Chapter 1
Lily
I stretch, pull my dark red comforter aside, place my feet on the ground, and rub my eyes. The high-pitched twinkling sound from my phone cuts through the morning haze, and every nerve in my body screams to lay back down.
My routine, as monotonous as ever, starts with brushing my teeth and washing the oil from my face. After a quick rinse in the shower—too tired to wash my hair—I get dressed for the day. I have about a mile walk to school, but the Florida heat and humidity make it feel much longer. I dress lightly in a white t-shirt and black leggings, tying a red flannel jacket around my waist to prepare for the chilling temperature of the classroom.
I glance around my room—walls plastered with a collage of video game and horror movie posters, from Five Nights at Freddy’s animatronics to classics like Friday the 13th. Clothes that just missed the hamper are scattered across the floor. The mess feels overwhelming, but I push the thought aside and quickly leave the room. As they say, “Out of sight, out of mind.” Preservation of what little sanity I had left after the almost all-nighter I pulled was the top priority today.
“Lily, are you ready for school?”
“Yeah, ma.”
I left my room and walked toward the kitchen to say my goodbyes. Mom was busy fluttering around, tossing items into her work bag as she struggled to find her keys—nearly spilling her thermos in the process. I rolled my eyes at the familiar scene I’d witnessed a million times and walked over to her blue blazer. It complemented her matching pants and framed her brown wavy hair—identical to mine.
Reaching into her blazer pocket, I pulled out her keys. After my dad passed away, Mom needed someone to help her the way he once did.
“Mom, here.” I jingled the keys and drop them on the table.
“Thanks, love. Don’t forget this.” She drops a five-dollar bill on the counter and grabs my face for a quick kiss on the cheek. She pauses for a minute and runs her thumbs under my eyes. “These bags sure do bring out your father’s eyes. When did you go to bed last night?”
My blood felt mildly hot. I shook her off and shrugged. “They’re my eyes, Mom. And not too late, I was playing a new game with my friends called Lunch Lady.”
“Really? Sounds interesting.” I found irony in how she said this while she picked up her phone and began furiously typing.
“Yeah, it’s about a group of kids who break into their school to find the answers to a final. This monstrous woman stalks the halls looking-“
“-That’s nice sweetheart. Listen, I’ve got to go. Fill me in on the rest later! Have a great day at school.” She barely looks up from her phone as she grabbed all her belongings and hurried out the door.
Not surprised by her morning display, I grab the money she left me off the table and shove it into my satchel bag with my homework from the night before. I walk to the front door and check my reflection in the entryway mirror and take a deep breath. I looked at the girl staring back at me; pale skin, dark shadows under blue eyes, wavy brown hair with frizz that refused to be contained. I grab my house keys out of the basket I placed on the entryway table so mom would stop forgetting her keys and started my trek to school.
