<span style="color: skyblue">It had been warned that a hurricane was going to be over her island, posing the threat of no electricity. Lily hadn't thought anything of it as they'd always talked about this happening eventually, though she'd always lucked out. Her island always seemed to be bypassed or it wouldn't be strong enough when it reached her to do any real damage.<br/><br/>This one was different. While still five miles off the coast, the power was already flickering. Winds ripped through the island, churning the sands and ripping up the flowers that Lily had photographed many a time. If not for those photos, no one would have any inkling of their prior existence there. Trees blocked the roads, uprooted and broken. And when the storm broke upon the shore...all power was out.<br/><br/>Lily had been in her room at the time, reading one of her favorite books, Dr. Franklin's Island, a book about two girls turned genetic freaks, and then turned back after their struggles. It was the only book she could stand of that nature as it was too close to her situation, but since it had a happy ending, she could read it. In the middle of a page, the power flickered on final time, and then went out, the locks on her door clicking open. Her eyes fought to adjust to the lack of light in the room, but it was hard. Peering up into the corners of her room, she didn't see the red blinking light of the cameras anymore.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">I'm...I'm not under surveillance...</span> she thought timidly to herself. If ever there was a chance to make it to the real world...it was now. <span style="font-style: italic">But do I dare?</span> Lily wondered. They'd never let her go unless they cured her, and that could take years. She wasn't guaranteed to get off the island otherwise, unless in a casket, a thought that crossed her mind about fifty times a day. Taking a deep breath, she released it, telling herself that by the end of it, her mind would be made up. <span style="font-style: italic">It's now or never...</span><br/><br/>Lily decided to take that chance. Pulling on a trench coat, wrapping a heavy scarf around her head, only her eyes visible, and then wriggling her fingers back into her gloves, she cautiously opened her door. Her movements were slow at first, and then became more and more harried, before making a break for it, running out the exit to her outer enclosure. Rain pelted her hard in the face as leaves whirled around her. Lightning struck down repeatedly as thunder roared. Waves crashed up on the shore, higher than usual. Her hand raised to block the rain from her eyes as she scanned the dark shore line for the entrance her attendants used.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Bingo...</span> she thought excitedly as her eyes laid on the metal hinged gate. Running up to it, tripping several times, she fumbled with the door, finally managing to pull it open against the gale-force winds. Running onto the shore, she searched desperately for a boat, any boat, the boat they used to venture out to her every day. A smile filled her eyes as she spotted it, a mile up the beach crashing along the dock with every wave. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">There's still time to go back...</span> she cautioned herself, pausing her run. <span style="font-style: italic">But...I may not get another chance like this, so if I don't go now, how will I know if what exists in my books is real?</span> she wondered. Shaking her head, she threw caution to the wind and ran pell-mell at the boat, hopping into it as it hit the dock, breaking through it. Haphazardly untying it, she fell over to the floor, and had to crawl her way to the wheel, turning the boat on. <br/><br/>Suddenly, looking over her shoulder as she tried to steer the boat away from shore, she saw the flurry of men running after her, yelling for her to come back. She refused, and pushed the boat as hard as it would go to the mainland, to society, to people.<br/><br/>The waves picked up, pounding her small boat from every side. Gripping the wheel, she tried to keep it on a straight course, but couldn't seem to keep her sense of direction. She wasn't sure which way land even was, and the waves through off what little sense of direction she had.<br/><br/>As she tried to get her bearings, she looked off in the distance and her eyes widened in fear. A large wave, larger than those she'd seen breaching against her hull, was heading right for her. Her grip turned more vice-like, knuckles turning white as the wave grew closer. It was then that she really regretted her decision to leave, but couldn't turn back now...She didn't even know where back was.<br/><br/>Rising up over her, the wave stood thirty feet tall, dwarfing her small vessel in its wake. Crashing down on her, the boat broke apart, scattering debris throughout the wave along with her body. Choking on water, she broke the surface, snatching up a piece of the fiberglass boat, following the waves, praying that they brought her to shore.<br/><br/>Losing track of time, no longer even watching where she was going as the salt burned her eyes, she finally felt something hit her knee. Her eyes opened widely in surprise, and looked down to see the moon's light shining off the water, and catching the rocks below. <span style="font-style: italic">I'm...I'm...</span> Her mind was too tired and excited to finish the thought as Lily crawled to shore, immediately falling onto the beach, panting for all she was worth. Her eyes remained closed, too tired to care about anything else except relaxing and breathing. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and her muscles felt like jello.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">As long as no one sees me...I'm fine...</span> she thought exhaustedly, drifting off.</span>