~...pretty girl in suffering...~

[Lily-Mae]

Lily-Mae's small pale hand wiped away a tear as she leaned against the wall outside of the main entrance for the Christmas dance. Her heart was jittery and her hands were shaking. She could almost feel the scars on her arms reopen and bleed down her arms, but every time she had checked to make sure she was okay nothing was there. Her scars were just angry white lines and indents criss crossed.

She shook violently in the evenings chilling air. Goosebumps had formed as soon as she had entered into the night. Christmas was always a hard time of year for her. It always meant bottling everything back up and hiding it away. If she had it her way, she would be back in her room, covered with a blanket and silently crying herself to sleep. Her bright blue eyes focused on the ground. It was easier to hide that she wanted to let the flow of tears out.

Again, she would bottle this up and it would slowly kill her. She shivered again, cursing herself under her breath for not wearing something with more fabric. She had a short, blood red dress on and black high heels. The dresses sleeves stopped at her elbows and it was the kind that clung to her arms, allowing her shoulders to be seen. Along with being the off the shoulder kind of dress she had put her hair into a neat bun at the nape of her neck.

"How could I have been so stupid," she muttered under her breath. It was clear that whatever was bothering her, was very serious and that she blamed herself entirely. Aiden could always tell when something was wrong. I should have waited for him, she scolded herself, I should know by now I need someone.

[Aiden Talent]

Aiden smiled as he began walking towards the building holding the Christmas party. He had put on black dress pants, black dress shoes, a white buttoned up shirt with the top three buttons undone, and a black jacket. He looked like something straight out of a magazine for a boarding school, or something. It almost made him laugh to see himself, barely being able to keep a straight face.

Getting closer towards the building, he stopped dead in his tracks. He could feel the wave of emotion from someone. By, now he should be so used to the frequency that Lily-Mae was on. It was like he was tuned into her channel at all times. He continued his brisk walk, allowing himself to slow at the entrance. His chocolate brown eyes took her form in. She looked like the most saddest, loneliest person on the earth. As though, she had lost all hope and managed to be so pretty at the same time.

"You are going to freeze out here," he said in his accent as he shrugged his jacket off and pulled it around her shoulders. He moved so that he stood in front of her and kept close, to attempt to keep her slightly warm. His voice and eyes were gentle as he waited to see what response she would give. He could tell emotionally and physically that she wanted nothing more to do than to curl up into a ball and forget everything. He knew the feeling.

[Lily-Mae]

Lily-Mae didn't move as Aiden placed his jacket around her shoulders. It brought no warmth to her, despite coming straight from his body. She was numb and felt nothing. Her brain barely processed that he was standing very close to her. Her eyes didn't even move to take him in. She seemed as though lost in her own world. She wanted to curl herself into a ball and just lay there. All she wanted to do was to breath without feeling as thought the entire world was going to come crashing in on her.

"It's hard," she replied slowly, in her smooth bell like voice, "bottling things up." She opened her mouth as if to speak again, but closed it slowly. Words seemed like nothing and they stuck in the back of her throat like a scream would if you were to be strangled while trying to scream. She felt coldness, straight to her bone. She looked up at him. Meeting his chocolate brown eyes with icy blue eyes. "I thought... I-I could make it... through today," she said with a meek smile, "but... I... was ...wrong."

[Aiden Talent]

Aiden moved his left hand and placed it next to her head against the cold stone of the building. It was all he could do for now. Her emotions were so strong, that it almost took the breath from him. His eyes softened even more as she spoke. She reminded him of a broken toy that could never be properly fixed and he wanted to do everything to try to fix it for her, but knew that no one could. It hurt his entire being to see her like this.

"Bottling things up is a terrible idea," he said in his velvet smooth voice, "tell me what happened." His right hand took her left in his and turned her arm towards the light. The light illuminated the scars on her arms. Allowing him to see just how many there were that she kept hidden by magic and clothing. His thumb traced the angry lines that angrily raced up and down the inside of her arm to her wrist. He felt her tense and wince away, but he noted that she had not moved away from him. She didn't move her arm away and she didn't shrug his jacket off her shoulder.

[probie]

Abigail noticed Diane's friends. The girl seemed awful cold. And the boy was kind enough to offer her his jacket.

"Hey, Abbs. You there?" Dante said, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hm? Didnt I tell you not to call me that?!" she said, punching him playfully in the shoulder. "Thats Dianes friends. You know, the girl I was talking abou?"

"Yessss..." he hissed. That was just something Dante did. But only around Abigail. She gave him a dirty look and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards them.

"Hey.. Aiden, is it?" she said, smiling at him. "And.. Lilly? Im sorry! Im awful with names.."

[Lily-Mae]

Lily-Mae looked up at Abagail with wide eyes. She nodded her head and suddenly felt self conscious that Aiden was holding her arm out for the world and whoever passed to see her scars. What felt worse was that she could only imagine what rumors were being spread about the scars. About her past. About how she had gotten here. "Abagail," she said in a very faint voice. She diverted her eyes to attempt to cover that she had been crying, but didn't manage it well.

She sighed and hung her head slightly, "I guess you've probably heard some of the terrible rumors going around about me. That I tried and failed to off myself quite a lot." Her voice remained soft and hurt.

[Aiden Talent]

Aiden turned to the side slightly to view Abby and Dante. His eyes shifted back and forth for a second. "Abagail," he said and he nodded his head at the guy that she was with. His face pleaded with Abby and Dante to allow Lily-Mae to continue with her story. He needed more than anything to know what really happened. He had heard many rumors about what had happened, but didn't believe any of them. He needed to hear her tell it.

His chocolate brown eyes shifted to Lily-Mae's icy blue eyes. She seemed to shrink into his coat even more as the wind blew slightly.

[probie]

Abigail shook her head. This was the first she had heard anything about the girl.

"You know, Lilly.." Abigail said, taking her hand from Dantes and blushing a bit. "Theres no need to hide our scars. Theyre what make us who we are. Regardless of if theyre self inflicted or not. Every one of them have a story to tell."

She pushed up her sleves, showing her forearms to the girl. A mass of distorted and creative scars showed on the delicate skin, some of them even new.

Dante shifted akwardly from one foot to the other, shoving his hands in his pockets. He eyed the girl, feeling a wave of pity wash over him. Then he eyed the boy.

"Oh, right. This is Dante." Abigail said, punching him gently in the shoulder. "Hes a mute."

"Are not.." he said, smiling at the girl, hoping she was feeling a little better.

[Lily-Mae]

Lily-Mae shifted her eyes from Aiden to Abagail and her scars. She shook her head, "I didn't do this to myself." She stopped as her eyes shifted to Dante. She wanted to smile back, but she couldn't. She could feel herself bottling up her emotions again. She pushed herself from the wall and began speaking. I can't keep doing this, she thought to herself. "My mother did this to me," she said as she held out both of her arms to allow them to see the angry lines and indents, "She was sick. Psychologically sick. She made up a world that she called Fireless. So, at a young age I was taught about magic and creatures and elements. There was a monster called Xzero that my mother was always afraid of. As time went on, she got paranoid. She made me breakfast and went to her room." She took a breath as she continued, closing her eyes, "She called me upstairs like I was in trouble. So, I ran up the stairs, tripping on the third one hurrying. When I got in the room she closed and locked the door with magic. She kept whispering that she was going to save me from Xzero and attacked me with her wand. These scars are from the nail of a phoenix. They will never go away and they will always remain red, purple and white." She paused as tears began to flow from her closed eyes, "My mother tried to murder me." Her voice wavered at the end and she pulled Aiden's jacket around her.

[Aiden Talent]

Aiden gripped the wall as he listened to what Lily was saying. Her mother had done this. Her mother. Her own flesh and blood. The woman who gave birth to her. His parents had told him that Lily's mother was now in a place she could never escape, living in her imagination. A wave of anger shoot through him. It was enough for him to quickly let the wall go. He didn't want to disintegrate the wall beneath his touch.

Instead, he moved behind Lily-Mae, pulling her into an embrace. "I should have been there to protect you," he whispered in her ear. He was angry with himself. That morning he was supposed to be there. He was supposed to have been eating breakfast with Lily-Mae, but he had taken up fencing and had class early in the morning, which had delayed his visit. It was apparant that she blamed herself entirely. He felt the same. If I had been there, he thought to himself , I could have stopped it. I could have saved you from this pain. I won't let it happen ever again. I'm here."

[probie]

Abigail looked down at her shoes. That was just a terrible thing to happen to anyone. Sure, some horrifying things had happened to both her and Dante, but this was pretty far up on the list..

"You know, if were bothering you.. We can go.." she said, wringing her hands together, her nails digging into her hands. Dante reached for them, shaking his head.

"Dont do that.." he whispered.

Abigail shivered and allowed Dante to take her hand in his, his fingers fitting loosly together in hers.

"I.. I know it doesnt make it any better, but Im here for you.." Abigail said quietly. "Both of you.. I know weve only just met but sometimes you need someone to lean on.."

[Aiden Talent]

Aiden shook his head, "Thank you, Abagail. Why don't we all go inside where it is warm." He wrapped his arm around Lily-Mae and began half dragging her back inside, afraid she would end up sick being out in the cold for that long. "Abagail will you take Lily-Mae to the restroom to freshen up, "He said as he stopped once inside the door. His face was pleading, "Dante and I can go in. We will be waiting."

It took everything in his whole being to to freak out right now. Not to wreck this whole place to the ground. He had known Lily's mother personally. She had been at his parents partys all the time and they had attempted to get her together with their guy friends, but she never seemed interested and she always seemed to be so nice. He was angry at himself.

He watched as the girl disappeared and turned back to Dante. Bringing his hands to his face he spoke, "I should have been there that morning, when that happened. I started fencing that morning, while her mother....I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE." He leaned back against the wall, angry at himself.

[Lily-Mae]

Lily-Mae shrunk into Aiden. It felt nice to be in someone's arms. Someone, who she hoped, would not hurt her. This is why my walls are always built high, she thought to herself, this is why I get scared when people get past my guards. This is why I keep myself unreadable to others. Her eye's shifted to Abagail as he asked Abby to take her to the restroom. She probably looked terrible and definitely didn't want to go to the restroom anytime soon. She also knew, however, that if she didn't people would start even nastier rumors. She shrugged Aiden's jacket off her shoulders and watched as he shrugged it back on.

She trudged into the restroom and smiled meekly at Abby. "Thank you," she half whispered. She met her own eyes in the mirror and quickly diverted them. Her hand reached across the sink as she took a paper towel and began to wipe the black smudges under her eyes.

[probie]

Dante shook his head, leaning against the wall as he shoved his hands back into his pockets. For being a man of very few words, his actions said volumes.

"You couldnt have known.." Dante whispered, chewing on his lip. He tried not to look as uncomfortable as he really was. He ran his hands through his hair, brushing a strand from his eye. "You.. Dont beat yourself up over something you couldnt have prevented. I should know. I beat myself up every day for not being able to help Abby.. But theres nothing we can do now. Except try and comfort the hurt. Everything else was beyond your control.."

--

Abigail steered Lily-Mae through the throng of people and to the bathroom. She walked to the sinks, turning on the water and waiting for it to warm. She grabbed a paper towel and wet it, wiping Lily-Mae's face gently.

"Its all going to be okay." Abigail said to the girl, even she herself doubting her words. "Dont thank me. Its the least I could do."

Once the girl was cleaned up and looked good as new, -or as good as new as you can get in this case- Abigail smiled at her and sat on the counter, her feet swinging back and forth.

"Are you okay? You wanna stay in here for a while?" She asked, looking at her in a concerned manner.

[Aiden Talent]

Aiden didn't say anything for a moment, choosing to stay leaned against the wall and covering his face. He felt as though he owed Lily-Mae something, but he didn't know what. He wanted to keep her safe. That's all he ever wanted, but he had failed. Could that happen again? What if he failed in keeping her safe?

He finally pushed himself from the wall and straightened himself out. "Your right," he mumbled as he turned towards Dante, "Let's go find seats." He turned and began slowly making his way down the hall.