Note in Blood

The sound of glass

The trees rustled in the wind as the children played in the yard. Wyatt looked toward Gray and Simon, waiting for them to kick the hacks sack in his direction. Playing outside was a privilege which could be taken at anytime for any reason so all of them liked to go and enjoy the fresh air when they could. The sun and the clouds seemed fleeting in the scheme of things. Any moment now one of them could lose it and they all would be trapped inside until things calmed down. Those days hung over their heads like a dark, never ending cloud. It felt like a storm that would never weather.

Wyatt glanced up at Danny who sat in the upper window ledge, looked down on all of them. The funny part was that she never looked down on them with anything but fierce protection in her eyes. She viewed them as family, though she never went outside even for their sakes. She says that is she was meant to go outside she would have been shipped away to Hawaii instead of the house. In Danny's hands was a book that none of them could identify but Wyatt was not worried. Sometimes she was strange but she always tried her best to help other in a way that it seemed as though they did it themselves.

Finally pulling his eyes back down he saw Lily sitting against a tree singing softly to herself. Over the last few weeks she had stayed here she seemed to fit in. All in all she was a quiet kid and preferred to listen to the rest of them play then to do it herself. Even when they played video games she sat down next to all of them but refused to play. She seemed distant and antisocial at first but once all of them grew used to it they realized that all she needed was a stable environment where she could feel safe enough to interact.

Suddenly a hacky sack collided with Wyatt's face. The two others laughed loudly. Simon said through his laughter, "you should watch more carefully, Wyatt." For a moment Wyatt was reminded of those school mates. Their laughing faces as his books went flying. The boisterous teasing as he was shoved into his locker. The water dripping off of his nose reflected in their eyes.

He felt a darkness flood his eyes. His emotions took a turn for the worse and he felt as though his facade was going to shatter into a million pieces. His body locked up as the cracks began to form. In his minds eye he could spot flames all over the yard. The little flames licking the trees as they began to burn everything to the ground. The blackness of the grass as it slowly bowed away from the heat. The beautiful dance of the flames as they-

A warm hand grasped Wyatt's arm, jarring him from his momentary insanity. He glanced down to see Lily holding his arm softly. Her eyes were wide and looked up at him in perfect inisence, "can.... can I play to?" Her voice was hesitant and her bottom lip quivered slightly as she spoke.

He looked at her for a moment before responding, "sure." He felt the darkness dissipate as her aura of innocence took its place. Her hand gripped his arm tightly yet gave him the option to pull away from her. Her whole body told him in that moment he could have refused her. However the moment he said that one word a smile broke across her face and seemed to set her hair on fire with the blazing white innocence.

The Simon picked up the hacky sack quickly and began to teach her how to hit it with her foot. She was no master but she caught on quickly and soon they were playing like they were before. The sack passed between all of them a number of times before Wyatt realized that this was the first time Lily had ever joined them in something like this. She frowned slightly, so focused on how to hit the hacky sack. He thought to himself that maybe she joined in not only for herself but because she saw him begin to lose his cool. She had grabbed his arm and distracted him from those memories that were long gone. The sun began to slowly descend toward the horizon as the game continued. Lily was smiling by the end and she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Richard finally said from the back door entryway, "guys, it's time for dinner. Come inside now, please, and wash your hands". Wyatt caught the hacky sack without much effort as they all moved inside. They all went toward the kitchen, well most of them Lily went to the bathroom. They all heard a dull thud and then Danny walked in with Charolette tucked into her belt. She looked at them quickly with her violet eyes seemingly narrowed in suspicion, "where is Lily?"