Sadly for Lilly, Bughuul's promise had to wait and by the time he returned she'd looked at him differently. He couldn't understand why she seemed angry or why she tried her best to avoid him, not even bothering to talk to him about the surprise he'd promised her at his departure.
-Am I missing something?- Bughuul asked his wife.
-I don't know why she's like this, but she's been avoiding me as well.
-How long has she been like that?- there was a sense of concern in his voice.
-It started about a week after you'd left. I just figured that she was acting out because you'd left us sooner this time.
-Have you tried talking to her?
-Of course I have, but I haven't managed to get anything out of her. You're more than welcome to try.
-I was about to…
Bughuul slowly went up to his daughter's bedroom and something caught his attention as he got a bit closer to the door. She was talking to someone. It wasn't just some animal or an imaginary friend as he'd heard a muffled voice that seemed to belong to a male adult.
He tried to block everything else out and focused on the voices that were coming from the bedroom. The voice he heard was deep and commanding but at the same time weak, as if it'd belonged to an old man.
-Come now- the voice said- you know that he has to pay for what he'd done to you and you're powerful enough to make him pay.- the man's voice became rougher and more threatening.
-I can't do it!- she screamed.
-Yes you can!-it growled at her, causing Bughuul to storm into Lilly's bedroom. Much to his surprise, Bughuul didn't see anyone other than his daughter in the room.
Lilly just stared at him, unresponsive, with her eyes visibly red from crying.
-Who were you talking to?!- Bughuul snapped at her.
-No one…
-Don't lie to me, I know that there was someone else in the room as well!
Bughuul walked up to Lilly, knelt in her level and caught her by the shoulders, making her flinch.
-Daddy stop!
-What am I supposed to be punished for?!
-Let her go!-his wife screamed.
-What for?!-he screamed, ignoring his wife.
Before Lilly could answer her mother got her out of Bughuul's grasp and took her into her arms. Lilly stuffed her face into her mother's neck and began to cry even harder, scared out of her mind.
-What's gotten into you?
Bughuul couldn't respond, being surprised at his own behavior towards Lilly. Without saying a word, he just left the room.
About twenty minutes passed and his wife came into the bedroom, still angry from what had happened.
-Why did you leave her room?- he got up from the bed-She shouldn't be alone.-he headed up to Lilly's room but his wife stopped him.
-Stop.
-I heard her talking to someone, we have to leave and we certainly can't leave her unattended.
Bughuul moved past his wife and rushed over to his daughter's bedroom door, stopping at the threshold so he wouldn't wake her up. Then he slowly opened her bedroom door and went inside.
He decided to check every part of her room to see if there were any traces of anyone else being in the room but he had no luck in finding anything. As he turned to face the door he saw his wife standing just a few feet away from him.
-How come I never heard anything while you were away?- she asked quietly.
-I don't know, maybe you weren't paying attention.- he responded quietly as well.
-Are you saying that I'm a bad mother?- she frowned at him.
-Given how many mothers I've seen, going through all these families, you're great.
-I'm trying so hard not to be like my mother and I don't think I'm succeeding at it.
-Listen to me.- he placed his hand on her cheek-You're nothing like your mother or anyone from your family. Dealing with someone like Lilly isn't easy, being who we are…
-You've dealt with this before.
-I wouldn't say that I have.
A few moments of silence occurred as they both observed Lilly who was sound asleep. The silence was soon broken by Bughuul's wife.
-What exactly happened between you and Lora?- she asked.
Bughuul refused to meet his wife's gaze for a few seconds, still staring at Lilly, as he was caught off guard by the question. Then he sighed and turned to face his wife.
-Why do you want to know what happened between us so badly?-he finally asked.
-Because you still have her things in the attic.- she replied-You could've thrown them away and instead you hid them in a box behind a pile of other boxes, thinking that I wouldn't notice.
-I can't bother myself with something that's in the past.
-Then I guess you wouldn't mind if I got rid of that box.
Bughuul walked over to the bedroom window and looked outside.
-I find it fascinating that you still make an effort to keep the memory of that girl alive and yet you refuse to discuss her with me after all these years.
Both of them were shaken up by Lilly's loud scream. They turned only to find that she was missing from the bed.
-What's happening?!
-Lilly!-Bughuul shouted.
-DADDY, HELP!-Lilly's scream was clear but it sounded as if it were coming from inside the walls.
Bughuul ran to the place where Lilly's screams were coming from but he couldn't find a portal which he could go through to get to her and the source seemed to change every few seconds.
-YOU'VE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE BY DISOBEYING ME, GIRL!- the same menacing voice spoke through the walls, but it sounded stronger and far more threatening.
-YOU'LL REGRET THIS WHEN I FIND YOU!- Bughuul growled.
The man inside the walls laughed for a few seconds and then stopped as if to take a deep breath.
-You mean, if you ever find me?- he said calmly.
Bughuul turned over everything in the room trying to find the portal as Lilly screamed for help. His wife did the same as quickly as she could in other rooms but had no luck finding any portal either.
-DADDY!-Lilly's scream was now coming from the room as she sprinted towards Bughuul and grabbed on to him.
He picked her up rapidly and got her out of the room. As he ran to find his wife, he couldn't find her anywhere in the house. He called for her, but there seemed to be no response either.
-I'd check the backyard if I were you…- the voice whispered with a small chuckle.
Bughuul ran out into the backyard still holding Lilly. She screamed at the sight before her, calling out for her mother. He didn't know how to react as Lilly was still in his arms and he didn't dare to put her down.
Even though Lilly was screaming at the top of her lungs Bughuul couldn't hear her anymore. Strangely, all he was able to hear was a heartbeat.
Still holding Lilly, he used his powers to get his wife's body down, as she was hanging from the tree before. He didn't sense that she was alive, but the sound of that heartbeat still grew stronger and stronger.
Slightly more focused, he realized that the sound of that heartbeat was coming from her womb.