A/N: Remember me? ;) Hopefully…well, I know some of this was pretty obvious, but as some of you may know, I can be very lazy and I didn't feel like concentrating hard enough to come up with a better twist. Having said that, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
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Chapter 20- Running From it All
Swirls of raspberry pink, strips of white following the edges; it was possessed by some kind of eeriness when the moon shone on the surface this way. Even so, the wall was certainly not Lily's first choice of something to stare at; but what else does someone do when they can't fall asleep?
They go check on the person taking care of them… a voice inside the depths of her head was continually telling her to do just that. The truth was that she was frightened. Even Kelly's room in itself scared her a little. She couldn't explain it; she didn't know why at all. It was a new feeling, but it was definitely there. In addition to a tone of tenseness, there was urgency; it was eating at her stomach and making her ears ring. James shifted beside her.
Lily looked down at him and her whole mess of feelings softened. She loved to watch people when they slept. It was a peace-generating type of thing for her. Everyone looked the same while they were asleep: calm and innocent. The edges of her mouth curved slightly. Well, not everyone.
Letting a slow, long breath escape her lips, she shoved the sheet off of herself and touched her bare feet against the ground. She did what she had known she would for the past couple hours…or had it been so long? Whatever the case, it was certainly late, late enough for her. She lifted herself out of bed and went in the direction of Kelly's room. Her eyes went back and forth before her, searching for, well, the unknown. What was it that unnerved her so much? Maybe it was the fact that the woman taking care of them, who had always been in at least positive spirits, had burst into tears right in front of her and then fallen asleep with a fever. If there was one thing Lily needed right then, it was to know what was going on. So she intended to find out.
She felt a certain kindness for Ms. Johnstone; why shouldn't she? But tonight was just…strange. There was no other way to explain it. She pushed her thoughts and the door aside simultaneously. It was incredibly dark in the room; maroon curtains were drawn over the windows, blocking out the moonlight. Lily stumbled her way across the room, hoping she didn't run into anything. Reaching the end of the bed, she squinted; she couldn't see Ms. Johnstone. Well, that was alright…after all, it was pretty dark. One of her hands stretched out, lightly moving over the sheet, searching for a leg or arm or something, so that she would know where Kelly was in the bed. Nothing…her other hand began to search as well. After a few frantic minutes of hunting, she gave up and ambled over to the door, right by which was the light switch. She flicked it on.
"Shit!" she cursed, running back over to the bed and throwing the covers all over the place. It was improbable, no, impossible- it was- where the hell was Kelly? Lily didn't bother to think about all of the possibilities; she did the only thing she could think of to do at the moment, and that was to wake James up.
She collided with the couch-bed with an "ow!" and shook James' shoulder. "Wake up!" he rolled over grumpily. "I need you, James!"
His dark eyes opened in confusion, focusing on her with an inattentive expression. "What's this all about? Why can't I sleep?" he inquired hoarsely.
"Kelly's gone! She isn't here!" She expected a reaction of some sort, but he only rolled over. She shook him again, not gently this time.
He grumbled, "What do you mean, gone? Are you sure you're not just tired?"
Good. He was awake, at least. She sat on the bed in front of him, and he sat up as well, rubbing his messy hair with one hand and using the other to balance himself.
"Damn, Lily, she could have felt better and gone out for a drink or something. We aren't her babysitters."
Obviously, he wasn't grasping the situation the same way Lily saw fit. "She didn't, I would have seen her leave." "Kidnapped?" he asked wearily.
"No," Lily screwed up her face, "we would have heard something."
James grunted again and said with a tone of finality, "Yeah well, I never really liked her anyways. Too…I dunno what the word is. But there was definitely something strange going on with her."
"You're horrid! You have no
gratitude!"
"Aw, Lily. You've injured me." He clutched his chest in mock humor and dropped onto
his side, pulling the covers over himself again.
Lily was fuming. She narrowed her eyes at his back and reached over with one move, firmly shoving him off. He fell to the floor with a muffled thump.
"What the hell was that for?" His voice floated back up to her; angry, annoyed, and tired.
"For being an ass, as usual!" She waved her hands about in the air to add effect, even if he couldn't see.
His head appeared above the side of the bed and he smiled mischievously at her, despite the circumstances. "You know you like it."
Her exasperation mounted; as usual, he was the main cause. "James! We have to find Kelly! Stop playing around!"
His smile faded in a flash and he tightened his jaw as he heaved himself back onto the bed, next to her. "You're the one who pushes people off the bed."
"Not people." she replied, hiding a smile. "You." He grumbled something inaudibly, which she ignored because she realized that they were wasting time on senseless conversation. "Shut up, will you? You aren't helping at all. Now…let's think." She paused, her emerald eyes gleaming in the dim moonlight. "She had a fever…do you think she was out of it? Maybe she left without knowing what she was doing. Yes, that's probably it. But that means she's out there, sleepwalking or whatever you want to call it. A fever dream!" So maybe it wasn't the best solution, but it made sense to Lily. And when you want to believe something, it only seems all too obvious that it's the right answer. She got up from the bed and rustled through her clothes, pulling out a few warm articles.
He watched, his forehead furrowed, as she pulled on a thick sweatshirt and jeans, then her socks and shoes followed. "What are you doing?"
Lily gave him a look of annoyance. "I'm going out to find her."
"What?!" he sat up in bed. "But it's- late, and cold, and you'll freeze."
"That's where you come in." she replied, standing up and folding her hands over her chest. "Unless you'd rather sleep than…protect me." She snorted and turned away, heading for the door.
"Wait!" he yelled after her and she halted. "Fine, I'm coming. You're so demanding! Can't we just sleep and look in the morning? It's cold out there, and this bed is nice and warm, and it was comfortable here with just the two of us- sleeping." He rolled out of bed, grumbling the whole way.
"Don't forget your shoes. And put on something warm!" she directed him.
"Yes, mother." He said with an implication of sarcasm, and did exactly as she said.
In a matter of minutes they were standing outside on the sidewalk, looking around with the street lamps glaring down at them.
"Um…Lily? Where are we going?"
Good question. "I don't know." She shot him a look that implied that he was no help whatsoever. "Let's walk around here and look for awhile."
He grunted in response, but did as she said. They walked together; she entwined their hands and pulled him along without realizing that she had done so. It wasn't long before they heard a noise behind them. Scuffle, pause, scuffle, pause…It kept going on and on…what the hell was it?
James spun around and saw the figure behind him, just as Lily was turning. But whoever this person was, they must have had better eyesight than either of the teenagers, because he or she broke into a run just after glimpsing them. Lily looked at James, he blinked. They both ran for their lives, their hands parted, but they kept running. At some point, the third corner they turned if Lily recalled correctly, James realized that they had a little bit of a gain. Slight, but enough that they were hidden from view until whoever that shadow belonged to turned the corner after them. He grabbed and pulled her into a nearby bush, which rested against a wall and concealed them from view. Putting a finger against his mouth to silence her from questioning, he placed himself in front of her body. She shoved him out of her way and hissed, "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean you are more capable of handling this than I am." She explained mechanically to him.
He shushed her, half of the reason being because he wasn't sure how to respond. The other reason was obvious. The sound of feet slapping against the cement grew louder and louder at every second. And then, something flashed by, and the sound faded away. Lily stared after it, confused at how someone could have missed this simple trick, if you could even call it that, of theirs. It doesn't matter…we're safe for now. But the biggest question: were they ever in danger? Who had that been, and why had they been running after the two of them?
She turned to look at James, and they stared at each other a moment. The only thing you could hear was the sound of their heavy breathing. In fact, it seemed so loud that Lily was surprised that nobody came to see what it was.
Unexpectedly, another figure passed by, walking at the quickest speed. It only took a moment for Lily and James to realize what, or who, it was. Lily straightened and jumped out of the bush, dodging James' outstretched hand trying to pull her back. She ran after the woman and grabbed her arm to stop her.
Kelly spun around, and when she saw Lily, her eyes flashed with so many emotions that it was almost like a soap opera. She certainly wasn't sleepwalking. And she was fully clothed; differently from before. She suddenly broke into sobs, not so unlike the way she had earlier that night, though it seemed like that had happened years ago. Lily looked around frantically, covered Ms. Johnstone's mouth, and pulled her back over to the bush, where James was waiting, his eyes wide and scanning the street before them.
Lily sat Kelly down against the wall for support. The woman quieted her sobs at Lily's direction.
"I'm so sorry!" tears cascaded down her cheeks, leaving smudgy marks. "I never wanted this to happen…never meant for it. I didn't mean any of it, I swear!"
James impatiently fiddled with one of his clothes zippers. "What are you going on about?" he asked, wanting an immediate answer.
Kelly was looking around them for the first time. "They're around here. I can feel them." She rubbed a hand against her forearm, as if that held some significance. "This is bad…you shouldn't be here." Her face contorted and she looked at the ground. "I should never have gotten involved in quidditch!"
"Hold up." James cut in. "What does
quidditch have to do with anything?"
Lily rolled her eyes. Leave it to James to perk up at the use of the sport's
name.
Kelly turned to look at him, with a diagnostic and regretful expression. "I…that's how it all started."
"Damn it, what?" James grumbled.
The woman shuddered. "It's when I was first…introduced…to the Dark Arts. At that point, Voldemort was just starting to rise in power."
Lily immediately scooted away, leaning against James. Both of their eyes had widened. They felt like yelling out, running away from her or something, but then they remembered that man (or woman) who had been chasing after them. They had no choice but to scramble as far away as possible from Kelly, and hope she didn't try something.
At their reactions, a new river of tears flowed from her already wet eyes. "Stop! I didn't mean it, I'm too weak…" Seeing as how this had no effect, she attempted to explain it all. "I walked in on a meeting; many of my teammates were involved with it all, without my knowledge. Since I had overheard some of their…plans…they gave me two choices: join them, or be killed. I'm weak. I chose, and I'm sorry. Please, you have to believe me!" Lily and James said nothing, only stared at her, gripping each other. "Why do you think I quit the team? Why do you think I work at the train station? Why do you think I live in isolation from everything I possibly can?! Voldemort knows…he always does…he keeps trying to send me orders, and I keep running."
James shivered. "I can't believe I slept in your home!" was the first thing that came out of his mouth. Lily felt slight sympathy for Ms. Johnstone, but it was overshadowed by the sense of betrayal.
"You've been lying to us!" Lily exclaimed, her eyes alone showing accusation, angry, and hurt. "Why did you even invite us to stay with you, if you're in danger?"
"I…" Kelly trailed off, still crying. "I was trying to get away tonight. I ran into a Death Eater and he told me about Voldemort's newest plan. He's heard about the Order of the Phoenix."
Both Lily and James' eyes widened until they might pop. "What?"
Kelly had been watching for this reaction. Now she was positive that these were two of the teenagers who were most sought after. "The Death Eater this evening gave me descriptions of all the known members of this group or whatever it is. He gave me some names. He told me that should I see any of you, I should turn you in…or there would be consequences. I have been threatened before…and I don't have much of my family left. I didn't know what I was doing! And then I came home and saw the two of you, waiting for me…and I broke down…and then once I regained a little control, I left. I had to leave, I still do! I can't stay here, I don't know how, but Voldemort knows that I have you! Or he wouldn't have been so adamant about it."
"But you didn't know about us before you invited us to stay with you…?" Lily asked carefully, very quietly.
Kelly looked down at the ground again. "Actually, only part of the reason I invited you was because you intrigued me…reminded me of myself, you did." She smiled slightly, but it didn't last long. "But then you called him James. I had been given your names a few days before, by a Death Eater who grabbed my arm and pulled me into an alley." She closed her eyes, trying to squeeze out the memory. "I didn't know what you were supposed to look like though, so I wasn't sure."
"You would have turned us in!" James accused in a frightened voice.
"No!" she paused. "I won't lie though, I don't know what I would have done."
Lily rubbed her temple, leaning harder against James. "What were all of the names?"
Kelly sighed, desperately trying to recall. "You two….a Remus Lupin, I think. Mary Sener? Sirius Black…a Daniel something or another…"
James' breath caught in his throat, and Lily stared with unfocused eyes. How could they, he, know? Well, James thought, at least he doesn't have Peter's name.
"James?" Lily said softly, tugging at his shirt. "We need to get out of here. Right away." She looked at Kelly, who stared at them in fright, whether for them, herself, or both, Lily was not sure. Not one bit sure, anymore. She had learned one thing so far…never trust anyone, no matter how harmless they might seem. James nodded, his chin brushing against her head.
While he was climbing to his feet, Lily was watching Kelly intently. The woman dropped under the direct jade gaze. "We have to take her with us." The redhead said.
"What?!" James looked down at her, confused and slightly annoyed.
"Well, we can't just leave her."
"Why not, what has she done for us?"
Lily rubbed the side of her head again. "I'm not usually unfair and I don't intend to start now, James! She may have gone in the totally wrong direction in life, but it seems to me like it was just a bunch of bad luck and extremely bad judgment….if Voldemort knows that she had us, she will be killed, or worse, her family. The only place any of us is going to be safe is at Hogwarts, with Dumbledore."
James' mouth fell open. "I don't believe this. She just told us that she was a Death Eater, and you want to take her with us?!" he asked incredulously.
Lily's jaw set stubbornly, like it did when she wasn't going to give up. "She never turned us in. She's been trying to run away. I'm just not that cruel! And if you won't take her, I will, and you can go some other way."
Kelly broke in, sending Lily a
glance that was sad and maybe thankful. "We can take the Hogwarts Express."
James turned around, glaring at her. "I beg your pardon?" he growled.
"It stays here over the holidays, awaiting the student's return. I know how to operate it."
Lily's eyes flashed, but from what emotion none of them knew. "Then take us there."
Ms. Johnstone touched her forearm again, and with the assistance of Lily's hand, shakily got to her feet. "Follow me. We have to be quick, I feel them close by. They're tracking us, I'm sure of it. We don't have much time."
They ambled off into the dark, the street lights their only guide, and very daunting guides they seemed. They walked at almost a trot. Lily and James would remember the walk as being just an eerie space of time, the memory of street lamps and heavy breathing the only things to occupy this time. It wasn't comforting, and they were silent, stiff, and hurried. The darkness was heavy, weighing down on them impossibly.
Thankfully, the station wasn't that far of a walk from where they had been hiding in that bush, against that wall. It was so dark and disconcerting that they didn't see anything that Kelly did. The first and last thing they seemed to realize was being pulled though the barrier, while they heard footsteps pounding behind them, running behind them, catching up to them. They found themselves on the train, waiting, while Kelly disappeared. A minute later, and the train jolted forward. Lily was leaning against James, her nails digging into his arm, when Ms. Johnstone reappeared in their compartment. It was certainly very different from any of the rides they had ever taken on here. It was the same train, and yet, it gave the impression of being so dissimilar.
Kelly watched them with fear in her eyes, and said nothing for the longest time, eventually drifting off to sleep. She had been awake all night; she couldn't find the energy to keep her eyes open any longer.
Meanwhile, Lily and James couldn't seem to fall asleep. Not after all that. It was terrifying, and it was the only thing that occupied their thoughts at the moment. Lily wasn't altogether sure that she had done the right thing…bringing Kelly along. But she had to admit, the both of them had to admit, that without the woman, they would probably be in the hands of the Death Eaters right then. How else would they have been on their way to Hogwarts so quickly…No, Voldemort's servants had been right behind them. They would have been in their hands. But then again, without Kelly, none of it may have happened in the first place. Maybe. Maybe it would have anyway.
"How does Voldemort know about the Order of the Phoenix?" James voiced his thoughts without really realizing he was doing so.
"I don't know," Lily replied with a loud sigh as she leaned harder against his chest. "but I don't like it."
He mumbled something that sounded like, "I just don't understand any of it…"
Neither did she, but that didn't stop her from telling him, "You're such an idiot."
His eyes narrowed as she snuggled closer to him. "Why do you always have to call me an idiot?"
Lily smiled. "Well, because scum-of-the-earth jackass takes too long to say."
He frowned uncertainly and they both fell silent. She closed her eyes in satisfaction and sighed, one of her hands gripping the side of his shirt gently. Sleeping on him was definitely becoming a habit, whether good or bad.
While two girls slept and one guy stared out the window in confusion, the train roared onward into the darkness.
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A/N: Eurgh. I spent a long time on this chapter and I still have doubts. Some people have told me I'm too hard on myself, but I can't help it! I'm just a perfectionist…oh well, I was very very happy from all of your reviews for chapter 19, thanks to all of you!
I know…I'm very bad, taking so long to update these days. *Hides* I'm hoping things will lighten up a little soon. Anyway, let's see…oh yes, things to expect in the next chapter (or next chapters, not sure yet):
~ A surprise at Hogwarts. I won't say more than the fact that it will upset Mary very much.
~ Of course, more between Lily and James (that's a duh)
~ Probably more about Kelly and how all of this came about
~ Ah, dang…I forgot the 4th one…haha, how about you review? ;)
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Lils- Well I suppose you still don't know exactly what happened that evening…but I was planning on trying to explain that in the next chapter. Thanks for…well duh, haha.
Everblue3- Lol, I guess they did flirt a lot, thinking of it. Usually I have a vague idea of what the chapter will have in it, but the conversation I type as it plays out in my head, which sometimes makes it strange, or boring, or…something else ;) I was so happy after reading your review, you're usually one of those people who makes me grin. (does nobody else do that?) And you gave me something to work on too! Imagery…yes, that sounds about right. I'll have to figure out how to go about improving that. Well, muchos gracias! (Thanks is beginning to bore me.) I hope this chapter came out better, at least, than I thought it did. But never be afraid to tell me that it didn't, because I like to know! I feel like giving you a hug for being so nice to me…
Lizmarauder4eva- Heh, okay, I'll thank you guys all the time now. I'm glad you like me too…I just felt like I needed to. Oh, and the series I mentioned at the end of last chapter…it's a collection of 4 (at the moment) really funny books about this English girl's life- it's her diary. I highly recommend them to anyone with even a small sense of humor. I started laughing in public, lol! Anyway, death eater? Yeah, I know it was obvious ;) And me question your sanity? Highly unlikely…
Destiny's Phoenix- Aw, thank you. I'm really glad you think it's the just as good now as it was before. The funny thing is I got more reviews on that first chapter than I did on any others…the last one came within one review though =) And thanks for all of your other reviews! I love it when I start to recognize people's names, and on all of my stories!
Kirbee- Lol, yeah, just a little suspicious. I'm glad you let me know though, I wasn't sure just how weird I needed to make her.
Veelastar- Gilded Lily? I guess I should read it, I think I've seen it on here before. Well, one of my chapters made you cry? I'm so glad! Not because I like people to cry, lol…just because that means people actually get something out of this. I am curious though, which chapter, if you remember? Thanks so much!
Amanda- Lol, I am flattered, from everyone's really nice reviews. And is Kirbee a big name around here? As you can see, I'm a bit out of it usually.
Lamina Court- Lol, yep, I love my cat. Except when she tries to sleep on my head….and she'll come in my room in the middle of the night and rub her whiskers in my face until I wake up and pet her so she can go back to sleep. Lol, I just remembered- a couple months ago my older (yep, older…) sister accidentally cut half of her whiskers off! They still aren't fully back yet. Enough of that though…thanks again, your reviews always amuse me, especially your latest one on ADM (the slippers story)- I was laughing hysterically!
Mooky- Lol, you're pretty accurate actually. Not rambling, certainly. Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews! I couldn't ask for more.
Gnome girl aka Marzoog- Nope, of course you used to review, I remember you! Don't be sorry, you're so nice to me. Makes me happy that you like the story. Yeah, Kelly is pretty creepy, isn't she? Although I don't think she's entirely evil…she's not leaving the story anytime soon either…
Young Golden Unicorn- Thanks a lot! Sorry about not writing more soon…Hopefully this next time!
Jenna- Lol, as you know, they'll kiss again eventually…and it probably won't be too much longer. And you asked for an address to the story- which story? Sorry, I just wasn't sure. If you mean the book I was talking about, its published, but otherwise…just clarify it for me and of course I'll give it to you! Thanks for reviewing!!
Clearbrook- Professional author? You have no idea how happy that one sentence made me, so I wanted to thank you…and send you an internet hug, if it doesn't scare you away, lol. And I'm glad you find them fighting funny…I do too…
Piggylette- You're back! Lol, I should keep a tally of how many people could predict this chapter…you're right- she was a little too strange. I'm so glad you've come back to read and tell me you still like it!
Jen-Jen- In one go? I wonder how long that takes…oh well, I'm so surprised (and pleased, of course) that it kept your attention for that long. Thanks for taking the time afterwards to leave me a review, and I'll most certainly send an email your way after I post this!
Potterholic- You thought it was funny? Good, I like to make people laugh, since I usually just get a strange look, lol. Thanks for leaving me a review!
AG the master- Lol, thank you!!
Emily- I know, they're very funny! I usually read sci-fi and fantasy too, but I think we already talked about that in one of those emails. Gosh, its been forever, what happened? I need to email you again =)
Cabbge- Not working? Dang. I always have those problems with my stories, I wonder if other people do. Anyway, thanks a bunch!
August 'roxy' Taylor- I guess it was a bit of a cliffhanger, wasn't it? Sorry about that! I'm so glad you found it funny…and thanks for continuing to review…I never know whether some people ever keep reading or not!
Brittny- Hey! Haven't talked to you in awhile, thanks for leaving me a note!
Angelisa Snape- Yay, you know my name ;) I don't know why it makes me happy when people know…but thanks! And please excuse the extreme lateness of this chapter, I have gotten myself into a bad habit of procrastination…Oh, and your more recent review- you have a new story? I'll have to read it!
Psycho chick 4 life- Lol, I know what you mean about having something to do. I hate it when some people don't update, because then I have nothing to do in my free time- but then, I do the same thing, so I can't really complain.
Natalie- Haha, another person like me- no patience! But I'm glad you waited to read even without patience…
Sodapopgirl703- Really? You and a friend are reading it? I'm so honored!! Thanks to both of you!
Kayla- Lol, she does need to get over it, doesn't she? But the fights and breakups will probably always be there, no matter what…thanks for leaving me a nice review!
xLil azn d3vi1x- I'm one of those people who gets carried away and sometimes forgets about things like pens and quills, so thanks for the reminder! *smacks forehead*
That took forever- you'd better be happy! Lol, just kidding, I did it because you people are so nice to me =)
~Emily~
