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On with the story.
Disclaimer – If I owned it Cutter wouldn't have died. But he did so I don't.
Lily – Chapter 2
"Who are you?" he asked. She giggled at the sound of his voice. She realised he was waiting for an answer and so she straighten her face like she had been taught "Lily Becker, Sir." She nodded once sharply, to show respect. (She grew up in a military family)
"Becker?" he snorted "Figures. I'm Matt." He held out his hand. Matt? Uncle Hilary had told her all about Matt.
Matt was an oddball as her Uncle had put it. He liked to keep to himself and hardly talked to anyone about anything. Lily, being slightly competitive, had taken this on board and was going to try and prove her Uncle wrong.
"Who were you talking to?"she asked innocently. Matt could almost see the halo and wings as she said it.
"No one." He replied shortly. She knew he wasn't going to tell her, so she continued into the next part of the plan. She sighed, and pouted slightly for effect.
"What?" He tilted his head up and looked down at her suspiciously.
"Well, it's just that no one tells me anything. And I want to help, but no one will let me. They just see a little girl, but I can help honest." She looked up at him through her lashes, her pout deepening just enough.
"Not with this." She sat down, crossed legs on the floor with a huff.
"That's what Uncle Hilary always says."
"Hilary? I thought you were with Be-" He looked at her "Is Be- um your Uncle Hilary's last name Becker?"
She put on a confused face "Yes. Why?" Oh Matt thought I could have some fun with this. "Do you know any other funny things about Bec- Uncle Hilary."
She furrowed her brows, then clenched her fists "That's the thing with grown-ups, they just think they can have what they want but don't care about us! Why should I tell you if you won't tell me?" His face softened. Bingo. Lily thought.
He sat down crossed legs in front of her "Sorry." He whispered. It soundly oddly quiet after Lily's rant. She waited patiently for it, she knew it was coming. Everyone needs someone to talk to. And apparently this secretive man was confiding his trust in a very cunning four year old.
"He was a friend." Lily raised her eyebrows at the tone of his voice. He sighed. The little girl was more intelligent than he thought. "Not a very nice friend." She just looked at him, he sighed "He tells me what to do and puts alot of stress on me." Lily nodded like she understood.
Matt looked at the little girl again. She's not going to tell anyone, hell she won't remember or even understand what I'm saying. Might as well get some of it off my chest.
"Sometimes I think I'm not going to be able to complete my task."
"What task? And why do you have to do what he says?" Childish innocence. Matt thought. He was about to feed her a lie. No need to tell her everything, just enough to get some secrets about Becker.
"Well-"
"Matt? What are you doing on the floor? And-oh, who's this?" Lester stood awkwardly looking down at the scene: Matt. Mysterious Matt, who hardly ever shows emotion was sat, crossed legs on the floor with a little girl, talking.
"Oh this is Lily. Lily this is James Lester."
"Matt why is there a toddler in the ARC."
"I'm not a toddler! And Uncle Hilary brought me here."
"See!" Matt pointed his finger at the girl "Blame Becker not me!"
"Just get back to work." Matt strolled off towards where he was previously heading. Lester looked at the child for a minute. "Come on; let's go find your Uncle Hilary." Hilary Lester thought No wonder he keeps that quiet.
Lily looked at the man. Lester, she remembered was the man who never smiled and always had something sacra- scraca -sarcas- well she couldn't say it but that was what her Uncle had said.
They walked in silence for a bit until Lily stopped dead. Lester walked on a few paces before he realised that the young girl was no longer with him. He turned to see where she had gone.
"Connor." He grumbled angrily as he watched the little girl, Lily, pet Nancy. Or Sid. He never could get them the right way round; they were both as irritating as the other. He would have to ask Connor why they were running around the ARC.
"Do you have more pets like this?"
"Pardon?" Lester pretended not to hear the question.
"Do you have more pets like this?" she repeated, a little louder this time.
"Um, yes." Best be truthful. And get her to sign the forms regarding secrecy afterwards. "We have a mammoth..."
"What's a mammoth?"
"Like a big elephant."
"My daddy took me to a zoo once, but that was a long time ago." She looked up at him. "Any others?"
"Rex, he's a lizard. And a Dracorex."
"A dragon!" Lily's mouth hung open, misunderstanding him completely "Like the ones in the fairytales?" A massive grin spread itself across her face. Lester didn't want to upset her and spoil whatever her imagination had created, so he just nodded. Besides it was best to let her come up with her own conclusions Lester thought.
"Does that mean you're Prince Charming?" Lester snorted.
"Not me, no."
"Uncle Hilary?" He looked at the girl, so excited.
Lester sighed "Yes, Uncle Hilary."
"Does that mean there is a princess and does he fight off all the baddies?"
"Yes, he fights off all the baddies." Just not the baddies Lily was thinking of.
"And does Matt and Connor and Abby help?"
"Yes they do." Lily chewed her lip for a minute.
"What kind of baddies? Because I don't want Uncle Hilary to get hurt and Abby is a girl and shouldn't be in danger, she should be in the tower, in her dress, waiting for the good guy."
"I think all of us want to be in that tower."
"Huh? But you can't. You're not a princess!" Lily pointed an accusing finger at him.
"I'm not, but none of us want to fight the baddies, just in case we lose." Lester said, pondering on the deeper meaning that Lily didn't even realise was there.
"But the good guys always win!" Lily insisted, she could go back to her new home and get her storybook for him if it helped.
"Let's hope so."
"What kind of fairytales have you been reading?"
"The ones that are way too real." Suddenly Lester feel a pressure on his left leg, he looked down to see the little girl clinging onto his trousers. "Um, what are you doing?" he didn't really know how to handle this kind of thing.
"You looked like you needed a hug." Lester shifted uncomfortably and so she let go "And if it helps, you can read my fairytale book, the good guys always win in that one!" She looked up at him and smiled.
Lester couldn't help the small grin that crept onto his face, and it took a few seconds for him to figure out it was there before he quickly removed all trace of it. Couldn't just go round smiling, especially at stupid things such as hope even if it was coming through an analogy from a girl who didn't even realise she was giving one.
"Right, let's go find your Uncle." He said looking down to her, only to find she had gone. When did she leave? And where did she go? He turned to go to his office; he needed to make an announcement on the fact there was a cunning little girl running about the ARC making impossible things happen, first Matt, then him, who knows who else she got to, or who will get to...
Lily was feeling quite pleased with herself, she had gotten him to smile and Matt to tell her something, he didn't tell her much but more than he had told her Uncle. She opened a pair of double doors to walk into what she could only assume was the main room, as it was the biggest she'd seen, and the biggest room is usually the main one.
She noticed a lot of computer screen in the middle of the room and a girl typing on one of the many keyboards. Who needs... she counted, six computers anyway? That was just greedy. She walked up to the person and was about to tell them about sharing when they turned in their chair.
"Hello?" she said
"Hi." Lily said, about to tell them all about how greedy they were when the girl held out her hand and said.
"I'm Jess, who are you?"
Sorry to leave it there, I know you all want her to meet Jess, I have it all planned out and the next chapter will be up either this Sunday or on Monday. Please review, did I get Lester smiling okay? 'Cause coming up with a reason for him to was flipping difficult.
Review?