Forgotten Girl

The Garden

When her eyes opened again, Lilli was sitting in a garden. All around her, in neat little rows, were adonis, morning glories, lilies of the valley, and gladiolus. How she knew the names of the flowers, Lilli had no idea. They simply popped into her head.

Overhead, the sun shone through tree leaves. She stood, crossing to a patch of lily of the valley. Lilli stroked the bells absently, wondering just where she was. The last thing she remembered was looking up at the moon, but here she was, in broad daylight, in a garden she'd never seen before. 

A lily of the valley flower fell into her hand, and the world around her melted away. 

~

The one that replaced it was as familiar as the garden, which is to say, not familiar at all. The walls were painted white, with dark wood supports in the walls and ceiling. A crib stood against one wall, and a cradle was tucked beside the door.

Lilli turned around in the space, wondering where she was. A noise from the door made her spin around, reaching for the wand that wasn't there. 

The door opened to admit a redhead girl, not ten years older than Lilli. She cooed to an equally redheaded baby.

"Come now, Ellie-May," she said, rocking the infant, who Lilli realised with a jolt was her, "You need a nap." 

If that's me, Lilli thought, stepping closer, Then... that's Mum. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she watched her mum sway around the room, trying to get her to sleep.

"My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
My Bonnie lies over the sea,
My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
O bring back my Bonnie to me.

Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me, to me:
Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me.

O blow ye winds over the ocean,
O blow ye winds over the sea.
O blow ye winds over the ocean,
And bring back my Bonnie to me." Lily sang, settling young Elliana into her cradle. Lilli watched as her mother pressed a kiss to her infant self's forehead before disappearing out the door.

~

The room faded, and Lilli was back in the garden. The lily of the valley fell out of her hand as she brushed away tears. She wasn't really sure what just happened. Lilli had assumed this was just a dream, but that... vision? memory? wasn't hers. She had only been a baby in it, not capable of forming memories.

Lilli glanced at the flower on the ground, and an idea popped into her head. She walked over to a cluster of yellow adonis, reaching down and plucking one of the petals. Again, the world around her dissolved, and she found herself back in her muggle primary school.

~

It was recess, and eight to eleven-year-olds were running wild on the playground. Lilli looked around for her younger self, finding her surrounded by older children. A sinking feeling filled her stomach as she realised she knew what was about to happen. 

"You little freak," hissed the smallest of the girls surrounding little Lilli, who was still a head taller, "You're going to Hell. You should be burned at the stake."

"Leave me alone, Janet." Little Lilli's voice was shaky, her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach. The other girl, Janet, pretended to think.

"Mmm, no, I don't think so. I think the freak needs to be taught a lesson." Janet stepped forward,  slamming her fist into the tiny redhead's eye. Both Lilli and her younger self bent in half, pressing a hand to their eye. It seemed that even in these visions she could feel pain.

Someone kicked young Lilli in the back so she fell to the ground. She threw up her arm to protect her face, and the largest kid stepped on her ribs. It wasn't until the bell rang that the group had stopped.

~

Lilli was back in the garden, and she thought about the rest of that day. The adults hadn't believed her, not until the eye began to swell. Then they had called Uncle Remus, but he had been at work. So they called Aunt Thia, who had arrived within minutes, eyes like fire.

She'd hauled the headmaster over the coals, then taken Lilli and went home. Remus had come home hours later and set about pulling her out of that school. Then they'd started teaching her about self-defence. How to defend herself so that no one could do that again.

But they did. They were always bigger, or faster, or stronger, than her. So that she was constantly running, hiding, seeking a way to escape. Aunt Thia and Uncle Remus had always promised that once she got her letter, it would get better. 

They pulled her out of school. Lilli and Remus moved in with his father. Lyall began homeschooling her. The neighbour kids still picked on her, but she could at least hold her own in a fight. 

Lilli shook herself from her thoughts, looking towards the sky. The sun had moved, so now it was just a hand span over the wall that framed the garden. She sat with her knees to her chest, looking out over the slowly darkening garden.

Where am I? Lilli asked the wind silently, What is going on?

~

A/N - Did you know flowers have meanings?  In this case, the meanings below are the ones I'm using:

Lily of the Valley - Return of Happiness
Adonis - Painful Recollections
Morning Glory - Affection
Gladiolus - Strength of Character

Later, loves!

Evie