The Beast ran a finger down Quentin's cheek like a cat playing with its food, "let's get this over with," its hand snapped forward, clamping around Quentin's mouth and crushing his jaw. Lilly tried to stand- to help him- to do anything, but the spell still bound her in place. She would be forced to watch as The Beast ripped her friend to shreds.

"Quentin," a strained croak of a voice permeated the room, the Dean's- he'd fired off the spell, "take this," Lilly couldn't see him, nor the object he'd offered to Quentin, but suddenly, Quentin was holding a pocket watch in his hand. With a tiny click, the classroom devolved into chaos and everything was set in motion. The Beast was flung away from Quentin by an invisible force and Lilly was free from her bonds. Throngs of screaming students sprinted towards the exit, toppling desks and chairs in the process.

Lilly made sure everyone got out safely and unharmed, whilst keeping one eye trained on The Beast. Once the last person vacated, she turned back to help Quentin. Kady, Penny, and Alice remained. The Beast recovered almost instantaneously and charged Quentin with newfound fury. Quentin had fallen to the floor, not twelve paces from the monster. Lilly started towards him through the rows of desks just as Kady shot off a spell. It hit home but only knocked him back a step.

Alice used the opportunity to move Quentin away from the moth man, but he wasn't the target anymore. Kady's spell angered him enough that he'd changed his trajectory to her and Penny. Kady tried to hit him again but The Beast slammed her head into a desk with his magic. She fell to the ground in a heap, Penny hovered over her protectively. The Beast was closing in, but there was nothing Penny could do except raise his hand in a plea for mercy.

Lilly didn't get along with them, but she sure as hell wasn't about to let them die. In a split-second decision, she ran between them and The Beast, conjuring the strongest shield she could muster. The Beast paused in his pursuit, taking in the shield and the defiant woman before him. Lilly held her stance, though her mind and body screamed for her to run. He observed her, tilting his concealed head to the side and Lilly was sure that beneath that cloud of moths, he was smirking. The Beast took another step forward and plunged his hand through the shield, clamping it around her throat. Lilly gasped for air, but nothing came. The Beast lifted her off the floor by her throat.

"Ah, Lilly, darling," The Beast spoke as if they were old friends, "how nice to see you again," Lilly clawed at The Beast's hands to get him to release her, but his grip only tightened. Her lungs screamed for air, black spots beginning to cloud her vision. The Moths brushed past her in a frenzy and she shut her mouth and eyes against the onslaught. The Beast flinched as the moths began to drop lifelessly, the hand around her neck loosened. Gravity dragged her down and she slipped through his fingers. She inhaled sharply as her body smacked against the floor, her chest tight from lack of oxygen. Penny wrapped his arms around Lilly's waist and dragged her back to safety, placing himself over her limp form.

She lifted her head and saw through bleary eyes, Alice vigorously performing a spell. The Beast stumbled back towards the mirror as it hissed in pain, gripping its face, before finally disappearing into the mirror it came from. Before it could come back, Penny grabbed a chair and smashed the mirror into thousands of pieces. The five of them were alone again, in the classroom that had just become a war-zone.

➺➺➺➺

"I know you want to understand what happened, here is what I can say. We live in a world that is one world among many. The beast you saw, was from one such place. We do not know the exact nature of this entity, only that it was powerful and malevolent, and we know that it is gone now." A team of professors had arrived on the scene a few minutes after the students had gotten rid of The Beast themselves. The five of them were questioned seemingly to no end by Professor Sunderland about the event and how they'd managed to get rid of it. "Wards and shields protect Brakebills," Sunderland explained, "they are encoded to each authorized person on campus and no one else. We are investigating how this beast got through. If someone is responsible for this attack, rest assured, they will be expelled," the words resonated deeply, and they were in deep trouble, "classes are canceled tomorrow, they will resume Wednesday. There will be a quiz."

With that, she dismissed the students. Lilly's throat ached despite the healer's best efforts, sickly purple strangulation marks marred her pale neck. She exited the building behind Quentin, who rushed to catch up with Alice. Lilly let them talk, too drained to fight with anyone. Instead, she sat on the edge of a bench rubbing her sore skin. She spotted a few students with suitcases, dropping out after the incident. Lilly couldn't imagine giving up magic, even after such a traumatic event, and they hadn't even gotten up close and personal with it as she had.

"Yo, Barbie!" Lilly groaned, knowing exactly who it was before laying eyes on him. Penny sat beside her, eyes instantly drawn to her bruised neck. "Thanks," whatever she expected to come out of his mouth, it was not that. He basically choked on the words, but he did say it, "for what you did in there. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't jumped between us, you okay?" He eyed her bruise with darkened eyes,

"I'll live, and you're welcome," she smiled, her voice hoarse. Maybe, there was a heart in there, after all.

"This doesn't mean I like you," then again- maybe not.

"Of course not," Lilly rolled her eyes about to say more when Margo's concerned voice sounded from a few feet away.

"There they are!" Margo came to sit next to her on the bench, pulling her in a tight hug, "you poor thing," Eliot went to collect Alice and Quentin while Margo took care of Lilly. As soon as Margo hugged her, Penny stood up and vacated, not wanting to be next, "are you alright? Let's get you a drink, or twelve," Eliot and Margo whisked the three of them away to the Physical's cottage, a cute German-style structure on the edge of campus. Upon entering, Lilly was hit with the strong scent of booze and blasting music. A few people sat on the couches, chatting animatedly, probably about the incident.

"Nothing to see here!" He announced as they entered the sitting area, "Avada Kedavra!" He snapped his fingers and begrudgingly the stragglers vacated.

"Welcome to the Physical Kids Cottage. It is the single best place on campus for several reasons that will become clear as soon as you taste our signature cocktail," Eliot boasted as he poured them each a cocktail.

"Okay, girls, let's get you drunk!" Margo announced, snatching three bottles of alcohol from the massive bar, "God knows you need it after that shit storm of a day," she linked arms with both Lilly and Alice, leading them down a hall and away from Quentin and Eliot. Margo's room was much subtler than Lilly expected with pastel pink, purple, and blue accents. Two large French doors led out onto the back patio, allowing soft rays of sunlight to shine through. A pink vanity sat in the corner, piled high with cosmetics. A few clothes were strewn about the room, but overall it was kept very tidy. Lilly flopped onto the bed with a forceful sigh, taking a large gulp from the bottle Margo had given her. The liquid burned her throat, but the warmth that followed was more than welcome.

"Do you have any idea what attacked you?" Alice and Lilly shared a look, not sure if they should tell Margo the whole truth.

"No, not really. It was a beast, covered in moths," Lilly whispered as Alice stared out the window in a daze. She'd been trying not to think about the incident, for every time she did, it would bring up a wave of residual terror.

"Oh my god, I hate moths!" Margo's face showed how horrified she was when she tried to imagine it, "how did you escape? What happened?" Lilly knew that Margo was only curious but the questions were making everything worse.

"Margo, if you wouldn't mind, we don't really want to talk about it," Margo nodded in understanding, looking down and then perking up to her normal self.

"Well, if you want to keep your mind off things," she smirked making the blondes fear what she had in store for them, "I have the cutest outfit for you to try on!" Margo grabbed Lilly's arm and dragged her into a massive walk-in closet. Lilly clutched the bottle for dear life, knowing that she would need it.

"This closet is bigger than your room!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Just a little extension charm," Margo spoke as if it was no big deal, "here!" she grabbed a few garments off their hooks, throwing them into Lilly's arms. Something extremely furry was added to the top of the pile and a pair of high heels obstructed her vision, "put those on and come out when you're done!" The closet door was shut before she could protest. Faint whispers drifted in from the other room but not loud enough to comprehend. Margo had given her a white jumpsuit, a blue and white, fur-tipped pea coat, and a pair of sky-high pumps. Lilly found the whole outfit was a bit too glamorous for her to pull off, but even so, she stepped out into the room for Margo and Alice to see.

"You, my dear," Margo said with a grin, "give that outfit life! I just shouldn't even bother wearing it again. Seeing you in it makes me realize how horrible I look," Lilly laughed at Margo's comments, though she highly doubted that Margo could look horrible in anything. She scanned the room, Alice had disappeared.

"Where did Alice go?"

"Oh, she had to leave," Margo's answer was vague but Lilly shook it off. She didn't need another problem to worry about. "Here," Margo's voice was soft and genuinely caring as she led Lilly over to her vanity, "let's cover up those bruises on your neck," now that she looked in the mirror, Lilly could see that she indeed had a dark purplish ring surrounding her neck. If she looked close enough, the shape of a hand could be made out. Margo grabbed a bottle of concealer that was five shades too dark for Lilly and began applying it to the bruises.

Miraculously, as it touched her skin, the color faded to match her coloring perfectly. She couldn't even tell she had makeup on. "It's spelled to match the wearer's skin tone and it doesn't rub off! One of the greatest things about magic. Took me a month to find the spell for this, but it was well worth it." As Lilly watched Margo meticulously cover the bruises, she couldn't help the pang of anxiety that washed through her. She'd been a part of the group that summoned The Beast. If Brakebills found out it was them, they would all be expelled and their memories wiped. She couldn't go back to her life before magic, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Lilly took another long drink from the bottle in her hand as Margo finished. No one would ever see the bruises, they were completely covered.

"Thank you," she smiled at Margo's reflection in the mirror. Margo squeezed her hand with empathy, Lilly could tell she saw right through her facade.

"You aren't okay, are you?" Lilly shook her head, resigned and Margo immediately knelt beside her engulfing her in a hug. Lilly rested her head on Margo's shoulder, thankful that she had a friend in all this. Her eyes watered as tears threatened to spill, "lucky for you, I know just the thing to cure your troubles."

Apparently, that 'thing' was margaritas and Beyoncé. They sipped their drinks and danced around together for the better part of the afternoon. Lilly never thought she could laugh that much, people truly didn't give Margo enough credit. She was an amazing friend underneath her sarcasm and mean girl persona. Lilly found herself actually having fun, not even sparing a thought on The Beast or the events of the morning. Eliot joined them after a while, belting out a rendition of Hollaback Girl that would've put Gwen Stefani herself to shame. They were about to head downstairs to join the rest of the Physicals when Quentin came through the door with a concerned expression.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt. Lilly, I need to talk to you," Lilly stood to follow her friend, stumbling a little from the alcohol. She wasn't drunk, but definitely tipsy. Quentin led her down the stairs and out the door to where Alice waited, just as worried as Quentin. "We just came from hiding the spellbook we used last night," that was all it took for her troubles to flood back.

"We need to talk about what happened and get our stories straight," Alice fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater, "the spell shouldn't have done that, we were specific with our intent and I'm positive I got the words right, but we must've made some mistake."

"Guys, what we did was beyond a simple mistake," Lilly began, "we got a man killed. We need to do more than just get our stories straight. If they want to find out who did this, they will." Just as Alice opened her mouth to answer, Quentin caught sight of Penny and Kady and called out to them.

"Hey!" They hurried over as Penny groaned.

"No, leave us alone."

"Gladly," Quentin responded, "just, we've got to discuss -"

"There you are!" A new voice sounded from across the lawn. Professor Sunderland strode towards them, "Quentin, Alice, Lilly, and Penny and Kady. You're exactly who I was looking for." Something about the way the Professor said their names screamed, 'impending doom'. Lilly could tell that she knew it'd been them that summoned the Beast and there was avoiding the consequences. "I found the most interesting thing," she pulled a book from behind her back and held it out for them to see, "buried in our woods." Her heart dropped as she saw the spellbook they'd used to do the summoning resting in Sunderland's hands. The rest of her companions shared the same look of panic. "Follow me," the professor commanded and that was all it took for Lilly to sober up.

➺➺➺➺

One thing that Lilly was fantastic at, was the art of lying. This came in handy when it was her turn to sit before Professor Sunderland and be questioned about her involvement in the incident.

"So," Sunderland placed the spellbook in between them, "Ms. Cole, would you care to explain to me what the five of you were doing in Professor Navar's classroom last night?"

"We were studying," Lilly lied smoothly, "we have a study group together, and I was having trouble with the new information in our Alchemy class. We asked Professor Navar if we could use his classroom, given that all the equipment we needed was there," Sunderland examined Lilly to determine if she was telling the truth and Lilly gave no indication of deceit.

"There is residue of a summoning all over this book and you were the only ones we know of that were in that room. Did any of you touch the mirror when you were studying?"

"No," she replied innocently, "we never went near it, we were just practicing."

"And the book? We traced it back to that room, so one of you must have done the summoning."

"None of us summoned anything. We saw the book, it was on a table in the professor's room, but none of us touched it, maybe it was someone who came in after us? I promise you, none of us did this," the professor sat back in her chair, contemplating her answers. Lilly could tell that she wasn't buying the story. "Look," she sighed, "there's something I didn't tell you, something important," Sunderland perked up and leaned across the table, expecting a confession.

"What is it?"

"I've seen The Beast before," this was not a lie and Lilly knew that for Sunderland to believe her story, she had to give up a bit of information.

"What?"

"When I was little, I used to have these horrific nightmares and no matter what my mom tried, she couldn't get them to stop. It was always the same, a man covered in moths trying to kill me. I called him the Mothman. I would come home from school and instead of handing my mom a drawing of us as a family, it would be of the man who haunted my dreams. They faded over time and I hadn't seen him again until this morning. I was scared to tell you because I knew you would think I was behind this, but I swear I didn't do this and neither did my friends. Please, you have to believe me," for an extra bit of flair, Lilly let her eyes well up with tears, sniffling slightly.

"Oh, my dear," Sunderland handed her a box of tissues, moving around the desk to comfort her, "I am so sorry. We will figure out what is going on. As soon as The Dean is back on his feet I will speak to him about your connection with The Beast, and we will keep you safe. You are not alone. I don't know why this creature has haunted you, but we will figure this out. Is there anything of importance that you can remember from your dreams?" Lilly internally smiled, knowing that her performance had worked. She shook her head, still fake crying and Sunderland nodded, "You are free to go, please, send Penny in," Lilly exited into the waiting room. She winked secretly to her companions before sending in Penny, who gave her a look of disgust. As soon as the door shut she took a seat next to Kady, dropping her victim facade.

"And the Oscar goes to..." Kady muttered, Quentin began pacing the waiting room as Alice bounced her leg nervously.

"As long as Penny doesn't sell us out, we're good to go," Lilly told them, confident with her performance. It was about ten minutes of silence before Penny stepped out of the office. He reached a hand out to Kady, who jumped up.

"It's fine, let's go," he told her, "you're welcome by the way," he addressed the others with a wink and a taunting air kiss to Lilly.

"What does that mean?" Quentin asked worriedly as Sunderland walked out of her office, with a resigned sigh.

"Quentin," she called, shaking her head in disappointment, "can I see you, please? Alice and Lilly, you are both free to go." Lilly hesitated to leave as it was obvious that Penny had said something to incriminate Quentin. Sunderland gave her a look, and Lilly followed Alice out, leaving Quentin alone with his fate.