Blood and Lies
834 Words
Chapter 20 – “Blood and Lies”
Whispers in the Dark
The file sat open on Lily’s bed. Names, transactions, signatures.
Her mother’s name.
Her father’s initials.
A list of "donors" and "facilitators" tied to Holloway’s elite.
And at the very bottom...
LILY ANNE Walker— Beneficiary Trust, Established Age 5.
Her hands trembled as she flipped through the pages. She wasn’t just a casualty.
She was part of the design.
“Lily,” Blake’s voice cut through the silence. He leaned against the doorframe, a cup of coffee in his hand, long gone cold. “You’ve been staring at that for hours.”
She looked up slowly, her voice hollow. “Did you know my family was rich?”
He frowned. “You said they were teachers. Middle-class.”
She held up the printout. "Lie number one."
Blake crossed the room, sitting beside her on the bed, the file between them like a loaded gun. “You think they knew about... this?”
“I don’t think,” she said flatly. “I know.”
Later, with shaking hands, Lily called her parents.
The phone rang once. Twice.
Her father picked up. "Pumpkin! How’s my favorite girl?"
"Who is Daniel Warrick?" Her voice was ice.
Silence.
"I saw the files. The transfers. The donations. He works with Nate’s father, doesn’t he?"
More silence. A heavy, choking kind of silence.
Her father’s voice dropped. "You weren’t supposed to find out like this."
Her stomach twisted into a knot.
"So it’s true."
"Your mother... your mother was approached when you were very young. Greenwood offered opportunities. Scholarships. Prestige. It wasn’t illegal, but—"
"But dirty enough you never told me?" she snapped.
He sighed. "It was for your future, Lilypad. You were meant for something better."
"You sold me to a future built on blood and blackmail."
"No!" he barked. Then softer: "It wasn’t like that."
"Wasn’t it?" Her voice broke. "You knew what they were doing. You knew about the hazing, the disappearances, the students who didn’t make it out whole."
"Lily—"
"You let me walk into their hands like a lamb to slaughter."
He didn’t deny it.
That was worse than anything he could have said.
"I'm done," she whispered. "I'm done with you. With Mom. With all of it."
She hung up before he could say anything else.
She didn’t cry.
Not until Blake wrapped her in his arms and let her collapse against him.
"You’re not them," he said roughly. "You’re better. Stronger."
She wanted to believe him.
But something inside her had shattered.
That night, needing answers only the dark could offer, Lily slipped into the campus journalism office. She picked the lock to the records room with a hairpin, her heart hammering in her chest.
The old file cabinets groaned as she pulled them open, searching. Searching for something—anything—that could explain why she was at the center of all this.
Halfway through a drawer labeled "Special Programs", she found it:
Photos. Financial reports. Lists of students selected for "scholarship programs" funded by secret trusts.
At the bottom—copies of anonymous complaints. Students who tried to speak up. Students who disappeared afterward.
Her stomach twisted.
Names she knew.
Names that were no longer whispered on campus.
She didn't hear the footsteps until it was too late.
"Lily Walker," a familiar voice sneered behind her.
She spun around—and froze.
Nate leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, a casual smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes.
"Digging around in places you don't belong, little mouse?"
Her mouth went dry.
"What are you doing here?" she rasped.
"Saving you from yourself." His smile widened. "You think exposing a few files will change anything? Greenwood will bury you and everyone you love."
"I’m not afraid of you," she lied.
"You should be." He stepped closer. "Because if you go through with tomorrow’s protest, I promise... you'll regret it."
Her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
"I’m not scared of you," she said again, firmer this time.
He laughed—low, cruel, dangerous.
"That’s cute."
Without another word, he turned and disappeared down the hallway, his footsteps echoing into the night.
Leaving Lily standing there, heart pounding, fists shaking, resolve burning hotter than ever.
Back in Blake’s apartment, she told him everything.
From the files.
To her parents.
To Nate’s threat.
Blake didn't speak for a long time. Then he stood and grabbed his leather jacket from the chair.
"Where are you going?" Lily asked.
"To make sure tomorrow," he said, "Nate learns what real fear feels like."
She rose to her feet, shaking but steady. "I’m coming too."
Blake’s gaze softened for a fraction of a second. He didn’t argue.
He just held the door open for her.
Together, they stepped into the night—into whatever war awaited them.
Because Lily Walker was done being a pawn.
Tomorrow, she would set fire to the world if she had to.
- Writer
