.5

Hey everybody. Sorry for the major delay. I left my idea book at home and I had nearly half written. I feel bad that I haven't put out another chapter for awhile, so I'm putting the first half out for you to read while I finish up.

Also warning, there is a scene of attempted rape in this chapter. You have been advised

..Rate/Comment/Email me. -BlessingAndCurse

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"Precious wallflower...precious wallflower...precious...wall...flower."

Slowly letting in the sunlight, Lily's eyes peeked from under her eyelids. She closed her eyes to the harsh bright morning and tried to roll over to bury her head into her pillow. The upper part of her body was willing, but the lower half refused to cooperate.

'Am I tangled in the sheets?

' Lily grimaced as she pushed at the bundle of covers around her waist, but there was this big knot that refused to unfurl.

'Cmooon...'

Lily immediately stilled as a warm hand passed over her shoulder and down her forearm to still her movements. The warmth was meant to bring comfort but all it caused Lily to do was shiver. Her body further stiffened as she felt his lips against her ear. "Why do you believe me to be so cold when I am showing you warmth?"

Lily closed her eyes and shuddered. When did he slip into bed with her? And had he been holding her all night? What else had he taken upon himself to do?

She felt his hands press against her eye lids and pressed her to open her eyes. "It is time to bloom my wallflower. The morning is young and the dew is fresh. Which brings another day for you to rise up and grow." Lily felt his hands wrap around her waist and hoist her off the bed and onto her feet. Daring to look back, she saw his tired red eyes looking back at her. Even though they were less threatening, his eyes were quick to become menacing and cruel.

Without another glance, she hurried into the bathroom and locked it. Breathing as calmly as she could, Lily washed up, brushed her teeth and put her hair into twists. When Lily came out to change into some comfortable weekend clothes, a thought hit Lily right between the eyes. All night long He had lain spooning against her while she wore nothing more than a tank top and a thong.

She looked back at her night clothes to see if there was any mistake. That maybe she had gotten it wrong. That maybe she had perhaps broken her typical night routines and wore less revealing bottoms to bed. But no such luck. All that was there were a tank top and a barely there thong.

'Might as well go out there now,'

Lily reasoned with herself as she held the towel against her more snugly.

'At least what you have on is less revealing than what he's already seen...or felt.'

Lily opened the door to find him still laying in her bed, looking up at her as if he was waiting all this time for her. She looked away from his searching eyes as she looked through the closet and pulled out a pair of sweats and T-shirt and began to retreat back into the bathroom, but a tug on her arm kept her in place.

"What's this stuff?" He said behind her as he caught the clothes into his hand and brought it up for his inspection.

A period of silence passed between them as he looked at her clothes weirdly and she stood there tightening the hold on her towel.

"I asked a question. A question that needs an answer." His eyes hardened as he looked over at her.

Lily let out a sigh as she turned around and some of her own frustration seeped through her eyes. "I thought I wasn't allowed to talk. That I was forbidden?"

"I'm glad you remembered, but let's just say you'll know when you're allowed to speak." He gazed into her eyes as he slipped a hand up her bare arm. Lily stiffened her body, but didn't dare to step away from his touch. His red irises burned brightly as his hand continued to sweep towards her collarbone.

All of a sudden, Lily felt a dry, scratchy feeling in the back of her throat that crept along her neck and seized her vocal chords. Lily reached her hands upward to rub her throat, but his hand was already there, rubbing the pad of his thumb against her slender neck. Lily felt it only get worse as this strange feeling reached her mouth. Her tongue numbed so much to the point that it felt like dead weight in her mouth.

'What the hell?!'

Lily screamed inside her head as she began clawing at his fingers. He gazed at her as he lowered his eyes and peered down at her in slits.

'You fucking sick bastard!'

Lily pulled frantically at his fingers, but his fingers continued to clasp around her neck like a choker.

Gradually, she felt her tongue begin to loosen and the numbing feeling in her throat dissipated till she could finally swallow. Even when it was gone, his hand did not move. He took her chin and raised her head up to look into his eyes. "Try getting smart with me again, and I'll leave you like that for a whole week." He brought the pile of clothes up and asked her again, "What is this?"

"Cloth-saaaaah!" Again the scratchy feeling began to tickle her throat.

"Let's try this again. What is this?"

"Sweats," she choked out.

"Why are you wearing them? It's hot outside."

"I'm just going to be in the house."

"It's still summer. Why are you wearing it?"

"To be comfortable."

"You know what I think the real reason you wear these clothes, Lily?"

"What?" Lily gritted out between her teeth.

"Shame." He said, softening his gaze. "You are ashamed of your own body. Just because, whoever this Brandon is, makes you feel like its dirty. That because of the way you look, you somehow deserved whatever he did to you." He turned her head slowly from one side to another. "That hands were meant to be on your body one way...or another."

Lily bit her bottom lip, keeping it from quivering. The memories of all the day after bruises marring her skin made her rub her skin to soothe the ache that wasn't there. The shaming taunts that were thrown her way just because she filled out her clothes more than the average girl in her high school. She was automatically a slut. She was automatically sleeping around. She was automatically shameful. Then there was the touching.

She felt the hands creeping up her thighs, making her squeeze her legs together. "Who are you trying to impress?...You look like a slut... Why you mad when they take what you're offering?" Lily's stomach became queasy as she swore she could feel her frame being slammed up against a wall and someone trying to pry her legs open just so whoever it was could take what he thought was his. Lily tried to grasp onto the imaginary wall for support, but there was nothing. Lily looked up to see Brandon holding onto her and reaching towards her.

Lily took big gulps of air until she let out a terrified scream.

"Lily! Lily! Open your eyes!"

She blinked back the tears, but turned her face away from him. She looked around her to find that she wasn't in highschool anymore. She was lying on the floor in her room that she shared with Nicholas and Him. She looked down at her arms and legs to find that there were no bruises or welts. When she finally found the guts, she looked up to find a guy with pale skin that contrasted against his black curly hair and his unearthly red eyes. She was with Him.

"Lily, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. I just wanted you to tell me the truth." He pushed back his hair and tried to help her up, but Lily shook him off.

"Just let go of me," Lily whispered as she turned to lay on her side. He reluctantly let go of her as she curled up into a fetal position on the floor.

'No more crying...No more crying goddamit!'

Lily yelled at herself in mind as she willed the tears to go away.

'You're not in highschool anymore. There's no one here. You're fine.'

Sniffing slightly, she raised her head off the floor and gathered the towel close to her body as she quickly grabbed the sweats and made a bee-line towards the bathroom.

He got up and tried to halt her once more, but she side stepped him and closed the door behind her. "Lily," He said softly on the other side of the door. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want to talk about it," Lily said loud enough to be faintly heard across the door as she fiddled with the clothes. After a while, she heard a resounding click on the other side of the door. Letting out a breath, she slumped forward against the tub and held her head in her hands. Closing her eyes shut, she willed herself to not cry anymore. That this was all bullshit and no more can be said or done. Her past was already set and all she wanted to do was walk away from it.

Letting out another breath, she got up and finished dressing before unlocking the door and walking out the room and downstairs. She looked ahead to find him standing in front of the coffee machine, waiting for the pot to fill up.

'Even their choice of drink is different.'

Lily made it down the rest of the stairs and reached under the cabinet to grab the pans for today's breakfast of the usual pancakes, eggs, and bacon. She stood by the stove shoulder to shoulder with him as she turned the stove on and poured the vegetable oil into the necessary pans. But of course, he was watching. Lily could feel his gaze on the side of her head. Lily wasn't about to explain herself especially after it hadn't been five minutes since it happened.

The awkward silence passed between them as he stayed rooted in the same spot while he drank his coffee and she continued to cook at the stove. Each moment that passed, Lily became more aggravated as it continued like a red balloon ready to pop.

Setting the bowl on the countertop, she was about to ask him what he wanted from her but he broke the silence first.

"Good morning, Elizabeth." He said.

'Elizabeth?'

Lily turned around to find Mrs. Yates looking just as frightened as she did yesterday. Her hair was in more disarray than usual and her skin was so pale that the only description Lily could describe it was ghostly. Above all she looked tired.

"Don't you look good today," He remarked. Lily looked towards him and was ready to question his eyesight, but everything was explained with his eyes. He laid his hip against the countertop as steam enveloped his face as he glared at Mrs. Yates with such malice that it caused her to cringe.

Mrs. Yates said nothing as she walked slowly over to the table and sat down at the table, trying her best to push back her hair without her hands shaking.

'Poor Mrs. Yates,'

Lily thought as she whisked the eggs together.

'She really needs her coffee if she's going to survive him.'

But a side glance at Him crushed any idea of getting the hot drink for her. He simply stood there with his hip propped in front of the coffee machine holding the hot cup by the side. Immune to the scalding pain, his aquiline nose was scrunched as he wore a distasteful scowl so foul that it distorted his lips.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he relaxed his face, but the dark hatred in his eyes remained. "So how's life been in my absence, Elizabeth?" He asked her before taking another sip of his coffee. "Easier, maybe?"

Mrs. Yates said nothing as she still continued to push back her hair.

"How's the gardening going? I know that you're having fun making friends, especially now that you're living off me and everything."

"Why...are you here?" she finally choked out as she turned and gaze back at Him

"Does it matter?"

"You promised me."

He looked back at her bored as the steam surrounded his face. "I promised a lot of things but at the end of the day you promised me and on top of that you owe me. You're deep in the hole, Elizabeth. About six feet under in fact. And even then the closed casket you lay in belongs to me.

"I gave you what you wanted. Now leave me alone!" Mrs. Yates yelled as she threw up her hands in frustration.

'What did she give him?

' Lily thought as she looked over at him inconspicuously as she turned over the bacon.

'And what is all this mess about owing him?'

"It's my body,... my house,... my rules...or have you forgotten who paid off your mortgage, bills, and loans. If you owed any more money, I'm sure you'd have to sell your body just like you did when you got married...but at a much cheaper price"

Mrs. Yates's face was burning red as she clenched her fists together to release the building stress inside of her. Her glare shifted over to Lily as she got up from the table. "Lily, I need to speak with you."

"Mrs. Yates, I'm-"

"Let the damn thing burn for all I care! Now!" Mrs. Yates marched up the stairs s Lily turned off the heat before rushing up the stairs behind her.

Once in the upstairs hallway, Mrs. Yates turned around and looked at her with a deep scowl chiseled into her face. "Why is he here?" she whispered.

"Why are you whis-"

"I don't have the patience to answer a question with a question Lily! You have one job around here and that's to keep him appeased! Now why is he still here?"

"I displeased him yesterday," Lily admitted as she looked down at the ground and pushed back at her hair.

A silence passed between them as Mrs. Yates shifted on her feet and pinched the bridge of her nose while looking as if she was counting to ten.

"Lily, dear. I can not stress to you how important it is for you to appease him as quickly as possible. Not just for your sake but for mine. That man is a monster when he dares to come out during the day. That is a sign that he's not going away anytime soon. Our lives will be a nightmare both day and night"

"I know," Lily replied quietly. "He's already told me."

Mrs. Yates let out another sigh before saying, "Whatever you did, you need to handle it now."

"It's out of my hands, Mrs. Yates." Lily said quietly. "I don't know how long he's going to be here, but I know he'll be he won't stop until...until...he's sure I can handle things on my own." Lily looked up to see Mrs. Yates become as pale as flour as she stepped away from Lily in disbelief. "He's going to monitor my every move and anyone who comes in contact with me."

The air became polluted with the severity of the situation as it threatened to strangle them both.

To try and clear the air of the dread, Lily said, "I'll try and speak to him about not bothering you. I doubt that he'll throw your past in your face everyday he's here. I don't know what you promised him but-"

"I promised him you."

"What?" Lily said quietly, not understanding.

Mrs. Yates rubbed her forehead as her body slumped against the wall. With a struggling breath, she said it again. "I promised him you. Lily...I like you...I really do. And I hope the best for you. And I..."

"Mrs. Yates tell me the truth. What do you mean you promised me to him?"

Another sliver of life exhaled out of her body as he gave Lily a withering look. "I needed someone to take my place. I needed someone to take the haunting off of me. If I found someone willing to stay here with him,...he wouldn't bother me anymore. He'd leave me alone."

A bucket of cold water doused Lily's body in shock that Lily was just...the replacement. She was only here to take the brunt of Mrs. Yates's suffering.

"You haven't changed have you," Lily said emotionlessly.

All Mrs. Yates did was look back at her with eyes that was full of apology. "Lily I've suffered so much."

Lily shook her head. "You're still that young girl who needs someone to do the hard stuff for you. To take your hardships, your beatings, and your suffering. You don't care who it is. You're a curse, Mrs. Yates. You bring misfortune to everyone around you. I've already suffered. I'm still suffering. My suffering is thrown in my face every single day. I have my own demons to deal with. And you place your own on my back. To share your fate. I don't know why he hates you, but I am beginning to see some of the things he hates about you. "

"Lily, I really had changed. But Lily, I'm fifty-nine years old. I've been haunted by him for the last forty-one years. I am a good person. But even good people make bad decisions."

"Hear the sinners make excuses for the sins that they have committed, casting innocent people into hell and quoting the scripture that they are good Christians," a dark rhythmic voice said behind her. He sniffed as he looked at them. "Beautiful poem, isn't it? I made that one myself." He walked over to Lily and wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her body into his. Lily felt him place a warm kiss against her cheek as he looked back at Mrs. Yates.

"Sweet old Mrs. Yates...really a woman keeps using others for her own personal gain. To make her life easier. Even sell you to the Devil himself to keep from paying for her sins." He turned his head to direct his red eyes at her. "And now you know the truth. And now you are mine in order to pay off her debt."

Lily opened her mouth to speak, but was struck with the tightening feeling in her throat.

"What did I say about talking?"

Lily looks at him passively, as she loosened herself from his embrace and goes downstairs to finish making breakfast.

~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~

"I want Nicholas back," Lily whispered to herself as she sat in the stock room, taking note of the new arrival books that came into the library.

It had been two weeks since the Spirit began occupying Nicholas's body full time. And everyday it was the same thing. She'd wake up with Him wrapped around her. Mrs. Yates now completely avoided him until He went to work. He would show up each day at her job and take her to the parlor to eat lunch with him there, which was usually a silent affair of her eating mechanically while he observed everything about her. For the most part he said nothing, while at the same time spending as much time with her as possible. Lily guessed it was to limit the number of episodes she'd have if he continuously brought up her past.

Lily sighed as she rested her chin in her hand. That was one thing she missed about Nicholas. He would find ways to help her without crossing the line. He didn't care to know every single detail about her past, but he did care about the aspects that were hurting her presently. To him, she wasn't some person he needed to figure out. She was just a person he needed to make laugh or do something annoying to get her mind off things. He was just there to...help.

Lily sighed as she lowered her head on the desk. She missed Nicholas.

'I have work to do,'

Lily thought to herself as she lifted her head off the table just as her supervisor walks in. Lily turned to get back to her work when she remember that she had something to tell her. "Susanne, I need to talk to you about my work hours."

Her supervisor gave her a side glance before returning back to what she was doing. "Sure. What do you have to tell me."

Before Lily could say anything, Vanessa came in without even giving her a glance, but Lily wasn't fooled. She saw how Vanessa tensed as she walked passed her and how her eyes were forced into hard concentration as she went to join the supervisor in finding books. It was Lily's luck that this week was when university students were rushing to check out books for their classes this semester. The place was so packed with students that even management was rushing to do employee work.

Lily sighed as she focused her attention back on Susanne. "I have to cut back my hours to part time because I'm going to be a full time student this year."

"I thought you weren't going to college," her advisor said skeptically while reaching for a book on the top shelf.

"That's what I thought too until I got accepted and got a full scholarship."

"Congrats." Susanne groaned as she lugged a heavy textbook off the shelf. "I'm guessing your going to be one of these Bama students, huh."