Lily quickly finished mopping the floor and gathered her things to leave the hospital. She was especially motivated to leave work early today because Slightly was making her dinner in Neverland. She smiled as she thought about the underground world that was becoming like a second home to her. She loved being there when the park was open, but being there after hours was an entirely different experience. With the crowds gone and only the people that lived there remaining, it somehow felt more magical, more captivating. On top of all that, she loved spending time with Slightly. He had been busy the last few weeks, but the few times they had been together had been filled with laughter and lively conversation. She felt peaceful when she was with him, which was a rare emotion in her life.
Lily changed out of her uniform, grabbed her bag, rushed out the front doors and nearly ran into her brother, Jason. She was about to scold him for bothering her at work, but then she saw the look on his face.
"Lily, I need to talk to you," he said in a hushed voice, his eyes full of fear.
Lily stared at her older brother. His anxiety was uncharacteristic. It took a lot to get him rattled, and Lily tried not to let dread overtake her as she took his arm and walked a few paces away from the hospital entrance.
"Make it quick, I have somewhere to be," she said, trying to sound casual. They walked a couple blocks in silence until Jason guided her into a dark alley.
"Jason, what's going on?"
His eyes darted all around before he pulled her farther down the alley. "Lily, the gang is very angry with you."
Lily exhaled in relief. "I knew that, Jason. You didn't have to come be all intense about it."
"No, Lily, it's worse than you think," he said, his fingers twitching in anxiety. "Why did you have to fight them?"
Lily groaned, recalling how she had taken on five boys at once, seriously injuring two of them. "They provoked me!" She exclaimed. "What was I supposed to do? Just let them beat me up?"
"No, you should have agreed to come back."
"I'm done with the gang. You know that."
Jason turned and kicked a wall. "You can't just leave the gang, Lily! They might have let you go with some bargaining, but then you attacked them, and now they're not going to stop until they find you."
"Okay, fine. I'll figure out a way to pay them off or something."
"It's too late for that. After what you did, they're not going to show any mercy." He looked into her eyes, his expression a mix of anger and grief. "Lily, they're going to kill you."