Une Fleure Fanée

Week 12 Part 6 (Friday)

     I wake up to my bird alarm, and I don't recognize where I am. Is this a hospital room? My breathing quickens, and I leap out of bed, running around trying to figure out where I am. I open up drawers. I have some clothes, and there are some recognizable clothes, but I can't figure them out too.

     I start shaking. Is this my roommate's clothing? I look in the mirror. Still in my ALDC merch. Was I kidnapped? I go into a panic, looking through my phone. It's the next day. Is my razor still there? I feel through my case, and it's there.

     I keep running around in a panic, desperate trying to figure out where I am. I curl up into a ball near the locked door and just cry. I'm going to die. I don't know where I am, who I'm with, where I am, who's going to hurt me.

     "Lilly? Lilly, why are you crying?" a girl with a very familiar voice asks me.

     "H-How do you know my name? And where am I? Why am I not on the bus?" I ask, horrified that she knows my name.

     "Lilly, I'm Pressley. You're in London. You wouldn't wake up, so we just took you to the hotel room. Are you okay?" Pressley says, and I uncurl, opening my eyes a bit more to look around.

     It does look like a hotel room. A really nice one, in fact. I go grab my pill bottles and immediately jack myself up with medicine. I want to just shove them all down my throat.

     "Oh, and also, I think there may be something in between your phone case and your phone. There was something distinct in it, but I was too tired to check it out," Pressley casually reveals, and I freeze.

     She felt my razor. I quickly close the pill bottles and I go silent, grabbing my clothes, and heading to the bathroom. She's going to force you to show you what it is, Lilliana. Pressley's going to see your razor. You're screwed.

     I should probably get ready anyway. Today is "tourist day." We're going to Buckingham Palace, taking some photos on Abbey Road, which is very nicely named, and going to this tea house. Tea doesn't have many calories, so I'll get to actually enjoy the tea house if I'm lucky.

     I put on this very elegant white floral dress from Nordstrom, some dusty coral wedges from Rackroom Shoes, and a pair of flower stud earrings from Claire's. I do my hair in this half-up half-down crown braid situation, securing it with a holographic bow from Claire's. My hair is very thin, and a bunch of clumps fall out, but it still looks good.

     I put on some very natural, but pink makeup, and cover my cuts. I need to put on more and more makeup. My wrists are practically purple at this point. Almost as bad as my bruised ankles.

     After I transfer my razor to a thicker olive green phone case with little white flowers, I see Pressley has gotten dressed in the main room. She looks so much more beautiful than me in her yellow dress with flowers all over it, a little braid on either side of her face. You're never going to be as beautiful as Pressley, Lilliana.

     "Oh my gosh, you're not gonna believe this. Mom just texted me that Ms. Abby is planning to sneak us into the Lion King production going on tonight!" Pressley exclaims, munching on her protein bar breakfast.

     "Sneak?" I ask, giggling.

     "I don't really think she has a plan, but I hope we get to see it! I've been wanting to go since it came out!" Pressley gushes.

     "Seems fun, but I hope the death scene isn't that bad, if we make it in, that is," I chuckle.

     "Why don't we go down to the hotel lobby? It's really pretty, and I want you to see it before we head off to Buckingham Palace," Pressley suggests, and I give a grateful smile, nodding.