Lily hummed softly as she made her way down the stairs and onto the second floor. She didn't notice the two boys standing in the dark hallway. Nor did she see one of them nudge the other and gesture toward her.

"Hello there, sweetheart," one of them said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

Lily opened her mouth to speak, but found that no sound come out.

"Cat got your tongue?" the other one asked.

"Please let me go," she finally whispered.

"Now we couldn't do a thing like that," said the taller of the two, the one with his arm around her. As he spoke, he ran his hands up and down her arms.

Lily didn't like the looks they were giving her. They made her feel dirty.

The shorter one put his hands on her waist. "You see, we don't think it fair that Conlon keeps you locked away in the attic for himself. We think he should share."

Lily tried to pull away but the taller one grabbed her by the back of her dress, ripping it. The shorter one pushed her toward the wall and she hit it with her head. Everything got fuzzy and she put her hand to her head as she slumped to the floor. She could feel them standing over her and then she heard a voice, but she couldn't understand the words. They didn't sound like English, more like the words the couple that lived in the flat next to her and her grandfather used when they were angry with each other.

----------

Spot stumbled drunkenly up the stairs past the bunkrooms to where his young bride's room was tucked among the eaves of the old house. Sippi had found him early that afternoon and lit into him good for the way the Brooklyn boys were treating Lily. Spot had stormed off, eager to get good and drunk. He was mad at that Southern giant for telling him what he should be doing. He was angry with his boys for the way they had acted. And he was furious with Lily for being around them in the first place.

Without knocking he flung open the door to her room. She squeaked in surprise and held her thin cotton nightgown in front of her. He slammed the door and locked it. Covering the distance between them in two easy steps, he didn't notice the tear falling slowly down her cheek. He pulled her close and kissed her roughly.

----------

Spot woke slowly, his head pounding. His vision was blurry as he glanced around the unfamiliar room, trying to figure out where he was. It was then that he realized that Lily was laying next to him. As he looked at her, the memories of the night before came rushing into his head. Holding his aching head, he slowly stood and began to get dressed.

As he grabbed his shirt he noticed a doll sitting on top of the dresser. He vaguely remembered seeing it the night before. Now she smiled back at him mockingly.

With a low growl, he reached out and flung the doll to the floor, her smiling face shattering. Without looking to see if Lily had woken up, he stumbled from the room, ready to drown the memories in more whiskey.

----------

The first thing Lily saw when she woke was the shattered doll. She slowly crawled from the bed, grabbing her thin cotton nightgown and slipping it over her shoulders. She knelt beside the broken doll, gently lifting it into her arms. Breaking down into sobs, she held the doll to her chest.

After a few moments she gently placed the broken doll in the wastebasket and walked to the small door that led to the washroom. She stopped short when she saw an auburn haired woman standing at the mirror brushing her hair.

"I'm sorry," Lily muttered, looking down.

The woman turned around. "You poor girl…" She walked over to the tub and turned on the water. She disappeared through another door and came back with some clothes in her hands. "You take a nice, long, hot bath and then put this on. It's better than that thing that you're wearing."

Lily nodded.

"When you finish go crawl in my bed and take a long nap," the woman said, breezing from the room.

Lily hesitated a moment before slipping her gown over her head and stepping into the tub.

----------

Rae Kelly hurried into the kitchen. "Gran…who is that girl upstairs?"

Gran looked up from the dishes that she was washing. "That's Spot's wife, Rae dear."

"Wife?! I figured she was one of Spot's conquests…"

"Rae!" Gran hissed.

"It's the truth," Rae said, leaning over the counter and snatching a hot cinnamon bun. "How old is she?"

"Not quite fifteen."

"She's just a child!"

"Keep your voice down, deary."

"You didn't approve of this, did you, Gran?"

"No, Rae, I don't approve. All I know is that he brought her here and informed me that they were married."

"It's not right, Gran and you know it!"

"I have no control over that, Rae."

Rae made a face. "I don't like this at all…"

"Rae dear…just try to make the poor girl feel welcome. Her parents are dead…her grandfather just died. She knows nothing, dear. The poor thing is still in short skirts."

Rae sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

----------

Rae led Lily into Gran's room and closed the door. She turned to look at the faded gray dress that Lily wore. "We have to get rid of that dress, child."

Lily looked down at her dress. It had been her grandfather's favorite. "What's wrong with the dress?"

Rae shook her head and sighed. "How old are you, honey?"

"Almost fifteen…" Lily replied, putting a finger in her mouth.

"Then it's time you stop dressing like a child…not only that, you're a married woman now. Take that horrid dress off right now."

Hesitantly Lily stripped off the dress and dropped it on the floor.

Rae nodded. "You need new undergarments as well, but that we can deal with that later…" She walked over to the closet and pulled out a box. Opening the box she pulled out a skirt and a blouse. She handed them to Lily. "Put these on."

Lily put the clothes on. The blouse was a little large, but the skirt fell to the floor. She picked it up and held it up.

Rae chuckled. "And I thought I was tiny at your age." She placed a basket on the floor next to the stool at her feet. "Step up here."

Lily did as she was told. Rae took the waistband of the skirt from the girl's hands and with a few quick tucks and a few pins had the waist fitting perfectly. Rae knelt and began pinning the hem.

"Rae…" Lily said, hesitantly.

"Yes honey?" Rae asked, not looking up from the work.

"Is Spot always grumpy and mean?"

Rae stopped and looked up at her. "He wasn't like that when we were little."

"How long have you known him?"

"All of our lives. He's my cousin."

"Really?"

"Yes honey."

"And Gran?"

"Is our grandmother. My daddy and Spot's mother were Gran's children."

"Were?"

Rae sighed sadly. "My father died about eight years ago…"

"And Spot's mother?"

"She died ten years ago. He hasn't been the same since," Rae said, standing and helping Lily out of the pinned skirt. She carried it across the room and sat in Gran's old rocking chair.

Lily drug the stool over and sat at Rae's feet. "Where do you live?"

"I live here with Gran…" Rae answered as she began to alter the skirt.

"How come I've never seen you?"

Rae smiled. "A friend of mine is a doctor and his wife is a nurse. His wife had a baby about six weeks ago, and I went to help as his nurse until she was ready to work again."

Lily looked down at her hands and was silent for several minutes.

Rae leaned over and tilted Lily's chin up. "What's wrong honey?"

"I think I'm dying…" she replied sadly.

"What makes you say that, Lily?"

Lily blushed. "Cause about two weeks ago…I was bleeding…"

Rae nodded. "I see…"

"It went away after a few days…" Lily added quickly.

Rae took a deep breath. "You aren't dying, Lily honey."

"I'm not?"

"No, sweetie. It's just part of becoming a woman."

"Will it happen again?"

"I'm afraid so."

"When?"

"Once a month. For a few days each month."