Lilly

It was only three days later that Lilly returned home from school, and saw a familiar car parked in front of the house. She dreaded seeing it, but she’d known it was coming.

“What’s she doing here?” Sherri said, rather more forcefully than she probably meant to.

“She’s taking me away,” Lilly told her, knowing what was about to happen. Sherri didn’t say anything to Lilly’s matter-of-fact statement.

As they climbed out of the car, Lilly took her backpack, and walked to the front door, feeling like someone headed to their death. She jumped a little as Sherri put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

“Mrs. Bazemore, I’ve been directed to take Priscilla to her next placement a little sooner than originally planned,” the caseworker said.

“Can I help Lilly pack?” Sherri asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Absolutely,” Mrs. Rafferty replied.

“Sweetheart, we’re still going to fight for you, no matter how long it takes,” Sherri said, when they got to the room she’d called her own for the past few months.

Lilly didn’t say anything, as she knew she’d lose what little control she had if she tried. Instead, she went through the clothes she had, leaving the nicer things the Bazemore’s had bought her, and only taking the stuff that she’d wanted to have when the fairytale ended. It had come to its end as she had originally expected. Now, she had to return to her world, where she now knew, she truly belonged.

Lilly was holding her emotions on a very tight leash. She knew that the slightest thing would make her start crying again, and she didn’t want to hurt Sherri and Leonard anymore.

“Why don’t you take these things?” Sherri asked, indicating the nicer clothes she’d picked out for Lilly. That was all it took, and Lilly ran the two steps to the corner where she dropped down in a heap and pulled her knees to her chin. She started crying very loudly, unable to contain the emotion that exploded from inside her.

Sherri was there immediately, wrapping her arms around Lilly, who unfolded and grasped onto Sherri with all of her strength. She buried her face into Sherri’s shoulder, letting all of her emotion flow out in a torrent.

“I’m not sure if I’ll have them long, so it’s better not to take them at all,” she said, when she was able to speak again.

Sherri knew her history, and the reasoning for the clothing choices she had made before coming to them. She’d worked hard to get Lilly to trust that she wouldn’t be sent away, thus not needing to keep those clothes any longer. In the time Lilly had been with them, she’d slowly, and reluctantly, begun wearing the nicer clothes more often. In the last few weeks, she’d finally stopped wearing the sweats, stretchy skirts with tights and baggy tees altogether. Here she was, back where she’d started, and knowing there was nothing she could do. Sherri now understood why Lilly had insisted on the clothes she’d chosen, and that was like a knife in her heart.

Once Lilly had everything packed she planned on taking, which was very little, she picked up her bag and walked out of the room. She didn’t even look back, resigned to her fate.

“Thank you for being nice to me and giving me a good place to stay for a little while,” she said, keeping her voice steady, in spite of the emotions roiling inside.

“Lilly, we’re not giving up on you,” Leonard said, his face set. “Horace will keep you safe, until we get you back,” he then added, making the caseworker look at him oddly. For that matter, Lilly looked at him oddly, but her’s was curiosity, whereas the caseworker’s was suspicion, or worry.

“Let’s go, Priscilla,” Mrs. Rafferty said, somewhat impatient.

Lilly looked at them longingly for a moment, then turned around and followed her caseworker out. She couldn’t make herself hug them again, knowing it’d be the last time she ever did.

“Priscilla, or do you prefer Lilly?” Mrs. Rafferty asked.

“Priscilla,” was all Lilly said.

“We’ve been getting more reports of you being involved in drugs again, and there are rumors of other questionable activity. Would you care to tell me what’s going on?” she asked.

“You didn’t believe me the last time. Why would you believe me now?” Lilly asked.

“Because, this time, you’ll probably go to a detention facility, rather than a rehab facility,” Mrs. Rafferty replied.

“But I haven’t done anything wrong!” Lilly said, very loudly, but not quite yelling.

“We have eyewitnesses that claim you’re selling drugs, or at least giving them to other kids, and that you’ve been selling yourself, as well,” she said.

Although she wasn’t certain, she had a fairly good idea who was behind the claims. Anger exploded inside her. “I’ve never done drugs and I’ve never had them. I hate them, and I don’t care what you think!” she exclaimed.

They were approaching an intersection, and Lilly was prepared for it. Before the car came to a complete stop, she opened the door and darted out, grabbing her bag as she did. Once out of the car, she ran into the trees, making her way to the park, which was several blocks away. When she finally made it to the place Horace always camped, she found the place empty.

“Priscilla,” she heard Sylvie’s voice.

“Why are you telling lies about me?” Lilly asked, when she turned to face her former roommate.

“Because you gonna be a Fang,” she replied.

“I’ll never be one of you!” Lilly exclaimed, almost yelling.

“You want a family. We be that fo you. We’ll take care of you, better than those DFCS shits,” Sylvie said.

“You’ll make me take drugs,” she said.

“Nobody gotta take them, if they don’t want to,” Sylvie told her.

“Why are you taking them?” Lilly asked. Sylvie looked at her a moment, curious.

“How you know I’m usin stuff?” Sylvie asked.

“My Mom did. I’ve seen it,” Lilly told her.

“Is that how she died?” Sylvie asked, and Lilly nodded. “That won’t happen to me. I’m smarter than that,” Sylvie said, sure of herself.

“That’s what all druggies say,” Lilly challenged her, angry with what Sylvie had implied about her mother, even if it was true.

“I ain’t a druggie, you little bitch!” Sylvie said, advancing on Lilly with anger. Sylvie slapped her hard across the face, when she got close enough. “You gonna be a Fang, or you’ll wish you were,” Sylvie said, turned around and left.

Still feeling the burn of the slap, she jumped when she heard, “Are you alright?”

Coming around the side of the wall was Horace, the three dogs flanking him. All three ran to her, tails wagging furiously. She gave them what they wanted, ending up on her back, tongues wetting her face and hands.

“That’s enough, you three,” Horace said, and all three stepped back, sitting on their haunches.

“They’re going to send me to a detention facility when they find me,” she unexpectedly said, making him pause in what he’d been doing.

“Why?” he asked, looking up at her, still frozen in what he’d been doing.

“She said they have witnesses that saw me selling drugs, or giving them to kids, and she said I’d been selling myself, but I don’t really understand how I can sell myself,” she said.

“Which isn’t true, I assume,” he said, ignoring the mention of selling herself. She simply shook her head.

“Circumstantial evidence, and likely from an unreliable source. I’ll see if I can keep an eye on you. If they try and send you there, I’ll get you out,” he promised.

“How can you get me out?” she asked, unable to hide her skepticism.

“I don’t know that I can, but I’ll see what I can do,” he replied.

Once they’d eaten the two cans of chili he produced, he looked at her with what was almost a scowl, “You need to go back to your caseworker, before you get in more trouble than you’re probably already in,” he told her.

“I don’t want to,” she said, a whiny tone to her voice. That was something he’d never heard from her, although he hadn’t really known her that long.

“What you want needs to be put aside, Lilly. You must go back, or she’ll have reason to send you to some kind of detention facility,” he said. He then looked her in the eyes, and said, “When they accuse you of selling or giving drugs, tell them to provide the evidence. As a kid, they can tell you no, but in front of the judge, they’ll have to present what evidence they have. If the witness is a member of the gang, ask the judge if you can approach the bench. Inform him of what you know, and what’s happened to you. If you are accused of using drugs, try and force them to test you for them. Your blood, or urine, will be clean and it’d be difficult to fake that, and they have no real reason to do so,” he instructed her.

“Can you do what I just told you?” he asked, and she nodded. “Very good. Now, go,” he commanded, and hugged her.

She clearly didn’t want to, but she finally got up and started walking away. Not surprisingly, she was able to find Mrs. Rafferty pretty fast. The caseworker knew Lilly liked the park, and had begun her search there.

“Mrs. Rafferty, I know I ran away, which I shouldn’t do, but I didn’t do anything else wrong. Whoever says they saw me giving drugs to kids is lying, and I’ve never used drugs,” she said, before the caseworker said a word.

“We have eyewitnesses to you giving drugs to kids, and also to you using them,” she said.

“When do I see a judge?” Lilly asked, and the caseworker looked a little surprised.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“If I’m going to be sent to detention, don’t I get to see a judge first, and try to tell him my side?” she asked.

“There’s no need for that,” Mrs. Rafferty said.

Lilly wasn’t ready for that response, but she knew that wasn’t right. “I thought I had to see a judge before I could be sent to jail?” Lilly said.

“You’re not being sent to jail,” the caseworker said.

“Isn’t the detention facility a jail for kids?” Lilly asked, making Mrs. Rafferty frown.

“In a matter of speaking, it is,” she said.

“But don’t people get to tell a judge their side of the story before being sent to jail?” Lilly asked.

“Alright, if you want it that way, then we’ll file proper charges and take it before a judge. You’ll be put in a juvenile detention facility until your arraignment. That’s where the charges are formally read to you and your attorney,” she said, talking very sternly. Lilly knew she was trying to scare her, but she wasn’t scared. If anything, she was getting angrier.

“You have no evidence. I’ll ask to have a blood test to show I’ve never taken drugs,” Lilly said, her anger coming through in her voice.

“We have eyewitnesses,” Mrs. Rafferty replied, also becoming angry.

“They’ll have to tell their story to the judge, then,” Lilly said.

“You think you know the legal system, don’t you? Well, I can tell you, I know it better. I’ve been trying to be nice to you, but I’m done being nice. You want charges filed against you, so be it. This will ruin any hopes you ever have for being a successful adult,” Mrs. Rafferty said, then snatched Lilly’s bag. She began rifling through it. Lilly immediately started yelling, and trying to get it back.

“Get out of my stuff!” Lilly screamed. There were a couple of police officers there, watching, but they didn’t interfere. Lilly assumed they’d been called to help find her.

Once Mrs. Rafferty had finished taking everything out of the bag, she looked at the scattered stuff, then at Lilly, “Well, you don’t have any drugs with you, but we’ll find them.” She stood back up, leaving Lilly’s stuff scattered on the ground.

“You won’t find shit, because I don’t have any, and never have!” Lilly yelled. “Why are you so mean? I didn’t do anything to you,” she sobbed. She then began putting her stuff back in the bag, tears on her cheeks.