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Prequel to The Contract

3 years ago...

Lilith follows her mother down the basement stairs. She has been watching her going down the basement for two weeks now.

Lilith remembers when she consults her mother about the basement during breakfast.

“Why do you go down the basement?”

There is a clank of her fork falling onto the almost empty plate. There are bits of bacon and egg on the plate as the girl’s plate is clean. There is a deadly silence between them and the only thing that they can hear is the echoes of the clock.  Her smile falters and there is a face of guilt on her face. Lilith stares at her mum for long as twenty ticks from the clock. She leans over the table and pushes a loose strand of hair off her daughter’s face. She smiles at her daughter.

“Nothing to worry about.” She smiles but her words sounded cold like the chilly Arctic.

The girl wants to press her, but the tone of her voice freezes her to the spot. She doesn't know what to say, so she drops it.

But not tonight. Tonight she’ll get her answers, she won’t leave until she gets her answers. The stone steps spiral deeper and deeper into the ground. The steps are cracked and moss climbed the walls of the stairwell. The stairwell gets dimmer from being lit to fluorescent lamp to torches. The flame casts shadows in every corner as the girl is barely able to follow her mother’s. The girl feels butterflies in her stomach and her heart is in her throat, but she climbs further. She reaches the bottom of the stairs where she sees her mother standing in the middle of the room with a stranger. He is wearing a hood that covers his face. Lilith hides in the shadows and her breath quickens and her heart races. She covers her mouth in panic as she is scared of making a single noise.

“Hand it over.” The hooded man says.

“What are you going to do with it?”

She fiddles with the ring on her finger, but she gives them a cold stare.

“Our goals shouldn’t be heard by the likes of you.” He spits.

She laughs, the men look at each other in confusion. Her laughter echoes across the room like a thundering roar.

“That's a funny joke.”

She pulls out a knife from her pocket and strikes them. They step back, barely dodging the blade.

“Don’t think I’ll give up my mission so easily.”
The knife bursts into flames and the man’s hand glows a deep malicious purple. Lilith quiver in fear, but she is confused and frustrated. What do they want? What does my mum mean by her mission? Who are they? These questions run through her mind, as she watches the fight. Purple bolts are fired at her and her mum elegantly dodges them. The basement starts to shake and the sound of rocks crumbling echoes.

“Hand it over.”

She smiles as she lunges towards him.

“If you want it. Go get it.”

She pulls the ring off her finger and throws it to the stairwell. The man scrambles for the ring before it she points her knife at the man’s neck. Lilith can see the dull silver ring, she carefully reaches out for it. A stray purple bolt flies towards her, the girl clutches the ring in her hand and closes her eyes as she awaits her faith. She can hear her heartbeat, it pounds harder but slower. After a few beats, she opens her eye to see her mother standing in front of her. She gives a warm smile as she drops down to the ground.

“Mum!” She screams as she shakes her body.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” She asks, her smile still painted on her face.

“Are you okay?”

“I’ve completed my mission. Lilith, listen to me…”

She winces in pain. Another stray purple bolt flies towards Lilith, but she barely dodges it. Her mother slowly stands up. Her white shirt is stained with blood and her blade’s flame grows bigger.

“Run Lilith! There is a book in the study on my desk. Take it and leave now. Run!”

Lilith looks at her mother’s back, she stands up strong and tall as she faces the hooded man. Lilith feels the stinging of tears as she turns and runs up the stairs. Her breath is shallow and her heart races, she reaches the top of the stairs and sprints into the study. She can feel the warmth of the ring on her skin. The study has shelves with books that reaches up to the ceiling. The floor is littered with papers, she scrambles through the study and reaches the oak desk. On top of the desk is an alone book, it is bound with a leather cover and the pages has some tears on the edges. The desk is positioned in front of a window with the city view. She grabs the book from the desk and suddenly there is a burnt mark on the desk. She turns around and her eyes widen. The stranger stands in front of her and his hands glow the malicious purple.

“Hand it over.” He asks.

He takes a step forward, she takes a step back bumping into the desk behind her. Her eyes look around frantically, she feels trapped.

“Hand it over and you won’t get hurt.”

The ring warmth glows brighter and the ring feel warmer until it burns her hand. She opens her hands and the ring starts to float into the air. It glows brighter and blinded everyone in the room. Lilith opens her eyes, they meet black charcoal eyes of a dark skin boy. He has horns on his forehead and a tail.

“Who are you?” She asks

“Did you drink from the fountain of youth, Veronica?”

“How do you know my mum?”

The boy’s eyes widen in realisation.

“Oh, the transfer happened earlier than expected.”

“Transfer? What are you talking about?”

A purple bolt flies in between them. They turn to the hooded guy and his hood isn’t on. The man has a scar on his face in the shape of an x. His eyes burn anger and give off the same malicious glow as his hands.

“Questions later, we have to deal with this guy.”

She nods in agreement. Another bolt fired at her and the boy blocked it with his sword.

“When did you get a sword?” She asks.

“Questions later.”

He lifts her off her feet and the next think she knows they jump out of the window. She hugs the book tightly to her chest and closes her eyes. She can hear the rustle of leaves and then a thud on the ground.

“You can open your eyes.” He whispers.

She opens her eyes slowly, she sees the boy standing in front of him with his hand outstretched. She grabs his hand and he pulls her up.

“Thank you.”

The boy turns away, he is still holding her hand tightly.

“We should go somewhere else to talk.”

The moon hangs high in the middle of the dark canvas. The street lamps dimly lit the path as they walk. The trees dance in the wind and there are sounds of cricket chirping. There is a silence between them, and his hand is still holding hers tight. They sit on a park bench, he lets go of her hand.

“Veronica, why did you make me babysit your daughter?” He whispers, but it wasn’t soft enough.

“Hey, I’m 15 I can take care of myself.” She acclaims.

“15 is so young.”

“You should rest. I’ll keep watch.” He states coldly.

She doesn’t say anything, he sits on the ground and stares at the moon. She strokes the leather cover of the book and a piece of paper slips out. She picks it up at tears starts to drip down onto her face.

Lilith,

If you are reading this means my mission is completed. I was meant to give you the contract on your 16th birthday but don’t worry he’ll protect you. His name is Andras and you need to rewrite the contract and everything you need to know is in here. Be strong, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you...

The rest of the note is ripped off. The tears fall onto her face like a waterfall, her mum is gone and its all her fault.
“I’m a terrible daughter.” She whispers.

She felt a sudden warmth on her skin, she looks up to see Andras hugging her. She grips the ring tighter in her hands.

“I miss Veronica.” He whispers.

“What was my mum like when she is with you?”

He scoffs.

“Useless and unprofessional, but determined and righteous.”

She smiles and scoffs.

“That sounds like her.”

They stare at each other, the moonlight makes his eyes shine and his skin glow. It looks beautiful and she is in awe.

“We should rewrite the contract.” She states.

He leans in and their lips touch, she can feel the warmth on her hands from the ring.  The ring on her hand has her name engraved on it, the silver looks new and shiny. She notices a similar ring on the boy’s ringer finger. He looks away from her, a tint of red on his cheeks. She starts to blush and she becomes flustered.

“Did you do that to my mum?”

“No, it was actual paperwork when we did it.”

“Then why you...kissed me?”

“It was the fastest way to transfer the contract.”

She narrows her eyes at him, and he avoids her eye contact.

“Whatever it works, but don’t do that again…demon.”

He smiles.

“Whatever, my angel.”

The burst into laughter and they talk through the night. Lilith wouldn’t imagine Andras would mean so much to her.