Typhoon & Tempest

Chapter Thirteen

She shut off the water and rested her head against the tiled wall. The water dribbled down the curves of her body, following the path of her scars. Lily's eyes lined with tears as water tingled the fresh wounds - she couldn't remember the last time she wasn't in pain.

Lily kept her head down, flicking her thick hair over her head to dry her body as best she could. She managed to get her tangled red locks into a low bun but she couldn't dry it off completely with the violet towel she was using. Lily dressed as best she could - the leggings clung to her curvy thighs still damp from the shower. Getting her only bra on, still stained red, and the clean black singlet felt like playing a cruel version of Twister but she managed.

Throwing a long green button up over the top covered her new burns. No one would see through the thick material and Lily hesitantly looked up at the mirror.

She regretted it - she looked awful.

Lily turned away quickly and grabbed her bloody clothes and opened the door. The steam from the bathroom rolled into the corridor as she slowly walked towards her room again. Her footfalls slapped against the wood, her feet not completely dry, but Lily kept her head low as she threw the dirty clothes back in her room in the general vicinity of her bag. She'd deal with them later.

Closing her door, the click of the latch echoing in the quiet house, Lily paused. Her skin felt raw but she felt infinitely better knowing she was clean and there was no blood on her body. Lily didn't want to see the state of her new scar - a part of her was grateful it was on her back where she couldn't see it - but Lily wasn't ready to look properly in a mirror yet.

Lily held her growling stomach, pushing the hunger pains aside as she grabbed the sling she'd received from Cay yesterday from her shirt pocket and walked to the kitchen. She was thinking about a new bandage for her limp arm, swinging carelessly at her side, when someone cleared their throat.

Lily jumped, registering the smell of soothing chocolate before seeing the white-haired nymph perched at the end of the kitchen bench. His feet swung in the air as his violet eyes danced over her. His hair was twisted and tangled like he'd just woken up but his smile was soft.

"Hey Lily," Niall said, waving a hand to a mug of steaming hot chocolate next to him. "There's a hot chocolate for you if you want?"

"Niall, hey." Lily swallowed her surprise. She thought she was alone in the house. What if he'd walked in while I was showering and saw my- "I'd love one, thanks." She cleared her hoarse throat, still scratchy from all the screaming she did yesterday.

Niall cocked his head to the side as he put his empty mug near the sink. "How are you feeling?" He asked. Lily hesitated before sipping the drink, her throat clogging at the thought of talking about last night. Her shoulder was sore but functioning, a part of her was relieved Yuric didn't have his claws in her anymore, but she didn't expect any of the night to go the way it did.

"Better," Lily admitted. "My shoulder doesn't feel as swollen."

"That's great!" Niall said. "I'm glad it worked, for a moment I didn't think it would."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Niall fidgeted, "Jack and the fairy, Claire I think? They were fighting quite harshly when they were trying to get the fragment out."

Lily lowered her hot chocolate, the tangled taste of salted caramel stinging against the emotion in her throat. "Oh." She said. Lily had heard their harsh words this morning as well - did she tell Jack she overheard everything? "Yeah I, I remember some of that."

For a heartbeat silence comforted her before Niall scooted closer on the bench, leaning in swiftly. "My sister Annie thinks you're magic." He grinned.