Chapter Two: Lily's Past

Lily had always felt like an outsider. Growing up, she'd never quite fit in with the other kids at school, always feeling like there was something different about her that set her apart. It wasn't until she was older that she realized what it was.

Lily had always been drawn to the strange and unusual. She loved reading books about monsters and creatures that lurked in the shadows, fascinated by the idea of worlds beyond our own. Her parents thought it was just a phase, something she'd grow out of eventually, but Lily knew it was more than that.

As she got older, Lily began to feel like she was living a double life. By day, she was a good student, a dutiful daughter, but by night, she would sneak out of her bedroom window and explore the woods around her family's cabin. It was there that she felt most alive, surrounded by the darkness and the unknown.

But as much as she loved the woods, she also felt a sense of loneliness there. She longed for someone to share her passion with, to understand the part of her that was drawn to the darkness. She tried to talk to her parents about it, but they just didn't understand.

And then, one day, something happened that changed everything. Lily was out in the woods, lost in thought, when she stumbled upon a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a pool of water, and as she approached it, she saw something strange reflected in the surface.

It was the image of a creature unlike any she'd ever seen before. It had fur like a wolf, but its face was more human-like, with eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. Lily reached out to touch the surface of the water, and as she did, the creature seemed to reach out to her from the reflection.

It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. The creature's touch was cold, but somehow comforting, and Lily knew that she had found what she'd been searching for all along.

Over the next few weeks, Lily returned to the pool every night, spending hours talking to the creature and learning everything she could about it. It was like they were kindred spirits, two beings drawn together by a force beyond their control.

But then, one night, Lily's parents found out what she was doing. They were furious, convinced that the creature was dangerous and that Lily was putting herself in harm's way.

Lily tried to explain that the creature meant her no harm, that it was just like any other animal in the woods. But her parents wouldn't listen. They forbade her from going back to the pool, and for a while, Lily obeyed.

But the call of the woods was too strong to ignore. One night, she snuck out of her bedroom and made her way back to the pool, hoping against hope that the creature would be there waiting for her.

It wasn't. Instead, she found a group of men, armed with guns and knives, standing around the pool. They were hunting the creature, convinced that it was a danger to the community.

Lily tried to stop them, to explain that the creature was harmless, but they wouldn't listen. They attacked her, and she fell into the pool, hitting her head on a rock as she fell.

When she woke up, she was back in her bed, her parents standing over her. They'd found her unconscious in the woods and brought her back home.

For years, Lily tried to forget about the creature, telling herself that it was just a figment of her imagination. But as she stood in the woods with the monster, she knew that it was real, and that everything she'd ever believed in was about to be challenged.

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