Finding Lily

12- Lily

My entire body was sore, as it had been for the past couple weeks that I'd been in the cabin. It had gotten easier with each passing day to get up and go to the bathroom, but it was still painful and Daniel didn't have any pain medication with him.

I rose the next day when the sun did, my body aching with every movement. I used the bedside table to help me up, and used the wall to get me to the door. The thing that hurt the most was the cut on my stomach, but I wouldn't be surprised if I had been given bruised ribs in addition to the many other injuries I had sustained.

I opened the door to my room slowly, and walked to the kitchen. The cabin was small with two bedrooms and a living area that had a table for two, a couch, and a small kitchen. There was also a sink and a mini fridge, but I wasn't sure where he got electricity. The room was bare with no decor and the wood floors were only a couple shades darker than the walls. If Regina had seen this place, she would have flipped at how monotone and boring it was.

"You're up." Daniel was standing in his bedroom doorway looking at me. It was the first time I had been out besides the times I went to the bathroom, so I finally had a chance to get a good look at the place.

"Yep." I said, disgust evident in my voice. Even the rundown house I grew up in was prettier than this. My mom had made sure of that with the flowers she planted and colorful blankets she sowed. I was also used to modern amenities like showers and light switches, but those didn't exist here.

I walked over to the mini fridge and opened it. The only things inside were salad, a half gallon of soy milk, and some apples. I then went to the pantry and saw cereal, pasta, granola bars, and potatoes.

"I think it's about time I went grocery shopping."

I looked at him. "Where do you do that?"

"There's a market in town that I go to about once a month. Otherwise I hunt for food."

I was repulsed by the idea. I had never held a gun before and didn't want to, not after I knew what one could do.

"I also have a garden out back that I grow some veggies in, but they're out of season right now so I have to buy them." Daniel continued.

I nodded. My desire to leave was coming to the surface. I couldn't stand it here. I couldn't stand living with him. He may have been my father once upon a time, but now, he was nothing but a stranger who was responsible for Jane's death.

"I'm leaving in a couple of days. I'd like to take your car." I said after sitting at the dining room table with a granola bar.

"No." His arms were crossed. His eyes dark, empty. It pissed me off.

"Why the hell not?"

"You're staying here until you know how to protect yourself."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You could have saved yourself if you weren't so weak. Could have saved Jane, too."

I slammed my fist down on the table and stood up, bracing myself on the flat surface with my arms. "Don't you dare try to blame me for this. It's your fault. Not mine."

Daniel flinched. Finally, a sign of life inside that black soul of his. "You're right. This is my fault. The fact remains that you don't know how to protect yourself. And I can't let you leave until you do."

I tried to mirror his expression, pulling all of the anger from my chest and displaying it in my face. "Fuck. You."

Without waiting for a response, I grabbed the rest of my granola bar and stormed out of the cabin. It was cold outside. The leaves were a rainbow of fiery colors and the autumn breeze instantly caused me to shiver. After wrapping my arms around myself, I looked around. All I saw was a dirt road and miles of forest. There were no sounds of traffic in the distance. No signs of life other than the animals scurrying around the dead leaves that had fallen onto the dirt.

My eyes landed on the red pickup in the driveway. I reached for the door handle and pulled hard, even though it was locked. Spotting a sharp rock, I closed it in my fist and thrust it into the glass window. I did that several times, grunting at the force of it, before it finally shattered. A broken piece nicked my middle finger and blood started to pour out of the wound.

"Come inside, Lily."

I turned and saw Daniel standing in the doorway, unimpressed. I wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there.

A fresh wave of tears wet my cheeks. From the pain, the anger, sadness, I wasn't sure anymore. "I wanna go home."

"You don't have a home anymore, remember?" His voice was softer than usual.

He was right, though. Regina wouldn't take me back after this. I had nowhere to go.

Defeated, I walked past him into the cabin.