RESCUING LILY

RESCUING LILY

[MARTHA's POV]

I cannot really describe what I felt since Nathan's confession and his further actions with that lady but I can pin point that something is wrong and there is a danger looming and breeding. Whatever it is, I am determined to protect my family and loved ones and I also deeply feel that my dad has an idea or a full knowledge of what Nathan is up to and I am definitely going to find out when I get back home.

Marcus has definitely been amazing and the next week after that incident, he constantly checked in on me but never talked about that night or asked who Nathan is. I also did not want to discuss it with anyone because I did not want to believe it was real. It is bearable, feeling that I was delirious and had hallucinated things. The cartographer that was the reason for my presence in the party, had cancelled the meeting saying he had come down with a fever and could not make it. Either ways, it was a win. I never wanted to go because I know nothing on Geography and with the turn of events that night, I wonder if having him around would have been pleasant.

Lily had noticed my disinclined attitude since that night and had repeatedly asked me what happened and I finally opened up to her about it last night but made sure I excluded anything about the organization. I made up words for parts that had to do with revealing anything about The Heart and although I feel somewhat guilty because she is my closest friend and has been an irreplaceable back bone to me but I knew in one way or the other, I was going to be exposing her to danger.

Exams start in a week's time and Lily, Marcus and I have made the library our second home. Despite reading like crazy during our leisure hours before this examination period and crazier now that it was knocking at the door, Lily and I are the most antsy students I know – not like I know a lot of students though. Whenever Marcus had the opportunity to meet with us, he would try to embolden us but we have continued to chicken out.

I woke up to a very hard surface and cool breeze blowing on my face. I stretched my arms in tiredness and my hands came in contact with a body. I sat upright immediately and noticed it was Lily who was still deep in her sleep with her hands beneath her head acting as a pillow and her unwashed hair splaying all over her face. I looked out of the window that was the channel of the cold air earlier and noticed it was late evening and we were still in the library. The incompetent librarian must have locked us in without properly checking if students were still around. I picked my book that was on the floor and must have fallen from my hand during my sleep from the floor, along with Lily's.

''Lily wake up'' I said as I shook her shoulder gently. ''Mmmmhh'' she groaned lightly but did not wake up and just positioned herself to sleep more comfortably.

I smiled at how child-like she was at the moment. I slid the book she was reading from her fingers and used the edge of my shirt to clean the drool she had on it. I took mine and hers and proceeded to look for the section of the library shelves we had, had pulled them out from earlier and also to give Lily more time to sleep because I knew how hard she had been preparing for the upcoming examinations.

I found mine at the fifth shelf closest to where we had slept off. I was at the eleventh shelf of the second row of books when I had a whimper and then a short cry. My legs moved faster than me and I dashed across the room with the flashlight of my phone in one hand and my heart in the other. I ran to where we were and discovered that Lily was not there but a leg of the sneakers she was wearing was close to the seat I was. It did not take a genius to know Lily was in trouble. I looked frantically around the room and could not see any sign of where she was or whoever was causing her pain but then, I heard the scattering of chairs and Lily's shrilled cry – it was unmistakeable. I made a short run to where the sound came from and saw Lily hunched at a corner, holding unto her bleeding arm that looked like it was slashed.

''Watch out'' she shouted as she saw me running towards her but I was a tad late to notice someone hiding between the shelves and a knife was buried in my shoulder causing a yelp of pain to leave my lips.

With the knife still in my shoulder, I turned around to face my assailant but I was met with a masked man. He wore a devil's mask with horns sticking at the top of the mask but that did not faze me at all. I think I have seen enough devilish scenes in my life to be scared. I was once living in the house of the devil and allowed him do whatever he willed when I was still extremely powerless but that is an almost forgotten story because this was exactly why I joined The Heart – to be able to protect myself and my loved ones.

I pulled the knife out of my shoulder and watched as blood sputtered out and deeply stained my white shirt.

''Get security Lily'' I said still facing the man.

''No, I can't leave you here'' she answered with tears in her voice.

''Don't worry, I'll be fine. Now go!' I exclaimed and Lily began to run. He wanted to chase after her but I dragged him from the cap of his hoodie and he turned back to me.

''I really do not know who you are dude but you really have some nerves you know! You injured my friend and you have made me lose a good shirt and now you have to pay'' I said to whoever was behind the mask as I twirled the knife around my fingers and made it my weapon.

He balled his fists, held them to his face and threw a fast blow my way but I was angry for whoever this was and it was like part of my rage was converted into speed because I ducked and tried to slash him but he bent quickly. I knew it was a guy because he had nothing on his chest to indicate that he was female and wore shoes that are totally masculine. No proper female would be able to pull that look off.

He threw a kick my way but I bent under his kick and landed at his back. I slashed him at his back before he could turn and jumped on him when he turned towards me. I enjoyed the short pain I heard in his voice that sort of reverberated in his mask when I cut him. He turned around and aimed for a blow but I was aiming for his head so I jumped on him and locked my ankles at his back as I blew him. Due to the sudden jump on him, he lost his balance and fell, taking me down with him. I used my uninjured hand to pull at his mask but he quickly turned us both around and hovered around me. He was straddling me and dealt two blows on my face before I shifted my head to the side and he blew the floor causing a bruise on his knuckles and a distraction. I blew him and he raised a leg off me giving me access to a free leg. I kicked him with force and he fell back on his side and to the nearest shelf, causing some books to tumble on his head.

I stood up and searched for the knife I had dropped when the masked guy stood up also with the knife in hand. He chortled lightly seeing my slight uneasiness with my carelessness that was in his hand. I was feeling a little drowsy but I tried to stand firm and focus my lagging vision. He held the knife sideways and moved a step towards me when we heard feet running to our direction and a watch like kind of device that was on his wrist that had been blinking green light for a while began to show red light and make beeping sounds.

''Seems you are in a dead end, devil'' I said with a little laugh and coughed a little, feeling blood rising in my oesophagus.

''Seems to me like you need treatment Martha Jordan'' he said. I was shocked to say the least when I heard him mention my name. I thought he was here for Lily but it seemed there was more to him than that.

He ran towards me when the rushing steps were close and I thought he wanted to come at me and hold me hostage but he pushed me and was aiming for the window. I quickly got up and ran after him with all the strength I had left in me and caught up with him as he was about to place a leg on the window. He turned around and wanted to push me but I pulled the mask and it came off.

I was expecting to see the identity of the guy but I was met with another mask on his face but this mask covered only his nose and mouth. He stabbed my thigh and I let him go and he jumped out of the window as Lily and two security guards rounded the corner of the shelves.

I had seen his eyes and atop his left eye lid was an inscription of initials. The initials were 'TB'.

My head met the cold floor and my hand went up to my bleeding shoulder and the other, my thigh. Lily ran towards me and knelt by my side with tears streaking down her face, forming parallel lines but meeting at her jaw for a brief second before falling to my belly. I looked up from her face to the ceiling as the voices around me faded and my mind concentrated on the letters 'TB', trying to remember where I had seen it before.

My vision was too blurry to concentrate and my mind, too foggy to reason on where I had seen it because my eyes soon closed and dragged me to a world of terrifying darkness.