Jack drove them both to school the next day and wouldn't stop complaining the whole time. Lily listened politely to her rants, that Jack never got her wish of a sleep-in or a day without doing homework, but Lily herself was relieved to be back in a normal routine.

Lily was also nervous to see the school again, see where she was attacked and almost kidnapped by Yuric's rogues. Was the window replaced? Was there still shattered glass on the cafeteria floor? What about the trench she'd accidentally created in the oval - was that gone too?

Jack parked, slowly weaving her way between fellow students' shiny cars. Lily learned that almost everything in Jack's home, almost all her belongings, were either bought second-hand, homemade, or passed down in the family. Her car stood out in car park by being one of the few without a new polish on its panels.

Jack scoffed when they both got out and she looked to the school. "Sadly, we meet again." The witch grumbled, finally out of her denial. "A week off would have been so nice though."

"You'll have weeks off at the end of the year before University starts, though." Lily added.

"I'm not going to Uni next year," Jack smiled at her as they walked into school. "I'm taking the year off."

"Really?" Lily adjusted her grip on her bag. "A break from school or are you going to travel?"

"I'm going to work, I think. I can't leave Mama by herself, let alone you, Claire and Karen." Jack grinned, bumping her shoulder. "What would you do without me?"

Lily smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. She'd decided to have it loose today only because her last hair tie snapped last night. "Aunt Ollie wants me to go to Uni, like my father did."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "But what do you want to do?"

"I think I'd like to follow in my dad's footsteps - he worked on boats, loved to be out on the water." Lily's smile softened as she thought about her father. "I'd like doing that."

Jack cocked her head. "That sounds like a relaxing life, and, a boat is a great place to have a party."

Lily laughed as they stopped by the front doors with the rest of the school, waiting for Claire and Karen to show up. They usually arrived together, Claire and her dad picking Karen up on their way in. Karen's dad was a night guard and it clashed with his schedule to drop his daughter off at school.

"What's your schedule today? Do we have any classes together?" Jack asked, peering over Lily's shoulder as she grabbed her timetable out, triple-checking it again.

"Science, PE, English, and then...wait it's Thursday right?" Lily asked, her finger following her column of classes.

"Yeah, so it's your elective in last period. What do you have?"

Lily's shoulders dropped. "The teachers gave me Meditation."

Jack shrugged. "That's what I have. It's kinda fun, you just sit there for an hour and you basically sleep."

Lily smiled in relief at having someone else in her new class. Just as she was about to ask who taught Meditation, Jack waved at their two friends coming in through the gates. Lily noticed that they were close enough to almost be holding hands, but when they saw Jack's wave Karen and Claire took a subtle step apart. Karen tucked her hair behind her ears, Claire fishing out her phone from where it was tucked in her bra, and held it out to Jack when they reached them.

"Look!" Claire squealed, ignoring Jack's grimace at the pictures. "My dress came!"

"Oh it's...pink!" Jack tried a smile but Claire stuck her phone in front of Lily's face next.

Claire had taken a picture in her mirror at home, Lily guessed it was her room, showing a strapless pink dress that flared out at the waist, brushing her knees at the front but it stroked her calves at the back. Jack was right, it was a puffy pink dress, but Claire's smile was so big Lily couldn't help but smile too.

"It's lovely, the colour suits you so much." Lily twisted her fingers in habit as Claire looked back at her photo.

"Do you think so? I wasn't sure but when it arrived and I tried it on I just felt so pretty and I love it so much." Claire's eyes widened. "I can cancel the other dresses I ordered, I think this is the one."

Jack blinked. "How many dresses did you order?"

"Seven." Claire said, swiping through some pictures on her phone. "There was this one; a green-y full length thingo, and a blue knee length full-sleeve-y one, and then I saw this beautiful purple halterneck so I ordered that one too, and then Mum found one that was a lovely white shimmery one," Claire counted each one aloud as she showed them the pictures. "And then I bought this one-shoulder red one because I loved the colour but I also loved it in gold? So I ordered both."

Jack, for once, was speechless. Karen gestured to Jack. "Have you ordered your dress yet? The prom's only a couple of months away."

Jack blinked again. "It's two months away."

"Yeah?"

"I have two months."

"But what if you have to tailor it? Or get it delivered? Find the right pair of shoes? Or jewels?" Claire jumped in, swiping through her phone again. "I couldn't choose on earrings, do you think these will go with the pink dress or these -?"

"Oh would you look at the time we should head in now." Jack said, staring at her bare wrist and striding into school, her friends following. Lily frowned at Jack's blunt exit but Claire was so excited by the arrival of her dress that Jack's sour mood didn't bother her.

"Have you ordered your dress yet Lily? I can go shopping with you if you want?" Claire offered, remembering that Lily's mother wasn't around to go on the important formal dress shop that, in her mind, defined a girl's life.

Before Lily could answer, Karen gently touched Claire's shoulder. "Claire, I think someone's waving at you? One of your fairy girls?"

"Ooh! That's Belissa, hang on!" Claire skipped off, showing her prom dress off to Belissa as soon as she was within range.

Lily took a breath. "I didn't know how much Claire loved formals."

Karen shrugged shyly. "She's always loved clothes and glitz and glamour. Her mother loves fashion as well, so the apple doesn't fall far from the tree I guess."

"I think the apple's still in the tree."

"I think so too!" Karen giggled. "Come on, we have science, right?"

"Yeah, remind me not to slice my hand open and set everyone into a bloody craze." Lily joked as the two of them made their way through the corridors to the classroom. Lily slowed as they walked past the cafeteria. She couldn't see if the window was fixed from here, but the place stopped her dead for a moment while memories of the chase assaulted her.

Karen walked back to her, peering around Lily's loose hair. "You okay Lily?" She gently asked. Lily rubbed her covered arms as a chill ran through her. Her clothes were a little wrinkled from being in her emergency bag but Lily was grateful they had long sleeves and her baggy trousers were to her ankles to hide her non-existent injuries. She couldn't do anything about the scratch she had on her face that once needed stitches, but was gone now. She hoped everyone had forgotten about it. All that remained was a small silver line.

Lily gulped, turning away from the cafeteria and the memories it held. "I'll be fine." She tried to smile. "Science, yeah?"

Karen nodded after a moment. "Yeah, did you get your homework done?"

"Yeah but I don't know how much is right. I couldn't find some answers in the textbooks?"

The vampire nodded. "Oh that's a Mr Ren tactic, questions from class. You wouldn't know but I'm sure he'd let you off the hook - I'm sorry I should have warned you."

Lily waved it off. "It's fine Karen, thank you for helping me."

The two managed to find their seats in science, and Mr Ren didn't acknowledge the lock down on Tuesday other than quickly looking everyone in the eye and saying he was grateful everyone was okay - before asking about homework.

Karen was right, he did let Lily off the hook with the in-class questions she wouldn't have known, but just as he was going to continue the lesson, Isaac raised his hand.

"Sir," His tone dripped with sarcasm. "With question five on the whole healing thing, and how scabs stop blood and scar over?"

"Yes Isaac?" Mr Ren paused.

"You said the answer was over several days? Sometimes a week?" Isaac leaned forward, resting on his desk, and looking over at Lily.

Lily's pen froze mid-sentence, halting her marking, as she realised where Isaac's question was leading. Karen caught on as well and her eyes widened.

"Yes?" Mr Ren waited.

Isaac's stare was taunting. "Then how come the scratch on Lily's cheek has completely healed?"

Lily's cheeks flamed and her stomach soured. The pen in her hands shook as nervous tremors wracked her body when the class all stared at her face.

Mr Ren frowned as he glanced at Lily's healed cheek, and to Isaac who was now looking very pleased with himself. The class were murmuring to each other and Karen laid a hand on Lily's arm to comfort her.

Lily gulped as the chemistry teacher lowered his whiteboard marker. "That's no business of yours, Isaac." Mr Ren scolded.

"Well, it is." Isaac leaned back in his chair. "You've said one thing, and there's Morgan as an exception. So what's the answer, sir?"

Lily trembled as anxiety clawed at her belly, every part of her was screaming to get out the classroom, get some fresh air, a glass of water, anything to get away from Isaac's smug expression.

"Lily is not an experiment, Isaac." Mr Ren snapped, turning back to the board. "If you're not going to provide anything substantial to the class then remain silent and let me continue the lesson without any more interruptions."

"Who are you, her dad?!" Isaac retorted.

Lily flinched. Her pen dropped to the ground, the only sound as the class fell into silence. She shut her eyes as her heart burst in pain, remembering the love from her family that was no longer there. The four people she held close to her heart that the world couldn't know anymore.

"Isaac leave the classroom." Mr Ren gently placed his pen down and got out his phone, contacting the teacher on patrol outside. "You have afternoon detention."

"What!" Isaac blurted as he threw his tattered book into his bag. "Come on man, you're joking!"

"That's Mr Ren to you."

"What, I'm sorry Morgan-"

"Don't speak, just grab your stuff and leave the room." Mr Ren interrupted his insincere apology, and Lily watched through welled up eyes as he strut down the aisle of desks with his bag hung open.

Lily's eyes narrowed, a tear rolling down her cheek, and the class heard the crack echo from Isaac's bag. He paused, slinging it off his shoulder, and cursed.

"Shit, my water bottle's leaking!"

"Clear it up outside."

"But sir-"

"Outside." Mr Ren held open the door for him and Isaac left, taking his leaky bag and his grumblings with him. When the class was enveloped in silence again, Mr Ren turned to Lily.

Karen quietly handed Lily some tissues and as she wiped her eyes, Mr Ren picked up the pen.

"I can only apologise Lily." Mr Ren said, his eyes soft as he saw Lily wipe her tears away. "I'll make sure Isaac apologises properly for his words."

Lily held her tongue, her lips wobbling, and just nodded. She so desperately wanted to snap back at her teacher, at the awkwardness Isaac had caused and the pain he'd brought up. Lily knew it would lead to more sessions with the school's psychologist, or the school pressuring her to at least speak to a teacher about her feelings.

She knew they meant well. But it had been six years of back and forth between teachers worried for her and students pushing her too far, and she was tired of herself receiving the sessions, and not the people that caused them - Isaac had a detention, yes, but that wouldn't stop him from saying something similar again. He knew the worst button to press.

Lily's thoughts churned for the rest of the lesson, Karen was taking notes for her, while she just tried to clamp onto whatever control was left in her body. Her emotions were a tidal wave carrying her pain. Lily was struggling to breathe it away.

The rain that had arrived through the lesson had turned into a storm - she could hear its quiet rumbles in the distance, a promise of chaos, so Lily focused on that. She timed each crack of thunder, the shorter the time the quicker the arrival, and soon enough the lesson was over and the thunderstorm was over their heads.

Lily mindlessly started putting her things away with the rest of the class, not looking at anyone, but as she was leaving Mr Ren stepped in front of her. She slowly stared him down.

His eyes flashed their vampire-known red. "Isaac won't go unpunished for his words Lily." He said, searching her eyes for some semblance of control. He'd heard about what happened last week, how Ryan had stepped too far and received a black eye, and didn't want a student punished for another's bad choice of words. "I'm sorry that he brought up your family."

Lily blinked, her body remembering its rhythm and dipped her chin in acceptance before leaving the room. Karen shared a worried look with Mr Ren but followed her friend out the door. Mr Ren, knowing Nova High's rules, sent an email to the teachers to let them know Lily wasn't to be provoked or pushed today. He hated himself for having to reveal details about Isaac's confrontation but he knew that rules were rules, and Lily, despite Isaac's claim, wasn't an exception to them.

Lily dropped herself next to Jack and Claire, both of whom fell silent when they saw Lily's solemn expression, and when Claire opened her mouth to ask, Karen quickly shook her head, taking her seat next to them.

Jack, however, didn't see Karen's warning. "Who do I need to beat up?" She asked, dropping her crust-less cheese sandwich. "I have a large garden and no one will find the body."

Lily pursed her lips, not looking up. Jack narrowed her eyes. "If murder's off the table, I can borrow a chihuahua and set him loose on them, and shove peanut butter down their trousers."

Lily's mouth was still drawn into a thin line but Jack saw her eyes light up a little, so she pressed on.

"Or, I can blow up balloons and fill them with glitter, and bomb their car and their house." Jack's grin was wicked. "It's an eternal prank, think about it! They'll be cleaning up glitter for the rest of their lives, and it will always be in their hair."

Lily couldn't stop the smile this time. The image of Isaac covered in glitter, the epitome of the vampire stereotype - glittering under sunlight - was too funny to not smile at. Jack sat back, satisfied that Lily was now a little happier.

"Glitter it is. I'm personally a fan of the rainbow packets, I can buy some after school?" Jack said, rubbing her hands together gleefully. Her rings sparkled in the morning sun, adding a playful gleam to the quite-serious witch.

Claire stuck up a hand, the other was holding her phone. "Just checked, they're selling two 100g packets of glitter for $3 at the local shops!"

Karen smiled. "I'm free this afternoon?"

Jack clapped her hands. "Excellent, so it's a plan! What do you say, Lily?"

Lily finally looked up, tucking her red hair behind her ear so she could look at her friends individually. Her eyes were welling up out of gratefulness instead of pain. She could only smile at them.

"Thank you." She whispered, and then grabbed some food out of her bag, and slowly began to eat.

Claire softly smiled at her, Karen was too, but Jack deflated a little. "...Are we still doing the glitter? I'm genuinely excited to see someone walking into school tomorrow looking like a disco ball."

Lily laughed. "Would you hang him up at the prom?"

"Oh that's a great idea! We'll spin him around on a chandelier like Captain Jack Sparrow, and throw pastries at him!"

Karen snorted. "You wouldn't waste pastries."

"That's a good point." Jack tapped her chin. "No man is worth the destruction of pastries - how about the old fruit they lay out on the buffet tables?"

Claire frowned. "I like the fruit, it's nice."

"Well we can't throw the plates at him, they're paper and they won't fly straight, they'll curve."

Karen started to giggle. "Can... Can you imagine that though?" She began to wheeze. "Just, fling!"

Soon, the four of them were full-belly laughing, earning a few weird looks from students around them but they didn't care. Lily's mood had lifted considerably; yes her family was brought up without respect and it hurt, and usually she'd mellow for the day until she snapped, but her three friends had grounded her, stabilised her, and she couldn't be more grateful.

She was lucky to have friends like them.

When it was time for PE, Lily left the three of them behind. The downside of her mixed up timetable was that she didn't have every class with those three. Instead, she was walking into a wolf den by herself, but Lily knew she wasn't alone. Not really. She had a witch, a fairy, and a vampire to call friends.

As Lily entered the courts, she saw Miss Winters' scowl first. Again, Lily wasn't in her sports gear while the rest of the class were, but Miss Winters' gaze was soft despite her frown.

"Morgan." She called, leading her to the edge of the courts. "No playing for you. You're still injured from the lock down on Tuesday, so you're on the sidelines. Do you have that basketball homework I assigned you?"

When Lily nodded, handing it over, Miss Winters nodded. "I'll look this over while the class plays - write out the positions and the layouts of the team, similar work to last week. Croft will help you again, okay?"

Lily blinked, nodded absentmindedly as the teacher whistled for the game to begin. As Lily sat down on the benches, Ryan had snuck up and they sat in unison.

"Oh!" Lily jumped when she noticed him smiling next to her. "I didn't see you there, Ryan."

Ryan's smile quickly fell. "You've been crying."

"I..." Lily stuttered. "No?"

Ryan's blue eyes narrowed. "Your eyes are still red, Lily."

"That's a lovely thing to hear." She muttered, her cheeks aflame. She rubbed her eyes a little, hoping the look would fade.

"I... Sorry, it's just... I've never seen you upset." Ryan admitted. "What happened?"

"I'm fine." Lily said, her notebook jostling on her shaking legs. "Isaac was teasing me in science this morning. He brought up my family."

Ryan's froze as Lily dipped her head in admission, her long hair hiding her face. He didn't need to see her features to know her brows would be drawn together in embarrassment, that she'd roll her lips and fidget with her fingers, her anxious ticks that Ryan had accidentally memorised.

But her voice had wavered and wobbled when she mentioned her family. Ryan couldn't unhear that, her words were ringing in his ears.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" He asked, his voice lower than normal. A large part of him wanted to get up and walk to whatever room Isaac was in and show him exactly what pain Lily was going through.

The other part wanted to stay by her side - and he listened to that, to her.