Three: Maps, Books, & Hairy Monsters

"Lilith!"

 

The teen's surprise when she heard her name from Dee's lips was lost as the ground swallowd her whole. The man disappeared from her view, and she shut her eyes to keep the dirt and rubble from overtaking her vision. The pull on her leg stopped seconds after she fell through the earth, and she made ground with a heavy thud.

 

She landed on her back and cried out as a sharp pain thundered up her spine. Her breathing was deep and erratic, and she was unable to move for what felt like an eterntiy, but in actuality, was perhaps a few minutes. The sting traveled through her network of bones and was hot, burning holes into her being while she laid there, immobile. The prickly feel of cool, hairy legs brought the teen back from immersing too deeply into the pain traveling about her body, and with a grimace to the creak of her bones, she pushed herself into a sitting position.

 

"Ow." Lilith said dejectedly. She reached over to rub her ankles and shiver as the cool, clammy atmosphere settled on her skin. She opened her eyes finally and held back a gasp. Either she was hallucinationg or going blind, because she could not see a thing. Darkness was inherently present in this place, and whith it, the feeling of something sinister. The hairs on the back of her neck stood proudly at attention, and she shivered unconsciously as goose bumps joined in as well.

 

She pushed off the ground and stood slowly.

Tug...tug...

She retracted her legs as she felt the insistent pulls on it.

Tug...tug...tug...

 

There it was again. She retracted her leg once more, but almost fell when the tugging continued. Deciding to stop, she allowed the tugs to pull her ever so slowly forward, her mind running a marathon as she tried to comprehend what was happening. The hairs on her face had long since left, and she noticed, with some satisfaction, the small appearance of light the longer she was being pulled.

 

Oh good. Maybe there's someone here to explain what's going on.

That is not the case. The moment her feet stepped into the soft, golden light, she was thrown to the ground. A leavy weight settled atop her small form, and something cold and sharp was pressed up against her throat.

 

Her eyes gradually adjuted to the sudden presence of light, then widen with fright.

"Do not move, or I'll chop off your head." a low, meancing voice whispers.

Lilith stiffened but obeyed, wishing to keep her head for a little bit longer, maybe perhaps even for the rest of her life. She held her breath for a few seconds, too afraid to even breathe, but exhaled and let her eyes roam over the person that was holding her hostage as they moved into her line of sight.

 

Eyes as black as the midnight sky stared hard and long at her before softening slightly in confusion, though the pressure against her neck never once stopped.

"Who are you and why are you tresspassing on my property?" the female voice asked.

Lilith shivered against the coldness of the blade. "I...I didn't mean too lady, I fell in." she managed to say without bursting into flames of fear. The woman narrowed her eyes and pressed the blade deeper towards the teen's skin, and a prickling on down her throat told Lilith everything she needed to know: the blade had pierced her skin and she was now, bleeding. Strands of straight, short black hair strayed from behind the woman's ears to tickle the sides of her face as the woman tilted her head to the side, and Lilith shut her eyes and turned away to keep them from touching her.

 

"Open your eyes girl and answer me!" hervoice was firm and held hints of anger. Slowly, as if Lilith was expecting the woman to raise the blade from her throat and stab her in the eye, she cautiously opened her eyes and blinked up nervously. She didn't say it out loud, but this woman...was scaring her far more than Dee ever did. So far.It probably helped that Dee never once held a blade to her--granted, he was pointing his gun at her earlier, but it was merely to kill the spider perched on her should, not to hurt her.

Besides, he promised never to hurt her...

 

"I...my name is Lilith, and I was just passing through." Lilith said quickly, her heart rate speeding up when the woman raised her brows at her. She pursed her lips to a tremendously thin line before snorting and relaxing her grip on the blade.

"And the spider you killed?"

"I didn't kill anything." she replied quickly.

 

"Really now? Then would you like to explain to my why one of my babies is dead?"

A low, rumbling sounded exceptionally close by, and Lilith didn't know why, but she immediately knew the woman was growling. It was weak, but nonetheless threatening, and her captor leaned until their noses were kissing, her eyes glinting. "You have somehow killed one of my guards, my precious pets, and for that little human, you shall die."

 

"Not if I kill ya first."

The woman looked up at the click from beyond and smiled beautifully. Her hand tightened around Lilith's throat and the blade, once again, was reunited with the teen's pierced flesh.

 

"Blond hair, ice blue eyes, and a permanent frown marring his face. Dmitri Vallentyne II." she said, licking her lips. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Silence followed her question, then, "Ya know me, lady?"

 

"Know you?" she scoffed. "Who doesn't know you. You're the most famed Bounty Hunter in all of Neo." she said gently, winking at him for good measure. Lilith's hands grabbed hold of her own and she began to claw at them, desperate for air. The older woman was sqeezing her so tightly that, in a few seconds, she was sure she wouldn't be able to breathe. She was killing Lilith right before Dee, and she wasn't even acknowledging her anymore.

 

Dee, hurry up! I'm dying here!

"Gee thanks lady." he said cheerfully. "That's great of you to say, but, if you know my reputation, then you know what happens to folks who take stuff from me."

The pretty lady's eyebrows rose. "Of course. What'd I take?"

"My kid, 'n I want her back."

"This little thing?" she pointed to me, her smile dissipating slightly. "This human is yours?"

"Yep."

"This human," she looked from me to Dee, blinking in confusion, "is yours?"

Lilith heard Dee sigh, and could by now, predict the look of annoyance he usually wore when Lilith herself kept asking stupid questions. "Yeah lady, you hard a hearin' or somethin? The kid's mine, now give her back."

 

The teen opened her mouth in a silent scream, and scratched at the woman's hands one last time before a last minute idea occured to her. She clenched her fists and threw a punch at the woman's jaw as her eyes were directed upon Dee. The hand around her throat slackened, and she tried to push her off to get away. She was one her knees ready to stand and run towards Dee, but was suddenly yanked back by her hair. The blade was deathly close to slicing her open again.

 

"Not so fast honey." she said, bringing lilith flush against her chest. She towered over her, chin resting atop the teen's head. Lilith felt an arm as it encicled her waist, holding her arms against her sides, and the other held the blade to her throat.

 

When Lilith looked before her, she noted Dee and how much more closer he was to them. His hand was shaking, fists white from clenching the gun in his hand, and his blue eyes were dark and hard. He was no longer wearing the carefree expression that Lilith was used to seeing on him, instead, his face was darkened and contorted with a feral quality that caused her heart to crumble and burst into flames from pure terror.

 

"Release her." his voice was deep and sent chills down her spine. He kept his gaze trained on the lady planning to kill her, his hands never once relaxing their hold on the gun.

 

"Hm, let me think. I don't think so." she said merrily, dragging Lilith with her as she gradually stepped away from Dee. "This little human," Lilith felt the woman's face close to her cheek, and cringed as she extended her tongue to lick the blood that had leaked from her earlier wound, "is far too tasty to give up. It's been a long time since I've had human, even longer since I've had a human child."

 

She took a few more licks at Lilith's neck and scraped the blade down the sides of her neck.

She's gonna eat me! Panic was at an all time high, and Lilith looked to Dee, trying to plead with her eyes to get her away from this crazy woman.

Dee didn't waver in his stance and took ain when it was apparent that the woman was not going to let the teen go.

 

The woman tsked and released Lilith's neck, extracting the blade from her throat and dragging it to her mouth. She pressed the tip of the blade against her lips and forced it into my mouth, stopping only when the dark-haired child began to gag.

 

"I could plunge this dagger right into her pretyt little mouth and spill all that sweet, human blood, and you'll be powerless to stop me." She licked the side of Lilith's face and gently bit her cheek, making sure to keep her eyes trained on the blond.

 

Lilith's body went rigit and shut her eyes the moment the blade was forced down her throat, tears quickly floatingn to the corner of her eyes before trickling down her cheeks. Her blood turned ice cold when she felt the tip pressing down the back of her throat, and silently, she said a prayer, asking her mother to forgive her for not being able to avenge her. It seemed that she was to meet her doom at the hands of this crazed woman, her flesh damned to be eaten and her blood drank like cheap, common wine.

 

She force her eyes open, wanting to a get a last minute glimpse of Dee before her demise, but the space in which she was expecting to see him....was vaguely empty.

"What the!" her captor said in surprise before she was wrenched roughly out her arms and thrown to a far corner of the ground. The blade slipped out and fell lifelessly to the ground, and Lilith furiously traced the contours of her mouth, sagging in relief when she felt no unfamiliar liquids. She was still in one piece. A high growl tore her away from her musings and she looked up in time to see Dee and the pretty woman exchanging blows with each other.

 

Dee aimed a kick at her head,but she ducked, foreseeing the action, and balled her fist, striking him in the gut. He hunched at the contact and a slight twinge traveled his face before bringing his elbow down on her shoulder and dislodging her from his person. She staggered back, holding her shoulder, and snarled venomously. Dee stood unwavering in his stance, looking unruffled, like he did not just get into a small tiff with a woman whose size was smaller than his own.

 

"So I see...is this how it'll be, Dmitri Vallentyne II?" she questioned with a smirk.

Dee sneered at her, his eyes darting to me once before he gave the woman his complete attention.

 

"Dee? Dmitri, is...that you?"

 

The black haired female stiffened as the soft, yet firm voice of another woman traveled the room. She dropped her hand from her shoulder and stared heatedly at Dee, biting her lip in sudden anger. Dee looked unsurprised by this new voice, and immediately slipped back into that carefree persona that Lilith had become accustomed to seeing. Out from the far corner of the dank place, a door shuts, and with it one of the most beautiful female's the young girl had ever seen. Long, golden locks sashayed almost all the way to the ground as the woman glided towards Dee, and deep brown eyes looked to the other blond with disbelief in their depts. High cheekbones and a set of pink lips parted in a soft smile, and without another second to spare she rused to Dee, hooking her pale arms around his neck.

 

"Dmitri, it is you! Thank goodness you're alright." she said.

Dee stands there, looking more like a fish out of water than anything else, and Lilith couldn't help the small snicker that escaped her lips. He patted the woman on the back awkwardly, relief crossing his features when she released him and stepped back, assessing his form.

 

"Galatea." A grin broke his face and he rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I'm alright. Would've been a whole lot better if that," he pointed towards the seething dark haired woman, "didn't try to kill me."

 

"I wouldn't have tried to off you if you hadn't trespassed!" she shouted, clenching her fists. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to throttle the life out of Dee.

"Lulu!" the golden haired woman--Galatea shouted and looked to the other woman sternly. "That's quite enough." she said quietly, turning back to Dee. "You'll have to excuse my younger sister, she's quite eager to test her skills against another."

 

Dee shrugged, sticking his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, whatever. It's fine, provided she don't try to kill the kid again."

"Kid?" Galatea repeated, looking confused. "What child?"

 

"I'm over here." Lilith spoke up, and three pairs of eyes came to rest on her. She was feeling very much like some freaky sideshow clown at one of those circus places her mother used to show her on the projectors. They were common back in the old days and, according to mother, children used to love them.

 

I don't see why, I don't feel loved right now...

 

Galatea's eyes widened the longer she looked at Lilith, and she kept looking from Dee to the girl, finally speaking after moments of silence passed by. "There is a child here," she pointed out the obvious, "a female child, Dee." she gazed at him intensely. "Why?"

 

Dee didn't answer her, but instead strolled over to her and pulled her to stand flush against his side, and wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck.

"Tea, she needs your help."

 

-------------------------------------

 

Lilith was, once again, laying on a bed and forced to think about things to come. As soon as Dee had told that woman she needed her help, both their faces dropped considerably and the very air in the room seemed to turn cold. She was ushered into this room, told by her blond protector to stay put until he was able to come for her, and looking at the hourglass sorting tiny grains of said, that was nearly thirty minutes ago. While her body was welcoming the feel of a soft bed to ease her aching body, her mind was protesting to the events and the manner in which they were occurring. It was obvious to her that Dee knew that Galatea woman, and quite well, but what did she have that Lilith needed?

 

There was a rap on the door. "Come in." she said and sat up on the bed.

She got a glimpse of black hair and immediately backed away until her back was flush against the wall, her eyes wide as saucers as the woman, Lulu, entered the room.

The door closed with a quiet click behind her, and she leaned against it, her black eyes scruntinizing Lilith as if she was some rare species of insect she wanted to play with.

 

"What's your name again, human?" she asked in a gruff voice. She was unmoving against the door and pierced the teen with her gaze, and Lilith looked away to keep from sweating profusely.

 

"I don't see how that's any of your business. Besides, why are you even here? Come to finish the job and kill me?"

She scoffed, and Lilith looked at her. A dark color was staining her cheeks and she was gnawing on her bottom lip as if it was her next meal. "Well, about that...I...I'm" she carried on, and Lilith furrowed her brows, looking at the woman closely.

 

"Are you...are you trying to apologize?"

Her head shot up and the color darkened on her cheeks. "No...no!" she said a little too quickly.

 

Lilith's eyebrows raised and she blinked at her rapidly. "You are trying to apologize, aren't you?" Lilith couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her lips.

The woman--Lulu bit her lip so hard that it started bleeding, and she brought her hand to her chin to swipe at the blood furiously. "Not anymore." she spat and turned, wrenching the door open.

 

"Wait!" Lilith swallowed the grin and jumped off the bed, "I'm sorry. That wasn't very nice of me." She apologized, relief spreading through her as Lulu stopped from walking out the door. She turned on the spot and eyed the young teen with suspicion. "What did you say?"

 

She sighed softly, walking back towards the bed before plopping down, the mattress squeaking in protest. "I said I was sorry, that wasn't very nice of me." Lilith began, shrugging her shoulders. "You came to apologize for trying to kill me," she flinched as Lilith said those words, "and here I am making fun of you for it. It was rude, and if my mother were here, she'd smack me for it."

 

Her eyes were wide as she blinked at Lilith, surprise evident on her face. She closed the door again, figgiting on the spot. "I...I don't blame you, ya know, for laughing. I tried to kill you so, you should be mad." she said.

 

She had a point. I should be mad, raging even. So, why wasn't I? It was a question Lilith would love the answer to. She should be mad and try to return the favor, but for some reason, looking at Lulu as she figgitted by the door while wringing her hands before she rubbed them on her clothes, she couldn't. It...wouldn't be fair.

 

"I'm not mad. I just...you won't try to do it again, will you?"

"NO!" she shouted before covering her mouth. "No, I...I can promise that I won't try to hurt you ever again."

"Okay." Lilith smiled.

She narrowed her eyes at the teen. "Okay? That's it? You're just going to believe me? Let me off the hook? Just like that?"

Lilith nodded with hesitation, and Lulu shook her head. "You are one weird kid."

 

A girlish giggle escaped Lilith's lips before she could stop it, and she extend a hand, "Lilith. Lilith Karter."

 

She looked from the outstretched hand, to the dark-haired child, then back to her hand again, and closed the space between them. "Lulu," she said, extending hers as well, shaking Lilith's own, "Lulu Marionette. Nice to meet you Lilith."

 

Lilith's smile widened, finally another friend. "Same her--ah!" Her reply was switched to a scream as she caught sight of an eight legged monster slowly creeping down the expanse of Lulu's arm. It was gray, and hairy, and looked exactly like the one that was on her shoulder earlier.

 

She pulled her arm away, and Lulu looked highly affronted, until she caught sight of the monster using her as the ground. She looked at the monster, then at Lilith, and burst out laughing. "Don't be afraid Lilith, he won't hurt you."

"Like hell!" Lilith backed into the wall and creeped to the other side of the bed, hopping off.

 

"No really, he won't hurt you. He's pretty much harmless in this form." She explained excitedly, walking around the bed to meet the teen. The spider sat unwavering atop her hand as she moved. Lilith breathed deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. "How do you know that it won't hurt you?"

 

Lulu was quiet for a while, her eyes raking in the spider's form as some sort of unknown emotion passed through her eyes. "Because I'm one of them." she whispered.

Lilith was confused.

 

She opened her mouth to question Lulu, but the door swung open and a familar blond waltz in the room as if he owned it.

 

"Yo pinky, let's go." Dee looked at her expectantly, and she ignored him for the moment, wanting to continue her conversation with Lulu. She had piqued Lilith's interest with her words, and now, more than ever, the teen was burning to know just what she was about to say. However....

 

Lulu clamped her mouth shut and retracted her arm, the spider crawling up her arm to rest on her shoulder.

"Hey kid, ya not hear?" Dee asked. Lilith could hear the impatience in his voice, it was enough to make her roll her eyes and wish that the man didn't have such horrible timing.

 

"Hearing you, yes...paying attention to you, no."

Lulu's lips upturned in a slight smirk, and she smiled, proud of herself for coming up with such a smart response.

 

"Lilith!"

 

She stiffened as Dee barked her name and looked to the blond at once. He was staring directly at her, his eyes hard as steel and his lips set into a very thin line. There is a cold air in the room as Lilith tried to hold back the tremor of fear that swam to the surface. From the corner of her eyes she noted that Lulu was no less affected by Dee's anger than she was.

 

"Move it, now." he gritted out, and Lilith wasted no time in flying out the room. There was a looming presence behind her...Dee was hot on her trail. They descended out the corridor and into a small room with large torches set up in all four square corners.

 

Large, irregular flames danced inside the torches to different tunes, and Lilith would have taken much more intest in them if not for the raging blond directly behind her.

"Galatea." Dee said. His voice still held heavy traces of anger, and when the beautiful woman turned at the sound of her name, she furrowed her eyes in confusion.

 

"Dmitri whats--"

"It's nothing. Just say your piece so that we can leave."

 

Galatea looked as if she wanted to say more, but firmly stopped the longer she kept her eyes trained on Dee. She switched her gaze to Lilith, looking very much like she was unsure of how to address the child. "Lilith, correct?" she forced a smile.

The teen in question nodded her head and waited for the golden haired woman to continue.

 

"Dee--Dmitri has told me some...rather interesting things about you."

"Like what?" she inquired.

"Your ploy for revenge." She said in a serious tone. Her eyes were unwavering and seemed to bore into Lilith's very soul.

The teen pursed her lips, "What of it?"

 

The older woman sighed softly and glided towards Lilith, extending her hand to touch her. The thirteen year old pulled away and glared at the woman heatedly, and backed away until she felt fingers curling around the back of her neck. She didn't need to look back to know whose fingers they were, but the message behind the seemingly simple action was clear: don't move.

 

She stood perfectly still, annoyance running rampant through her that Dee was holding her down like this and the woman bent until she was at face level with her. "You don't really have to do this Lilith, you're young, too young to be dabbling in the art of revenge." she said softly, then gave the teen a sad smile.

 

"You're a baby."

"Don't forget human." Lilith spit out, remembering the way she was addressed earlier. "Is that another reason? Cause I could be hurt easily?"

"You could die child!" Galatea's voice was octaves louder as she forced the words out, her eyes darting from Dee to Lilith quickly.

Yes, it is true. I could die before I reach my goal, but...

 

"I don't care."

There was total silence in the room as Lilith's words registered with them properly.

Lilith continued, steeling herself and hoping that her next words would get the woman off her back. "I don't care...if I die. It's not like I have much to live for anyway. The only person who was ever worth anything to me is dead...my life is meaningless without my mother." The words were whispered, that, for a moment, she was afraid no one heard them, but when she gazed at the woman before her and noted the water quickly gathering in the corner of her eyes, Lilith knew she'd heard. "I'm going to get revenge for my mother, or die trying."

 

The hand around her neck tightened for a second before retreating slowly, the warmth that had assaulted her while it was there leaving with it. She couldn't stop a shiver from passing through her at the sudden coldness, but remained firm in her resolve. This woman was not going to change Lilith's mind.

 

Galatea stood from her slowly, the sad smile still etched on her beautiful features, and walked away to a table on the other side of the meager room. The torches flickered uninterested around them, bathing the room in the dark, soft light, casting restless shadows upon the dirt formed walls. BAck still to them, she retreieved something from on top the table and returned to Dee and Lilith moments later, clutching whatever it was to her chest tightly. Upon closer inspection it was a book, the cover looked hard and dirty, the binding holding it together wrought with tatty, black strings.

 

"What's that?" Lilith asked after a moment of hesitation.

Galatea stopped short of Lilith and looked above the teen's head, holding out the book to her mere seconds after. "It is what you came here for."

 

"Huh?" Galatea smiled at her confusion, and kneeled before her. She unglued the book from her chest and held it out to Lilith.

 

The thirteen year old glanced from the book to the woman and briefly raised her head to stare at Dee. He nodded, then turned and walked away, apparently not wanting to stay to hear what Galatea had to say to her.

 

"It's a book."

"I can see that lady." Lilith retorted quickly.

Soft, pink lips widened in a smile. "It's a book, map really that shows the possible locations of the Split Meteor."

"The what?"

"The Black Crystal." Dee replied. He stuck his hands in his pockets as his eyes watched Galatea's form like a hawk. "She thinks you can find it."

 

---------------

Lilith switched her gaze to and from each adult, confusion clearly plastered on her young face. "Find it? What do you mean find it?" She asked, then fixated Dmitri with a pointed glare. "Is this what we came here for? A stupid book on how to find some stone?"

 

Dee cocked an eyebrow. "What if it was? Got a problem with it?" His voice was low and threatening, and Lilith felt like stalking over to the man and wringing his neck. She could feel the anger bubbling inside her and clutched the book in a death like grip to her chest, visions of the book smacking the blond man square in the face flashing across her eyes slowly, the temptation to deliver the images gradually increasing.

 

"The book has nothing to do with your visit." Galatea spoke gently. Lilith wrenched her heated gaze from the blond man she would end up owing every mark she would come to possess, to the golden haired female attempting to diffuse the situation.

 

"Then what is?"

"This." Dee answered, pulling a hand out his pocket. It was clenched in a fist, and Lilith guessed that there was something of value hiding inside, and she was proven right when Dee gently threw whatever was in his hand on the ground. The object, a silver ball embedded with thousands of holes landed halfway between her and the blond; it was about as big as her pinky and started shaking seconds after it's landing. Her curiosity peaked, she moved forward to inspect the ball closer, but Galatea pulled her back, motioning towards the ball.

 

"Watch." she said softly when Lilith opened her mouth to tell her off. Lilith directed her eyes back at the pretty looking ball, and widened when a bright green light shot out from every hole onto the wall in front of them. The thousands of little green dots on the wall spanned out and intersected with each other, forming a perfect image of Neo right before the occupants. Lilith's mouth was wide open, and she was snapped back to reality when she felt nimble fingers roaming beneath her jaw. She clamped her mouth and followed the fingers that was now retreating from her person to see Dee's blue eyes glittering in amusement. She averted her eyes quickly as her cheeks heated in embarrassment, and had the urge to dig a deep hole and bury herself as Dee started chuckling at her expense.

 

"It's a map of Neo." she said plainly, willing the heat to burn out and leave her face. Dee lazily strolled towards the map and tapped it in the center, and five large, darker dots popped up in various parts of the map.

 

He turned towards us and smirked, winking at me. "Correction pinky, it's a map of all four major v.o.i.c.e. colonies, and central." Lilith mulled the information over in her brain and a slow, genuine smile stretched across her pale face as the realization of what the map meant sunk into her brain.

 

Targeting her mother's killers would be so much easier, now that they had a map like this in their grasp. But one thing still irked Lilith. She turned to Galatea. "Why do you have something like this? And why would you even give it to me, knowing what I plan to do? I'm overthrowing the government, and you're helping me. Doesn't that make you an accessory to my crime?"

 

"Ah, but it's only a crime if you get caught, isn't it?" Galatea smartly remarked, watching Dee as he walked back to them and pocketed the ball. She turned to the teen and lowered her voice. Lilith had to inch closer to the elder woman in order to hear her properly, and stood still as a rock as she listened to the woman's explanation.

 

"I'm helping you only as a favor to him," she pointed to the blond, "and because I have this feeling about you..." she suddenly raised her voice and smiled, and Lilith took a step back in surprise.

 

She pointed to herself , blinking rapidly. "Me? What are you, psychic?" she asked.

Galatea smiled briefly. "Perhaps." she answered, and Lilith's eyes narrowed. "You know something, don't you? Tell me!"

 

"That's enough pinky, we gotta get moving." Dee's voice interjected Lilith before she could corner the elder woman.

"What? No! I want her to tell me what she knows! We are not leaving until she spills the bea--hey put me down!" she screamed as she was forcefully picked up and thrown over Dee's shoulder. She balled her hands into fists and pounded against his back with all her strength, "Put me down! This is not proper and I demand that you put me down!"

 

Dee stopped and turned to Galatea. "Thanks for the junk, seeing as the brat won't say it."

"What? How dare yo--"

Smack

 

Lilith stilled as a sharp sting ignited on her bottom and spread until it was searing hot, pulsating with heat. She could feel the drums of her heart vibrating rapidly from her rear end, beating a tune that she was unfamiliar to her. She blinked, comprehension dawning on her finally.

 

"You....you hit me?"

Dee chuckled darkly. "Yup, on the a*s. Want me to smack the next cheek?" he asked.

Lilith bit her lip, swallowing the anger, only to revel in the embarrassment that would follow. "No...no." she stuttered in reply.

"Good. Shut up."

 

Lilith was so shocked that she immediately obeyed. She hung her head low, resting her chin against the blade of his back as he swung around to share some last minute words with Galatea, the sting in her bottom receding into a dull throb until it disappeared completely. She tuned out the voices around her, mind running a mile a minute. She was slightly angry that Dee hit her, and in front of a crowd no less. She had to deal with the embarrassment of having Galatea see her get punished first hand by a man who had no relation to her whatsoever, but on the other, she felt oddly...happy. The slap of Dee's hand on her behind, distinctly reminded her of her mother....and the same exact way she would feel after having felt the sting of her mother's hand on her body every time she managed to get in trouble. Dee hitting her, repremanding her in such a manner almost felt as if he was her, No. She stopped her train of thought, shaking her head to dispel them completely. The idea that this man...this blond troll could be anything other than what he was, especially to her, was absurd.

 

She was jolted out of her musings when Dee wrapped his arms around her legs, bringing them flush against his chest, his deep voice following just moments after.

"What do you want?"

 

"Nothing with you." Lilith perked up as Lulu's irritated voice traveled to her ears, and she grinned, in spite of herself, when she heard a loud huff from the blond man. Loud footsteps echoed round Dee, and when next she looked up, she was staring into Lulu's onyx colored eyes.

 

The dark haired female assessed Lilith's form through a narrowed gaze, before she smirked suddenly and placed her hand on Lilith's head, patting her lightly.

"Take care kid." she said.

 

Lilith couldn't help but to grin at the woman, her grin turning into a high pitched squeal when the same gray spider reappeared on top Lulu's head. She pulled away from Lulu, her eyes wide with fright as she pointed shakily to the eight legged beast. "It's....it's...." stutter Lilith. By now she had the attention of every adult in the room, but she didn't seem to care, the spider being the only thing on her radar. Dee's arm tightened around her legs as she started kicking, and she reeled back, almost jumping off the man when Lulu reached up and picked up the spider by it's belly. She held it in the palm of her hand.

 

"That's strange. He usually never comes out like this," she looked at Lilith, "he must really like you."

"Wha--what?"

 

"I said he must like you. He usually avoids strangers and only comes out when it's time to eat them." Lulu explained, petting the spider. The beast seemed to lean up into her touch, and hooked one of it's many legs around the finger stroking it.

Lilith gulped and gripped Dee's shirt for dear life, switching her gaze from the strange woman to the animal she was petting. She liked the woman, almost instantly forgetting that Lulu had tried to kill her earlier on that hour, but was now starting to reconsider the woman's sanity.

 

"Eat them?" she repeated in a whisper, a horrified look crossing her features. She swallowed a bucket of saliva grimaced as she tried to smile. A sudden question popped in her head, and she pushed away her fear, though still kept her eyes trained very intently on the beast she now knew would eat her in a heartbeat.

 

"Lulu, what are you?" the woman stiffened the minute the words were out of Lilith's mouth, and she almost regretted asking. "I mean, I've never seen anyone get that close to a spider before, and earlier you said that you felt it when I--Dee killed that one that tried to kill me. Do you...." she furrowed her brows, "do you train them or something? I've never seen spiders as big as the one outside, nor any with red eyes."

 

Lulu was quiet and averted her eyes to the ground. Her shoulders were tense and her stance rigid, and Lilith felt a small pang of guilt in her gut. It was clear to her that she had just stumbled upon a touchy subject, and she immediately opened her mouth to apologize.

 

Dee's sudden snickering caused Lilith to shift uncomfortably from her place on his shoulder, and she glared at the back of his head, having the urge to hit him. "What's so funny?"

 

He sobered up, the snicker dying in his throat. "You. Still hard for me to wrap my head round the fact that your mother didn't teach you a thing about Neo. Makes me wonder why she kept you hidden from the world--'s not like you're special or nothing. You're just some whinny brat."

 

Lilith did hit him then, she balled her hands into fists and pounded against his back. "Don't you dare talk about my mother that way! When I get down here--"

"But to answer your question," Dee ignored her little outburst and turned his head, revealing only half his face for the females to see, " She's an Accursed Being."

Lilith cocked her head to the side. "What's an Accursed Being?" she asked.

 

Dee visibly sighed before gripping her legs tighter, and the skin around his eye tightened quickly. "A Beast in Human form. They are shape shifters, and very dangerous." he explained, eyeing Lulu strangely.

 

Lilith snapped her attention to the dark haired woman. "Is...is that true?"

Lulu raised her head and glared murder at Dee, but nodded her head to Lilith. "Yes, it is. But---"

 

"Wow!" Lilith exclaimed, all traces of fear gone. Her eyes were wide with amazement and she looked at Lulu with a newfound fascination. "That explains it all! Why you like spiders so much, and..." she trailed off, excitement building, only to combust into ashes a moment later. "I....I'm really sorry." she apologized with tears in her eyes.

Lulu looked on, clueless. "Sorry for what?" she asked carefully, blinking half in confusion at the teenager, half in fear.

 

Lilith sniffed for good measure, wiping her eyes furiously. "We...we killed your spider. You said it was your baby, and we killed it. We killed one of your kids."

Lulu visibly swallowed as Dee groaned out loud. "Kid--" his voice dragged.

 

"It's fine, not a big deal." Lulu tried to reassure Lilith. "It was only a beast, not my actual child." she smiled weakly at the younger girl, sighing in relief when Lilith nodded her head and brightened suddenly.

 

"Well that's great! So...wanna come with us?"

"WHAT?" Dee shouted, dropping Lilith on the ground. He turned to the young girl and glared daggers at her. "Listen here brat, that," he pointed to Lulu, "ain't coming. Plain and simple. It's bad enough that we gotta lag round here for you to catch up on gossip, but she ain't coming."

 

Lilith winced as she hit the ground, and returned Dee's glare with one of her own. She opened her mouth to tell him off, but Lulu beat her too it.

 

"You got some nerve!" she batted away his finger harshly and stepped into his personal bubble, narrowing her eyes dangerous at the man. The spider atop her head crouched as if readying itself for battle, and all eight of it's beady eyes glowed crimson red.

 

Lilith inched away as the air between the two grew more heated and dangerous by the second, making sure to take herself out of the line of fire. She watched as Dee reached behind him and lay his hand on the gun tucked away comfortably in it's holster, then switched her gaze to Lulu, biting her lip as a dark, smoky essence circled the woman.

 

"What did you say?"

"You heard me. I think I will tag along, it's obvious that you can't protect your charge." Lulu shouted in his face.

Oh boy...

 

Dee's blue eyes darkend, and Lilith got the impression that he was holding himself back from hitting Lulu. "You think I can't take care of the kid?" he asked in a deadly voice.

"No, I don't think you can. My trap snagged her like a fly, it was way too easy. If she's getting caught by the enemy so easily now, imagine what will happen later! You need me, just admit it."

 

Dee snarled, and Lilith wondered if she needed to jump in the middle and stop them from ripping each other apart.

 

"You'll watch over them both, won't you?" Galatea's soft, bell like voice questioned from beside her. Lilith jumped, startled. In all the ruckus, she'd honestly forgotten about the golden haired woman, and forced a smile in her direction before eyeing her newest friend and Dee as they attempted to kill the other with just looks and words alone.

 

Lilith looked at Galatea, puzzled. "What makes you think I can look after two adults? I'm only a kid."

 

Galatea's smile turned hopeful, and she held the book out to Lilith. "You're not an ordinary child." she said, "In time, you'll come to see just what I mean."

Lilith could only listen and blink at the woman as she sprouted what sounded like complete nonsense to the teen. Not ordinary? Only time will tell? Just what was this woman talking about?

 

Her fingers brushed against some hard, sturdy surface, and when she looked into her hands, she noted that she was gripping the book as if it were the only thing keeping her alive. She blinked, snapping out of her dream world, and turned to Galatea, hoping that she'd take back her book, and her insane words, but...

 

Where'd she go? She peered about the place, but to no avail. The long, streak of golden colored hair had vanished just as quick as the woman had appeared, and Lilith was left to her devices with two grown adults at each other's noses like little children.

 

We are doomed.