When Lily came back to consciousness, she thought she was dead. All she saw was darkness. Her eyes were open, she thought, but it was just black. She closed her eyes - darkness. She opened her eyes - darkness. With a hand she reached up to her face to check that her eyeballs were still in her head. They were, so that was a good start. Next, she noticed the cold. With her mind as foggy as it was she pieced together what little she knew - Wherever she was laying, it was in complete darkness and it was cold.

With her hand moving slowly around her head, the pounding inside of her brain suddenly became more apparent. Lily made a mental note to herself to make sure to research how many times a person could be choked unconscious before serious brain damage could occur.

Flashes of what happened before she'd been choked out replayed in her mind. She remembered running, she remembered the feeling of worry and anger, she remembered Cassidy..

Cassidy.

Her heart dropped.

He had been in a full blown altercation with Jody, Lily remembered...

Too scared to make noise, Lily sat upright slowly. When she groaned quietly, the sound of her own groan alarmed her, realizing that it had directly bounced off a wall. Wherever she was, it was a confined space. Soon, she was able to muster up the courage to reach around, her hands feeling about as she lifted them above her to stand upright. She couldn't reach the top of whatever she was in, but she could touch all four walls around her without moving hardly at all and it seemed that every piece was made out of cold stone. There was clearly no door around her, so she had to assume it was above her reach.

Sitting back down again on the cold and damp floor, she sighed, her mind hazy as she tried her best to focus on staying calm and not focusing on the what-ifs.

She remembered her brother choking out the words to her before they'd passed out, "Don't let them know..." Lily groaned, struggling to remember his exact words. Sitting cross legged with her head in her hands, she spent several minutes trying to recollect so many things. Finally, she was able to piece it together.

Don't let them know that we know about Cass.

No matter what.

Lily wasn't sure how much time passed in the pitch back pit she was trapped in, but eventually, she was beginning to get less and less nervous and more squirrelly. "Hey!" She yelled, her voice bouncing back at full volume directly back at her, "Hey!" She yelled louder, not convinced her voice was projecting out of the tiny space very much, if at all. With no luck, no one came to her calls. Deflated, she sat back down on the freezing stone floor, trying to keep her mind at ease.

She wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed since she woke up, but she knew it felt like it had been forever, when suddenly, there was a thunderous noise from above. It took Lily longer than expected to figure out it had been footsteps, but then again, these footsteps were not the average person. The sound of various clinks and clanks came from above her, recognizing quickly that it had to have been a good amount of locks on the door. Quickly, Lily stood upright on her feet. Just barely above Lily's reach, the ceiling of the enclosure she was in opened up entirely. It was still dark, but there was a dim bit of light that caught her eye, causing her to be able to see the outline of the person who stood above her - who was unmistakably Jody.

With her throat dry, Lily kept her mouth shut, waiting for him to speak first. Instead of words, Lily was greeted with a blinding flashlight to her. Instantly, she shielded her eyes, "Hm." Jody groaned as he examined her. Lily was able to look down, getting a good glimpse of her surroundings - which wasn't much. She was in a small, square concrete pit about six or seven feet under the ground.

"You knew." Jody asked the question in an intimidating tone that was more of a statement. Jody seemed to be in his area of expertise in the moment, the upper hand with a sick twist - but Lily had her fair share of interrogations and she knew how to handle herself. With her eyes squinted, still sensitive from the light, she looked up at Jody, only seeing the blinding sunburst pattern from the flashlight Jody held on her, "What?" Lily asked. With a disgruntled groan, Jody bent over, grabbing the swinging door, "Reckon you could use some more time in here then." He grunted bitterly, his hand motioning to close it again. "No." Lily choked out feebly, "Please." She begged, and regardless of how little she could see in the darkness, she could sense the pleasure it gave Jody when she pleaded the way she just had. He was beaming with satisfaction as she practically melted into a puddle of helplessness in the ground underneath him.

"Admit it then." Jody tested, "Admit you knew about him."

With her face scrunching a bit more, Lily shook her head one way, "Jody, I don't know what you're talking-" Before Lily could finish her sentence, Jody slammed the door shut, the reverse of the sound she'd just heard began and he locked it shut again. With a sigh, Lily slumped back down to the ground. She knew this wasn't going to be an easy feat, but she had to listen to Jesse's words. They couldn't have the slightest suspicion that they were aware Cassidy was a vampire all along.

Lily laid there, knowing it would be a while before she got out of there, but she had to stay strong. She took a deep breath in, and suddenly, her heart skipped a beat. She smelt Cassidy's blood. Her mind raced, she had checked every inch of the tiny space she was in, she knew she was alone in there. Slowly, she sat up, following the scent until her face hit the ground where she was laying. On the cold, damp floor was the faint trace of Cassidy's blood. Trying desperatly to understand, Lily thought hard. The last she'd been with Cassidy he had her grasped in his arms, urging her not to run out towards where Jesse and Tulip had been.

He'd been shirtless, with a fresh, open bullet wound in his chest. Some of his blood must've gotten on her when he was holding her back as tight as he was. Suddenly, she realized - taking her shirt off and pressing her nose up to the back side of it. There it was - the origin of the scent. She breathed it in, and it brought her a sense like no other. The moisture from the floor must've caused it to liquify instead of dry up to the fabric.

Lily pressed the shirt up to her mouth and squeezed whatever she could onto her tongue. It was gritty from the dirt on the ground and nothing like what she was used to, but it was enough to keep her reliance going - she hoped.


The routine of Jody coming out continued for three days, but in the pit in the ground, Lily had no sense of time. Each time Jody would come to interrogate, she kept denying. Each time, her will was becoming weaker, the claustrophobia and darkness wearing away at her, but she knew that it was a small price to pay for what could possibly happen to any of them if she'd admitted the truth.

Inside the house, Jody and TC were conversing with Madame L'Angelle, "She's been in there for almost three days." Jody grumbled to Madame L'Angelle, "Hasn't said a peep." Madame L'Anglelle's mouth twisted, "Hm." She growled, "She'll speak. Wait." She ordered. She knew the pit Lily was in would wear her mentality down - the pit made anyone admit anything eventually, just to be able to get out of there. It was amazing how many confessions could come out of a concrete hole in the ground.

Back in the pit, Lily's throat was sore from lack of water. She'd been talking to herself a lot, unknowingly, and by now, she hardly had a voice left. She was beyond thirsty, imagining how much water she could drink if given the opportunity. With her eyes closed, she winced, trying to pry her mind away from the idea of water. The sound of her stomach growling was constant.

She'd been so weak and exhausted that she'd stopped feeling anything that Jesse might have been. Part of her wondered if Jesse was dead for a while, until she felt the emotions brewing in her. She wasn't sure if any of the pain in her body was coming from the second hand feeling their blood bond had seemed to provide for them, but at least she knew Jesse was still alive. Lily lifted her one arm feebly up to her chest - she was so sore. The next time Jody came out she had to sell the performance if she had a hope of making it out. Luckily, she'd been able to keep up with the reliance she had for Cassidy's blood - though it was diluted and not the same as what she was used to from him. The shirt she'd worn with the faint remnant of his blood was depleted, and she wasn't convinced she could last long without a proper dose of it, either.

When Jody opened the door again, Lily laid there for a moment before slowly bringing herself to her knees, "Fine." Lily whispered, "Fine, yes I knew. I knew about him." With content filling him, Jody chuckled, "Hmph." He grinned, looking down on her, "Tell me exactly."

Lily put on the full blown hysterics, which wasn't too difficult considering she was losing her mind by now and she had many reasons to be crying at this point, "I knew Jesse was planning on crossing gran'ma." She sobbed, "I-I'm sorry, Jody, I'm sorry!" She gasped between sobs, struggling to catch her breath, "Tell gran'ma I'm sorry. I'll do anything, I'll do anything just let me out of here please..."

Obviously, that wasn't what Jody was referring to. Jody had been talking about Cassidy being a vampire, which of course Lily knew, but she had to make him believe she was confessing to something else, and that she hadn't the slightest clue about Cassidy being a vampire. "That's not what I'm talkin' about." Jody groaned. Lily looked up, her brow furrowing, "What?" She gasped, "Jody, please, I don't know what else Jesse's done. I just knew he wanted to get out of here. That's it." Lily sobbed, "That's it." She keeled over onto the ground of the pit and continued crying, knowing just how much Jody got off on seeing her in such a vulnerable position.

Lily was caught off guard with a thunk noise in front of her. When she looked up, she could see the faint outline of a ladder placed down in front of her. It took everything in her to get on her feet and use what little strength she had to get up to where Jody stood, towering over her as she sniffled. He grabbed onto her firmly, and she worried if he squeezed any tighter that her arm may break. He pulled her towards the outside of whatever building it was they were in, and when he opened the door, the sun was extremely blinding. Lily couldn't handle the brightness, after days in the dark pit, it was impossible for her eyes to adjust. Luckily Jody was dragging her in the direction of where they were going. Lily found herself laughing unwillingly, out of a mixture of feelings.

Jody had tried to break her, and it didn't work. She won. More tears streamed down her face, this time for relief of fresh air and freedom from the horrifying place she'd been trapped in, but also dread. She worried what had happened to Tulip. To Jesse. But most of all, due to the sake of her life, Cassidy. Her bones ached and her body felt like it was going to explode and every part of her worried that if Cassidy was dead then soon, she would be too.

Before she knew it they were inside and Jody had tossed Lily down on the ground in the living room where Madame L'Angelle was sitting. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Her gran'ma demanded. With her eyes adjusting better now that they were inside, Lily slumped over in a ball of shame, speaking into the musty smelling floorboards, "I'm sorry gran'ma. I'm sorry we tried to run away." Lily whined. Curiously, Marie L'Angelle looked up to Jody who stood at Lily's side, Jody shook his head, "She doesn't know nothin'." He stated.

Lily used all the courage she had and looked up to her gran'ma, tears streaming down her face as she did her best to seem more broken than she really was. She used the worry inside of her for the well being of Tulip, Cassidy and Jesse as fuel to help her seem more emotional, and it worked. Her grandmother looked down on her, her lips pressed into a straight line. Inside, Madame L'Angelle found herself not sure whether Lily was being honest or not - but she was going to find out. Lily was weak, and vulnerable. Marie L'Angelle did what she had when she'd first been left alone with Lily, she honed into her.

This time was different, Lily knew what was happening. Lily groaned as she fought against it. She remembered the last time her grandmother had done this - when she'd pried into her mind. The door was beginning to open, but Lily wasn't going to let her grandmother step foot in. Jody watched the two of them in a silent battle, each of their bodies trembling as Madame L'Angelle tried to break the barrier Lily was struggling to keep up. It was torturous, Lily felt every bit of herself being stretched out as she tried desperately to cling onto what little control she still had before her grandmother broke in. Lily had been holding her breath, grunting in pain, it felt like she was on the brink of exploding, the tension was strong. Suddenly, like a light switch, the tensity was gone. Madame L'Angelle gasped, beyond outraged that her attempt had failed.

Lily barely had enough time to look back up at her grandmother when she got hit with an alarming slap against the face, sending her to fall on her side, "Clean yourself up, for fuck's sake." She hissed breathlessly at Lily, her hand that she'd used to just smack Lily sideways still in the air, "We're expecting a big crowd for opening night."

With her hand against the side of her burning face, Lily adjusted her jaw, worried she might've just lost a tooth from the brutal smack that her grandmother had landed on her. Opening night?.. Lily wondered, but before she could say a word, Jody had his hands on her again.

He clenched his massive hands around her shoulders, bringing her upstairs into the room she'd been staying in. Something told her she wouldn't find Cassidy in there, but she sure wished she would. Sure enough, the room was empty, and it also looked like it had been flipped upside down. Their belongings were strewn all over the place. Lily's heart skipped a beat thinking about her mother's notebook - but she remembered Cassidy had placed it in the hiding place in the wall they had originally found it in. "Your brother and his girl should be comin' back in here any minute." Jody bellowed, "So hurry up and get cleaned up cause we got a lot to do before tonight."

Lily turned to Jody, wanting to ask about ten different questions at once, but he slammed the door before she could. Not knowing what to do, Lily first searched for her phone - to no avail. She was covered in filth, she needed to rinse off at least. It was a brutal task to have a shower. Lily was so weak and so sore, and the water that ran was freezing cold, but she hardly noticed. She opened her mouth, letting the cold water from the shower head go down her dry throat. Eventually, she was able to get out and change, only to find TC in the bedroom when she came out of the bathroom.

"Hey there." TC said, chipper as always. With a heavy sigh, Lily pressed her lips into a straight line, "Is my brother around TC?" TC was busy moving all sorts of things around that he'd brought into the room, placing it all on the bed. "Little Jesse? He should be back any minute." TC picked up a container, bringing it over to Lily, "Here, drink this. You gotta get those electrolytes and fluids and all that good stuffs back up there." Lily didn't respond, grabbing at the bottle and not eager to be putting anything they were giving inside of her. TC handed her some pills, to which she grabbed, but didn't do anything with.

"Sorry bout the mess here, miss Marie told me and Jody to try and find anythin'." TC explained. Lily didn't move or say anything, simply swallowing a lump in her throat. TC raised his eyebrows, "Go on. Take that stuff." Lily looked at him, her eyes were dead compared to what he was used to seeing in her. Lily noticed the spark in TC diminish slightly, "Ah.." TC groaned, "Lady Lil." He sighed, "I know yous is hurtin' and all, but you won't get better til ya take somethin'."

With her eyes still low, and her voice a dark growl, Lily glared into TC, "Where are they, TC?" With another huff, TC shrugged his shoulders, "Little Jesse and his girl have been runnin' around gettin' stuff ready for the Tombs to open tonight." TC explained. Lily felt her throat tightening, it was good to know that her brother and Tulip were alive, but an awful twist in her stomach worried for what Cassidy's fate had been. Lily felt herself begin to shake, with fear and fury, "Cassidy." Lily stated slowly.

TC shook his head, "That's been taken care of, don't you worry about it." He assured with a smile. Lily felt her eyes well up and part of her worried that if she acted on impulse she'd kill TC with her bare hands in that moment. Her ears began to ring and she wondered if Cassidy was gone, then how long did she have left before her body shut down? TC's voice broke through the ringing in her ears just barely, "I believe ya, Lady Lil." TC sang, "I know you got a good heart. Like your momma did. I know you's wouldn't be with a monster like that." Lily felt the fire burning inside of her. The intense emotions were beginning to become too much to hold in - but she kept collected, still as stone. When Lily didn't respond, TC placed a hand on her arm, "Bet you're just heartbroken."

In an instant, Lily's eyes shot down to the hand TC had placed on her - the direct contact he was making to her, the fiery build up in her core. Her eyes shot up to his. She could see the instant TC felt scared, the redness in her eyes that TC didn't recognize in her pierced through him and suddenly, TC felt a chilling wave of terror consume his entirety - one he knew too well, one that he only felt with Madame L'Angelle. Before he knew it, with one deep breath, Lily was inside of him.

This time, Lily had stepped into a vast space, it was cluttered and disorganized. Instead of searching the area, she closed her eyes and searched differently for what she was looking for. It was a quick blur as she rushed to see as much as possible - She saw the place that TC referred to as the Tombs, she saw a memory of Jesse when he was just a teenager with TC in the Tombs. She saw the horrifying display of brutal combat, a machine that people would sit in and have the souls sucked right out of them, her grandmother consuming each one as she became stronger and stronger.

Then there was a flash... the Tombs were abandoned - Lily had passed through many years, Jesse was gone and Madame L'Angelle was having a massive fit. Her screams were like nails on a chalkboard. Madame L'Angelle wailed loudly - Lily got a look at her grandmother, who was obviously weaker. "You get it for me, God Damn It!" Marie L'Angelle yelled to TC and Jody, "Kill them all! I don't give a shit. But you get it for me, or else you're both dead!" She threatened. Lily watched as the next memory flooded in, Jody and TC had come back into the house with something wrapped up in a box, handing it over to Madame L'Angelle.

She looked as if she was going to pass away any second, "This amulet's the only thing I got left without the Tombs." She coughed out feebly.

"Jus put it on now, Miss Marie." TC sang, "There ya go. No one's gonna take it from you."

When TC helped Madame L'Angelle place the amulet around her neck, a large figure appeared behind her. Lily watched, breathlessly as the outline became more obvious to who it was - the Devil himself. With his horns grazing the ceiling above him, he reached around from the back of her grandmother and placed a hand over the amulet that was around her neck. The amulet glowed brightly, and Madame L'Angelle began reciting words, a foreign language that Lily couldn't understand. The Devil spoke in unison with her, their voices clashing in a terrifying harmony, sending a rush of fear through Lily. Suddenly, Lily became scared, she retracted herself, closing her eyes as she moved her mind away from the moment. She was relieved to see it had worked, bringing TC to an empty and blank space in his mind as he stared at her curiously. She latched her hands onto him, "Forget that I've been here." She commanded, "Now sleep."

It had felt like Lily had been inside TC for an hour, but in reality, it had been just barely a minute. TC fell backward, landing on the bed as Lily caught herself from swaying back herself. She crouched down, incredibly lightheaded. She panted, trying to catch her breath as her heart raced. There was a loud bang, and Lily was relieved to see it was Jesse that had bursted through the bedroom door and not Jody. Her brother stood at the doorway, Tulip directly behind him. Their eyes were wide and her brother was breathless, "Lily." He said, worried at the sight and more importantly, at the emotions that he'd felt second hand from her.

Both Jesse and Tulip rushed to Lily, landing on their knees to be directly at her side, "What happened?" Jesse asked wrapping an arm around his sister, "What'd TC do?!" His eyes moved up to see TC knocked out on the bed, only assuming she had to defend herself against him. Little did he know how wrong he was. Lily took a deep breath, looking to her brother, her voice hoarse as she spoke, "Guess now's a good time to tell you I've been practicing like you asked."