Lilly's POV
The first thing I noticed was the silence, after the screams, the fire and the panic of running for our lives the quiet of the house felt wrong. The others were already settling in after a quick rest, we all woke up around three in the morning and decided to pick rooms. I leaned against the doorway every one of my muscles aching and hurt, my ribs were bruised from one of the demons.
Even now I can still hear the demon saying saying, "Found you," right before Liam had silenced it. I shook the thought away and glanced around the house, it was perfect, unreal even. It had clean floors, working lights, blankets that emailed of laundry soap and there was a fruit bowl on the dining room table with actual fresh fruit. I had forgotten what fresh fruit looked like already.
"How is this possible?" I muttered under my breath.
Scarlet caught my eye from across the room. "Are you thinking the same thing that I am?"
"That this is too good to be true?"
"Yeah. Exactly that."
We shared a look, one of those silent exchanges that said we both knew trouble when we saw it. Liam finally stopped moving long enough to stand near the window, the lights beyond the house were soft and had a steady glow.
"There are people out there," he said quietly. "Actual people. I saw them working in the gardens earlier."
Mary looked up at that. "Then maybe this is real and we are finally safe."
John pressed his lips together but didn't answer because the word safe felt like a lie.
Still, when Liam said, "Maybe we should get some more rest while we can," no one argued.
Scarlet and I took a spare bedroom that had two twin beds, the sheets were soft and the mattress seemed new. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at my hands, they wouldn't stop shaking.
"Are you okay?" Scarlet asked.
I nodded automatically though it was far from the actual truth. "I keep waiting to wake up because none of this feels real."
"I know," she replied softly, "But maybe it is and we just got lucky."
"Scarlet.." I hesitated, glancing at the door to make sure it was closed. "You saw the demons heading straight for me.. they even knew my name.."
"Yeah." She whispered. "Do you think that they were meant to take you to whoever they worked for?"
"I don't know, maybe?" My throat tightened as I said, "It's not the first time something strange like that has happened."
I told her about the whispers I hear, some of them from Kael and some from others. Scarlet got quiet for a long moment and when she finally spoke her voice was steady, "Then we will figure it out together. No more keeping this to yourself, okay?"
I gave a weak laugh and replied, "I'm not used to the whole together thing."
"Get used to it," she said and came over to give me a hug. "We're not letting anything happen to you."
For the first time in what felt like years I believed her. We eventually laid down, but sleep didn't come easily. Somewhere outside I could hear low voices and boots moving over gravel as they walked, the settlement was alive even in the dark.
I drifted in and out of sleep, dreams of whispers and hands reaching for me to drag me away. I gave up on sleep after what seemed like a eternity of tossing and turning.
"Lilly"
I sat up instantly as Kael's voice touched my mind, the room was dark but a faint light was coming through the window from the sun rising. Scarlet was still asleep in the bed next to mine, snoring lightly. I went out into the hall to the window in the living room, the street was almost empty but down a little ways I could see the guards moving. One figure stood out from the rest of them, half in shadow as he watched the area beyond the settlement.
Even from here I can see the differences from the others. The way he carried himself you can tell he was a leader as he commanded the others around him. I couldn't see his face even though I knew what he looked like I still wanted to gaze at it. There was a energy coming from him that I had felt when I first met him, I wanted to be surrounded by it.
He turned his head slightly and for a split second his gaze locked onto mine, I froze. It was impossible for him to see me this far away but somehow I knew he could.
A glow of light surrounded him and then he was gone.
I didn't breathe until I heard Liam's voice behind me. "Couldn't sleep either?"
I jumper and spun around, he stood in the doorway leaning against the frame, his face was drawn and tired but his eyes were sharp as ever.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly, " I didn't mean to wake you."
"You didn't," he replied and stepped closer glancing out the window, "You see something out there?"
I hesitated then shook my head. "Just the guards patrolling."
He didn't look convinced but he didn't press as he said, "I checked the back door it was locked up tight. We will head out as soon as the others wake up and talk to Kael to figure out what we are dealing with here."
"Do you believe it is safe?"
Liam sighed and replied, "I think we have been running too long to even care."
He left after that and I stood there for a while longer just staring out at the settlement that shouldn't exist. The houses, the lights, and the way the outside world didn't touch this place like it did everywhere else was beautiful and terrifying. It was alive here in a way the rest of the world wasn't.
I didn't know it yet but Kael would change everything for me.
For now though I crawled back into my bed and closed my eyes. Sleep came slowly filled with warmth and the voice of Kael.
"I can't wait, Lilly."