Chapter 14

Lily waited up for Gemma that night. After Michelle and Adrian had collapsed surrounded by pie crust and empty cans, she pulled out her favorite book "Where all your fears live", and leaned against the bed frame.

She tried to ignore the slight throbbing pain on her chest.

Lily turned the page, poking some leftover gelatin with her foot. By the time 10:45 came around, Lily was trying to decided if she was more worried that Gemma might break curfew, or more happy that Gemma might break curfew.

She smiled slightly, turning the page again and feeling the bends and rips in the old paperback.

A small continuous thudding reminded her of the Tattoo on her chest. From time to time, a slight burning sensation would run across the stitches like surface. Almost as if it was realizing that she was beginning to forget about it.

Would she ever, ever, figure out what this was? How much worse would it get before she did, if ever? The attacks were getting worse, not only pain wise, but also more frequently. They've come from a one ever few days, to at least one every 12 hours. Every day at 8:04.

She sighed, putting her book face down on the floor and pulling her shirt down to stare at the tattoo. It hadn't seemed to change at all except for in size. Sickly, long and lanky. What could it be? What did it represent? She had yet to gather the courage to ask one of the teachers, although she thought that they could help. She continued to stare down at the spider. Tracing the long legs with her finger tip. She led her nail to the edge of one of the top legs before letting her finger drop back. Now staring at the spider in horror, oh hell, did it really just move?

The door opened and a flushed looking Gemma stepped in. Lily let go of her neck line, letting the shirt snap back into place. She looked over to Gemma as she stood up; trying to smile at her friends beaming yet tired face.

"So? How'd it go?" Lily pushed herself up onto the bed behind her, watching as her friend walked over to sit by her, the smile of her face never leaving.

"Amazing." She all but breathed the word. Lily waited for more; it didn't come.

"Ok. Any specifics?" At that moment Gemma seemed to snap out of her revive; she shifted on the need so that she could hold Lily's hands as she gushed;

"It was absolutely perfect! He took me to the lake where he had the most adorable little table on the dock. Ty pulled out my chair for me and everything. He had these two house elves that served us, and not by magic either, they hauled them and they were in the cutest little outfits. We eat all of my favorites, I don't know how he knew exactly what I liked and what I hated but he did. We just talked and laughed and I doubt I've ever had more fun on a date than I have with him!" lily laughed at her friends good fortunes, glad that Gemma finally was having some fun.

"And then we just walked around the outsides of the castle, we lay down on the grass in the Quidditch pitch, and just held hands and watched the stars come out." Her voice was soft now, her caramel eyes looking back. "It was strange, most guys would want… more, after they set up a date like that. By he just held my hand and lay as close to me as possible. Every once in a while, I would look over to him and he would just be staring at me and then he would look back at the stars. Once he said my name, so I looked over at him, he was looking at me with the most tender look in his eyes, all he said was 'thank you' and then I said 'for what' and he said for everything, for coming, for laughing, for existing."

Tears of happiness were now starting to pool over Gemma's eyes. Lily smiled, lifting her shoulder to hug Gemma.

"This is all too perfect,' Gemma said "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and find this all a dream."

Lily laughed again "Don't worry; it's not at all a dream." A burning feel raced along the lines of her Tattoo, and Lily had the surest feeling that it was real.

XxXxXxX

The next morning, Lily woke up late, she rolled over and looked at the clock; 8:02. She stared at it for a moment, tying to remember the significant of the time. 8:03. what was important about it? Something, big… something painful…

SHIT

Lily jumped up and tore across the room, there was no way that she could stop the attack from coming like it always did, but she didn't want it to be in front of her roomies. She bounded across the elf-cleaned floor.

"Lily, are you ok?" Asked Adrian from across the room where she was picking up her homework.

"Oh yeah I'm fine." She replied quickly, diving into the bathroom, thanking heaven that no one was in there.

This was never going to work, she thought as she locked the bathroom door and paced, waiting for the pain. This was never, ever going to work, every morning and night was she supposes to hide this from her friends? From the whole school? What would happen when they had some project that happened at dusk? Trapping her attack in front of the entire 5th year class? What would she say? What would she do? More importantly, what would they do?

Like a gun shoot, the pain exploded and tore apart her essence. The sheer force of it caused her to double over, the expected shock throwing her body into defense mode. She was slightly aware of her gag reflex spewing everything she had eaten for days onto the floor. A million and one horrifying sensations covered her mind and body. Spiders and snakes and scorpions crawling and feasting on her skin. In the distance, a child's scream, a trains shriek, a killing curse shouted, a trigger being pressed. Images danced and paraded in front of her, driving out all sanity. Blood, death, crowded cemeteries, knives slicing skin, the dark mark radiating in the clouded sky, a pair of snake like eyes staring at her through the mist.

A sob retched out of her, tears leaving scars across her cheeks. She shuddered, and the majority cleared away. She laid on the floor, hearing Adrian's pounds on the door and calls for her to answer. The force to open her eyes was explosive, but to close them was a visit to the horrors she just escaped. After several pain serving moments, she mustered the strength to crawl against the counter, pushing herself up to look at herself in the mirror.

More tears trended down her cheeks, she didn't need to pull her shirt down to look at her Tattoo this time, and she could see it all ready. The tentacles of the web had stretched up, past her collarbone where they were before, up her neck and almost to her ear. She prayed that a turtle neck shirt would cover it all. She sobbed again, her entire body shaking.

What would she do?

Hey! Thanks for reading, it was a miracle I could get this one posted today, I wasn't expected to. Anyway, happy 4th of July, and I won't even be near a computer for days so please be patient. And please please PLEASE review

LIZIES