunt. When we come back, we'll pack up."
Lily nodded and stood up. She leaned forward and kissed him. "Have a good hunt."
He nodded to her, opened her window and launched himself into the night sky. The others followed silently.
***
While they were gone, terrorizing the college town for a little while, Lily pulled her duffel bag from under her bed. In it, she put everything she could fit. Clothes, books, her many sketch books all went inside, along with CDs and the few pieces of jewelry she owned. She tucked her laptop into its carrying case along with the disks of her writing and set it on the floor
next to the duffel bag. She pulled Kelly's favorite painting off the wall and wrapped it in butcher paper. She taped a note onto it and brought it down the hall to her friend's room. Lily left it propped up against the door and went back to her room. When Kelly came back from break she would find Lily's room empty, with only a short vague note as explanation.
David was already in her room when she returned. He was seated on her bed, staring out the window contemplatively. He didn't move when she came in.
"David?" Lily called him, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Lightening quick, he grabbed her wrist before she could touch him. He turned to look at her, no recognition in his eyes and she wondered where he had just been, who he'd been thinking about. "David, are you okay?"
He shook his head and looked back up at her. "Lil? Sorry, I was day dreaming."
"Where were you?" She let him pull her onto his lap, his arms around her waist.
He made a soft noise that might have been a laugh. "Remembering when I had to make this choice." He stroked her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Was it hard for you?" She peered up at him.
"No. Not really. At least I don't remember it being hard." He sighed. "Is hard for you?"
"No."
A pebble hit her window. She looked at David. "It's the guys. I had Dwayne pull your car around."
Lily slid off his lap and went to the window. She slid the sash up and leaned
out. "Hey guys."
Paul leaped up to her window. "Give me some stuff and we'll start loading."
"We only have an hour before the security guard does his rounds again." Lily told him as she handed him her duffel bag.
"No problem."
***
It took them 45 minutes to completely load Lily's car. She checked under her bed and in all her drawers one last time before going to the window. David was waiting for her outside the window. She climbed onto the sill, her legs dangling outside the room. He wrapped his coat around her shoulders and gathered her in his arms.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be. Let's go home." She snaked her arms around his neck and he floated down to the ground.
Marko was waiting for her by the car. "I'm gonna ride with you. My bike wasn't with the others."
Lily grinned. "It'll be nice to have the company."
"We'll meet you at the highway entrance." David told her before he, Dwayne and Paul took to the sky. Lily started the car and pulled around the dorm.