Lily

After a slow normal day at the tattoo parlor, lily helped Scott clean up and locked the place.

"Bye Scott" she said walking to where she parked her car.

"Bye pookie" he yelled from the other side.

Lily got into her car and took a deep breath, she really didn't want to go back to her home, but she didn't have a friend to stay at their place so she didn't have a choice.

Taking another deep breath she started her car and drove off.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows that danced across the driveway of the sprawling mansion. Lily sat in her car, the engine idling softly, a familiar hum that had become a soundtrack to her solitude. The tattoo parlor had been a refuge for her, a place where the ink and needle became her tools for expression, a way to reclaim her body in a world that had once taken so much from her. But as the last rays of daylight faded, the weight of her memories settled heavily around her, suffocating and inescapable.

She looked up at the grand façade of the mansion, It loomed over her, a constant reminder of the life she used to have, the happiness that had filled its halls, laughter echoing through the rooms. It was just a house now, a shell of what it once represented. Lily closed her eyes, and the memories flooded back, vivid and sharp.

Her family had been a source of light, a warm embrace that she had taken for granted. They had shared dinners around the long oak table, where stories and laughter mingled with the aroma of her mother's cooking. Her father's boisterous laughter would fill the spaces between the clinking of glasses, a melody of love and security that now seemed like a distant dream. But everything had changed that fateful day when her innocence was stolen, leaving her shattered and alone.

The world outside had continued to spin, but for Lily, time had come to a standstill. She could still remember the whispers, the stares that followed her as she walked through the halls of her high school, the way her friends had slowly drifted away, unsure of how to navigate the chasm that had opened up in her life. Isolation had crept in, wrapping around her like a heavy fog, suffocating her spirit. The mansion had become her sanctuary, but also her prison, a place where walls closed in, echoing her loneliness.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, the darkness of night settling in around her. She had to move, to escape the clutches of her thoughts that threatened to drown her, But how…she didn't know.

With trembling hands, she turned off the engine and stepped out of the car, the cool night air hitting her like a wave. The gravel crunched beneath her feet as she made her way up the path, each step a reminder of the battles she had fought and the ones still lingering in the shadows.

Inside, the mansion was eerily quiet, the silence wrapping around her like a shroud. She flicked on the light, illuminating the grand foyer where dust danced in the air, swirling like the remnants of a long-lost dream. The photographs on the walls looked down at her, frozen moments of a life that felt more like a distant memory than her reality. She paused in front of one, a snapshot of her family at the beach, their faces radiant with joy, carefree and untouched by the darkness that would soon invade their lives.

Lily turned away, unable to bear the weight of their smiles, the haunting reminder of what she had lost. She made her way through the house, each room a ghost of happiness, a testament to the life she once knew. The living room, with its plush couches and the fireplace that had once crackled with warmth, felt foreign to her now. She could almost hear her mother's voice, soft and soothing, telling her that everything would be alright. But that voice had long since faded, leaving only echoes of hope that felt like cruel taunts.

In the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water, the cool liquid a brief respite from the turmoil within. As she stood there, the weight of the day's work at the tattoo parlor settled over her. She had inked stories onto the skin of others, transforming pain into art, yet felt unable to do the same for herself. She was a tattoo artist but she didn't have any ink on her body, why?? Because she was scared.

Each tattoo she did had a story one a chapter of survival , but they could not erase the past.

Lily leaned against the counter, staring out the window into the darkness. The stars twinkled above, distant and unyielding, much like her dreams. She longed for connection, for someone to see her not as a victim but as a survivor, a warrior navigating the aftermath of trauma. Yet, here she was, trapped in a mansion filled with memories, longing for the warmth of a family that had been shattered by her pain.

With a heavy heart, she turned away from the window, leaving the stars behind for now. There was work to be done, healing to pursue. Lily knew she couldn't stay trapped in the shadows forever. As she moved through the empty halls, a flicker of determination ignited within her. It was time to reclaim her life, to embrace the darkness and find the light within. The mansion may have been a reminder of her past, but it could also be the stage for her resurrection.

She went up to her room and was thinking of doing something new for a change, if she wanted to heal she needed to get out there. Since the incident, she hadn't had fun, or gone to any fun places, So she decided to do something she had never done, and would have never considered doing.

She wanted to go clubbing.