pilot
Lily had her coat on, her fanciest one, and her heavy black boots.
She was on a mission, and as one of the world's most notorious photographers, it was hardly a secret.
So she needed to drive, far away from New York City.
Photography was a passion of hers, quickly turned career as one of her collections went viral. She loved what she did, and she did what she did because she loved it. But she was a photographer, not a celebrity. But with the paparazzi constantly hounding you everywhere, it's hard to get inspiration while staring into the bulbs of flashing lights. Some poet could make a stanza out of that, of them like dogs and the rest cattle, of blinding bulbs and worms beneath a microscope.
But she wasn't a poet. Lily might not have had a way with words, but she knew her art. And when she had something to say, she would release a collection. That is, if she could ever get a flash of inspiration.
So she sat at the wheel, Taylor Swift blaring beside her, and raced off into the sunset.
At least that would make a great photo.
The map was displayed on the side screen and she glanced at it with one hand on the wheel and the other hanging out the window. Lily wasn't sure how far she had to drive, she didn't have a destination set in her mind, but she would know the right place when she arrived.
Her sunglasses hung on her nose, and as it grew dark, the sun escaping away, she didn't quite need them.
A couple hours later, she had pulled into a motel to stay for the night. She loved the night, but on a cloudy, warm night like this, it was less than ideal. She payed at the front desk, grabbing her toothbrush from the car.
Her room wasn't fancy, but it would do just fine.
After she had brushed her teeth, she jumped onto her bed and answered the call pending.
"Lily!"
"Hi, Sirius." Lily smiled.
"How are you? I checked your location. You're not in NYC?"
Sirius was a singer. He also happened to be one of her best friends, beside Marlene.
"I am not. Great observation skills, by the way." Sirius made a noise of confirmation. "Anyways, I just needed to get away, y'know?"
"Yeah, totally. This isn't about... him, right?" Sirius asked, a note of concern in his voice. Lily sighed deeply, and he came up to defend himself. "I'm just checking!"
"I know you are, Sirius. But no, this isn't about James. I'll have you know I moved on quite easily. I'm happy for him! Him and Regulus." She could almost hear his eye roll three thousand miles away.
"Okay, brother fucker aside, I'm glad. James is my best mate." Sirius paused. "Anyways, how far are you going? Are you gonna still have cell service?"
"I'm not going to the amazon river."
"No, but like, in some parts of the US..."
"You've been here like two times. Remus hasn't educated you about the cell service of America?" She said, a fond look glancing over to the call.
"Okay, well I believe Welcome to New York gives me more visits then two. And! Remus has, I just forgot."
"Sure, babe. Give him a kiss for me!!" She ended the call and lay on her back, looking at the cheap light ornament swinging from the ceiling.
She wasn't tired. It was a kind of in between it, hovering. James wasn't the force behind it. They had an on-and-off relationship for a couple years, mutually ghosting each other until they met at one of Sirius's parties, and then it lasted a bit longer.
It was excitement, that was for sure. It made it so she didn't have to sit with herself.
James was her friend first, an ex-boyfriend next, far behind her list of priorities.
Her phone buzzed with a text, and she picked it up.
Marlene: lmk next time you escape into the wilderness
Marlene: i'd come with you the people here are already half of it
Marlene: Give me updates on your one true love you find there babe
Lily: yknow i will xx
Sleep claimed her quickly, thankfully.
***
Lily awoke next morning, sweat sticking to her skin, the remnants of her last vivid dream fogging the edges of reality with an orange butterfly, and two missed texts from Remus.
Remus: thanks for the kiss
Remus: don't go the amazon
Her phone was quickly thrown aside in her haste to catch the fading night sky.
She hooked the strap of her camera on her shoulder and stepped outside the dinky motel, looking up at the sky with narrowing eyes, still in her pajamas, hair a mess.
Lily waited for a tug in her chest, a spark in her fingers, alighted by beautiful sights.
As the hollow in her chest grew large, she swallowed and refused to be sucked in.
She turned, lifting the camera to her eye, and took a shot of the stars, melting from the sky to make way for the golden, warm light that streaming down on her face.
Lily sometimes wished for the ability to paint, to form the stars and the feelings that brewed beneath the sun. To craft a piece of artwork that not everyone could understand, but at least they could appreciate it. To gaze upon it and truly feel seen, both earned and born with talent that anyone can see. It wasn't easy, but it was around for centuries. How could anyone scoff at it?
After gathering her few things and getting dressed again, she turned in her key and sidled into the driver's seat of her sleek, red car. She threw her coat into the passenger's seat and the rest of her things in the back of the car. Lily took a swig of tea from her old, worn down bottle and tied her red hair into a pony tail.
She sat at the wheel, engine stalling, and she stared at the dust under the windshield. She didn't use this car as much as she used to, ditched for more private modes of transportation. It gave her a sense of familiarity, of comfort. But as she grew, it didn't grow with her. She felt too big in the car.
Her foot eventually found the gas pedal and she was off, idealistic routes instead of the louder, busier interstates. Lily felt loud in the wilderness, so far apart from the place she called home. And then that's when she knew where she was going to go. Home.
So she adjusted and set course for Webster City.
***
Mary made the most of her life.
After getting hit with her parent's deaths and fleeing from LA to make sense of the monumental shifts in her life, she discovered how precious it really is. Her parents got killed in a hit and run, and there wasn't a moment she didn't think of it. She wasn't there, beside them when they took their last breaths, and that was her last regret.
She swore afterwards, to be there for everyone. But that crumbled as everyone couldn't be there for her, and she ditched that city life for a more humble abode in the Midwest. In a small city, where the gossip she loved was so present, and there was rarely a unwelcome face, she felt right at home.
Everything made sense. She loved the big and the small, she traveled thirty minutes out to go swim in a lake. It was quaint and cozy.
She had friends, not as much as before. Everything came to replace what had been before. She was in with the chattering moms, and there were a few people her age. age. There was Emmeline and Alice, and Frank and Peter.
No more parties to attend, she replaced them by sitting in her room reading romance novels alight with candles. She was apart of a book club, reading in her spare time.
She got a job at the local vintage store, taking shifts there every day.
It was the most beautiful place she could imagine, a far cry from the city buildings in a good way.
It smelled of dust and old candles, but it had so many great finds, if you asked her.
Old books and records, cds and paintings.
She worked at the register, and walked along the rows, put out by the very few customers. She set the mannequins in the front in beautiful clothes, the best she could find from her old fashion-minded brain. That was her favorite thing to do, browse the clothing that was dropped off, a lot of the time by moms who's kids had long since dropped out, and would probably have been properly angry to see what they gave away.
It was then the bell rang, while she was along the records, flipping between the Johnny Cash albums. She looked up, to catch a glimpse of the visitor and maybe shout a cheery "Good Afternoon!" when she gave her pause, and her eyes flicked from the records and back up to her.
Mary stilled, caught off guard.
The woman, glancing around nervously with a steady smile, looked straight at her. And Mary just about passed out as her green eyes connected, seeming to pierce her soul.
She had long, unruly ginger hair stuck to her head from the pouring rain outside, shrugging a raincoat off her shoulders. She wasn't too tall, but she had long legs and sunglasses perched on her head.
Her skin was fair and blushed even in the cool weather, long, long ginger lashes that seemed to glitter in the muted sunlight. Her lips, fading from her brilliant smile were plump and red, pursed in a smirk.
"Do you know where my car could get some gas around here?" She smiled nervously this time, and Mary nodded up and down quickly, woozy from the excitement. "I'm Lily, by the way."