Before.

The first punch hurt like a bitch. Stumbling back, Lili had to bite into her lower lip to stop herself screaming. Her whole face exploded with agony and suddenly it was so hard not to cry. She sucked in a breath. Don't break. She told herself. Cole was in front of her, his converse squeaking on the training room floor as he bounced on his heels, his lips spread out into an anticipating grin. Lili glared at him. Her chest was aching, her lungs felt starved of oxygen. She was fighting every urge not to give in to her emotions, into Betty Cooper who she'd buried so far, deep down. Part of her just wanted to drop to her knees and surrender. She was never going to be a Serpent if she couldn't even take a hit without crying like a baby. Yet there Cole was, his eyes bright, grin far too wide.

The way he was smiling at her with his stupid green eyes that had captured her heart was enough to ignite her veins. She felt anger and frustration. But her clenched fists stayed by her sides. Cole's hair was messy that morning, a mop of bedhead curls, straying hairs splayed across smooth golden skin. She'd tied her hair back, out of her face. But strands were still dancing in her face as she circled her opponent, trying to at least attempt to look threatening. Lili could feel blood pouring from her nose, tickling her lips. There was a Panic! at the disco song blasting out from the speakers near the door. The Serpent's didn't train in silence, apparently. And since Camila was fond of the band, and nobody could say no to her without receiving a broken nose, Panic! it was.

"Come on Lili! Hit me." Cole's voice was rough, impatient and dare she think it, kind of sexy. He was breathless, ready for a fight. Even this early. Lili hated it. How could he be so awake? She was barely out of bed in a gym shirt she'd managed to pull on, and some leggings she hadn't realized were inside out. Being part of The Serpent kids meant training at stupid hours of the morning. Which was 10am. She could vaguely smell the aroma of bacon and eggs drifting in from upstairs. Fred was cooking breakfast and it smelt fucking amazing. Lili was hungry. But she couldn't eat until she'd taken her Serpent brother down. Cole. Who was the human embodiment of a brick wall.

Lili thought about using her training knife. But it was as sharp as a single strand of her hair. While the others trained with real blades, laughing when they caught each other drawing blood and shaking their heads like it was nothing. When she couldn't even deal with being hit in the face. Don't think about the pain. She mentally told herself. But how could she not? It came in waves, a vicious sting prickling over her nose and mouth. Lili swallowed, licking her bottom lip which was bulging bruised. She winced.

"Come on Lili!" Camila yelled from the sidelines. Her and KJ weren't being the least bit helpful. It was supposed to be her and Cole's training session, where he was teaching her self defence. Which she had to win. But it had turned into some kind of show, where she was the main attraction, the fucking circus act. Lili resisted against rolling her eyes, her blue eyes returning to her task. She had memorized his pressure points, knew how to really get him. But it was going in for the kill that was the hard part.

"Dude, just hit him!" KJ joined in. "Cole's not hard to floor, just go for it!"

"His balls are his weak spot!" Camila called. Cole winced, his eyebrows bunching together.

"I'll floor you both if you don't shut it." He snapped at the two of them.

But Cole didn't lose his smile. He stopped bouncing on his heels and sighed while the chorus of a Panic! song started, reverberating against the walls. Lili bit back a groan. It was too loud. Far too noisy for 10am. Cole nodded his head idly to the song, his lips murmuring along to the words. Huh. Lili cocked her head. Maybe he was a fan too.

"Do you need help?" his lips curled into a teasing smile. But his tone was soft. Which she hated and loved at the time. Cole, she'd realized, could be terrifying. The boy could turn her stomach just by grinning, his eyes ignited with that gleam that all the Serpent's kids shared. Madness. Playfulness. She wanted to share that with them, become one of them. Lili wanted to have the playful smirk painted across her lips that she loved on Cole's, and the glitter of lunacy in KJ's eyes. Lili wanted to be a Serpent.

The fourth Serpent kid they'd call her, when she'd found her balls and cemented her place in the family. Until then she was stuck with plastic training knives and tranquillisers.

It was like a physical ache climbing up her spine, crawling across her neck. She wanted to be one of them. Elizabeth Cooper was dead as far as she was concerned.

Lili didn't look him in the eye, her cheeks burning bright. "Maybe." she muttered, relaxing her fists. Tears burned in her eyes. She was useless. They were nearly a month into her training, and all she'd managed was to do was nearly take Hiram's eye out with a throwing knife and get the four of them temporarily kidnapped by an old flame of Fred's. They were only supposed to be observing Mary Razor's actions. It was the simplest of tasks. Yet when the quartet had managed to sneak in through her back door, Lili had sneezed. Which had alerted not just the woman, but her dog too. Which Camila was suddenly deathly scared of. Long story short, Lili had ended up tied to her partners in crime in the crazy woman's kitchen, while Mary boasted to her friends over the phone that she'd managed to capture The Serpent's kids. "They're just children!" she'd cackled. "I don't understand why everyone's so dang scared of em'! Imma feed the little shits to Strangler."

It turned out Strangler was her rottweiler who Lili was sure had rabies and been conditioned to kill. If KJ hadn't have remembered the knife in his back pocket and managed to free them, they probably would have ended up doggy chow.

"Andrews!" Cole snapped her out of it. When the redhead sprung up eagerly, his eyes lighting up with anticipation, Lili couldn't resist a small smile.

"You need a hand?"

"Front and center." Cole said. KJ nodded, bounding over. Lili took a step back, watching the two boys take their places. Andrews, grinning like a maniac. He was chewing gum with far too much emphasis, his red curls a scruffy mess stuck to his sweaty forehead. He had already pulled his knife from his belt, swinging it playfully. Lili watched the blade glint in the air and Cole didn't even flinch. His green eyes were fixated in concentration, not even tearing from KJ when he was speaking to her outright;

"Alright Lili," he murmured. "Watch KJ floor me, okay?" lifting his fists slowly, the boy started to circle KJ, while the redhead stayed glued to the spot, still playing with his knife. "Kage." Cole flashed the boy a smirk. "There's no need for the knife."

"And?" KJ scoffed, wrapping his fingers tighter around the blade. "I'm not going to miss an opportunity to show off, Jones."

Cole rolled his eyes, but his eyes were twinkling. "Whatever dude." he murmured. The boys engaged in a bizarre ritual type movement, where they'd lunge at each other, before backing away. They moved in sync with the song still blaring from the speakers. Lili's stomach flipped over when KJ made the first attack. Cole staggered back with a laugh. "Watch!" he ordered, and Lili felt a flicker of exhilaration running through her from the tone of his voice. "Start with the throat, then the chest, then the gut," his words came out breathy, heavy with gasps as he blocked all of KJ's advances. The redhead growled in frustration. "Back down, Jones," he said. The boy's eyes darkened. But Cole barely looked fazed. "What are you waiting for?" he teased. "Take me down, Andrews."

"I'm trying!" The Andrews boy spat back. "But. You're. Blocking. Every. Damn. Hit!" his words flew out as the boy struggled to match Cole's pace. Lili admired the raven head. His reaction time was perfect, a thousand times better than hers. He saw every punch KJ threw, every kick aimed at his face, and the exact place the redhead aimed his knife.

"Dude!" Cole was grinning now, his eyes wild and frightening. But Lili loved everything about the way he looked. Like an animal playing with his food. "You're making this too easy!"

KJ went in again, this time with the knife. But Cole ducked and spun around. Lili watched him disarm the redhead, before twisting his arms behind his back and kicking the boy onto his knees. KJ landed with a thud. "Well fuck," he spluttered. "You got me."

Breathing hard, Cole looked up to meet her eyes. "Do you see now?" he murmured, eyes prying for her to understand. "How to beat me?"

Lili nodded. She had the moves perfected in her head, her arms were already tingling. Her fists clenched, already in their stance. She admired the Serpent children's strength, stamina and abilities. But she had something they didn't; a photographic memory. Every lunge Cole had made, every pressure point he'd emphasised on; she had it in clarity.

KJ jumped up and stretched. "I want a rematch," smirking he held out his hand for Cole to shake. "Thanks for the beating, bro."

Cole accepted his hand with a grin. Lili already knew what was going to happen from the twist in the redhead's lips. Cole seemed to understand a second too late. So much for perfect reaction time. "Oh you piece of-" his words blossomed into a string of swears when KJ didn't let go of him. "Remember Lil," KJ panted as he grabbed Cole's arm and twisted it. "Hey!" Cole yelped, hitting the floor. The raven haired boy let out a hiss, then a frustrated cry. "Foul play!" he cried, struggling in KJ's grip. But KJ didn't back down, pushing the boy onto his back and straddling him, pinning his arms to the ground.

Cole was red faced, breathless. The redhead grabbed his knife from the ground with one hand, stavbbing the blade into Cole's chin. "Never underestimate your opponent." Lili had never noticed the tension between them. Cole's stubbornness and KJ's need to take his brother down. It was like winning an award. Cole's teeth were gritted, his eyes glaring up at the triumphant Serpent brother. "You're an asshole."

"Love you too bro," KJ jumped up and folded his arms, his gaze on Lili. "See." the boy gestured to Cole still lying on his back, glaring daggers at the ceiling. "He's a piece of cake."

"It's my off day." Cole muttered, getting to his feet. "I'm not usually that dimwitted." Ignoring KJ's laughter as the boy ran off to join Camila, he jutted his chin at Lili. "Ready?"

She managed a nod and held her breath. "First," she said, forcing her words not to tremble. She was Lili Andrews. Not Betty. She had to channel her inner Serpent. "I want you to hit me." she said. When the boy cocked his head looking confused, she gestured to her face. "In the face. Hard." she psyched herself up, remembering the parent's words from earlier training sessions. Pain can motivate your hits. Suppressing the little girl trying to tear out of her, Lili forced her lips into a threatening grin. She was Camila. Not scared of anything. She was a Serpent daughter, unable to feel pain. Her heart was a jackhammer in her chest. Come on, she could do this. She had to do this. If she failed, Lili Andrews would become a laughing stock. If they couldn't convert her, would they kill her? Send her home? Somehow the latter seemed worse. Back to being perfect Betty Cooper.

No fucking way.

"Do it," Lili said. When Cole frowned, she rolled her eyes. "Do it!" she yelled. He actually looked surprised. "Alright," he muttered. "But you asked for it, okay?" Cole chuckled. "Don't go crying to Fred like last time. You need to take a proper hit."

Lili clenched her jaw. "Just do it."

She was expecting the hit. Lili watched the boy's rock hard fist swing forward. Every instinct was screaming at her to run away as the world seemed to slow down around her. Then: impact. Pain. Agony hitting her like a wave. But she was able to suppress it, using the pain to motivate her backlash. Before she could hesitate, before Betty Cooper could take over, Lili was ducking. Two, three, four. She counted mentally, before springing back up and launching the knuckles of her fist into Cole's face. When he staggered back with a hiss, she used it to her advantage. But the boy was coming back at her with a cry, green eyes blazing. Except he was grinning. And her face was killing, blood pouring from her nose. But she couldn't stop smiling either. "That's it!" Cole yelled. "Now, try and floor me!" he spread out his arms, spitting blood. "Free shot, Betty Cooper."

Something snapped inside of her. Lili lunged at him again. One hit to the throat, then grazing his chin. "Don't call me that," she spat. But the boy only smirked, cocking an eyebrow. She had on his knees. "How about Elizabeth Cooper?" he teased. Which only fed the inferno inside of her. When he tried to get back up she shoved him back down, kneeing him in the face. "Lili, shit that fucking-" ignoring his complaining, she leapt on him, getting a good strangle hold of his neck. They crumpled to the ground, but Lili didn't let up. She kicked his legs apart, straddling him before he could roll out from underneath her. "How was that?" she was panting in his face, while he stared up at her through half lidded eyes. God, his lips looked so soft. It was hard to keep from yelling in triumph, howling in victory like the others did when they won a duel. She stayed silent.

Cole seemed to be locked into a state of shock. He was a sweaty, panting mess below her. She had actually taken him down. "Damn, Lili." he boy grinned up at her. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"So the ugly duckling finally becomes a swan, huh?" The booming voice was Hiram. When Lili and Cole looked up, the man was standing in the doorway. Fred and FP by his side. The three men were smiling. Fred nodded once at her, and she rolled off Cole, allowing the boy to jump up. "She'll be ready for assignments soon." he sounded proud, and a piece of her, just those fragments of Betty Cooper lingering, wanted to jump up and down.

"She certainly will." Hiram strode over, offering his hand. Lili stared down at it. Until now she'd been ignored by the man. Beaming, she shook it while KJ and Camila joined them. Fred smiled warmly. "Breakfast is upstairs," he groaned. "Camila, please turn off Heart Attack at the Parade or whatever you call them. I'm getting a headache."

"Panic! at the disco, FYI." the girl corrected him, but she pulled her phone out and shut the song off.

Fred's eyes were then fixated on her, and Lili had an urge to throw herself into the man's arms. But, as far as she knew-the Serpent kids didn't do that sort of thing.

"I knew you could do it," he smiled proudly. "Come and get breakfast, I bet you're starving."

She nodded and was about to follow the man, but someone tapped her on the shoulder. Spinning around, she found herself inches from Cole's teasing smile. "Never thought I'd say this, but I think you broke my jaw."

She couldn't resist a giggle. "If you piss me off like that again, I'll do worse."

His laugh was warm. "Can't wait."

After.

"Elizabeth, honey?"

Up until that point, Lili was happy floating around in the void, far, far away from reality. She thought she was dead. The wounds in her chest had been fatal, right? so maybe her mother's voice in her ears was some kind of hallucination. "Betty?" it came again, louder, and she felt herself flinch. Okay, so she wasn't dead. It took a moment for her to break out of the foggy reverie her mind had been trapped inside, before Lili realized she was on her knees, her head bowed. She could feel her hair dangling in her face, tickling her cheeks.

"Betty. Wake up, honey." Lili felt her stomach twist at the sound of her old name. Her mom was here? She bit back a groan, licking her dry lips. When she tried to shake her head in defiance, pain exploded in the back of her head. Fuck, that hurt. But Lili could suppress her pain now. She forced it to the back of her mind, fixating her concentration on prying her eyes open. It was hard at first, since the pain in her head was rotten. It was the kind of dull pounding that turned her stomach. Bile burned in the back of her throat, but she swallowed it down. "Mom?" she managed to whisper. Her voice was hoarse. When she did open her eyes, squinting through fraying lashes, she saw her mother sitting in front of her. Alice Cooper's expression was hard, her blue eyes icy.

Lili stared hard at her mother, her gaze skating around the room she was in, drinking in her surroundings. It was bright. Far too bright. Urgh. Lili squeezed her eyes shut against the allure blinding her. She was kneeling on soft carpet. When she risked opening her eyes once more, her mother was smiling. "Elizabeth, thank god you're awake." Alice said softly. "Don't worry sweetheart, you're safe now."

Safe? When Lili tried to move, she found her arms pinned behind her back, her hands entangled with someone else. Who was that? She felt their back pressed against hers, heard their soft breaths in sync with her own.

Tears burned her eyes. "Did you tie me up?" she whispered, shivers tingling down her spine. When she struggled, she felt lacerations in her wrists, harsh rope chafing against her skin.

"Casey?" she hissed. "Mads?"

The resounding groan from her companion sent her heart into a frenzy. Casey. How had she not noticed?

"Betty don't be afraid," Alice said. "We had to restrain you because you've been a prisoner for so long," Alice leaned forward, her perfume tingling Lili's nose. "I'm afraid you've been brainwashed, sweetheart."

"Brainwashed?" Lili managed to splutter.

"Elizabeth." Alice's tone hardened. "The men that took you brainwashed you into thinking you're part of their family. They did it to three other kids too, but we've managed to save them as well," Lili's mother reached out and stroked her hair, brushing strands from her eyes. "They also had Clifford Blossom's daughter, but we've managed to get her back. As for Kevin Keller, we're sure he has been compromised. Hence why he too has been restrained."

Anger bubbled up inside of her. But the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. Alice continued. "Fear not-" she straightened up, folding her arms across her chest. "Clifford has a way of bringing my Elizabeth back, as well as making sure Kevin forgets ever running into those nasty Serpents."

"Bullshit." Casey's hiss startled her, but brought momentary relief. Lili felt his fingers graze against hers reassuringly. "You're going to stick us in that torture chair and force us to submit to The Blossom's. Don't sugar it, you evil witch."

"Kevin, that's enough." Alice said. She glared at her daughter. "Betty, I'll leave you to rest. Your session is scheduled for later on in the afternoon." Lili flinched when her mother pecked her cheek. "Just think all of this as a bad dream, okay?" when Alice leaned in, Betty thought the woman was going to kiss her on the cheek again, but instead her ice cold lips nipped Lili's ear. "You're Blossom by blood, Elizabeth." she spat. "Do you understand me?"

Lili could deal with mobsters. Staring down a psychopath was a piece of cake. But her delusional mother who was willingly part of a family of monsters? She dropped her gaze, her chest clenching. Surprisingly, Alice didn't push her. Instead she sighed before turning and walking away. The slam of a door signalled that she'd gone, and the second her and Casey were alone, Lili let out a shuddery breath. She closed her eyes, leaning into Casey, who blew a raspberry. "Well, we're fucked." he said, with a harsh laugh. "Nice knowing you, Lil."

She could only reply with a grunt. After a while of just sitting there staring at the ground, the door opened again. Lili lifted her head, narrowing her eyes. She should have been expecting it. After all, she was in what could only be The Blossom mansion. Yet her heart still jumped into her throat when Cole walked in. KJ at his side.

Camila was nowhere to be seen, but maybe that was a good thing. Lili tried to keep her expression neutral when Cole wandered over, KJ following suite. The two of them almost looked like their Serpent selves again. After the ruckus at the coffee shop, they were noticeably disheveled. Cole's hair looked a mess, hanging in his eyes, while KJ's was sticking up in different directions. Lili could almost believe they were back to normal. But the blank looks in their eyes confirmed that they were still Blossom puppets. Lili didn't struggle when Cole knelt in front of her. But damn, she wanted to. Instead, she met his dead eyes. "What do you want?" she said softly, her voice trembling.

"Cliff wants Keller." KJ answered her. His voice was that same monotone drawl. Cole nodded but he didn't take his eyes off of her, and she internally squirmed. "Snake." the boy spat. "I should have stepped on you when I had the chance."

Her voice was choked. "Why didn't you?"

Cole didn't reply. He jumped up, clearing his throat. "KJ, grab Keller."

The redhead nodded, and Casey growled. "Touch me, Andrews, and I swear to fucking god I'll carve your eyes out." ignoring the boy's threats, KJ untied Casey, yanking the boy up roughly and dragged him away. Taking him to have his mind turned to mush, turned submissive. Clifford was going to turn him into a monster, like the others. And soon enough, she will be converted too. Lili wanted to cry out, but she didn't dare speak. Didn't dare scream. Not when he was so close to her. KJ disappeared with Casey and Lili found herself alone with the boy she was pretty sure she had fallen in love with, who's mind was Clifford Blossom's. Her heart ached. The bastard had taken Cole, KJ and Camila from her- and was probably in the process of converting Madelaine and Casey.

Their old names didn't mean anything to her anymore. Their Serpent pseudonym's remained cemented in her mind. Lili thought Cole was going to leave with KJ, but he stayed. The boy didn't speak. He sat on his knees and glared at her, his eyebrows furrowing. He looked almost confused, his head cocked. The most emotion she'd ever seen on his face in this state. Lili put up with that same damn vacant expression for what felt like an hour, before she finally caved. "What?" she growled, struggling in her bonds. "What are you staring at?"

"I'm not sure." Cole murmured. He chuckled. "I'm trying to figure out why I haven't killed you yet," he clucked his tongue. "Lili Andrews, the daughter of a snake."

Lili stiffened, feeling her cheeks burn scarlet. She wanted to tell him that he was the son of a Serpent, that he too was like her. He had a father who loved him so much that it physically hurt the man to try and get his son back. Lili had seen the pain on FP's face when she'd revealed that Cole and the others had been captured. Fred had insisted that they went after them, tried to get them back. But FP, swiping at his eyes feverishly, said through gritted teeth; "I don't want to see my boy turned Blossom."

Hiram had agreed. It was their worst nightmare. Even Fred crumbled after a while, admitting that he didn't want to see KJ, when Clifford had messed with his head. Lili wondered if the Serpent kids, prior to their conversion, had waited for their parents, and slowly lost hope and faith that they were coming, believing they no longer cared.

She wanted to tell Cole that his parents did love him, they had never stopped. But Lili knew her words wouldn't register in his poisoned mind. The boy she knew was gone. The devoid look in his eyes was painful to look at. She squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a breath. She wouldn't lose it. Not in front of him.

After a while, the door flew open, and Lili flinched. She couldn't help it. At the corner of her eye, a shadow loomed over the threshold. Followed by a second figure who lingered at the doorway. She didn't dare turn her head. If Casey had been turned, she was terrified of seeing him. He was already a Blossom, only on The Serpent's side because of her. If he too had been transformed into an emotionless killer, she refused to look.

"That was quick," Cole muttered. "Did Keller break that easily?"

Footsteps. Each one sent her stomach twisting into knots. Lili lifted her head, peering through bleary vision. KJ had joined Cole, the two of them looming over her like they were standing over her grave. "He was easy," KJ said. "Squealed like a pig."

Cole looked satisfied, and Lili's heart broke. She sat in silence. "Where is he now?"

"Standing in the doorway."

Cole's expression turned perplexed. "What?" but before he could say anything, to Lili's shock, KJ wound his fist back, slamming it into the boy's face. Cole fell to his knees, letting out a cry. And while he was distracted, KJ's stony expression slipped away, his old smile crawling back onto his lips. "Been a while, Lili!" he panted, rushing over to her. his hands moving quickly to untie the bonds around her wrists. She could only splutter in confusion. "How?" she managed. "Weren't you just-"

"Yeah," KJ winced, rubbing the back of his head. "Casey whacked me over the head with a frying pan." he yanked Lili to her feet, and the two of them turned to face Cole who had recovered. His eyes were murderous.

"Cole," KJ growled softly. "You're in a trance." he turned to Lili. "Stay by my side."

Lili nodded, moving to stand by him. Cole glared at the two of them. "You're with the snake?" he hissed at KJ, who rolled his eyes. "Dude, YOU'RE a snake! Clifford fucked with our heads," The redhead let out an exasperated hiss. "Snap out of it!"

Cole didn't reply. His dark eyes flickered to Lili. "What did you do to him?" his lip curled, his eyes flashing. Lili held her breath. At the corner of her eye, she saw Casey getting closer and closer, his hands wrapped around the handle of a frying pan.

"Cole," she said softly. But before she could say anything, the boy was lunging towards her. Straight for the snake that he despised. The girl he wished he'd killed when he had the chance.

Straight for the kill.