Lily

by R. M. Walker

  But here they were, telling her that they wanted to do something for her birthday, that she should celebrate with friends. Which meant they viewed themselves as her friends. They were worming their way in quickly; at the end of the year her heart wasn’t going to just break, it was going to shatter.

  “What are you thinking, Lily May?” Nate had leant forward between the seats, his mouth close to her ear sent a shiver down her back.

  “I won’t be staying here.” The words were out before she even had time to think about them.

  “But you’re here now,” he said softly. He put his hand on her shoulder briefly, then he sat back. “It’s decided. The Bootlegger for a birthday bash for Lily May. All in favour, say aye.”

  A chorus of ‘ayes’ went up loudly, and then Matt was looking at her. “Come on, Lily Flower, let’s hear your aye or nay. It’s compulsory to vote, but I would just add that you’re already outnumbered, so if you vote nay it’ll just be a waste of breath.”

  Lily shook her head, a smile on her lips. He was right; she was here now, there was no point in worrying about next year until next year. A warm bubble sat in her chest, making her feel lightheaded, and she knew what is was: happiness.

  “Aye!” she said.

  A roar of approval went around the car, and she was completely unable to keep the smile from her lips.

  Matt finally pulled onto the main road and turned right instead of left. “We’ll be home much quicker this way,” he said, reaching forward to the car stereo. A popular song blasted out of the speakers, and he turned it down slightly.

  “You okay with this?” he asked her.

  “Yes, it’s fine.”

  Josh and Jake were already starting to sing along loudly. She wound her window down enough for the wind to catch her hair, sending it flying around her face. She heard Nate and Matt join in, and with a nudge from Matt, she started to join in, too. She couldn’t sing, but then neither could Josh and Jake and it didn’t stop them. Content to sing quietly along, she leant her head back against the headrest, her eyes on the scenery as they sped down the winding country lanes towards Trenance.

  Trenance was really a collection of five streets that all went out from a central typical English village green like spokes on one side of a wheel. The lane she lived in was the only road in and out of the village. All the other lanes were cul-de-sacs, ending at either the woods or fields. One of the lanes held the pub and the shops, and the other lanes held cottages identical to hers. The green in the middle of the village had a stream fed duck pond, flower beds and several benches under the trees that dotted around. It was quintessentially British and Lily thought it would make an excellent postcard picture, or jigsaw puzzle, it was so pretty. A war memorial surrounded with red paper poppies and black railings sat on the edge of the park. Matt pulled in beside it, keeping the engine running.

  “Have you got your phone, Lily May?” Nate asked her. She turned, remembering he wanted her number.

  “It’s in my bag.” She took her bag from Josh when he held it out for her. “Thanks.” She opened it and took out her phone.

  “Is that contract?” Matt asked, digging out his own.

  “No, it’s pay as you go. It’s hard getting contracts when we move so much.” She scrolled through the phone to her contact list to find her own number.

  “Tell us your number,” Nate instructed her. “We’ll call it, and you can save our numbers that way. Okay?”

  Lily nodded and began reading out her number. From the corner of her eye she could see Nate and the twins also putting it into their phones.

  “Matt, you go first,” Nate commanded. Lily’s phone rang in her hand, and she only just stopped herself from answering it.

  “I’m not sure how to add it,” she revealed, when she found the number in her call log. She had put her mum’s in, but it was a while ago now and she couldn’t remember how she did it.

  “Here.” Matt’s long, slim fingers plucked the phone from her, then he leant across holding it so she could see the screen. “In here, in your call logs. Press the cross button and then it takes you to contacts. Put in my name…” He tapped away, and she saw Marvellous Matt appear in the name section. She snorted with laughter and then saw him save it, the number appearing there as well. “There you go. Nate, go for it. You do it this time, Lily Flower.” Matt handed it back to her as it began to ring.

  She did as he showed her and put in Nate Cohen and then saved it. Nate’s hand appeared between them and the phone was taken from her. She heard him tapping on the screen and then he was passing it back.

  Nate the Great had replaced Nate Cohen.

  “Uh, uh,” Josh objected and once more it was taken. “We get to put our proper names too,” he said and she turned to see his fingers flying over her screen. Jake was leaning over Nate, looking down at the phone, the side of one thumb nail was between his teeth.

  “Posh Josh and Fake Jake? Fuck you, Joshua!” He shoved Josh and then snatched her phone from him. He tapped quickly before handing it back to her. She took it, her cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so much. She looked down at her contacts and saw Jake had put their names as Sexy Jake and Loser Josh.

  “That doesn’t even rhyme, you idiot.” Josh shoved Jake and a scuffle broke out between them, reaching across Nate, who wasn’t impressed.

  “Children! Pack it in or you’ll walk home!” he ordered.

  “We are home, Dad,” Josh sniggered.

  “Derry’s Lane is that one.” Matt pointed to the lane behind her. “Josh and Jake are opposite, past the green, in Hangman’s Lane. Nate is over there in Toll Lane,” He pointed to the other side, “and I’m just out of the village in the old vicarage. My place is a fifteen-minute walk from the bottom of your lane. Ten if you nip through the woods.” He turned to look back at the others. “Instead of here, let’s change it to outside Lily’s,” he said and they agreed. “We’ll pick you up tomorrow at eight outside yours, Lily Flower.”

  “Thank you. It’s kind of you,” Lily said honestly.

  “Not really,” Matt replied and smiled at her.

  “Who’s that?” Jake asked from the back. Lily and Matt turned to look at Jake, he was frowning, looking out of his window in the direction of Lily’s lane. “He’s not a local. Just came out of the middle cottage.”

  Lily turned in her seat and saw a car door close before whoever it was pulled off and headed out of the village.

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “We’re in the middle one, maybe it was the landlord.”

  “Matt’s dad is the landlord,” Jake spoke up. “And that was nothing like his dad.”

  “Your dad is my landlord?” she asked in surprise, turning back to Matt.

  “He’s the Lord and Master around here,” Josh sniggered and Lily saw a blush cross Matt’s cheek, and then he was flipping Josh off over his shoulder.

  “Don’t be a moron,” Matt sneered.

  “He is!” Jake spoke up. “Master Crowder of Crowder Manor. Owns most of the rented property in the village.”

  “I thought it was a vicarage,” Lily said to Matt.

  “It is, or rather it was. But it’s very old and now it’s called Crowder Manor. Locals still call it the vicarage though.”

  “So your dad’s not the vicar then?” she asked and he laughed, but she heard an edge to it.

  “No, not the vicar,” he replied. She heard Nate snort in derision behind her and figured she was stepping onto a sore subject.

  “Well, I’d best be getting on home, but thanks again.” She reached for the door handle.

  “Is your mum home?” Josh asked.

  “I’m a little early.” Lily looked at her watch. “She said she’d get in when the bus did. It’s no problem, I’ll get some homework done. See you tomorrow and thanks again.”

  She slid from the Land Rover, her bag in her hands and heard the other doors opening and closing.

  “See you tomorrow,
Lily Pad.” She heard the twins call to her as they jogged off in the other direction. Nate shut his door and turned to her.

  “I’ll walk you,” he said, and there was no room for argument in his voice.

  She waved as Matt pulled off and then turned to Nate. “You’re the other way.”

  “Jesus, Lily May, it’s all of three lanes away. Hardly miles.” He snorted. “Stop arguing with me. It’ll get you nowhere.”

  “You’re bossy,” she said, as he fell into step with her. “Do you boss them around this way?”

  “Someone has to,” he said, looking at her sideways. He pushed his glasses up his nose, his hair falling into his eyes. He swept it away with an impatient hand. They came to her gate, and she turned to face him.

  “Thank you.” She gave him a quick grin. “I would have made it on my own though.”

  “I’m sure you would.” He lifted his head slightly, breathing out through his nose. He looked as if he was going to say something important, and Lily tilted her head, waiting. He breathed out again and smiled at her. “See you tomorrow morning, Lily May.” He started walking back towards the green.

  Lily opened the gate and went in, watching him the whole time. She stopped at her door, and rummaged through her bag for her key. She looked back up towards where he was walking. He was under one of the trees in the green watching her. She hesitated slightly, not sure if he was trying to hide himself from her, but he lifted a hand in a wave and turned to walk away.

  He was an enigma. One moment she felt right at home with him—he was relaxed and friendly—then the next moment she felt as if she was a bug under a microscope and he was studying her. It was perplexing.

  She went inside and shut the door behind her. There was a note in the letterbox, and she assumed it was from the man Jake had seen. She went through to the kitchen, dropping her bag on the table as she opened the note and read it.

  “Lynda. Sorry to have missed you.”

  It must be someone her mother knew. She closed it and propped it on the table for her to see when she got in. She got a glass of water, sat at the kitchen table, and made a start on her homework.

  Friendship

  Matt lay on his back looking up at the ceiling, watching the shadows dancing over the beams high above his head. Nate had lit the candles to give them some light. A fire in the middle of the room took the cold dampness from the air. The fire was smokeless, the flames a brilliant blue and red that told of it being magical and not physical. They were in the disused mill that sat beside the river that ran through Crowder Manor grounds. It was one of their favourite spots to meet. The waterwheel still turned outside, but the gears had been disconnected when the mill stopped grinding wheat into flour over fifty years ago.

  “We like her,” Josh said, throwing and catching a tennis ball in his hand. “We don’t think she’s dangerous. She needs us.”

  Jake was sitting crossed legged beside him, chewing on the side of his thumb nail. He lowered it long enough to agree with his brother. “She’s pretty lost. You can see it in her eyes. She thinks she’s got it together, thinks she’s fine with moving, but she’s not really. She needs friends; she just doesn’t know it. Everyone needs friends.”

  “She’s exhibited no signs of being like us.” Nate pushed his glasses up his nose. “And she’s given no signs that she knows what we are either. I didn’t get any vibes from her, and she’s pretty easy to read. I think it’s pure chance she fitted yesterday. Matt, maybe you just felt a connection because, instinctively, you knew something was wrong with her and you tried to heal it subconsciously.”

  Matt blew out his breath and shrugged against the wooden floor. “Maybe. And your name?” “I must had heard someone else say something that sounded like it.” He shrugged. “I don’t think we need to worry about her anymore.”

  “What? You want us to drop her? Fuck you!” Josh snapped. He glared at Nate where he leaned against the wall, one leg propped up.

  “No, of course not! I merely meant we can be friends with her, get to know her better, and not worry about whether she’s going to cause us trouble.”

  “Oh, I have a feeling she’s going to cause us trouble,” Matt murmured, still watching the shadows above his head. “She’s cute, and I’d date her in a heartbeat. So would Josh and Jake, wouldn’t you?”

  “Too bloody right,” Jake sniggered. “She caught our attention the moment she stepped into the classroom. So uptight in her shirt that’s buttoned right up to her neck with her tie properly tied.”

  “And her skirt that hits just above her knees,” Josh said, and threw Jake the ball. “And did you see those black knee highs socks and chunky shoes? She stands out without even trying, not to mention she’s smart and easy to be around.”

  Jake sniggered and tossed the ball towards Matt, who lifted his hand and caught it without even looking.

  “She was quick in French, fluent with only a couple of mistakes,” Nate murmured and caught the ball that was thrown at him. “Intelligent and beautiful.”

  “She got a hundred percent on O’Connor’s test. We thought he was going to ask her to marry him, he was so damn excited,” Josh said and lifted his hand to Nate. Nate threw him the ball, and he tossed it to Matt, who had sat up.

  “We were close to asking her,” Jake snorted. “A hundred percent! She loves Maths, ergo she’s perfect.”

  “So who gets to ask her out?” Matt asked, tossing the ball to Nate again.

  “Well, we’re not stepping back for you two.” Josh snorted.

  “You can’t both date her at the same time,” Matt exclaimed.

  “Why not?” Josh demanded. “We’d treat her right.”

  “I know you would, but could you honestly see her letting you both date her? How would you manage dates to the cinema and stuff?”

  “We’d take it in turns if she didn’t want both of us with her,” Jake answered.

  “People don’t do that! It’d be weird, and she’d never go for it,” Nate snorted and tossed the ball at Josh a little harder. “And what makes you think she’d say yes to you two, and not me or Matt?”

  Josh just grunted in reply and threw the ball to Jake.

  “So what do we do? Toss a coin?” Matt asked in exasperation, catching the ball Jake tossed at him.

  “Why don’t we wait and let her choose?” Nate suggested. “We all like her, we all fancy her. She may not feel the same about us, and then this whole conversation is a waste of time. She might just view us as friends.”

  Matt threw the ball to Jake and lay back down on his back, folding his hands on his stomach.

  “So, let’s just keep it to friendship and see how it goes,” Nate added and crouched down, balancing himself with his fingertips on the floor. “We’ve only known her for a couple of days. We may end up viewing her like a sister.”

  Josh snorted heavily and looked over at Jake with a shake of his head before speaking up. “Nate, not sure what floats your boat, bro, but we can guarantee we wouldn’t have these kinds of thoughts over a sister.”

  “That’s because you let the wrong fucking heads do your thinking!” Nate snapped and rolled his eyes when all they did was hoot with laughter, bumping their fists together. “Jesus, guys. If she could see you now, she’d run for the hills.”

  “If she could see us now, she’d have one of her fits, and we’d be doing a lot of explaining,” Matt said dryly, pointing at one of the candles that was hanging in mid-air, suspended on nothing.

  “Which reminds me,” Nate said and picked up his phone. “I’ve researched this. If we’re going to be spending time with her, and I know I aim to spend as much time as I can with her, then we need to know this.”

  Josh and Jake groaned when Nate said research. Josh leant backwards until his head was on Jake’s knee, looking up at him. “Brace yourself, Nate has been let loose on the internet again.”

  “Well, Matt, it looks like it’s just you and me that will know how to
deal with her if she fits.”

  Josh sat straight up and faced Nate. “Go on, we’re all ears.”

  “You’re all bloody morons. Now pay attention. If she fits, she’s going to fall, because for her it looks like her muscles go rigid in a seizure. If we can catch her, great, if not we have to make sure we clear the space around her so she can’t hurt herself on anything. We need to time the seizure, that’s the part where she’s rigid, if it goes over five minutes we must phone for an ambulance. Once she starts to jerk and shake she’s okay. We just make sure she doesn’t get hurt then, and keep reassuring her that we’re there.”

  “Don’t we have to put something in her mouth to stop her from biting her tongue?” Jake asked.

  “No, she could choke.” Nate shook his head. “We really just have to let her go. Once she stops jerking we roll her onto her side and stay with her till she’s with it completely, which can take a while, thirty minutes or longer.”

  “How long did it take her to come out of it?” Jake asked, sitting up to look at Nate.

  “Well, she seemed fairly lucid quite quickly. She tried to get me to put her down. She knew what had happened. I didn’t see her again after we left, though.”

  “O’Connor has us sitting on either side of her in Maths,” Josh spoke up. “If she goes down on the steps we can catch her.”

  “We’ll stick close in case she needs our help. I’ve also researched triggers, or potential triggers,” Nate said. “She said she doesn’t have photosensitive epilepsy, so flashing lights should be okay. But I suggest we keep close to her if we go anywhere like that with her. Tiredness, stress, and alcohol are all triggers—”

  “Well, that rules out getting her drunk on her birthday.” Jake let his breath out on a sigh.

  “We aren’t getting her drunk. Ever! You fucking reprobate,” Josh snapped and smacked him up the back of the head.