The next few days were strange for Lily.
She stayed with them—with Eva, with Maya, with all of them—but she couldn't quite settle into their rhythm. They laughed easily, touched casually, moved through spaces like they belonged there. Lily watched them from the edges, feeling like a ghost at a feast.
She didn't belong. Not really. Not anymore.
So one day, she went outside.
Wolfen was already there, leaning against a tree, his golden eyes tracking her the moment she appeared. He didn't say anything. Just watched. A guardian. A shadow.
Lily shot him an annoyed look. He raised an eyebrow in response but didn't move.
She turned away and whispered to the forest.
Ten minutes.
Nothing.
Thirty minutes.
The wind shifted. Something was coming.
Six hours.
Tusk emerged from the trees like a living flame.
The second he saw her, his massive body launched forward, crossing the distance in seconds. He crashed into her—gently, for him—his huge head pressing against her chest, his flame-mane flickering with joy. He played, hopping sideways, dropping into a play-bow, tail wagging like an overgrown kitten.
Lily bent down, laughing—actually laughing—and Tusk mirrored her, lowering his head, his golden eyes bright with happiness. They tumbled together in the grass, sister and monster, queen and subject, two beings who understood each other completely.
Wolfen watched from his tree, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Inside the ranger station, Eva watched through the window. Dave stood beside her, his weathered face unreadable.
"She's happy," Dave observed.
"She's outside," Eva corrected. "With a giant tiger. That's not happy, that's—" She stopped. Sighed. "Okay, maybe that's happy."
Dave chuckled.
---
The next few days, Lily stayed close.
Not to Wolfen—he'd backed off, letting her breathe, trusting her to stay. But to the girls. Eva. Maya. Zoey. Lena.
They wandered the forests together, four women who had each survived things that should have killed them. They didn't talk about the big things—the wars, the losses, the nightmares. They talked about small things. Food. Weather. The way the light looked through the trees.
And every time a creature emerged—a massive beast with too many teeth, a monster that would have sent anyone else running—it would stop. Bend its head. Kneel before Lily.
The first time it happened, Maya froze.
"Lily... that thing is the size of a house."
Lily shrugged. "He's friendly."
The creature—a hulking, armored thing with spikes along its back—made a sound like a purr and nudged Lily's hand.
Maya stared.
Zoey laughed.
Lena just shook her head.
After that, it became almost normal. A pack of wolf-like creatures the size of horses appeared and escorted them through the forest. A massive bird with feathers like knives landed on a branch above them and watched over their path. A serpentine thing with too many legs coiled at the edge of a clearing and bowed as they passed.
The girls stopped being surprised.
They just accepted that their friend was the Monster Queen, and the monsters loved her.
---
On the fifth day, they found the waterfall.
It was beautiful—a curtain of white water crashing into a deep, clear pool below. The cliff they stood on dropped straight down, maybe fifty feet, into water so blue it hurt to look at.
Zoey peered over the edge, a wild grin spreading across her scarred face.
"Hey. You guys wanna jump?"
Lena stepped up beside her, looking down. "Sure."
Maya looked at Lily. "You?"
Lily shook her head. "Nah. I'll pass."
The truth sat heavy in her chest. If she jumped, her clothes would cling. If her clothes clung, they'd see. The darkness spreading across her skin. The veins black against pale flesh. The death sentence she was carrying.
They'd ask questions. Questions she couldn't answer.
"Come on," Zoey urged. "You need to have some fun. When's the last time you did something just for fun?"
Lily opened her mouth to refuse again—
Tusk appeared behind her, his massive head nudging her back. Go on, he seemed to say. Play.
She stumbled forward, laughing despite herself, and started wrestling with him—scratching his favorite spots, ducking his playful swipes, using him as a distraction to avoid answering.
Eva watched her for a long moment. Then she turned to Maya.
"Hey."
Maya looked at her. "What?"
Eva grabbed her hands.
"Eva, what are you—"
And jumped.
"AAAAAAH!" Maya's scream echoed off the cliffs. She squeezed her eyes shut, her body tensing for impact—
Nothing.
She opened her eyes. They were floating, suspended five feet above the water, held in place by invisible hands.
Zoey leaned over the edge, grinning. "You guys okay?"
"Zoey, let us go!" Eva shouted.
"Okay!"
She released them.
They fell the last five feet, hit the water with twin splashes, and came up sputtering and laughing.
Maya surfaced, gasping, and threw a handful of water at Eva. "You idiot!"
Eva grinned, ducking the splash. "Worth it!"
Lily watched from the cliff, a small smile tugging at her lips. For a moment—just a moment—she forgot about the virus. Forgot about the countdown. Forgot about everything except her sister laughing in the water below.
Tusk nudged her again.
"Okay, okay." She scratched behind his ear. "I'm okay. Really."
She looked at the waterfall. At the pool below. At the girls splashing and laughing like the world wasn't ending.
Maybe, she thought, maybe I can have this. Just for a little while.
The sun broke through the clouds, warming her scarred face.
She closed her eyes and let it.
---
That night, they walked back to the ranger station together, wet hair and tired smiles, carrying the weight of the world a little lighter than before.
Lily walked beside Eva, close enough to touch.
Eva reached out and took her hand.
Lily didn't pull away.