Typhoon & Tempest

Chapter Fifteen

Lily woke with seventeen knots in her back and a sticky sweat covering her skin. Flinging a few stray hairs off her forehead with a groan she blinked sleep away, staring above her. She kept blinking, wondering if what she was seeing was real or another dream, but the plant on the starry ceiling was very real.

Its long, green vines had snaked its way up the walls, nudging aside picture frames. It clutched onto the ceiling, flicking chipped paint into Lily's eyes, and when it reached directly above her head it sprouted downwards. Leaves shot out of the vine, stranglers twirling in the air. 

When the vine's end was between her eyes, inches from her forehead, the bud at the end sprouted to reveal a glistening, bright lily. It was as white as milk, spinning as the plant strengthened its roots on the ceiling. Captivated, Lily reached out with a hand and hesitantly brushed the petal.

It was smooth on her fingers. The star-like petals closed itself off and shrivelled back the way it came, the trellises merging back into the stem. Lily followed the movement, perplexed by the magic happening around her.

The plant ended at the fingers of Frieda, who was peaking around the doorway with sharp broken nails piercing the plastered wall. Her eyes were madly drinking in the sight of Lily, who was now incredibly awake. 

"The little river springs the lilies..." Frieda whispered, the magic glow fading from her eyes but the insanity remained. "The lilies of the Lily of the river of the wind of the sky of the world..."

Lily didn't move. Didn't speak. She couldn't stop staring at Jack's mother.

"The storm is coming. The inferno is brewing. The cyclone is swirling. The earth is roaring." Frieda raked her nails down the wall, plaster coiling and a shrill rang in her ears. Jack shot upright in alarm. "Destruction is coming. The cleanse has begun. The typhoon approaches."

"Mama!" Jack snapped.

"The flames shed their leaves. The earth burns. The winds drown. The water-"

Jack's pillow landed squarely in her mother's face.

"Mama!" Jack leapt out of bed to fetch her pillow - and check if her mother was okay. Frieda stumbled back into the doorway with a dazed look, a hand on her temples.

"Did you just throw a pillow at me?" Frieda said quietly.

Jack sighed. "I'm sorry. You were rambling again."

"Rambling?"

"Talking about...burning earth and drowning winds? I dunno Mama, have you had your morning tea?"

Frieda scratched her head, yanking her hand back through several knots. "No?"

"Go and have your tea, Mama." Jack said gently, despite the sheer adrenaline pumping through her veins. Frieda hobbled off, muttering something about how winds don't drown, and Jack turned towards Lily.

"Sorry." Jack scratched her neck nervously. "She's..."

"Like that?"

"Yeah." Jack frowned. "You okay?"

Lily shrugged. "I've woken up to worse - my aunt and I found a spider in the kitchen last week."

Jack pursed her lips. "We don't kill the spiders in our house so you might find some hung about."

"Pardon?" Lily blinked rapidly. 

"It's worse at the pack house apparently - Claire says they keep chickens. Can you imagine waking up to those creepy things?" Jack rubbed her arms.