I wake up to a bang– a loud, ear ringing bang and ceiling plaster plummeting to the floor.

My eyes flare open and my body is in a writhe.

Then I realize it was just a dream. There is no gun but the one I sleep with. There is no damaged ceiling. No one has been shot yet. Lily must have shut the door when she came in because her lanky, muscled figure travels across the vast living area to the bathroom.

“Where do you go?” I ask through my sleep.

“What?” She turns around slowly.

“Where do you go every day?” I ask, more clearly.

“I have a job.” She says and turns the door ajar.

“Wait–” I stop her and jump quickly from the floor and slowly approach Lily.

“What?” She says with an edge to her voice.

“What do you do?” I ask in the friendliest of tones. Really, I want to gouge her eyes out. I really don’t like her.

“Why do you care– who are you anyway?” She asks sharply.

I don’t know how to answer, “Lily–” I begin vehemently, but bite my tongue. I begin to revise the question over and over. Who am I anyway? Neave’s lover? I don’t know what I am to my father, even. He’s the reason I’m so cold. I blame him.

“I’ve been protecting Neave.” I say flatly.

“Yeah?” She asks,

“From the Bureau.” I say and I give it a second for her expression to change. It doesn’t.

“What bureau?” She asks. This makes me go ape-shit.

“What bureau?” I mimic her, “The Bureau you escaped from. That both you and Neave escaped from!” I whisper-yell.

“I don’t know what you mean!” She whisper-yells back at me.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” I yell back.

Then Neave’s voice speaks out, “What are you two quarreling about?”

I look to Neave who stands on the loft’s balcony. I am tongue tied.

“Nothing,” says Lily, and continues into the bathroom.

I just can’t stand her. I can’t stand her at all.

I watch Neave and Lily speak heatedly about fun past times. How much fun can it be living in secret? Apparently it’s so much fun since they laugh at every other word. Feeling left out, I look at the floor. We have to eat on the floor. Because there is no table. Or other furniture for that matter.

I keep looking at the floor. Take-out boxes.

Knives and Forks.

I lift a forklet between my fingers and twist and wave it in the air. Light bulb!

In the midst of their conversation, I dive forward and drive the fork into Lily’s forearm. She lets out an ear piercing scream, then groans with agony. It really wasn’t that deep, I think to myself as I rise, towering above her writhing body. I glance at Neave whose eyes are wide with terror.

I begin to smile. This is all a little comical.

“Oh my gosh!” Neave finally bellows which makes me laugh a little more. “Oliver! You can’t just stab people.”

“No I can’t,” I concur, “but I did, didn’t I?” I say and kneel down next to Lily. I grab the arm which I stabbed and yank the fork out effortlessly. I hold the arm for a little while. Blood flows in a steady stream down her arm, then I watch as where the three tines tainted her skin blends away into nothingness. No scarring.

“It’s okay Lily. You’re still alive. It was just a fork.” I say and pat her shoulder reassuringly. And make for the bathroom to wash my hands. When I come back, I see her clutching her forearm, Neave by her side.

“Now you know what I’m talking about, don’t you?”

“You’re crazy. And you’re reckless–”

“Yeah? Well, crazy and reckless saved your friend’s life numerous times,” I counter.

“What– Oh my–”

I lift my hand, stopping her. “Save it. Just stop talking. I proved my point that I know what you are” I say and turn around.

I hear a war cry from Lily as she charges toward me. I’m knocked to the floor at the foot of the stairs and I feel the floor meet my skull. For a second, I am insensible. Then I begin to twist and eventually knock the barbarian off my back.

I shouldn’t hit girls, but there is an exception to that when they’re crazy and violent and attack first.

I get one punch in and hesitated before the next, but I shouldn’t have because Lily managed to jab me on the nose and I stumbled over, gasping for breath.

“Stop!” Neave yells just as my hand connects against her cheek. I punched her over and over, without result. Distracted, just for a second, Lily shoves me backward and I stumble to the floor.

“Lily! Stop!” Neave pleads. She doesn’t stop, she keeps beating the crap out of me. So much for muscle.

“Lily!” She screams again, uselessly.

“Screaming won’t help Nea–” The lack of air cuts me off as the hooligan charges me to the floor. “Get–off of– Oh my–”

Lily’s tone evolves into a teeth clenching ring as she beats me silly.

“Oh my God, Neave help me!” I yell at her.

I can’t actually fight back now because if I move my arms from my face I’ll be damaged badly. I give up just as a brick flies from the wall behind me and connects with Lily’s skull, making quite an impression.

The last bit of life escapes her eyes and I know she’s dead. For now.

***

Tell us: Lily can’t be dead, surely? How long do you think it will take for her to recover?