Christmas Tree

[ViolentMedic]

((G02: Lillian 'Lily' Caldwell – START.))

Lily stared down at the army helmet she'd found in her bag, clasping it between her hands and turning it over slowly. Every once and a while, she stared up at the mirror over the sinks. Coated in dust and stains, so that her reflection was only barely visible.

She'd woken up in a gym. What a joke. Surrounded by all the things that could make her stronger, with the time that she didn't have. She'd retreated to the changing rooms so she didn't have to look at the weights, the bikes, the outdated equipment.

She looked at the helmet, then at her reflection. Skinny. Weak. Useless. Her mind tried to sort out the facts, look at this all from a logical standpoint, but it was like struggling through wet cement.

Because this just... this was just...

Lily raised the army helmet and smashed the rounded top of it against the mirror. Cracks appeared. She did so again. Again. Again. Until there was a huge mess of cracks and gaps where her reflection had been. The whole time, she heard this horrible, angry screaming, but didn't quite realise it was her that was making that horrible sound.

Once the mirror was broken—seven years of bad luck, but if she got to experience those seven years it would be a blessing in itself—she lowered the helmet again, breathing hard through her nose.

The facts were this.

This was real. She'd seen Graham die. She'd been in the front row. There were flecks of blood on her white sundress. Almost all her classmates were bigger than her and many had skills that would help them survive. Her? She could knit. She knew enough about robotics to know she had no chance of disabling the collar on her own.

The facts were not comforting.

She reached up and touched the collar around her neck. She breathed heavily through her nose again.

What she needed was a plan. An immediate one. Then she could figure out another plan. And another. And another.

Her immediate plan...

She looked down at the army helmet again. She removed her green sunhat, and placed it next to the sink. She strapped the army helmet to her head, making sure it was secure.

Then she looked at the mirror shards in the sink, and picked up the biggest one. It dug into her hand slightly, but didn't draw blood. It would if she tried to use it. But it was better than her hands.

She had a weapon. She had armor. Her immediate plan was complete.

Now what?

Well... probably leaving this changing room. What else could she do? This wasn't a good place to hole up. One exit was just... bad.

Yeah. That worked for her next plan. Find somewhere... safer.

Not that there was anything like safety on this island.

Lily left her green sunhat behind on the sink.

((Lillian 'Lily' Caldwell continued in Dramatica.))