weirdo

Prologue

She looks out of the window wondering why does the rain always fall down?
Just like her tears.

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she starred at the rain rolling down the window pane.

She closed her eyes, many a past events flashing before her eyes like looking through an old photo album.

----

''Lily, come on. Come to Mama...'' the gorgeous face of a young lady called out to her towards the garden pond. Her little self hardly four years old trotting along the garden eager to reach the woman.

''And this flower is called Lily.'' a young man handed her a white flower plucked from the pond.

''But, Daddy. That's my name. Bad flower.''

Her mother chuckled beside them. ''Lily, can't you share your name with the flower that has the sweetest smell?''

Lily mimicked her mother, inhaling the sweet scent.

And it was then that lilies became her favourite flower.

The flower that she later realised, she was named after.

-----

Winters were always cruel where they lived. She remembered her five year old self looking out of the car window, her mom and dad in the front seat talking animatedly.

She was excited to go get her favourite toy shop as her dad had promised.

She looked down at her new  shoes her mum had bought her yesterday.

They were headed somewhere her dad said where snow touched the ground unlike the cold rain that poured on where they lived.

Why did the rain fall down? She wanted to ask her dad.

But, suddenly she heard a loud horn, a bump, she jerked forward but her seatbelt kept her in place. Their car slipped and skidded, Hitting the curb.

Her mom's shriek resounding in her ears.

The last thing she saw was shattered window pane of the car, her parent's limp body and a red liquid, like the paints her mother used in her paintings trickling down her forehead.

She later learned, the red paint was called 'blood'

-----

Dressed in a simple dress she was walked up the steps of an old and shabby building.

''Welcome to the Nature's Care orphanage, my dear,'' an old lady dressed in a grey nightgown said to her.

''Can you take me home?'' Lily asked the lady the same question she had asked the police officer, the lawyer, her grandmother, her uncle...but no-one gave her any answer.

The grey lady smiled ''This is your home now, Lily.''

Lily never understood how an unfamiliar place could be called 'Home'.

-----

''Who did that?'' the old grey lady asked, gesturing to the broken China clay on the floor.

''Lily...'' someone from the group of children called her name and others followed suite, pointing at her.

''Did you?'' the grey lady's eyes were cold as she looked at her.

Lily nodded. But before she could explain herself.

''Give me your hand.'' the grey lady called out abruptly. Trembling Lily placed her hand palm facing up in the large hand of the lady. She hit her six times as punishment and banned her from going to kitchen or anywhere near it.

----

''Who soiled the floor?'' the bad grey lady asked.

''Lily.'' the children said unanimously.

''I was searching for earthworms in the garden. The soil might have stuck to my shoes--''

''Give me your hand,'' Lily received seven sticks and two more hours of house duty along with cleaning the soiled floor.

And refrained her from going to the flowerbeds in the garden.

-----

''Who plucked the nuts from the tree?''

''Lily'' they said unanimously.

''It's for the squirrels, Ms. Clarence.''

The grey lady's eyes narrowed into slits and her lips pulled back in a sneer, Lily knew so well.
'' Give me your hand.'' she said.

Lily received eight lashes and was strictly told to not go to the garden anymore.

-----

''who did this?''

''Lily'' they called out unanimously, as usual.

It had become everyone's favourite trick. To blame everything on Lily.

Even Ms. Clarence seemed to like punishing her.

----

She applied some ice on her hand. Ten lashes today.

She looked at her hands and wondered how many more lashes will she be able to bear until her hand fractured again.

Her hands looked thinner and paler. Even though she was ten, her skinny self made her look like eight.

She sighed looking out of the window. The silhouette of a bird came flying towards her. She opened her window and a raven flew in dropping off a piece of dried bread on her lap.

Lily laughed, ''you remembered,'' she said picking up the bread. ''thank you for the birthday gift.'' she took a bite out of the dried bread. Seeming content with the job well done, the raven fluttered her wings and flew away.

------

''she is a bit shy and timid, Mr. And Mrs. Montague.'' Ms. Clarence said gesturing to Lily.

''My kindergarten children are a bunch of joy. Let us go see them. This way please.'' Ms. Clarence diverted their attention away from Lily, who was sketching in her drawing book.

They might have been one of those couple who came here to adopt children.

Usually toddlers or kindergarten kids were adopted, hardly few sparred any glance at the older ones.

But Mrs. Montague turned around and walked back to Lily. ''What are you drawing?'' she asked sitting beside her.

''My mum and dad, from what I can remember,'' she replied.

''Oh,'' Mrs. Montague sounded disheartened. ''what's your name, child?''

''Lily''

''what a pretty name. Lily, is my favourite flower.''

''It was my mom's too.''

Mrs. Montague left shortly after conversing with Lily.

-----

It was two days later that Ms. Clarence had asked Lily to pack her bags as Mr. And Mrs. Montague had decided to adopt her.

-------

So, here Lily sat. Bags packed. In the dead of the night. Starring out of the window. Tears pouring down like the rain outside.

She would be gone tomorrow morning.

Did she wish like going? No
But did she wanted to stay here, forever? No

Still, she wanted to wish the gardens goodbye, though she hadn't visited them in ages, she thought she owed the tree that sheltered her, the earthworms that played with her, the birds that sang the morning songs and the nocturnal beings that chirped in the night.

She even wanted to meet her raven for the last time. But in the pouring rain she was not there beside her.

She was alone, like always

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A/N- the protagonist 'Lily' is named after water lilies and not the regular lilies.