Page 46 of Watercolor Skulls

I glance up to see Lily leaning over the railing. Her father introduced us a few days ago. It’s the first time she’s spoken to me. She must have followed me out of the house. “Thank you,” I reply, my teeth chattering as the mist seeps into my bones.

Slowly she lowers her hand down to me. “Did someone give it to you?” she asks calmly.

I nod. “A friend of mine gave it to me. He told me dragonflies have two sets of wings so they can carry angels on their backs.” I’m shaking all over as fear filled adrenaline surges through my veins.

Lily lowers her other hand, wiggling her fingers in the air. “Maybe we could be each other’s angel.”

“Why do you need an angel,” I gasp as the cold wind whips my hair in my face. She looks like a princess. Then again every princess has a villain in their story.

“Because I’m dead inside,” she answers.

Same as me.

Lily’s big brown eyes stare down at me.

She sees me.

And I see her.

I reach out and let her help me back over the railing.

We stare at each other for a long time, both of us struggling to catch our breath.

“We run,” I say, holding my hand out to her.

She wraps her dainty fingers around mine. “We run.”

Chapter Nineteen

Lily

???

Being with Dan almost makes me forget everything that happened back home. Almost. I hug him around the waist, reveling in the way his hard body feels pressed against mine. The rumble of the bike, the wind, the open road, and him. Him. Him. Him. I take a deep breath catching his masculine scent on the breeze.

We drive for a few hours, stopping once to use the restroom and to give me time to stretch my legs. When we get to our destination my heart stops. It’s a farm. Sunflower fields surround us.

“The Fall Festival has been going on here since I was a little kid,” he tells me.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.” My gaze roams over the parking lot. Families are pulling strollers out the back of their cars, children dancing around excitedly. It’s contagious.

Dan takes my hand and pulls me inside the gate. “Two please,” he tells the woman in the ticket booth.

When I notice a big barn and what’s outside I squeal, “Baby goats!”

He laughs. “I guess we go see the goats first.”

We walk hand in hand through the festival, stopping to pet all the animals. As the day winds down, we buy some kettle corn and find a quiet bench to sit and rest for a while.

“Thank you for bringing me here. I love it.” My eyes dance over the fields as the sun drops low in the sky.

“You’re very welcome,” he says, leaning over to kiss me on my temple. He wraps his arm around me, pulling me close.

“Did you come here a lot as a kid?” I ask, shoving a handful of popcorn in my mouth.

“Every year.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

---