She did understand Liz’s need to protect her son but at the same time this was supposed to be Lily’s home, her family. The one place she was supposed to belong. By time lunch came around Lily could feel her temper running short and pent up.
Getting up from the chair she was sitting, Lily went to look for Sandy. “I’m going to go out for a few hours, alright?” She asked her when she found Sandy in the kitchen finishing up lunch.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Sandy asked, setting down the half chopped head of lettuce with a look of concern. Lily barely kept the sarcastic comment from lashing at her adoptive mother and instead she took a slow deep breath to calm her aggressive edginess.
“Yeah, I’ll just be gone a few hours and besides I still have the two bodyguards from the Aquivalere,” Lily told her, forcing her voice to remain calm and nonchalant.
“It’s nearly lunch time maybe af-” Sandy started, obviously trying to get Lily to stay, but she cut her off.
“Look Damn it! I’m not a little girl; you don’t need to hen peck me,” she snapped in a half growl, not able to hold back her irritation any longer. Her adoptive mother looked at her a little surprised at the outburst and opened her mouth to speak, but Lily held up her hand and once again look a long slow deep breath. “I’m sorry Sandy, I didn’t mean it. I just need to get out of here for a few hours. Please.”
Sandy gave her a worried look and with some hesitation she nodded. “Of course but Lily…” she stated and Lily gave her a small smile as she started to back out of the kitchen.
“I know Sandy, I really do but…” she started then paused unsure what to say or even how to say it. “I won’t do anything stupid” Lily finished then left the room. Grabbing some clothes, she stuffed them in an old gym bag then got out of there as soon as she could to the gym Tony had told her he had set up. It was a short drive, and as she got out of the car, she eyes the building with a little smirk.
It looked like nothing more than an abandoned factory on the outside. Lily shook her, grabbing the gym bag. Sending a quick text to the Aquivalere to let them know her location, she walked inside. Inside was a much different story. It was filled with all kinds of equipment, not only of your typical gym equipment but a lot of other things. As she walked, she saw things for skating, parkour, gymnastics, and more.
Lily got changed then found an empty area with several punching bags. Sticking the ear buds of her IPod in her ears, she started to dance around the bag striking it in lightly, testing its resistance. She nodded towards the bag as if it was her opponent and then turned up to the volume on her IPod, the loud metal beat thrumming through her as it if were life’s blood and with a savage growl she let out all the pent up aggression, frustration, and anger.
Her lip curled as she began her assault upon the bag, each punch backed by the dark feelings. Sharp electric tingles ran over her skin as her beast came closer to the surface and gained more control. Charlie, of course, had always argued against these practices. Giving the beast any kind of control was allowing aggression to become a part of her and that was counterproductive to her attempt at a new life he’d tell her.
But Lily found the more she played with the balance the more she began to understand it, understand the beast. Now it had become pleasant and almost cathartic to let the beast have at least some control, without actually shifting. So she kept her little gym sessions secret from everyone, especially Charlie. As she encircled the punching bag, attacking it aggressively as she and the beast danced along the thin line of control.
Each stepping just briefly over the line and then back again so that the line itself had become blurred. She wasn’t fully herself nor was the beast fully as the surface. They had really started to get into the swing of their game when a left jab caused the chain on the bag to snap, sending it flying across the room.
Lily swore, hearing the telltale sound of the contents of the bag spilling out across the floor. “Man it’s a good thing I didn’t come in here a few seconds earlier” she heard James state, and she growled, turning to face him as she wiped the sweat from her brow. “So…” he started walking up to her. “Sandy called me worried about you, saying you were upset by something, what’s up?”
She growled again, angry She moved over to another punching bag, her skin still tingling from her game with the beast “I told her I was just going out and nothing is up,” she barked in a harsh growl as she started her assault of punches and jabs anew.
“I think I know you well enough Lily to know that something is up,” he asked, following her to the punching bag. “Did something new happen? Did you see Silvano again or was it those Aquivalere?” he insisted and she growled giving the punching bag one last punch causing it to break against the opposite wall as she turned to face him again. Her skin tingled even more as her heart pounded in her chest so hard it echoed in her ears.
“Did something new happen?” She repeated and scoffed. “So what, not enough has happened to me already” she demanded as she gave him a push that made him take a step back. He looked at her confused and it only made her even angrier. “Oh so what I’m supposed to just be cool with all the times life has decided to screw me over, is that it,” she asked him, feeling herself start to shake, not sure where this was all coming from.
He started to apologize when she cut him off when a growl. “Don’t James, just go away. I…” she started turning from him and taking a deep breath. She felt she was about to lose control, not to the beast but to something much darker and something much more hers than its.
“What’s wrong Lily and don’t tell me nothing,” he said calmly and laid a hand on her shoulder. She knew it was meant to be a comforting touch but to her it was more like a flame to gun powder. Inside her, she felt as if something suddenly snapped and like a flood that couldn’t be stopped Lily turned to face him.
“Of course something is wrong James!” she snapped. “Everything is wrong and I am sick of it!” she continued and shoved him hard causing him to stumble backward with surprise. “It’s not fair, damn it! Every time, every damn time,” she snarled.
“Every damn time what?” He asked, his voice still cool and calm which just flared her aggression. She flexed her muscles as she opened and closed her fists with a growl. Lily started to encircle him much like a predator would with its prey, glaring at him as if he was the cause of everything wrong in her life.
“Every damn time I find happiness and my place in the world, something or someone comes and destroys it! First it was you and your condition. Oh, I know you really aren’t to blame. You didn’t ask to be kidnapped and changed into a monster, but it still caused me to be banned from the Roberts!” she growled, swinging a jab at James and she growled even more as he dodged the jab.
Not daunted by his escape she continued to encircle him. “Then I was able to return to the Roberts… this time happier than ever because I was officially part of their family, and, what is more, they trusted me with their secret. But then Hunter and his bullies had to ruin it by hounding and threatening me whenever Andrew wasn’t looking” she went on, sending out another punch and grinning wildly he grunted at the hit to his chin.
“I learned, though; I learned how to deal with Hunter and once again I found my place. I had found a way to be with my family; I had a job that not only did I love but made me feel as if I was doing some good in this world then…” Lily explained, stopping in her circling throwing her hands up in the air in an expression of exasperation. “Then Xavier took it all when he played with it and twisted it to his sick pleasure!”
Her body started to shake again, and the electric tingles broke out across her skin as she stood there and growled remembering it all. “He didn’t just take my happiness…” she stated, her voice started to shake and break. “He ripped everything from me: my way of life, my job, my best friend… my humanity!” She went on, unable to stop the words and feelings from flowing through her.