Chapter 7
chapter seven
lily
Sunday morning, Lily woke up with terrible bedhead and a sour taste in her mouth. She rubbed her eyes blearily, looking over her messy room, clothes and books emanating from her suitcase like a vortex.
She stood up, took a shower, braided her hair in two long strands, and put on a comfortable t-shirt and shorts. Lily swung her backpack and grabbed her suitcase, bounding down the stairs. She kissed her mom on the cheek, hugged her dad, and gave Petunia a quick wave. “Did you pack toothpaste?” Her mom shouted after her as she stepped out the door.
“Yes, Ma.”
“Deodorant? Tampons? Do you need me to Venmo you money for food?”
“Yes, yes, no,” Lily called back. “See you in two weeks!”
“Don’t get murdered!” Petunia said.
“I’ll try not to! I’m leaving now!” Noises of agreement from her family.
She tossed her bags in the back of Alice’s van (which Alice had dropped a few days earlier, before all the Remus shit hit the fan. Lily supposed she could have driven the van to the hospital, but she had been so distracted she forgot it was even an option). Lily turned the key in the ignition, and the engine sputtered. She set her phone on the purple stand attached to the dashboard and pressed play. Taylor Swift’s I Know Places blasted from the speaker.
Baby, I know places we won’t be found, and
They’ll be chasing their tails trying to track us down
‘Cause I, I know places we can hide
Lily pulled up outside of Mary’s house, Google Maps beeping cheerfully to let her know her destination was on the right. Really helpful, Google. She could never have figured that out on her own.
Just grab my hand and don’t ever drop it
My love
7:02
You
Hey, I’m outside
7:03
Mary
coming out now!!
Lily looked out her window eagerly.
Mary stumbled out the door, pulling on her boots and swinging a messenger bag over her shoulder, which was already laden with a backpack and a bag of what Lily presumed to be toiletries. She was wearing a pale yellow sundress, her brown-and-blonde streaked hair held back with two duck clips a half inch above her ears.
In short, she looked absolutely stunning as usual. Lily was suddenly very self conscious of her outfit.
Lily leaned across the parking gear and unlocked the passenger door. Mary bounded down the stairs leading up to her door and smiled at Lily. She slid into the seat.
“Hey! How are you feeling?” Mary grinned.
“Tired, but determined. This is going to be a good trip. We are going to see some cool shit,” Lily emphasized this statement by dramatically pounding a fist on the steering wheel, “Have some fucking whimsical experiences,” Another pound, “And make some goddamn memories.”
“Preach, babe,” Mary sang.
Lily took her phone off the stand and let Mary connect to the Bluetooth. “Let’s hear this epic road trip playlist, then,” Lily said playfully.
Mary stuck her tongue out at Lily as the music started playing. Lily had to work to keep her eyes on the road, laughing. “Is this that song from Pitch Perfect? I listened to this at least a thousand times as a preteen.”
“It’s a classic. I think, as a rule, we should always play Cups to start off any trip.” Mary said passionately.
When I’m gone
When I’m gone
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone
You’re gonna miss me by my hair
You’re gonna miss me everywhere, oh
“Ah, I love Pitch Perfect,” Mary said.
“Something about the a cappella appeal to you as a choir kid?” Lily teased.
“No! It’s just, like, junk food entertainment. Lovably stupid. And maybe the singing is kind of fun,” Mary allowed, flicking Lily on the arm. “Gotta say, though, that scene at the beginning where Aubrey throws up everywhere literally traumatized eleven year old me.”
“Oh my god, no. That was so bad. Y’know what’s my favorite junk food entertainment?” Lily asked, flicking the turn signal.
“What?”
“Legally Blonde.” Mary gasped, and Lily burst into giggles.
“Does that even count as junk, though?” Mary wondered. “I mean, it makes sense for you.” Lily looked at her through the corner of her eye. “Pretty girl goes to law school and ends up absolutely killing it?”
“At least I’m not trying to get into uni for a guy,” Lily said, smiling a little. “But thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Laughed at his long black hair, his animal grace
The boy in the bright blue jeans
Something about this song tickled Lily’s brain. “Is this… Bowie?”
Mary gasped again, and Lily glanced at her. Mary was smiling that 1000 watt smile. “Yesss! Okay, wait, pop quiz. What song is this?” She covered the screen where the name of the song was listed with her palm, smirking at Lily.
“Uhh…” Lily racked her brain. She was positive Remus had made her listen to this song at least a thousand times, but the name evaded her. She listened to the lyrics for a moment, laughing a bit at how very Sirius they were. Maybe that’s why Remus had loved this song so much. She pursed her lips, thinking. “...Lady Stardust?”
“You got it!” Mary exclaimed. She made a move to lean towards Lily (maybe to pat her on the shoulder or hug her), but was yanked back by her seatbelt.
Both girls glanced at each other, and promptly burst out laughing.
chapter seven
mary
Mary discovered almost instantly that Lily was an extremely cautious driver. Before pulling onto the highway, she slowed down to let a pigeon hop across the lane before speeding back up to her regular forty miles per hour. Mary didn’t mind, though—it was strangely endearing.
Not to mention, Lily knew almost all of the songs she’d added to the playlist, and had immaculate suggestions. Soon, the two girls had rolled down the windows and were playing New Romantics at top volume while singing along between bursts of giggles. Mary barely noticed how warm it was and how her thighs were stuck to the scruffy faux leather seats, because a cool breeze was blowing through the windows, making her curls bounce and fall into her eyes.
“So, what’s our first stop?” Mary asked breathlessly as the music slowly faded. Lily tapped a piece of paper held down by her water bottle in between them.
“Leeds.” Lily said, glancing at the map Mary had picked up. “I’ve always wanted to see the castle, but for whatever reason I’ve never been there with family. Basically, you can walk around the circular paths and see the castle from the outside—I didn’t want to book tickets in case you were tepid about actually going in, but I think they’re about thirty pounds.”
“Oh, badass,” Mary said, pulling up the castle’s website on her phone. She gave Lily a look. “...I think we can pass for fifteen-year-olds.”
“Why?” Lily looked at her in confusion, before understanding dawned on her face. “Ahhhh. Discounted kids passes.” The girls smirked at each other.
~~~
“Hi, two kids passes, please,” Mary said in a voice that was a few octaves higher than normal. Her and Lily’s height (they were both below average for their age, though Lily was maybe an inch taller) was finally working out to their advantage. For good measure, she blinked innocently at the woman who was checking them in. After baking in line for thirty minutes, they’d finally reached the ticket station—the final obstacle standing in between them and the castle.
The woman looked them over once, and then asked, “Just the two of you, then?” Mary nodded, gripping Lily’s hand. So far, so good. “That’ll be £50.”
Mary nudged Lily, who pulled out two twenty pound notes and a ten, sliding them over to the woman who handed Lily two green paper bracelets. Mary leaned over and muttered to Lily that she’d pay her back (having someone else pay for her made Mary feel overwhelmingly guilty), but Lily waved a hand at her.
“You girls have a nice time!” The woman said to them with some suspicion, although she looked too tired to try and confirm they were actually fifteen.
“You too, thanks!” Mary called back, smiling awkwardly. They hurried off, and when they were far enough away, they turned to each other and burst into giddy laughter.
“I can’t believe that worked,” Lily whispered, smiling. Mary realized she’d become accustomed to that smile—Lily rarely looked at her with sharp eyes anymore.
“I know, right?” Mary snickered. Lily grinned at her, before looking up at the castle looming in front of them. Mary followed her gaze, staring at the building. Personally, she thought it looked a little boxy and rundown, but Lily seemed to be entranced.
“I can just imagine people in, like, Bridgerton costumes dancing at some sort of fancy ball here,” Lily said, looking far away.
Mary smiled. “Mmm, in ball gowns or something?” Lily giggled.
“Yep, exactly.”
Mary tried to envision what Lily was thinking about, conjuring mental images of decked out ballrooms decorated with hundreds and hundreds of white roses, women in corsets and flowy skirts twirling around, fabric billowing around them like flowers themselves. Mary smiled a little. “I did a lesson for theater once in eighth year so I kind of know how to waltz,” Mary said conversationally as the girls walked through the gardens. There were rows and rows of square bushes and blooming flowers, and the paths in between each were covered in soft green grass. On the left was a clear blue pond that looked like it would be an excellent reprieve from the heat—but Mary had discovered from many years of dipping her feet into bodies of water she shouldn’t have that it probably wasn’t open to the public.
Lily gave her a look. “You look like the kind of person who would know how to waltz.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Mary laughed. “Asshole.”
“No, it was a compliment!” Lily clarified, sticking her tongue out. Mary giggled, not believing her at all. “You have a graceful look to you. Like you could fit in at any high society party.”
“Suuure,” Mary smirked. She stepped a few feet ahead of Lily and twirled around, extending a hand.
Lily looked at her in confusion.
“Waltz with me.”
“I have two left feet!” Lily moaned. “I’ll fall!”
“Well, if you fall, make sure nobody notices. I’m sure the gardeners wouldn’t appreciate it if you faceplanted in their tulips.” Lily gave her a wry smile.
“I guarantee I won’t faceplant in the tulips.”
“Prove it, then.”
“I will.” Lily stepped forward, and panic flashed over her features for a moment. “Uh, where do I put my hands?” Mary laughed. “Oh my god, shut up,” Lily swatted at her.
“Okay, so one hand goes on my waist and the other…” Mary extended a half-bended arm to the side. Lily took it. “No, not like that. You’re not supposed to do the fingers.”
“The what?”
“You know,” Mary said with exaggerated exasperation. “Like, you’re not supposed to intertwine fingers. It’s a palm thing.” Lily nodded, and made an “mmm” sound in the back of her throat. “Okay, five, six, seven, eight—just follow my steps.”
Mary stepped back, guiding Lily by gently pulling her hand (Lily instantly stumbled, and gave Mary a look that very clearly said not a word). Mary could almost hear the soft classical music echoing in her ears, though the garden was all but silent, except for the vague twittering of birds and rush of water.
Lily caught on eventually, and they settled into a comfortable rhythm, smoothly twirling around and around. Mary’s skirt spun around her and Lily’s t-shirt billowed with the wind. Lily was looking down at her shoes, lips pursed in concentration. Mary had to bite back a smile.
Mary couldn’t tell how long they’d been dancing, but she guessed it was maybe a few minutes.
She spun Lily away from her, breathless and flushed, and sunk into a curtsy.
“Nice job.”
“Nice job, yourself,” Lily panted.
“Winded?” Mary smiled.
“No.”
They walked back through the gardens together, laughing and joking. Time seemed to slow down. Mary felt as though she could live in these moments forever.