Chapter 2 is here! Yay!

Enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach! ( I forgot to mention it in the first chapter)

I scoot out of my bed, knowing now by all the tossing and turning I have been doing, sleep was inevitable. I walk towards the window and open it, letting in the cool breeze of the night. I bathe in the moon's milky soft light, and glance up at the stars above. I remembered when I used to wish upon those stars to get me out of here, so I could be free but that's never going to happen. I sigh heavily as I think about my bleak existence. A timid knock on my door snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Come in," I call quietly.

There in the doorway awaits Harribel and Neliel. They stare at me for a brief moment before Neliel begins to speak.

"Come with us. It is time."

Her soft voice echoes through my mind for I know what she means. It is time for the ceremony. Every girl here has gone through some kind or another, but theirs are different. I swallow a lump that is forming in my throat as I turn around to follow them. We all tip toe down the stairs, careful not to wake any of Aizen's guards that watch the doors and windows for escapees. All of us sneak down to the basement where in the middle of the cold floor is a worn rug with a single rose and a candle. We sit in a circle Indian style and Neliel grabs my hands.

She whispers thought no one can hear us,

"You ready?"

I nod my head automatically though I have butterflies racing through my stomach. Harribel picks up the rose and plucks one petal off to place in my palm She nods at me. I take a deep breath before my hand shakily approaches the candle and sets the petal into the fire. It starts to wither and fringe at the edges before the entire thing is engulfed in the flame.

Harribel studies my reaction. My mouth is twitches. I keep rubbing my palms on my knees to wipe the sweat away. Without taking her eyes of me she places the rest of the rose into the fire while I watch it burn slowly.

Before the stem is completely consumed, Harribel reaches and takes the charred plant from the fire. She signals for Neliel to grip my arms as lifts up my shirt to place the charred end onto my flesh. I bit my lip as she dips the plant back into the fire and brings it back with a little flame on the end. I dug my nails into the rug as it makes contact again. After what feels like an eternity, she is finally done. Neliel releases me. Nothing is left of the stem but a little nub. Harribel pulls back a bit to look at her work. She has burned a lily with swirly lines across my lower back she had been secretly sketching for this occasion. I turned to see my newly marked skin, but hissed as pain shoots through my spine. I settled for reaching for a piece of broken mirror in the corner. It was the most beautiful thing I have even seen. My eyes brightened as my eyes met her icy blue ones.

I turn to Neliel who shows me her mark. She flips her hair revealing a pair of ram's horns wrapped around her neck, the head extending down her left shoulder. The intricate designs of the lines show how she is brave and strong despite her soft exterior. I catch her gaze as she embraces me tightly in her arms. I take in her scent, trying to soak up all the comfort I can muster before I am officially stripped of my childhood. We stay like this for a while before Harribel pulls me away and beckons me with her finger again.

I stand to follow her as we creep back up the steps. Before I slip back inside, Harribel grabs my arm. She embraces me roughly before just barely brushing her lips across my temple. In the blink of an eye she's gone. I go inside my room as a small smile creeps upon my face.

….

There's Chapter 2 for ya! I know its short but I have schoolwork to do. Sorry!

Insider: The ritual that Harribel and Neliel do to Lilynette is their way of showing that her childhood is now over and her womanhood begins now. The rose represents her innocence while the fire shows how it is being burned away to ashes, which is now her tainted soul.