Loving Lily

Prologue

       

Seven Years Old

"Catch me!" I squeaked as my little legs pummelling the ground as fast as they could possibly go in order to get away from the big bad wolf that was chasing me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw my best friend running after me with his mouth open baring his 'fangs'. He wore my mum's fur gloves on his hands in an attempt to look more 'wolfish', but he didn't really look very scary wearing gloves that were far too big for him. He looked more like a harmless teddy bear but I humoured him because the gloves were his idea.

"I'm going to get you Little Red Riding Hood," Seth called after me showing his imaginary fangs as he made a grab for the red table cloth I had wrapped loosely around my shoulders. I screamed and pulled the cape tighter around me as I began to run harder and faster.

"No you're not!" I cried gleefully, narrowly avoiding being caught as we raced around my back garden. I looked back over my shoulder again as I heard Seth panting. I laughed as I saw his red face and his laborious steps. "I'm faster than you!" I taunted, knowing that it get on his nerves to be beaten by a girl.

"This game is stupid," he called after me. "Can't we play something else? What about Jack and the Beanstalk? I could be the giant!" he added gleefully.

"No, Seth! I don't want to play that!" I argued adamant that I wanted to remain as Little Red Riding Hood.

"Fe fi fo fum, I smell the breath of an English Bum!" he chortled with laughter at his hilarious use of the word 'bum' as I continued to run away from him. Even at the age of seven, I had much more maturity than he did.

"I want to play Little Red Riding Hood!" I protested coming to a halt and standing before him with hands on my hips in an attempt to look intimidating. As I was only seven, I didn't really have the patience that I do now, so I was getting rather annoyed at him, especially since he'd called my game stupid! The cheek of it!

"That game is stupid," he reiterated. "I always get pretend killed by the stupid woodcutter," he responded, crossing his arms angrily across his chest. "Why can't you be the wolf for once?"

I shook my head in exasperation. "Because I'm a girl, silly! Little Red Riding Hood was a girl too! Besides, the Giant died when Jack cut down the beanstalk," I replied smugly. Even as a child, I had been a smart arse. Nothing really changes. I also had an obsessive love of books, particularly fairy tales.

"Then I'll be the giant that squashes you!" Seth cried, unfolding his arms and looking hopefully in my direction. "Just let me win once!"

I shook my head defiantly. "No."

"You're mean," he argued. "I just wanted to play something fun!"

"Idiot," I grumbled as I sat down on the grass. I crossed my arms stubbornly refusing to look in his direction – he had deeply offended me with his refusal to play the game properly. "Why can't you just play seriously for once?" I demanded hotly.

Seth, realising that he'd annoyed me, sat down beside me. He mimicked my arms crossed over my chest with his own with a smirk. "Why can't you stop being so grumpy?"

I stifled a laugh at the stupid expression he was wearing; he scrunched it up tightly in an attempt to mirror the disapproval on my own expression. I turned my head away quickly so that he wouldn't see me smiling. I didn't want to let him know that he had almost won me over.

"I know you're smiling, Lily," he said proudly. "I can tell."

"No you can't!" I protested turning further away from him, but my grin broadened.