Life At A Stand-Still

Chapter 2

Above is what Lily puts on in the 3rd paragraph

2 Years Later

Lily woke up to kitten paws walking over her stomach. She smiled and sat up, stretched, then scratched behind Blackberry's ears. The kitten was the only thing Lily had from her old life.

"Lily! Time to wake up!" Someone shouted from downstairs. It was then that Lily noticed the smell of bacon and pancakes in the air. She glanced over at her clock, realizing that it was 8:30 AM on the dot.

"Coming, Maddie!" She shouted, getting out of bed. She walked over to her closet, took off her pajamas, and changed into galaxy print t-shirt and black shorts.

She then raced Blackberry downstairs, where Maddie, Lily's guardian, already had a plate ready. Lily filled her cat's bowl before taking her plate and sitting down. Lily sat in silence for a while, eating her pancakes and bacon and looking out the window.

"What are you thinking about?" Maddie asked, breaking the silence.

"Just remembering how we met." Lily answered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily ran through the forest, crashing through branches and jumping over rocks.

She had gone a fair distance when she collapsed on a fallen log and cried. She opened Blackberry's cage and held the 10 week old kitten to her chest.

She stayed that way for a good ten minutes, until she heard leaves crunching under boots. Lily looked up to see a 19 year old girl with dark blonde hair and green eyes.

"What's wrong?" The girl asked, crouching down to Lily's level. Lily eyed her suspiciously. "Oh, of course you don't want to talk to the strange girl who just walked up to you in the forest." The girl face-palmed. "Hi. My name is Maddie Martin. What's your's?"

"L-Lily E-Everlast." Lily sniffed. Maddie nodded.

"Why are you out here by yourself?" She asked. "Aren't your parents worried?"

Lily looked down at Blackberry, who had climbed her way out of Lily's hand and was now on her shoulder. "My whole family just died." She said, sadness thick in her voice. "And I could have stopped it."

Maddie sighed. "I know how you feel." She stood up and offered her hand to Lily. "I have a place not far from here. You could stay with me, if you want." She suggested. "I promise I won't kill you." She added after a minute.

Lily cracked a small, sad smile and took Maddie's hand. "Thank you."

~~~~~~~~End Of Flashback~~~~~~~~

"Yep. I remember that." Maddie said, taking her's and Lily's empty plates to the sink and rinsing them, before throwing them in the dishwasher.

"And Lily, can I ask you a favor?" Maddie asked. Lily nodded. "Don't coop yourself up inside the house today. Go for a walk."

Lily smiled. "Alright."

"Oh, and one more thing." Maddie added quickly. "I have a job today, so I'll be gone for a while. I should be back by noon, though."

"Thanks for telling me." Lily said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Time Skip~~~~~~~~~~~

At 9:30, Lily left the house, making sure to lock the door behind her. She then started walking into the forest.

After walking in peace for about 45 minutes, she was ready to turn back. But as she started to walk back in the direction of the house, she began to hear the sounds of battle.

Lily decided to investigate.

After following the sound to behind a big rock, she peeked around and caught a glimpse of a man with knives coming out of his knuckles swinging his fists at an invisible force.

Then she caught a glimpse of metal coming at her. She quickly ducked and felt a loud thump against the rock, followed by a loud groan.

"Tie him up, Covert." One of the men said. Covert? Lily thought to herself.

"Give me the rope then, Mystery." The other voice said. Then, something clicked in Lily's brain.

She jumped in front of the rock she was hiding behind and yelled, "Aaron! Caleb! Oh, you are going to regret this!"

Then she stopped time.

Lily grabbed the man, who was now out cold, and dragged him back onto the path, in the direction of the house.

When she thought she was a fair distance away, she unfroze time, as it was very tiring.

After another 45 minutes of dragging this VERY heavy unconscious man back down the path, Lily finally caught sight of the house.

She unlocked the door and dragged the man over to the couch, before struggling to lift him on to the piece of furniture.

After a few minutes of trying, she succeeded.

Then she grabbed her cellphone and dialed Maddie's number.

"Black Jack speaking." The other end answered.

"Maddie, it's me. How much longer do you think you'll be?" Lily asked, holding her phone between her head and her shoulder as she grabbed a tea towel from the drawer.

Lily heard a gunshot in the background before Maddie answered. "Well I just finished. I'm in New Tecumseth, so give me... 20 minutes."

Lily took an ice pack from the freezer and set it on the counter. "That close?" She asked.

"Yep." Maddie replied.

"OK. See you then." Lily said and hung up. She wrapped the ice pack in the tea towel and brought it over to the man on the couch, then placed it on his forehead.

Then she sat down and waited for Maddie to arrive home.