Lucky and the Killer ✔

Idiot

Lilly sat in front of her computer. The glow from the screen reached out to her fairy-like face and cast a shade over it. She clicked through the browser, even though it was very early in the morning, and she hadn't slept a wink. Her eyes were darkened. It didn't suit her pretty face, but she didn't much care.

"Had another dream?" a young man's voice came from the opposite side of the room. His name was Cedric, and she'd taken to staying with him from time-to-time. Anywhere was better than home, and Cedric just got her. She nodded her head.

"Yeah," she said.

"Sorry," Cedric said back to her.

Cedric was tall—much taller than she was. He had dark brown hair and light, honey-olive eyes. He wore checkered shirts and cargo pants—which didn't match in the slightest. He lived alone in an apartment one block down from hers. They'd taken to watching t.v. on Friday nights, and he never pushed or pried Lilly about anything. He had an open mind, and so, she clung to his sofa—searching the web for games to download.

"There's nothing good to play," she grumbled.

"There's always something good to play. You just game hop before they get good."

"Capping is boring," she said. "I'm not really an 'end-game' player."

"Really?" Cedric laughed. "Well, whatever floats your boat."

"I just...I don't know. It's not helping any more," she sighed.

"What's not?"

"Games," she said. "You can only play them so long before you burn out."

"I beg to differ," he said as he downed a glass of orange juice and vodka. He'd actually slept till five and was just waking up.

"Ugh, I'm so over this," she groaned again. The truth was that she just couldn't get the last dream out of her head. She'd dreamt of The Kingdom every night since she left. She had nightmares about the war—nightmares about leaving Zee behind.

Lilly's eyes rolled over to her bag. The glow from the screen lit up the corner of a picture that was sticking out. It was of her brother. There were a lot of people who died in that war, and all she had left was a picture of his brown eyes and dirty face holding a stinking lizard.

"Do you...dream a lot?" she asked Cedric.

"Sometimes," he said. He noticed her eyes on the picture. He knew what it was like to be alone—having to fend for yourself like that. She tossed and turned all night. He would eye her as she slept, wincing, and mumbling names. "What was his name?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Lilly said.

"Alright," Cedric said softly.

She'd gotten sick of her dreams. The last dream, though, was different. It wasn't a dream of something that happened. It was off the wall and all over the place. It was King and Lucky and people she didn't know. It wasn't the Kingdom at all; it was Earth. She pushed herself off of Cedric's sofa.

Cedric gave her a watchful glance. He sat the clear glass back down on his coffee table and watched her stretch. Her shirt slipped up over her smooth skin for just an inch or two and then covered it again.

"Heading out?" he asked.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I need to go for a walk. Going stir-crazy, if you know what I mean."

"I do," he said. "Want me to come with? I don't really think you should be walking alone. It's still empty out there."

"I'll live," she laughed. "I've been walking this neighborhood well, well before you came along, and I'm still alive."