Betrayals of Spring (Forever Fae #2)(74)
Her parents’ case grew cold. There were no leads, no connections and no other crimes in the area that fit the circumstances.
Yet she was still forced to go to the appointments once a month. She listened to Dr. Collins drone on and on about how she needed to continue on with her life and not be kept trapped in the past. ’Blah, blah, blah,’ was all she heard when she was in his office. Lilly learned it was easier to keep a smile plastered on her face and pretend that everything was nifty until the fifty minute session was up and she’d leave the office feeling no better than when she started.
The dreams weren’t always horrible. Sometimes she dreamt of another place and time where she felt and smelled everything going on around her. The scenery always felt so familiar to her. It left her with a hollow ache inside when she woke up, as if she didn’t really belong where she was.
Then there was him. She didn’t know who he was, but she felt as though she’d known him for an eternity. His piercing, sapphire eyes haunted her very soul. Lilly’s heart raced every time she peered into them. She found herself lost and longing to be near him. The dreams would suddenly take a turn to darkness and fire. She would hear screaming that would haunt her. Strange symbols would flash before her eyes and she wouldn’t understand what they meant. There would always be a whisper in the background, ’Remember, Lilly. Remember who you are.’ That’s when she would wake, feeling lost and lonely like there was something missing in her life.
Amy gave Lilly a hug.
“Try to get some sleep, Lilly, we have a few more days before spring break and trust me when I tell you that you need your beauty sleep.” Lilly cracked up laughing at her friend’s blatant way of telling her that she looked like hell.
“Thank you, Amy; I can always count on you to tell it like it is.”
“That’s what I’m here for, sweetie.”
Lilly shook her head as she dropped the contents of the dustpan into the trash. She once again looked out the window into the darkness. She no longer saw anyone or anything standing outside. She grabbed the trash bag out of the barrel and tied it up then opened the door leading out into the courtyard and stepped out into the darkness. She stood there rubbing her hand up and down her arms, hesitating.
Come on Lilly, all you have to do is cross the courtyard and get to the dumpster. You’ve done this a million times, she tried to reassure herself.
She passed over the place she thought she had seen someone standing, watching her. She slowed her pace as something caught her eye. She bent over and picked up a cigarette butt that was still smoldering. She tossed it and stomped on it. Now she knew she wasn’t hallucinating. There had been someone out there. She ran the rest of the way to the dumpster and tossed the bag inside.
A growling sound came from behind her. Slowly she turned and was met by the snarling snout of a wolf. Lilly took a step back and bumped into the dumpster. She stepped on a discarded water bottle and it made a loud sound that only made the wolf growl even louder. She knew the beast was going to attack her, she was trapped. She considered her options. She could run for it, but she knew the wolf could run five times faster than she could. She could scream, but the beast would probably only lunge at her. She slowly looked at the dumpster behind her. Oh God, I don’t even want to think about it, she thought to herself.
The wolf stepped closer to her. She knew she had to jump into the dumpster. It was her only option. She slowly filled her lungs with the cold March air and before she had a chance to think her way out of it, she jumped and pulled herself into the dumpster. The wolf leapt and nearly caught her foot as she pulled the lid down on top of her. She could hear the beast growling and scratching at the side of her metal prison. Her heart pounded in her chest. She sat waiting, hoping the creature would leave.
Everything fell silent. She could no longer hear the wind outside. Then there was the sound of deep, chilling laughter. The hair on her arms stood on edge, but then the laughter faded and she was left in a dark silence again. She didn’t want to move. She wanted to be sure whatever was out there was gone. After what felt like an eternity, she cracked the top of the dumpster open and listened. There was nothing. Whatever had been there was gone. She quickly crawled out and ran back across the courtyard as fast as her legs would take her. She threw open the door, slammed it shut behind her and locked it. She stood with her back to the door, willing her heart to slow down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn’t know how she would explain what she had just experienced outside. When she felt calmer, she walked to her room and grabbed clean pajamas and hurried to her bathroom. She took a quick, hot shower to wash off the debris from her dumpster dive.
Stepping out of the shower, she grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her. As she wiped the condensation off the mirror, an image appeared on the foggy, cool surface. It was a lightning bolt. Lilly quickly wiped the mirror clean, grabbed her stuff and ran to her room.
She closed her door and sat on the side of her bed. It felt like she was going insane. Everything had been strange for her lately; she had been hearing and seeing things that no one else appeared to hear or see. Her dreams seemed to linger over into her waking hours. Quickly she threw on her clean pajamas and tried to put it all behind her.
Turning on her laptop, she Googled, ‘lightning bolt’ to see if she could figure out what the symbol meant. She scrolled through many websites until she came across the exact symbol she’d seen on her mirror.