Glimmer of Hope

The days until her eighteenth birthday felt like they were moving slowly, each one dragging her through the same hellish routine at school. 

Every morning, Lily counted down the hours, telling herself that soon, it would all be over. Freedom was so close, she could almost taste it. 

She had spent a lot of time thinking carefully about her escape, and now, only days remained. But as her birthday approached, a feeling of unease had started to enter into her thoughts.

“Lily, you’re sure about this?” her best friend, Maya, asked as they sat under a large tree at the edge of the school courtyard during lunch. 

It was the only place people didn't throw their food at her, unlike in the cafeteria where they constantly poured insults and various things on her body.

At least she was with Maya, the only person in the entire pack who treated her with any kindness. She had been there since they were kids, standing by Lily even when the bullying became unbearable. 

Lily looked at her sandwich. Her resolve to escape increasing.

“I don’t have a choice, Maya. I can’t stay here anymore. Not with them.” She looked at the school building for a moment, where she knew Lucas and Liam were likely planning their next round of insults.

“I get it, I really do,” Maya said, her voice soft and full of sympathy. “But running away? It’s dangerous. You won’t have the pack’s protection anymore. What if something happens to you?”

Lily sighed. She knew Maya was right to be concerned, but she also knew that staying wasn’t an option. 

"The pack stopped caring about me a long time ago" She replied.

The pack had never protected her, not when her father was exiled and not when the Alpha twins made her life a living nightmare. 

“It’s the only way,” Lily said. “Besides, I’ve been saving money. I have enough to get by for a while. I’ll figure it out.”

Maya wasn't convinced yet. She cared sincerely for her best friend's wellbeing.

“And where will you go?” she asked.

“I don’t know yet. Maybe a small, quiet town, somewhere far from here. I’ll start over there, and forget this place entirely.” Lily tried to sound confident, but the truth was, she had no idea what life outside the pack would look like. 

She had only known this world, but she’d rather take the risk than stay and suffer.

Maya didn't want her to go but she has seen how much suffering Lily has been enduring for years. It was the best thing to do. 

“Just promise me you’ll be careful and always call me” Maya said.

“I promise,” Lily said, a smile appearing on her face as she hugged Maya. She was the only person she would miss.

The bell rang and lunch ended. Lily stood up and carried her backpack over her shoulder. 

“I’ll be fine, Maya. I just have to make it through the next few days, and then I’m out of here" She said, trying to act strong so Maya won't worry.

Maya gave her a weak smile. 

“Just don’t do anything crazy, okay?” She adviced.

“I won’t" Lily hugged her once again.

As Lily walked back to class, her heart felt heavier than usual. 

Maya was her only friend, the only one who had ever stood by her. Leaving her behind was one of the hardest parts of her plan, but she couldn’t stay for anyone. 

The pack had made her feel small, unworthy of friendship, love, or even basic respect. She had to leave for her own sake.

Lily sat through the rest of the afternoon classes barely paying attention to the lessons, mostly because Lucas and Liam kept throwing papers at her.

When the final bell rang, she packed up her things and headed toward the school main door. She was halfway down the hallway when a voice stopped her. 

“Leaving so soon, Wolf Trash?”

Lily turned around to look at Liam. She could see his hand was around his girlfriend, Lexa, who was laughing as she watched his mock her. 

Lily kept walking, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

“Aw, come on, Lily,” Liam called after her, his voice filled with fake sweetness. “Don’t ignore me. I thought we were friends.”

Lily clenched her fists but kept moving toward the door. She wasn’t going to let him get to her today. Not when she was so close to leaving all of this behind.

Before she could make it out, a strong hand grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving the school. She turned around to see Lucas standing there, his icy blue eyes staring into hers. 

His grip on her arm wasn’t too painful anymore, she was used to it, but it was firm enough to make her heart race.

“You think you can just walk away?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

Lily looked angrily at him, trying to remove her arm out of his grip, but he was too strong.

“What do you want, Lucas?” she asked as she tried to withstand the pain he was inflicting on her.

Lucas didn’t answer right away. He just stared at her, as if searching for something in her face.

His eyes, usually so cold and cruel, held something else, something Lily couldn’t quite understand. 

For a moment, she thought he might actually say something different, something that wasn’t an insult or a taunt. But then Liam appeared at his side, his signature smirk plastered across his face.

“Come on, Lucas,” Liam said, putting his arm around his twin’s shoulders. “She’s not worth it.”

Lucas’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything. He looked at Liam, then back at Lily, his expression unreadable.

“Yeah, I’m not,” Lily muttered, releasing herself then turning away from them and heading for the door. 

She was done with their games.

That evening, as Lily sat in her room, she went over her plan one last time. 

She had packed most of her things, only important stuff. Clothes, some food, and the small amount of money she had managed to save over the years. 

She didn’t have much, but it would be enough to get her out of the pack’s territory. That was all she needed.

Her heart pounded as she thought about it. In just a few days, she would be gone. No more school, no more bullying, no more Alpha twins. She would finally be free.

Her phone buzzed on the table and she picked it up to see a message from Maya.

"You okay?I heard what those two monsters did" She asked.

Lily quickly responded, telling her friend she was fine. But the truth was, she wasn’t. She felt like a storm was coming, and she had no idea how to stop it.

As she lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, she thought about Lucas’s strange behavior earlier that day. 

He had looked at her differently, almost as if he was trying to say something. But what? Was he starting to feel guilty for how he treated her?

Lily shook her head. It didn’t matter. Very soon, she would be gone, and whatever was going on with the twins wouldn’t affect her anymore.

Still, the feeling of dread wouldn’t leave.

Later that night, Lily went to the kitchen for a glass of water. As she stood at the window, looking out into the night outside, something caught her eye. 

Someone stood in the street just staring at her house. It was too dark to see clearly, but she could make out the shape of someone watching her.

A chill ran down her spine.

Her cup fell from her hand and by the time she looked outside again, the person had disappeared.

Her heart raced as she stepped back from the window. Who had been watching her? And why?

As she made her way back to her room, she tried to steady herself despite feeling terrified. Something was definitely wrong.

And for the first time, Lily wondered if she would really make it to her eighteenth birthday.