This Lily doesn’t bloom, she burns.
Lily’s POV
A sharp knock on the car window dragged me from sleep. My head lolled against the glass as I blinked groggily, trying to adjust my eyes to the overcast light.
At the driver’s seat, Alex sat still, his expression unreadable, watching me like I was some creature under glass.
I rolled my eyes and turned away, pressing my cheek to the window, as if his gaze might vanish if I ignored it hard enough.
The driver's side window rolled down with a mechanical hum. Mr. Dankworth’s face appeared, his dark eyes trained on me. “You’re okay to take her in yourself?” he asked, gesturing toward me with a nod.
Only then did I realize where we were, we were parked outside the house. The house I had every reason to burn to the ground.
I’d been discharged f
