The family ties of Lily Juniper Abernathy (book 3)

Chapter 34

Seven months of bombing and fighting had followed my granny's funeral. It might of been the paranoia from the arena but I could swear I was being followed. I pulled Felicity closer in the blanket as I walked back from doctors. I told and told my mom and Annie that the little rash she had on her cheek was nothing but they booked her into the baby clinic anyway. Finn muttered on my way out of the fishmongers that he thought we were meant to be the parents? Hey ho- maybe paranoia was a mom thing.

She whimpered as it started to rain and I turned the corner into a hood and took my hair down to shield her "It's okay baby, we could've done with an umbrella, only, you couldn't of held it and momma's got her stick."

I decided to change direction as a second pair of footsteps came behind me. Maybe I was actually being followed. Or very paranoid. The sun had only just set so it wasn't late enough for creeps to be stalking the alley ways in the square. Mind you, a woman with a walking stick, carrying a baby is probably an easy target. The appointment had ran late but I thought I'd be okay to take her there and back and be home at a normal time. Now I was wishing I would've asked my mom or Annie to come with me. Everyone offered to come with me- why the Hell did I have to be so damned stubborn!?

"Lily Odair?"

I froze and started walking away faster

"LILY ODAIR! WAIT!"

A hand clamped on my shoulder and pushed me against the wall

"LEAVE ME ALONE!?" I screeched. I was going to die. This person shone a torch light in my eyes. Felicity screamed and bawled at her eyes.

I dropped my stick and shoved the person with every ounce of strength I had "Don't you dare do anything to my daughter!"

"I'm not going to." It was a girl's voice. A slender porcelain hand slipped out from the hood and fell back reveling a spill of black hair and two sapphire eyes as big as saucers.

She smiled "Hi I'm Cass."

"Wha- what?"

"Cass," she repeated "I spoke up your husband Finn on the phone?"

"Yeah b-but- why-" I got my voice back "Why did you run up to me like that?!"

"I thought you might recognize me?"

I frowned "No, why would I?"

she smiled slowly and mumbled "I've met you before?"

"But I..." Then it hit me. One of the tributes in the re-enactment. Her brother was Marco.

"Oh God, I'm- I'm so sorry." I mumbled when I realized I threatened to kill him when he had trapped Rosie in a net to come back and murder later. Zanna got there first and killed him right before Carter...And then Adaam.

"It's okay." She shrugged and whispered "I'm sorry too."

We both said nothing for a few minutes.

"Um, I need to get home, no offense, and-"

"Yeah, I got it- um, Paylor sent me."

"What for?"

"To talk to you, about-" she cast her hands to the sky "About this."

"What about it?"

"Paylor reckons you've got guts."

"What do you mean?"

I brought Felicity close to my chest. I don't know what that told her, what that training in the Jay had told her it meant, but I hoped it told her to just leave me in peace.