What happened to her, Lillith?

Phyro, Lillith and Genevieve all sat huddled together around Lillith’s small hammock, a map spread on the hammock in front of them. Lillith sat on her knees, hunched over and pointing to bits of the map. Genevieve sat next to Lillith with her legs crossed, watching and listening intently, while Phyro sat on top of her bedside cupboard, paying slight attention.

“Once we get to Kiota,” Lillith explained, pointing on the map, “we’ll have to switch ships to Niente. “That ship journey should only take a week.”
“Right. And then we...?”
“We get off at Niente. Then we’ll have to trek from the South ship port to the Eastern ship port, where we’ll get another ship to Zenbu. That trip should only take about six days.”
“And then we go to Errol?”
“Not quite,” Phyro chipped in, jumping off the cupboard and standing next to Lillith. “You’ll have to walk up from Zenbu to the entrance of Errol. On foot, it should take about four days.” He paused, considering the route. “After that�"“
“After that, we need to trek to the upper parts of Errol. Up through the village of Te’nak, and past the Su’dad.” Lillith cut in, looking at Genevieve. “The journey shall be far from easy. Are you sure you want to come?”
“I’m sure,” Genevieve replied. “I know it won’t be easy. But you can’t do it alone.”
Lillith smiled. “It would be nice to have some company,” she said. Genevieve smiled back, placing a pale hand upon Lillith’s and giving it a tight squeeze. Phyro tensed up, his eyes flaring quickly, before returning back to normal.
They talked about their journey deep into the night. Discussing the travels, accomodation, ways to get their faster, until at last all of their eyelids were drooping. Phyro and Genevieve bode Lillith goodbye, heading to their own hammocks, whilst Lillith changed into her nightclothes and climbed into her hammock, closing her eyes and drifting quickly into sleep.

 

Annika swept her tongue over the blade, lapping up the blood and swallowing it with a satisfied sigh.
“How you can do that, I’ll never know. That’s disgusting.” Jhonen said, her brow furrowed in disgust.
“It’s not that bad. You should try it,” Annika said, offering him the blade.
“No thanks,” Jhonen quickly replied. “Not all of us became... vampires,” he spat the word, disgust overflowing in his words, “when we crossed the void.”
“No. Just complete a******s instead.” Annika replied, taking another lick from the dagger.
“Yes, well, the sooner we cross back, the better.” Jhonen replied, looking away from Annika. “I dislike being this... this... thing.”
Annika cringed at his words. “So that’s what you think I am?” She shot back at him, her pale, silver eyes brimming with tears. He had always envied her eyes. So much different from his hazel ones. So unique and beautiful.
“Why did you marry me if you hate the way I am, Jhonen?” She shot back. “Why propose to me if you hate me?”
“I didn’t mean that,” he said, taking her into his arms. “You know I didn’t mean it like that. I love what you are. I prefer you being a demon than a vampire.”
She sighed. “And I prefer you being human. The sooner we pass back through the void, the better.”
“Yeah,” Jhonen replied, smiling. “Then I’ll be a human again.” With that, he leaned down and kissed her softly.

Lillith awoke with a start, cold sweat running down her forehead. She clutched her small blanker to her chest, trying to adapt to the swaying of the hammock. Her breath was coming out in short, quick gasps.
“M-My mother...” she stuttered quietly to herself. “My father...”
Exhaling slowly, she calmed her breathing. “Only a dream,” she muttered. “It was only a dream...” She turned onto her side, throwing her blanket over her so it covered her completely, she slowly fell asleep, her breathing falling in rhythm with the swaying on the hammock.

 

She awoke gradually the next morning, slowly drifting in and out of consciousness until she finally awake, yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“That... that dream...” She mumbled to herself. “My mother... she’s a demon?” Suddenly, she realized. THAT’S what Phyro meant, she thought. Father a human, mother a... a...
Then it dawned on her. Phyro has the same ‘tricks’ her mother had. Which meant Phyro was...
Phyro was a demon.
And she needed him for her quest.

 

She swung herself out of her hammock quickly. Not even bothering to change out of her nightclothes, she ran towards the door, up the stairs and out onto the top deck. The sun blinded her, momentarily stunning her to her spot. Once her eyes had adjusted to the sudden brightness, she looked around frantically for Phyro. Seeing him nowhere, she ran towards the door of the Captain’s cabin, then veered around the side to the small, secluded place Phyro had taken her to just a few days ago. She emerged around the corner to find Phyro, his hands resting on the wood of the ship, eyes drifting out to the horizon.

“Phyro,” Lillith said, her voice wavering.
“Lillith.” He replied, not sparing her a glance. His voice was hard and unwelcoming.
“I... I...” she started, stuttering.
“You?” He asked, turning to face her, his face displaying no emotion. Lillith’s knees became weak, and she faltered, stepping back.
“Well?”
“I-I know what you are,” she stammered, averting his hard gaze. She didn’t understand �" just last night he had been sat on her hammock with her and Genevieve, discussing the route of her journey. “I see,” he replied, turning back to the ocean. “And what is it that I am?”
“A demon,” she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. She saw him falter, gripping the wood until his knuckles turned white. “I see.” He repeated.
Lillith sighed and slumped down to the ground, resting on the wooden wall of the Captain’s quarters. “Did I do something wrong?” She asked.
“Hm?” Came the short reply.
“Yesterday you were fine but... now...” She trailed off, also looking at the ocean. “Why so cold/”
He turned to her. She noticed his eyes had turned a pale silver. “What do you think of me?” He demanded.
“W-What?” Her eyes widened.
What do you think of me?” He repeated. “A freak? Unnatural? A servant of the Devil?!”
“No!” She replied. “Why would- why would I think that?” She rose up from her position on the floor. “What’s got into you?!”
He sighed, looking away from her and back to the ocean. “Most people think I’m a freak.”
“Well, I’m not most people,” she replied. “You’re the same as my mother; why would I think you’re a freak?” She asked softly.
“Your father thought your mother was a freak.”
“I’m not like my father.”
He sighed again, turning away from her. “But how can you be sure?”
“I don’t think you’re a freak,” she said softly. “That’s a start.”
Her turned back to her, his eyes locking with hers. They were a light blue colour now, growing more blue by the second.
“I’m glad.” He smiled weakly. She smiled back.
“So am I. Don’t ever accuse me of something like that again, though.”
“I won’t.” His smile grew slightly, before fading. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be!” She replied firmly, before letting out a small laugh. “It’s fine. I understand where you’re coming from, I guess.”

He took her hand in his and looked deeply into her eyes. Her knees fell weak and her heart pace quickened slightly.
“I truly am sorry,” he said, his voice full of compassion and sorrow. She nodded hsakily,
“it’s fine.” She stammered. He let go of her hand.
“Good. I’m glad we’re okay,” he grinned, gesturing to the side of the Captain’s quarters. “Shall we go back to the deck?”
“Sure.” She stepped out in front of him and made her way back to the main deck with Phyro close behind her.
“You should really change,” he said, laughing. “Not that your nightclothes aren’t truly fetching.”
She looked down at her greying white shorts and her frayed shirt. “Um... yeah. Yeah, I should probably change.” She turned back and grinned at him. “Back in a sec,” she said, making her way back below deck, ignoring the harsh, disapproving looks from the other passengers.

 

It took her eyes a while to adjust to the darkness. She headed over to her hammock and stuck her hand into her bedside cupboard, pulling out some clothes. She quickly changed into them, once again shoving her dirty clothes to the back of the cupboard and slamming it shut.

She made her way back to the deck, shielding her eyes before the sun could stun her. Her hand still held over her eyes, she looked around, spotting Phyro and Genevieve sat leaning on the side of the boat, their backs to the sun. She walked over to them, sitting herself down in front of Phyro. He smiled, “hey there stranger. Nice change from your nightclothes.”
“Hi there, not funny.” She replied.
“Hey,” Genevieve chipped in, smiling at Lillith. “We were just talking about you.”
“Oh? What about me?” Lillith asked, smiling.
“Just about your journey,” Genevieve replied. “Phyro was curious, said he might want to join us.”
“You’ve very welcome to,” Lillith said, looking at Phyro. “To join us, I mean.”
“I hoped I would be. I know the trek to Errol well,” Phyro said. “I could be a great help.”
“You could,” Lillith replied. “I was actually going to ask you to join us when I came back up.”
“Then it’s sorted!” Genevieve exclaimed, beaming. “We’ll all go on the journey!”
“I’d love that,” Lillith beamed back. “All of us together.”
“You never...” Phyro started, before stopping.
“I never?”
“You never told us what happened to her... You know, your sister...” He said slowly.
“Oh. Right. No, I didn’t.” Lillith replied, looking down.
“You don’t have to,” Genevieve started. “We don’t mind�"“
“No. It’s okay.” Lillith sighed. “You deserve to know.”
“You don’t need to. If, you know, it’s too painful.” Phyro offered. “We really don’t mind.”
“You deserve to know what we’re travelling for.” Lillith said, looking up to meet Phyro’s gaze. “It’s the least I could do.”

She took a deep breath and looked out towards the ocean. “It happened eight years ago,” she started, not taking her eyes away from the sea. “I’d just come home from Miss Madeleine’s house. I’d finished a piano lesson.”
“You play piano?” Phyro asked, trying to make it less painful.
“Yes. Quite well, I’ve been told.” Lillith replied, a small smile creeping onto her face. “I love it with a passion.”
“I tried once.” Genevieve chipped in. “But I’m completely tone deaf, so it didn’t really work out...”
Lillith let out a small chuckle, before her face turned dark again. “The house was dark.” She turned her head to look at Phyro, then Genevieve. “The house was never dark. I knew something was wrong, but...” She looked back to the sea, feeling her tear ducts burn, ready to break. “I entered the house and...” She took in a deep breath.

“There was... there was blood. It was everywhere. On the floor, on the walls. Even...” She looked down. “Even on the ceiling.” Phyro took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze,
“You can stop if you want. You don’t need to go on.”
“No, I’m OK.” She took another deep breath and continued. “I walked down the hallway to the kitchen, where I found my mother slaughtered on the floor. It was horrible. You could barely recognise her.”  Phyro squeezed her hand harder, whilst Genevieve let out a small gasp.
“I found my father in the living room. He was hanging from the ceiling, a puddle of blood below him. His throat had been slit and his body hung to make sure I saw it, I guess.” She let out another long sigh, biting her lip lightly to hold back the tears, she slowly continued. “I went upstairs to call for someone, anyone. That’s when I saw him. He was stood there, with my sister in his arms. I couldn’t, I couldn’t see his face. He wore a long brown cloak, with a hood pulled up over his face.” A tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek. Phyro gave her hand another reassuring squeeze.
“ He never said anything to me.  He only pulled out a dagger from inside his cloak. It was silver; the top of the hilt was grey. It was covered in tribal markings �" even the blade. He took it and raised it to my sister’s neck. I was sure he was going to kill her, but I couldn’t do anything. I was paralyzed. I was so scared...” Her voice cracked, another tear escaping her eyes. “He didn’t kill her,” she said slowly, picking her words carefully. “He just... cut her. Straight across the throat. It was a clean cut; not even that deep...”
“Come here,” Phyro said softly, greeting her with open arms. She curled up in his arms, closing her eyes as her head rested on his chest. "I... He let go of her. She fell to the floor and he was gone. I... I ran towards her and she..."
"You don't have to continue," Phyro said in an accidentally hushed tone as he caught the lump in his throat, resting his head on top of hers as he did so.
“Yeah," Genevieve chipped in. "If it's too hard, just stop."
"No, it's OK." Lillith replied, taking a deep breath. "The story's nearly over anyway, I guess." She took yet another deep breath, exhaling slowly, before continuing. "She screamed, and her body was covered in cuts. She was screaming in agony, all because I came near her..." Phyro wrapped his arms tighter around her. "This is not your fault, I'm sure of it." He said softly.

She shook her head slightly. "I don't know what he did, but... that night... he severed the sisterly bond we had. He destroyed my family..." She paused, a tear squeezing itself out of her closed eyelid. "That was the last day I saw her. I backed away from her, I wanted her out of her pain. And as soon as she was, she ran. Away from the house, away from me... Away from everything. I haven't seen her since..." Phyro pushed her out slightly and wiped the tear away from her cheek then smiled at her reassuringly. "We will find her, I promise," as he said this he pulled her to him again and gestured to Genevieve to come and join them. Genevieve nodded and wrapped her arms around Lillith comfortingly. "Yeah, we will, I promise."
Lillith sniffed. "Thanks guys." She let out a small laugh, "sorry you had to see me like this... I'm a bit of a mess."
"Don't worry," laughed Phyro, "You still look amazing." He smiled as he said so. She smiled back at him slightly. "You think so?"
"I... I guess," he replied, smiling weakly.
"Thanks, I guess."
"Uhh, guys?" Genevieve piped up. "People are sort of staring... Maybe we should go below deck?"
"Yes good idea!" Phyro exclaimed loudly, as thought the idea had been his. Lillith giggled at him slightly as Genevieve stood up and offered out her hand. She took it, smiling as Genevieve pulled her up, before offering her own hand to Phyro. Failing to see what was funny he took a hold of her hand in a confused state before squeezing it and smiling at her. She smiled back and pulled him up to his feet. He grabbed her waist to steady himself, and she looked up at him awkwardly.

What?" he asked rather flustered now, looking at Genevieve for support, "I don't get it!"
"Don't get what?" Genevieve asked, puzzled. Lillith turned and started to walk towards the steps that led down to below the deck. “N... Nothing," he sighed slightly before noticing that she'd left and then following her. Genevieve followed him slowly, still puzzled. Lillith stopped, waiting for them to catch up, then fell in step next to Genevieve as they walked down the stairs.
"How long has it been? Since you saw your sister, I mean."
"Eight years." Lillith replied, looking away. "I feel guilty for not trying to find her sooner."
“You can't blame yourself for that, I mean let’s be honest, what were you supposed to do?" he asked slowly, trying not to hurt her feelings by placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

“I could have tried to search for her sooner." She replied, still looking away from them both. "I should have tried to search for her sooner. Or... or something!" She sighed, sitting down on her hammock. "I shouldn't have waited for so long."
Phyro walked over to her hammock and knelt down by her, taking her hand in his and placing it on his lap. "Look at me," he said in his soft voice yet again, almost whispering. Lillith did as he said, looking up into his eyes. Genevieve stood quite a distance away, watching quietly. He looked deeply into her eyes and spoke in quick, hushed tones. "I want you to know that what has happened is not your fault. Neither is the fact that you haven't looked for her until now. Given the situation that you are presented with, I would be exactly the same." He held her and tighter as he spoke, seeming to look deeper into her eyes.

"Okay," she said weakly, nodding slightly. "You're right. It wasn't my fault." She looked over to Genevieve, then back to Phyro. "I think I'll get some shut eye now... it's been a long emotional day, I guess, and I'm pretty tired..."
"No problem," Genevieve said, walking forwards. "We'll see you tomorrow morning. Bright and early. Only a few more days on the ship!"
"Yeah," Lillith agreed, smiling weakly. "Just a few more days until we're on our way to Niente."
"Come on, I'll tuck you in," said Phyro, louder now. As he said this he got up and pulled her blanket up from the bottom of her hammock. “If you need us in the night we're just here," he reassured her again.

"You really don't need to!" She said, slightly embarrassed. "And I need to change into my nightclothes first..."
"Oh. I... err..." He stuttered, trying to gather his words, before eventually turning to leave her to change.
"You don't have to go, you know." She said quietly. "Just... don't look while I change, okay?" "Oh... Yeah, I guess so, sorry." He said, slowly gathering his words together before turning away and walking over to Genevieve. Genevieve giggled slightly before facing away from Lillith, who took her nightclothes out from her bedside cupboard and changed quickly. “Alright, I’m done.” She called. Genevieve turned around, followed by Phyro. She walked over to Lillith and hugged her. “Night Lillith,” she said, before whispering in her ear, “I’ll leave you two to it...”
Phyro walked up to Lillith and seeing a giggling Genevieve walk away he pointed to her and turned to Lillith. "What's up with her?” He asked.
"Nothing. It's just Gen, I guess." Lillith replied. "Just leave her to it." She waved goodnight at Genevieve one last time before she disappeared to her own hammock, still giggling frantically.
"Fair point," he said slowly still confused. He took a seat on her hammock and looked up at her smiling again. She took a seat next to him, smiling back. “Thanks for today, I guess.” She said. “It helped a lot when you hugged me.”
Really? How come?" he asked curiously, blushing a little as she speaks.
“I don’t know. I guess I just haven’t been hugged in so long, it just helped...” She replied, looking down. “Sorry. You probably don’t want another sob story.”
“No, do tell me," he hugged her again cautiously at first in order to avoid suspicion. "I'm here for you."
“Well... After my family died and my sister left, my life kind of went downhill from there. I was too scared to let anyone in." She let out a nervous laugh, "I still am."
“Oh, I don't blame you to be honest," he looked at her smiling a little, looking into her eyes. She shrugged slightly. "I've never really thought about it. I just tended to not interact with people anymore. I was only young." She sighed. "Anyway, I'm really tired, so I'm going to get some sleep."
"Yeah sorry, goodnight." He smiled as he spoke. Rising to his feet, he made sure that he was out of ear shot before muttering quietly "I'll always be here for you."He looked back at her one last time, smiling at her, before walking to his own hammock.
She smiled back at him and climbed onto her hammock. Pulling the blanket over her, she led on her side and closed her eyes. Thinking of the days’ events, she fell into a fitful and nightmare filled sleep.

Author's Note

It's crap, I know.