"Will he be okay? If he wakes up, please let me know. Here is my number." Lily sat down next to Mike, eyes locked on him.
"Is he your brother?" the nurse asked, suspicion thick in her voice.
"You sure care a lot for him, don't you?" She tried again.
"You know what? I have to go. I have something to do."
"Girl, if you like him, don't wait too long to say it. When you carried him to me, I saw it in your eyes. You can't hide it, just like those hurt knuckles."
"Are you done? I gave you my number for news, not talk. Stop it. You don't want to see the side of me under this hoodie." Lily spoke without fear.
"I will call you when he wakes up," the nurse said again.
"I prefer a text," Lily answered.
She left the sick bay, still wondering about the boy. He felt like more than a soul friend—he felt like a missing piece of her life. To calm her mind, Lily turned on her phonk playlist. But the boy's smile never left her head.
The air grew colder. Snow fell harder. She needed a warm place until the storm passed—the library.
She opened her notebook and stared at the strange marks that still made no sense.
"You look interested. Want a good book to pass the storm?" The librarian smiled, her voice warm and honest.
The librarian kept staring. It felt like she was in Lily's private space.
"I'm fine," Lily said coldly, hoping the woman would leave. But it only pulled her closer.
Lily took out her handkerchief. Her hurt knuckles showed under the bandage. This gave the librarian a chance to see her weak side.
"You're one brave girl!" the librarian said with a smile, waiting for Lily to open up even a little.
Lily said nothing. The librarian still walked closer, even though Lily had loud phonk in her ears.
"My name is Rose Royce." She held out her hand. Lily waited until it dropped.
"Lady… what did you say your name was again?" Lily asked, giving false hope.
"My name is…" Rose started, but Lily cut her off.
"Is something wrong?" the librarian asked.
"Ms. Rose, do you know where I can find the restroom?" Lily stared into her eyes and hid her anger.
"You're one stubborn and naughty kid, aren't you?" Smiling, she pointed the way. "South of the Fantasy corner," she said calmly.
"And by the way, your name is right on your T-shirt tag," Lily said without care, giving a cold look.
"No wonder—trees with green leaves have dark roots." The librarian stayed kind and went back to the desk. She hid the anger in her face, but she still felt drawn to Lily.
Lily went to the restroom not to use it, but to fight something dark that could get her kicked out of Kingston—even with her link to the principal.
Nightmares had hunted her since she was five. This time they came with a twist even her pride could not push away.
She sniffed cocaine and smoked marijuana as usual to kill the fear. But the older she got, the worse the fears became.
They showed all the bad crimes and blood on her hands.
"That explains why you were so strong—lifting that guy all by yourself," a girl teased as she saw Lily doing drugs.
Lily turned to the girl, but she vanished like smoke. Then Lily knew she was late for her dose. She ran to the toilet and threw up—not food, but blood.
She looked at her hands. The bandages had come off. Words were cut into her arms:
"You can't hide us."
She flushed the toilet, but the blood stayed. Her hands dripped red. She ran to the sink, but the blood would not wash off.
She looked in the mirror. Words in blood said:
"You belong to me."
She felt her neck for the rosary. It was gone. She remembered putting it in the pocket of the boy she saved.
Afraid someone would see the blood on the mirrors, she used a lot of toilet paper to clean it. But it would not go away.
She tried water and soap. Nothing worked. The blood stayed.
Trapped with bleeding knuckles, she fell apart. Her head rested on the mirror. Her hands hung and shook.
She could not hold herself together. Tears fell to the floor. In the reflection, she saw the boy she saved. He hugged her from behind to comfort her. When she tried to hold his hands, he faded.
She came back to herself. The blood on the mirrors was gone.
But the cuts on her knuckles stayed, though the bleeding had stopped.
To hide them, she wrapped toilet paper around her hands.
She washed her face, pulled her hoodie over messy hair, and put on shades to hide red eyes.
When she left the restroom, the library was dark. School time was over.
The place felt like ice. With every step, her heart beat slower.
Looking at the doors, her sight grew blurry. Her hands shook.
Each step felt like walking into a deep hole—the side effects of the drugs. She could not fight it.
"What is it?" She saw a shape like a person lost in the shadows of the bookshelves.
Steam rose from the dark. Lily moved like a cat, ready to face a wild animal.
"Lily, why not come join me?" a voice called from the shadows. It pulled at her nerves.
"I'm tired. Listen—I'm tired. Just come take me." Lily's voice broke as she stepped closer.
"Mmm, I think it's too late for KFC, Lily. Let's have tea and cookies." The librarian stepped out, bringing relief.
"But how did you…" Lily reached for her pen, unsure.
"Turns out you're a bit of a star here in Kingston. I didn't know you had that sweet side." The librarian made space for Lily to sit, but Lily kept her guard up.
She chose her own chair. When she pulled it in, the toilet-paper bandage fell off, showing her bloody knuckles. She hid them fast, acting brave.
"You know I can see that, right?" Pity filled the librarian's eyes as she reached for Lily's arms.
"Don't be shy. Let me look." Getting closer, Lily stopped her with a question.
"What do you want? I can give it, but I want my privacy."
"Okay. I want a girl with dark hair, brown skin, and green eyes…" The librarian joked, but the words hurt Lily like pins.
"I know one—Carol Cain. She has brown skin and dark hair." Lily cut her off.
"You didn't let me finish. She is brave and has a bleeding knuckle." The librarian's voice was soft like honey.
"You know what?" Lily ended the warm moment.
"It's okay. You can go. But don't forget this, Lily: today you found your rosary. You found God."
"Be honest—what are you?" Lily stepped closer.
"Call me the librarian," Rose said.
"No, I won't. Ashley." Lily smiled without meaning to.
"Mmm." Rose looked surprised.
"It was Mum's name," Lily said.
Rose hid her face. "And so are you, my Treasure."
Lily, weak from everything, fell asleep on the table. Rose gently picked her up, took off the toilet-paper wrap, and put on a real bandage that said, "I am not alone."
For the first time in ten years, Lily felt the warmth of a real blanket and a big, soft bed.
A text from the nurse woke her:
He's good and very thankful to meet someone like you.
Reading it lit something inside her, but she still wanted to ignore it. Mike's face stayed in her mind—even in the boxing match. She heard his voice in the crowd and felt him near, even in knockouts.
"And the winner of the Philly boxing championship is Oscar Riffles! What a fight! Is he a man or metal? The one and only undisputed!" the referee shouted.
Deep in the crowd sat the mafia boss—the Bruce Wayne of the city, the CEO of TX Industry himself.
"Who is that girl?" the CEO muttered.
"The one with the blue belt?" his bodyguard asked.
"No… the one with green eyes." The CEO pointed her out.
"Should I get her for you?"
"Yeah, but not now. She has strong blood, yet I see fear in her eyes." He swiped his phone and saw more than five missed calls from an unknown number.
"Hello. Who is this?" he asked, unsure.
"Prank call!" a young voice said.
"Daughter, why are you so stubborn? I told you…" The CEO laughed, his hard mood gone.
"I'm sorry. Just saying I love you. And I finally brought home the friend you wanted to meet—the one with white hair," she said happily.
"Is it Pinocchio?" the CEO teased.
"I told you I'm not a kid. I'm sixteen!" Her voice sounded grown-up.
"What's the boy's name?" he asked, worried.
"Don't you remember my school friend? Okay, you're busy. Don't you recall the name Mike?"
"Mike… what a cheap name!" The CEO faked a laugh.
"He is sweet," the girl said.
"Okay, I get it. You have a crush." The CEO ended the call and checked his watch.
"Has everyone left?"
The bodyguard nodded with hand signs.
"Bring them?"
"Fast. I don't want my daughter in a bloody shirt because a boy is over. I hope it's not one of her dolls." The CEO joked.
"Master, remember the video leak? It's not just one view—many, from different places." The bodyguard dragged two blindfolded men to the floor.
"How useful? Get to the point. How many are out there?"
"Seven. And here's the good part—they're all in our state." The bodyguard smiled.
"Then what are these rats?"
"They are two of the five workers who leaked Project X."
One suspect cried to the CEO, "I swear, sir, we were hacked by a strong virus. Please, today is my daughter's birthday."
"She'll love Dad in a box." The CEO's eyes wanted blood.
"That means take out the trash, right?" the bodyguard asked.
"Watch out. You'll soon have a new boss."
"You have a daughter too, don't you?" the suspect cried. "Why mine? What if it was yours? Think, man."
"Let me answer in six words: if anyone touches my daughter… I WILL LET THE WORLD BURN."
"Greasy, I want him fried—the electric chair."
"But sir, that's too much."
"Greasy, I hold the keys to your wife's life."
The CEO lit a cigarette and smiled.
"Okay, Master…" Greasy dragged the man away.
"What about the other one on the floor?" a guard asked.
"Tie him up. He'll be useful soon—very soon." The CEO said.
......