Firestarter

When Lily told me someone had started breaking windows around town and then starting small fires, I got a little worried. Initially, I was worried that one of the local kids had gotten it into their head to raise a little trouble. But as the pattern started to emerge I started to suspect something a good deal more complex.

At first, Lily said it might be one of the kids in town, then half accused Lilia of being the culprit. That's when I figured my suspicions were right. And when Lily confessed a couple days later, I wasn't at all surprised. I'd seen it coming with all the talk of innocence and her not quite understanding about different kinds of innocence, it made sense.

People had been telling Lily the Menfolk were keeping their hands off her because she was too innocent. One of them even said touching her would make him feel too much like a Paedo, and I can understand that. Lily was so innocent at heart. Never mind the programming, or the purpose, or trying to send coords back to the Reavers. Her heart was innocent and pure. And that was the crux of the problem.

Lily was breaking windows and starting small fires because it was against the law. If you broke the law you were guilty. If you were guilty you weren't innocent. quod erat demonstrandum. Only she was confusing the guilt versus innocence of breaking the law with true innocence. Breaking a few windows to be guilty of something wouldn't change who she was inside, but I wasn't sure I could get that through to her.

Since she'd confessed to a crime, I had to punish her. Sort of. Knowing what was going on, as the nearest thing we had to a Justice of the Peace, I sentenced her to helping clean up after any of the fires or broken windows and grounded her for a week: much as I could actually ground my Deputy. It was all symbolic anyway. A way to let her feel that she was being punished for doing something bad. Completing the circle.

It's going to be a long road with Lily, but I think the whole gorram town's going to be behind her. Everyone I know, at least, is doing what they can to make her whole.

Stay with us, Mei Mei. I know it's hard, but we love you.