Lily sat in class, biting her bottom lip nervously.  Friday afternoon was finally upon them, and there were only a few moments to go until class ended, and usually, she’d be extremely excited about this! It meant she could go back to the “Safehouse”, as the children’s home was known, change and pack her bag, then go spend the weekend with her older cousin, Morrigan.

Lily loved spending time with the older female, having only found out she was her cousin a mere few months ago, but already having a strong, almost sisterly bond with her, due to them living together in the “Safehouse”. But now she’d moved out, Lily found herself growing lonely when not around Morrigan. She was the only person she really felt close to, after all.

But tonight… She was afraid of school coming to an end. Some boys had found out about her sexuality, and were plotting to get her once the day had ended. The threat had been made clear that Lily would “regret being such a freak”, though she didn’t know where, or even when, this would occur.

All she knew was that she had to run away, and quick. As the bell rang, Lily shoved her stuff into her backpack, pulled it onto her shoulders and ran from the classroom as fast as she dared to go, and out into the hallway, making haste for the main doors.

“THERE SHE IS!”

Lily’s eyes grew wide at the sound of one of the bullies, calling out for her as a few of his “gang” began to give chase to her, out of the school’s doors and into the streets. Lily’s thin form darted down the sidewalk as she tried to escape, rounding the corner and feeling herself trip, tumbling head over heels for a few yards.

An arm grabbed her, dragging her into an alleyway… It was one of her attackers..

_____

By the time Lily was let go, she was in a dreadful mess. Her nose was bleed profusely, her glasses shattered and laying on the ground behind her, broken. Cuts covered her face and arms, mingling with bruises and tears, and a lot of mud.

Limping into the streets, her torn clothes lay on her thin form, splattered with spots of her blood and dirt from the ground, the tiny female finding it almost impossible to bear weight on her left ankle. Her head was pounding, everything spinning…

Pain... So much pain.

She was sure she heard a voice… someone talking to her...

With a whimper, Lily vomited and collapsed on the floor, too weak and frightened to stand anymore, and so dangerously close to passing out.
The attack was awful and vicious, the tiny female unable to defend herself from her attackers, whom had wisely fled the scene before Lily was able to get herself into a standing position.

God, she ached.