Lilith: I feel that I should be worried that I'm stuck here, but at the same time, the peace and quiet is so nice...


Being how the last couple of nights had gone, Lilith was a little surprised to wake up on her bed, rather than drooling over her desk.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she couldn't help but note that the monitor was finally done. She couldn't help but think that her sleep-induced self was a whole other beast of its own, able to figure out how complete the project her consciousness couldn't.

Throwing herself from bed, she walked over to press the on button, watching as the screen lit up. Her self-congratulatory attitude was soon ruined with the loud and irritating knocking at her door. Whoever was on the other side apparently didn't believe in giving Lilith anytime, as there was no real pause in between, "Give me a moment to look decent!"

"Yeah, good luck with that."

Lilith's face visibly fell into a scowl at the sound of the voice on the other side, the back of her head insisting that she just leave him be, tire himself out. But, being how Masky didn't bother her unless he had to, she doubted that he'd take the hint and go away.

So, after making sure her mask was on straight, she all but ripped the door open, snickering softly when Masky almost fell through, "Jeez, about time. Was someone having a beauty nap?"

"Cut the crap and tell me what you want, Masky." For once, Lilith almost forced the deadpan tone in her voice. The mask did little to hide his irritation at that, if his clenched fists were anything to go off of.

"I got a delivery for you," Masky muttered, pulling a small brown paper bag out from his pocket, tossing it to Lilith, "Slender wants that taken to Painter, and I figured that it made sense to have you do it. You know, with your evil Shade powers and all."

Lilith eyed the bag in her hands, before leveling a glare at Masky, "Are you seriously making me run your errands now?"

"Wow, what makes you think that?" Lilith hoped that Masky would choke on the copious amounts of bullshit coming out of his mouth, "You make it sound like I hate you, or something."

"I do apologize, assuming that is truly asinine."

"I don't see why you're making such a big deal over this," Masky leaned on her door frame, just barely leaning into her room, his mask coming just a bit too close to her own, "I mean, aren't you the one that goes into town as she pleases? Besides, unlike you, Slender has me going around to do other important things. I can't be bothered with this type of work."

Lilith was ready to refute, only to close her mouth. He wasn't wrong; staying in the mansion for too long was never a good thing for her, especially when she was restless. Lazy or not, Masky was giving her an out here, "Okay."

Masky seemed a bit confused by her sudden change in tone, "Wait, really?" She could practically feel his apprehension and suspension.

She'd be the first to admit it, she enjoyed it a little too much.

"Yeah, I mean, it only makes sense." Lilith said, reaching for the door, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready to go, Besides, you should really get back to all of those 'important things' you need to do."

She didn't wait for an answer, instead slamming the door shut. She took a tiny bit of joy out of hearing Masky's startled cry before moving to pick her hoodie up from the floor. She sniffed it, figuring it had smelled worse in the past before pulling it on.

She made a mental note to sneak her laundry in with someone else's later. LJ, maybe, of Jeff if she was feeling malicious.

She pulled her mask and eyepatch off, tossing them into a drawer of her desk before pulling out a pair of sunglasses. While she wasn't too fond of them, they did look a lot less odd than her usual facial wear.

She took a moment to look over her desk, noting how a sort of loading bar had made itself at home in the middle of the screen, the green inching forward as slowly as possible. She wasn't too sure if it should be doing that, but honestly, as long as it wasn't (somehow) downloading any sort of virus, she didn't care.

She took a moment to really think about that, shooting another look over to her desk. It couldn't download a virus with how it was set up, right?

...Right?

"This is a stupid thing to waste time on." She muttered to herself, making sure her shoes were on good, before sliding straight down into her shadow. The cold air rushing past her ears, the wind sounding like ghostly whispers. It was over with quickly, Lilith stepping out from the side of a nearby building.

She took a moment to adjust her glasses, already absentmindedly walking over to the paintshop. She thought that she could drop off Painter's stuff and be done with it, maybe have some time to drop by the school and mess with Dimitri a bit.

So, when she showed up in front of their "hideout" to see it covered in police tape, she couldn't help the slight itch of irritation in the back of her head. The presence of the police was an unexpected one, even with only two of them milling around. She walked on, deeper into the town while pulling out the brown paper bag.

Damn Masky, this was probably the main reason he had her do this. Not that she really had the right to complain, since technically, she'd agreed. But, regardless, Masky was a little shit.

"Would it have killed him to give me some sort of clue?" Lilith muttered to herself, shoving her hand into the bag, rummaging around for a piece of paper or something, before giving up and taking a peek inside.

Only to quickly close it, her nose twitching as she pressed her eyes shut. God, she wasn't even sure what that was, she was just pretty sure that it shouldn't have been pulsing like that. She didn't think that she was too squeamish or anything, but THAT was disgusting.

"If I were Painter, and the paint shop is down, where would I go?" Lilith muttered to herself, taking a turn into an alley, looking for any sort of hint as to where the Painter could be. All she knew for sure was that, if Puppeteer wasn't knocked out in a dump somewhere, he'd most likely be with Painter. So, if she could find him, Painter shouldn't be too far away.

...Not that that really helped her, though.

"Ugh." She rested her head against the cool brick, half tempted to smash her forehead into it. Not that that would help either, but still. She ended up wandering all over town, looking for any type of hint as to where Painter and Puppeteer had holed up. Had they found themselves in someone's basement, perhaps? It definitely wouldn't be the first time, that's for sure.

She ended up walking past Evergreen high right as they let the kids out, if the sea of teens dashing to get away was any indication. Lilith watched from where she stood, taking her time to pick him out. Sure enough, Dimitri walked out of the building, his head down and hands on the straps of his backpack as he made his way down the stairs, nearly tripping over the last step.

Lilith shook her head, looking around to make sure no one noticed her, before slipping back into the darkness. Sure, she had something to drop off, but at the moment, she wanted to have a little fun.


Dimitri took a step off of the campus, past the gate, only to stop suddenly. This was… odd. For some reason, he felt like something had latched onto his shoes, adding just a little more weight than usual. He took another step and, when nothing happened, he figured it was just his mind playing tricks on him and moved on.

Dimitri walked home, whistling a tune to himself as he passed by houses and small shops. He took the usual route and, for once in a long time, the road was empty. Granted, it also felt colder than it usually did, but being how he'd left his jacket at him, he just chalked it up to that being the reason and moving on. Not that it really helped the seemingly constant draft, but with luck, he'd be home soon.

At first he thought nothing of it. A lot of the buildings in this area were old, so it would only make sense for their windows and doors to creak. But, when it happened every time he passed by, he was beginning to think that something was just a LITTLE off.

And that was before the trashcans began to shake. It started with rattling as he passed by, their shaking coming to a halt fast enough for him to think that it was all just in his imagination.

That was before one of them fell over on their own, seemingly with no sort of force pushing it down.

Dimitri ignored how his breathing had increased to almost concerning levels, as well as how his once leisurely walk had turned into a borderline sprint. He felt like someone was watching him, eyes burning holes in the back of his skull, Too scared to turn around, he instead looked for the next exit off of this street, anything to get him outta here.

That exit ended up being an alleyway off to the side. This would make his trip quicker, he reasoned to himself as he hopped over the discarded garbage, cutting through would get him home faster. As if displeased with his choice, the air around him dropped by several degrees.

"While I live and breathe; Hart, is that you?"

Dimitri fought against his need to jump and squeak, instead turning around to face the familiar voice, "Oh m-my, Carter, is that you?"

"In the flesh! How's it been, buddy?" Dimitri shook where he stood, the sunlight behind the taller boy giving him that halo look that really didn't fit him, "Haven't seen you in a while. Which is weird since, if I remember correctly, you were in my history class just a few weeks ago."

"Oh, about that," Dimitri was quick to speak up, his mind racing to figure out an excuse, "I had to change classes. You know how it is, dropping and picking up classes and all."

"Yeah, no worries, I get it. Really, I do!" Carter's laugh made Dimitri jump, "The only thing I don't get is that, normally, you do that kind of thing in the beginning of the year. Not in the middle of the second. Semester."

Dimitri continued to back up, only to hit something behind him that definitely wasn't part of the wall. He gulped, turning his head ever so slightly, "H-hey, Monica! Wow, it's been a long while, h-hasn't it?"

"Can it." Dimitri gulped, taking a step back. Damn, had Monica always been that much bigger than him? Of course, she wasn't the captain of the wrestling team for no reason, but still…

Dimitri yelped as Monica put a hand on his shoulder, her grip just a little tighter than it needed to be, "Make it quick, Carter. I have plans."

"Don't start with me, Monica." Carter took his sweet time walking over, shoes kicking trash out of the way as he went, "I'll make it worth your time, promise." Dimitri's eyes shot closed the moment Carter cocked his fist back, his whole body tensing up as he waited for the strike to hit.

Instead, he heard Monica's horrid scream, his shoulder being released as her large form seemingly retreated. Dimitri's eyes pried open, spying Carter looking a lot less… Confident, "C-C-Carter?"

"What the fuck?" Carter wasn't looking at him, Dimitri noted. His eyes seemed glued to something… Behind him. Dimitri did his best not to panic, regardless of his shaking voice, "What the absolute hell is that, Hart?"

Carter didn't get an answer. Dimitri could only assume what was happening behind him, how horrifying it had to look to make Carter scream. Dimitri watched as Carter backtracked right into a trash bag, tripping over it as he did so, "H-hey, come on, Hart." Carter said, his eyes having yet to meet Dimitri's, "You're not gonna… You're not gonna hurt me, right? We go way back, c-come on, man."

Dimitri fought to keep the tremble out of his voice, "I can't control it, Carter."

He hadn't meant for that to sound so ominous. But, what with the lighting and the cold air, he could see why Carter's panicked expression turned to absolute dread. He muttered something, words Dimitri could barely make out, before his head dropped to the trash, eyes rolling back as his body went into shut down.

"... Oh god." Dimitri muttered, eyes going wide as he rushed to the fallen boy, "Oh shit, damnit, is he dead? Check for his pulse, check for it… I can't find it. Oh god, did I just kill someone!?"

"Keep hyperventilating like that, and you'll end up in the same situation."

Dimitri yelped at that, whipping around, "C-c-can you not do that?"

Lilith pushed past him, forcing Carter's head to the side sharply, before pressing her two fingers around his neck, "... Quit panicking, he just fainted."

"Oh, thank god." Dimitri muttered, throwing his body against the wall, placing a hand over his chest as he tried to calm down. He didn't catch the look that Lilith casted in his direction, nearly jumping when a hand found itself on his shoulder.

It was almost as if she had scared the fear from his system, his breathing whipping right back into place as Lilith scanned him. Only then did he notice the sunglasses on her face, rather than the usual mask, "Are you okay?"

It took Dimitri a moment to realize she was talking to him, and longer for him to formulate some sort of response, "Y-yeah."

"You're not hurt or anything? Your breathing is okay?"

"Yes."

"Good." Dimitri didn't even see her move, instead his head jerked to the side, a stinging pain erupting from his cheek, "What the HELL did you think you were doing, running into an alley like that!?"

Dimitri stared at her sunglasses in shock, his hand moving to cup his now-warm cheek, "H-huh?"

"What kind of idiot walks into an alleyway like that!? I mean, my god, are you trying to get mugged!?" Lilith made a sound between a groan and a scoff, stepping over and on Carter as she paced around in circles. Dimitri couldn't help but compare her to an irritated parent, "Who in their right mind thinks that it's a good idea to use the alley, especially when they're a tiny, timid, scared-of-his-own-shadow kid!?"

"I… I…" Dimitri coughed into his hand, taking a small step back when Lilith's head whipping around to face his voice, "I thought someone was following me, and I… I just thought that…I thought someone was following me."

He hated how small his voice sounded, especially at the very end. He rubbed his hand over his arm, part of him knowing that, like this, he probably looked like some sort of kicked puppy. He didn't look up, Lilith's dropped expression going unnoticed, "Oh, you just… Cause you thought… Crap."

Dimitri watched as Lilith huffed, marching right over to him, before turning her face to the side, "go on."

"W-what?"

"God, I gotta explain everything to you. Hit me."

"W-what!?"

Dimitri could practically feel the ice in Lilith's eyes, her scoff more than a little impatient, "I hit you when you didn't deserve it. I can't really undo a slap to the face, but I can try to even it out. So, hit me."

Dimitri's brain seemed to short circuit on him in that moment, "B-but I-"

"I was the reason doors were creaking shit and windows were slamming shut," Lilith deadpanned, "I was fucking with you because I thought it would be funny. Now, are you gonna-?"

She didn't get to finish, her words cut off as Dimitri decked her across the face. Dimitri huffed and puffed, his fist finally moving to open and cover his mouth, watching as Lilith staggered back. He watched as one of her hands came up to hold her cheek, taking a step back when she slowly straightened up.

He jumped when Lilith's head twisted to face him, her mouth parting ever so slightly, "Damn. Anyone ever tell you ya don't hit like a nerd?"

Before Dimitri could ask, Lilith stretched out, throwing her arms up as she yawned, before both of her hands found themselves on his shoulders, "Hey, do me a favor and hold your breath."

Dimitri opened his mouth to ask, only to have all his air rush straight out of his lungs, the world around him going dark as he dropped. He felt like he was plummeting straight down, like someone had just dropped him off of the empire state building. He felt the air rushing up from all around him, unaware of his own arms flailing about until one of Lilith's hands moved from his shoulder to grab them, pulling it down.

Before Dimitri could panic over the sudden loss of support, he tripped over the ground that had suddenly appeared under him. Startled, he stumbled backwards just as Lilith let go of him, landing rather painfully on the backpack he'd yet to take off, "...Oww."

"Nice landing." Lilith said, her mouth returning to its usual thin line as she inspected his room, "Also, for the record, your room is a pigsty."

Dimitri moved to take off and toss his backpack somewhere near the desk, wanting to remark about how he didn't exactly plan to have a girl over at the moment, only to force his mouth back shut. Not only would Lilith most likely kill him on the spot, but he was positive that he'd manage to stumble over his words.

Lilith turned to him, her mouth open as if she were able to say something, only to pause when a knock came to Dimitri's door, "Dimitri, are you in there? You need to wake up, silly! You're going to be late for school!"

Dimitri didn't need a mirror to know that he looked as pale as Lilith did in that moment, his body throwing itself into overdrive as his mind scrambled to collect some sort of coherent thoughts. He could practically see the mini Dimitris in his head, scrambling about, running and crying.

"Umm," Lilith murmured, her voice low enough to go undetected, "It's the afternoon. School ended. Does your mom not know that?"

"It's a long story." Dimitri all but hissed, rushing about his room, eyes scanning the small place for somewhere to stow Lilith away. God, there really was nothing to hide Lilith under, and the panicked screaming in the back of his head REALLY wasn't helping at the moment-

"Dimitri, are you talking to someone?"

"What? No!" Dimitri shouted back, his heart just about to give in when the doorknob jiggled, the door being pushed open from the other side, "No, wait, mom-!"

His mother pushed her way into his room, her eyes looking just a little cloudier than normal as she inspected his room, "Honestly, Dimitri, your room shouldn't be this much of a… mess..."

Dimitri's eyes went wide as his mother's landed on something behind him. He couldn't turn around, even if he wanted to, frozen in place as the clock on his wall continued to tick the seconds away.

"... Dimitri."

Dimitri jumped as his mother's voice, "Y-yes, ma?"

Dimitri nearly jumped to stop her as she moved past him, legs unwilling to turn around as his mind pleaded. He waited with baited breath, barely noticing how his clenched fists were leaving little crescent indents in his palm, "Did you throw your bag at the wall? Your school supplies are all over the place!"

Dimitri could feel his bones creak as he turned around ever so slowly, eyes landing on the spilled bag on the floor, and… Nothing else. He watched as his mom lifted his bag to his desk, looking over the spilled pencils and book on the floor with just a hint of disapproval.

Meanwhile, Dimitri couldn't help but slap his forehead, cursing himself. Of course Lilith wasn't going to be there!

"Oh, sweetheart, don't do that." He barely noticed his mom walking over, her hands removing his from his forehead, replacing it with a kiss, "You'll lose brain cells like that."

"Y-yeah, sorry, ma." Dimitri stuttered out, before clearing his throat into his fist, "So, umm, not to kick you out or anything, but I kinda need some time alone right now…"

He watched as his mother's expression turned to one of confusion as his words trailed off, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she snapped her fingers, "Oh, I forgot that I was working on dinner, silly me!" She gave Dimitri a hug before walking out the room, "Don't you be late for dinner, okay?"

"Yes, ma." Dimitri's stiff posture dropped the moment the door was closed, an exasperated groan leaving his mouth as he raked his fingers down his face, hoping to escape this waking nightmare.

"Interesting."

Dimitri couldn't help his yelp at that, nor could he stop himself from jumping when Lilith poked her head in from the wall, his own surprised expression reflecting back at him in the sunglasses on her face, "H-huh?"

"Your mom, she's interesting." For some reason, Dimitri didn't like the distant sound in her voice, nor was he too fond of the way her eyes seemed locked on the door, "I wonder…"

Dimitri was about to ask what she was thinking about, only to jump back when Lilith dropped into the floor without any sort of warning. Dimitri could feel his heart pounding against his rib cage, as if trying to fight its way out of his anxiety-riddled body.

He couldn't help but finally take a much needed breather, slumping against the wall as his brain went into what he could only describe as a total restart. He couldn't help but wonder why Lilith would just up and disappear like that, especially while sounding so… cryptic.

What could have caught her attention like that-

His thoughts didn't get to finish as he shot up from the floor, making a mad dash out the door and down the stairs. He almost tumbled down them, somehow managing to keep on his feet as his mind was once again thrown into a sense of complete and total fear. He grabbed onto the door frame and turned the corner a little too quickly, slamming his forehead into the wall in the process.

"Dimitri, dear, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah." Dimitri muttered, wincing as he pressed his hand to his forehead, slowly turning around to see… His mom cleaning the dining room table, "Do you need help?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, there's no need for that." His mother sent him a wide smile, oblivious to the person in the corner behind her, watching the two of them quietly, "I just need to… To…"

It physically pained him to see his mother's eyes grow foggy, her hand making its way to her chin, as if holding her head up, "Mom?"

"What was I doing again?" She murmured, more so to herself than Dimitri. She walked past him and out into the hall, making her way to the living room, "I was doing something, something important…"

Dimitri moved to follow his mom, paying no attention to how Lilith seemed to appear in the corner of the living room, silently watching from her spot, "Here, sit down, ma."

He led her to the couch, helping her get settled before rising back up, dusting his hands, "You wait here, I'll go and get your meds, okay?"

He didn't wait for an answer, knowing better than to expect one at this point, as he made his way back to the kitchen. His movements were quicker than usual, almost frantic as his shaking hand moved to grab a cup and fill it with water. He nearly drops the pill he's bringing back to the living room, instead placing it into his mother's, "Make sure to drink all the water."

His mother looked up at him, confusion in her eyes, "Are you alright, Dimitri?"

"H-huh?" Dimitri stared at the spot Lilith was in, finding it empty, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

The confusion slowly made its way deeper into her eyes, Dimitri unable to do much else but watch as that foggy look returned to his mother's face, "... I'm sorry, what am I doing right now?"

"You're taking your meds," Dimitri reminded her calmly. At least, he hoped he came off as calm. God knew that, if there were a mirror in their dim living room, he'd see a shaking, frantic reflection staring right back at him, "And then you're going to drink all of your water."

His heart skipped a beat when her eyes narrowed, as if she was about to ask another question, only to shake her head and throw the pill back, chugging water right after. Dimitri nearly fell off the couch when she shot up from her spot, dusting off her skirt as she did so, "I need to go and wash the dishes!" With that, his mother rushed off, saying something about how the house was a mess, and that they'd be having guests soon.

Dimitri all but slumped over, allowing his body to slide right off of the couch and onto the floor. He wasn't exactly sure why he felt so mentally drained, but looking back on what had happened over the last fifteen minutes, he could understand.

"Bedroom."

The words were whispered into his ear. Not that they did much to get him moving at first, Dimitri's feet refusing to bend to his will. Finally, he stood up, slowly but surely walking over to the stairway. He felt like he was on autopilot at this point, his brain too tired from running around to really think coherent thoughts at the moment.

He felt like he'd just appeared in his room, with how his brain was almost fizzing in and out at this point. For all he knew, Lilith had pulled him into a wall and dropped him off on his bed, and was about to yell at him for taking so long.

Someone handed him a can of something, Dimitri's mind too far gone to really question who it was, or what was inside, instead moving to take it and down whatever was inside. He felt his body jump back into high gear, the sugary liquid running down his through and through his system.

"Better?"

Dimitri nodded, turning to Lilith's voice. She'd taken to sitting at his desk, resting her front of the back of the chair. She watched him quietly, his mind deciding that this was getting uncomfortable when it was able to finally come back from it's mini vacation.

Finally Lilith sighed, a hand coming up to wipe her eyes, the other shifting them from their spot for a second, "I'm not going to hurt her."

A shiver ran down his spine as he stared at Lilith, hands shaking ever so slightly. He wasn't sure what was stronger: relief in hearing she wouldn't drag his mom into this mess, or horror that she felt the need to clarify that.

"There's no need for her to know about me," Lilith went on, oblivious to Dimitri as she stretched her arms up and out, taking in the posters on the wall and the action figures placed on the shelves, "She doesn't need to know anything about me, wouldn't you agree?"

Dimitri nodded, quickly noting the underlying threat in her voice. While it helped to know that she wouldn't do anything against his mom, that still did little to settle his nerves, "C-couldn't agree more, boss."

Lilith stopped her pacing at that, her clasped hands twitching behind her. Before Dimitri could apologize, Lilith shook her head, whipping around to face him, "Do me a favor, would ya?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Never call me that again." Another shiver seemed to go through Lilith, her head cocking to the side at an almost unnatural angel before returning back to normal, "It just… It doesn't sound right."

"Oh, okay."

That was the end of their conversation. At least, with the way that Lilith just up and vanished made Dimitri think that. He didn't openly breathe until the feeling of being watched finally diminished. Even then he couldn't help but constantly turn around, expecting to see her familiar hoodie, or her mask.

Dimitri curled up on his bed, hugging his legs close before placing his forehead on his knees, willing himself to stop shaking.

He was ready for this day to be over.


"It's about time."

"Don't start with me," Lilith said before handing the package to Puppeteer, her head tilting back in order to get a good look at the shop's sign. While it wasn't her first guess, she could only assume that Puppeteer would choose what appeared to be an abandoned bar, "How the hell was I supposed to know that you two changed locations?"

Puppeteer opened his mouth, only to have Painter beat him to it, "We gave Slender directions." Painter said from inside the building, his figure just barely visible past Puppeteer, who had decided that leaning on the doorframe was the best place to be, "Were they not passed on to you?"

"Nope." Lilith muttered from outside, her eyes darting about constantly. It was noticeably darker than earlier, and for some reason, Lilith couldn't help but feel as if they were being watched.

From inside, Lilith barely heard Painter's voice over her mind's near constant buzz, "Puppeteer."

"Hmm?"

"Don't you think it would be a great idea for you to move to the side and let Lilith in?"

"She just had to ask." Was Puppeteer's defense, moving to the side regardless. Lilith walked in, pushing him aside almost playfully, his grin matching the one in her head, "Not my fault she was too timid to ask me to move."

"Ah, yes." Painter muttered from where he stood, appearing to be putting away an easel, "Timid and Lilith, synonymous."

"I was trying to be polite." Lilith said, shaking her head when Puppeteer tried to ruffle her hair, "Quit it, I'm not that much shorter than you."

"It's not a height thing," Puppeteer defended, his hand once more trying its luck, only to be slapped away, "It's a show of dominance."

"So you spent the whole day trying to find this dump?" Painter said, quickly interviewing to gesture to the dusty bar top and plastic-covered seats on wooden tables, "I pity you, really."

"Remind me to beat Masky when we get back," Lilith all but hissed lowly, anger bubbling ever so slightly, "I'm willing to bet my mask that he knew."

"Oh, I'll take that bet!" Puppeteer grinned, moving to give Painter the brown paper bag, who in turn tucked it into his breast pocket.

"As much fun as this is, could we do this on our walk back? I'd rather not be stuck with leftovers again." A visible shudder ran down Painter's back as he pushed past them both to open the door, holding it open for Lilith only to have it swing into Puppeteer's face.

"Dude, the fuck!?"

"Apologizes, my hand slipped." Lilith couldn't help the small smirk on her face as Painter's obvious bullshit, Puppeteer punching his shoulder as they walked on, the three walking down the road and into the woods.

"That's bullshit, and you know it!" Puppeteer said, his voice closer to a laugh than actual anger. Lilith had to physically withhold the laugh that fought to escape her mouth when Puppeteer pounced onto Painter, "Say you're sorry."

"For what!?"

"For the door thing!"

"You're still on the door? I'm telling you, it slipped."

"Yeah, I'm totally convinced that Mr. 'Steady hands are required to handle a brush' is telling the truth right now."

Lilith watched the exchange with a fond smile on her face, about to add to their childish argument, only to have a familiar high-pitched voice cut in.

"Well, aren't you three just ADORABLE together?"

Lilith couldn't have thrown her hand out faster, grabbing the scythe that shot up from the ground. She couldn't see it, but she was sure that the other two were also getting ready for a fight, if the shuffling behind her was any sort of indication.

She heard Puppeteer grumble as Lizzie strolled over towards them, a big, bright smile on her face, "Every fucking time, I swear."

"Yeah, it's almost like she knows I'm here." Lilith added sarcastically.

"That's it, you're not walking back with us anymore. You're gonna go and teleport away from now on, or whatever you do."

"Could we save this for later?" Painter all but hissed, his masking having yet to turn away from the approaching threat.

Lizzie all but waltzed into view, giggling into the back of her head as she approached. Lilith could feel chills running up her spine with every step Lizzie took, as if the shadows themselves were also attempting to flee and hide within her.

The only thing to break the tension was Puppeteer's loud groan, "Why does this always happen when we head back with Lilith? Always!"


Lilith:...Well, since no one else is here...

"No one cares unless you're pretty or dying"

"Sarcasm: It's one of my many talents"

"Maybe I've always been more comfortable in chaos"

"Stars can't shine without darkness"

There, now I'll appeal to the edgy readers again.

Now then, I need to go and look for a new book to read...