Guess What!
Lilith stared down at the crystal shards scattered across the floor. Five minutes ago her mother's crystal cat figurine was sitting on the tabletop. Now its fragments were strewn everywhere. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the door open and close. Time felt as if it were in slow motion as she heard her mother gasp. Deanna spun Lilith around. "What did you do!" Lilith was too terrified to answer. Deanna pushed her aside and kneeled next to the broken crystal. "Were you playing with this after I repeatedly told you not to?"
"No."
"Don't lie to me!"
"I'm not!"
Deanna snapped her head around. "Don't yell at me either!"
"It's not what you think, or what you want to think."
Lilith didn't expect what happened next. Deanna had disciplined her before, but this time Deanna was in no mood to stop and think. Deanna stood and struck Lilith across the face. The force of the blow knocked Lilith to the floor. "Don't you dare talk to me like that again," Deanna threatened.
Lilith learned early on to remain perfectly still when Deanna was angry with her. She waited with one hand over her bleeding nose while Deanna idly cleaned the floor one fragment at the time. She cringed as each shard crashed against each other in the trash. Just as Deanna picked up the last piece, the door opened again. Lilith allowed herself to relax when she heard Dante whistling. The song halted when he saw Lilith on the floor with a bleeding nose and Deanna with a piece of crystal in her hand.
"Did I miss something?" he asked Deanna.
Deanna held up the shard. "Your daughter broke my cat figurine."
"My daughter?" he mouthed. "What happened?" he asked Lilith.
She moved her hand from her face to speak clearly. "It's not what you think. It was an accident."
"What are you doing on the floor?" Lilith stood but did not speak. She didn't have to. Dante wiped the blood from her face with one sweep. "Go upstairs. I'll talk to you in a minute." Lilith wasted no time in obeying. Dante waited for the sound of the door closing before turning to Deanna. "Did you hit her?"
"What difference does it make? I wasn't thinking."
"Obviously. I thought I told you years ago to leave the discipline to me when her powers first surfaced. You don't understand what you could be contending with, especially in an emotional ten year old."
"I forgot, all right! I was angry. She broke my cat."
"You can't say I didn't warn you. I told you to keep it off that table."
"Maybe if she didn't run in the house, then she wouldn't keep bumping into the damn table and knocking shit over. Maybe if she kept her grubby little hands off everything, I wouldn't have to keep replacing it."
"That may be true, but what if Lilith had gotten angry enough at you to fight back? She's already capable of metamorphosing into a demon form under her own power. What would you have done if she managed to do so and attacked you?"
"Look! I said I'm sorry!"
"No you didn't, and don't yell at me. I'm not your child."
"Whatever." Dante didn't bother listening. He went upstairs and knocked on Lilith's door.
"What!" Lilith yelled.
"Don't yell at me, young lady." That he said it in a normal tone was enough for her to open the door. She cracked it just enough to stick her head through it. Dante ruffled her hair as soon as he could get a hold of it. "Get your coat. I'm taking you out."
*
"Will you please stop kicking my seat?"
Lilith curled her legs. "Sorry. I've had a bad day."
Dante glimpsed into the rearview mirror. "Are you sure that's all?"
"No. There is the stupid cat."
"I told you not to run around that corner. You always hit that table when you do."
"I know. I'm sorry." Lilith pressed her forehead against the window. "Are you going to spank me?"
Dante swallowed a snicker. "No. I think your mother got the point across."
"That's not funny."
Dante didn't straighten his face. "Who's laughing?"
Lilith didn't pay attention when the car stopped. Her mind was wandering when Dante pulled his seat up and undid her seat belt. She let him pull her out of the backseat by her arm. When she didn't notice where they were, he lifted her chin with his finger and pointed her face towards the Baskin Robbins sign. She bolted into a run towards the door. Dante shook his head. "Kids." He shut the car door and ran after her.
He found her balancing on her toes to gaze over the counter. He knew exactly what she was looking for. He told her to take a seat and wait. A minute later he placed a cup full of Rocky Road in front of her. "Thank you," she said quietly.
Dante sat opposite her with a cup of Cookies and Cream. "What's wrong?"
"She never hit me before. Not in the face. And you told her she couldn't punish me anymore. Only you could do that from now on."
Dante sat back. "How did you know about that?"
"I know everything." She shoved a spoonful of Rocky Road into her mouth.
"Really?"
"Just eat your ice cream, silly. I'm only joking."
"I doubt that."
*
Deanna waved at the women in the car before their car pulled off. Thunder in the distance made her run to the door. She fumbled with the keys for a moment. The muffled sound of an animal caused her to drop them. She listened carefully with her ear against the door. She was certain she heard a bark. Deanna picked up the keys and forced them into the door until she found the right one. When she opened the door, a black Labrador puppy stopped in its tracks to look at her. It spread its nostrils and growled at her.
"What is that beast doing in here!" Deanna demanded.
Lilith approached the puppy from behind and picked it up. It continued growling at Deanna. "This is our new dog. Isn't she cute?"
"Dog? What are we doing with a dog?"
"Lighten up, Deanna." Deanna raised her eyes to Dante without lifting her head. Her grimace only incited Dante. "Let the girl have some fun."
"What are you doing buying her a dog?"
"She wanted a pet."
"She has guppies."
"She wanted an interesting pet."
Deanna raised her head. "But a dog will leave a mess everywhere. It'll get into everything. It'll bring weird things home. We have Lilith for that."
"I'll take care of her," Lilith begged right before Dante stepped towards Deanna to strike her. "I promise."
"No way. No how." Deanna hadn't noticed how close she came to provoking Dante's dark side.
"That's not for you to say," Dante said. "I say the dog stays."
"What?"
Dante put a hand on Lilith's shoulder. "You know the drill. I'll see you in five."
I've heard that before, Lilith thought. "Can she sleep on my bed tonight?"
"Sure." As was the usual habit, he waited until he heard the door close to say anything. "Deanna, what is the problem?"
"If you had to get her another pet, why a dog?"
"I took her to a pet store on a whim. She saw a black Lab puppy. She wanted it. I let her have it. It's not that difficult to understand."
"Dante, you're spoiling her. All she has to do is cry and you'd give her the Eiffel Tower."
"Somebody has to. All you do is convince her that she's not worthy of you."
"How would you know any of that?"
"I'm her father. It's my job to know. Given our mutual natures, we share a bond that you can't understand. That's how I know. You never spend time with her; you'd rather run off with your friends. You never refuse your boss or ask for time off so you'd have extra time with her. I have to use all my free time on her. That's how I know. I take her to my office away from home, and she already knows how to play billiards. She only three games behind me. Contradict me, if you dare."
Deanna remained silent long enough to get over the shock her ego suffered. Then she forced herself to ask, "What's the dog's name?"
"Guess."
Deanna launched her keys across the room. "Dante, I'm not in the mood for games!"
"I'm not playing. That's the dog's name. Guess." Dante stood next to her so she could hear him whisper. "Get over it, dear. There's a new bitch in this house."
*
"Lilith!" Deanna threw several clothing articles one after another over her shoulder. "Lilith!" she called again. When she realized her daughter wasn't listening, she snatched up an armful of clothes and headed outside. She found Lilith, Dante, and Guess playing an amalgam of Frisbee and football. As she had done for the past six years, Guess stopped in her tracks and growled at Deanna. Deanna was the only one who seemed bothered by it.
"Lilith!"
Lilith tossed the Frisbee aside and slipped two fingers under Guess's collar. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it."
Deanna held out a handful of clothes. "I have told you too many times over the past six years to keep that dog out of my things."
"Sorry. I'll take responsibility."
"You bet you will." Deanna slung the clothes at Lilith. "What do you expect to do about this?"
Lilith pulled her hand from the collar when Dante slipped his own fingers under it. "There's no need for malevolence," Dante said. "You can always get new clothes. You've worn those only once and forgot you even had them. You wouldn't have remembered they were in your closet if Guess hadn't torn them up."
"Oh, shut up!" Deanna demanded. "You're just as bad as she is. You always take the damn dog's side."
"That is not true," Lilith calmly retorted. "I said I'll take care of it."
"Well, I know how you can start. Get rid of the dog."
Guess turned her ears back and barked at Deanna. Dante yanked the collar back, but Guess wouldn't stop until she was nearly choking. She ceased long enough to catch her breath, then began growling again. "There's no need to be so belligerent," Dante said.
Deanna didn't realize he was talking to the dog. "It doesn't matter. I'll just call my friends and go out for some fresh air." She pointed at Lilith. "I'm holding you responsible for that dog."
"Haven't you always?"
Deanna drew her hand back as if to strike her. Dante reached up to catch Deanna's hand, but he didn't have to. Lilith's hand snatched Deanna's, and his hand landed on top of Lilith's. Dante's grip prevented Lilith from twisting Deanna's wrist back. When she comprehended what she had done, Lilith jerked her hand free. She dropped to the ground beside Guess.
"Now do you understand?" Dante asked Deanna. "That is why you must be careful. You haven't seen what she can do."
But I have a good idea. Deanna slowly withdrew her hand. "I need to rest. We'll discuss this later."
When Deanna was gone, Dante sat on the ground on Guess's other side. "I suppose the rest of the afternoon is a bust."
"Definitely." Lilith scratched Guess behind an ear. "Why do you think Guess and Mom don't get along? Since the beginning, Guess always growls and barks whenever she sees Mom."
"They say that animals have a sixth sense. Maybe Guess knows something we don't. Do not ask me what it is."
"What could possibly be wrong with Mom that we wouldn't notice?"
"I just told you not to ask me that."
*
Guess pressed her nose against the door and scratched the wood in desperation. She stopped only when she heard the footsteps and smelled the person. A growl formed in her throat.
"Hello, doggie." Guess backed from the door as Deanna approached her. She saw her feeding bowl in Deanna's hand. "Are you hungry?" Guess responded with more growling. "I knew you'd say that." Deanna placed the bowl onto the floor and gave the dog plenty of room. Guess sniffed at the food. A faint odor of borax caused her to back away. Deanna flinched as Guess began another barking rampage. "Stupid dog!"
Guess bolted and snapped at Deanna's feet. The bowl of borax and dog food toppled over. Guess snagged Deanna's pant leg as Deanna fell backwards. "That's it!" Deanna screamed. "I'm through with you, you damn mutt!"
*
Lilith tossed her bookbag onto the sofa and ran for the back door. Expecting Guess to bound through it, she opened the door and stepped aside. When she saw what was left of Guess, she shrieked, then quickly covered her mouth. She jumped over the corpse and vomited onto the grass. She knew exactly who was responsible.
"Deanna! Get out here, bitch!"
When Deanna arrived, she saw Lilith trembling with rage. Deanna kicked the corpse pieces aside. She raised her right hand to reveal a knife. The blood dripped to her elbow. "Did you ring, you little brat?"
Lilith turned and pointed at Deanna. "How could you! What the hell is wrong with you!" Lilith's face was covered with tears. "I'll kill you!"
"Kill me? You won't lay a finger on me. Your father won't let you hurt me."
What's wrong with you? You're bitchier than usual. "Why not?"
"You may be his favorite, but he's gotta fuck."
Lilith closed her eyes. She could feel the accumulated hatred of sixteen years preparing to break free. She felt her heart try to break through her chest. "To hell with you, Deanna." Deanna dropped the knife. An unusual calm fell over Lilith. When Lilith opened her eyes, drops of blood fell from them. Lilith spoke; her voice had become handsomely masculine, yet terrifying. "I will kill you."
"What?" Deanna asked out of sarcasm rather than terror.
Lilith's eyes glowed red. Arcs of lightning flashed across her body. "You may be a good fuck, but my father isn't here to save your ass." Her platinum hair flew about her as she was surrounded by a black light. Leathery dragon wings sprouted from her back as scaly gauntlets covered her arms. Her claws slashed across Deanna's chest as she seized her mother's shirt. "Now you die." They were engulfed by flames. With one mighty flap of her wings, Lilith took to the air. Deanna was too terrified to scream as Lilith turned upside down and flew straight for the ground.
*
"I don't know what's worse. Going to work or coming home from work." Dante wiped the last of the blood from Sparda before placing it onto the wall. He dropped the shotgun onto the desk and placed Ebony and Ivory beside it. This once, he was too tired to leave them at the office away from home. He began whistling as he walked through the office into the house. The first thing he noticed was that his daughter didn't come running to search his pockets. "There's something I don't see everyday. I actually have something to give her this time."
He saw Lilith's bookbag on the sofa. "She hasn't done her homework. Strike two." He noticed that Guess didn't run into the room with her tail wagging and eyes pleading for a treat. Strike three. "Lilith!" The only response was a pulling urge in his mind. Dante followed it outside. When he opened the door, he saw Lilith standing in the yard. Though she'd returned to human form, lightning still ran across her. The grass was scorched in several places. The yard was dotted with impact craters. "Lilith?" She didn't answer but tilted her head to show she was listening. "What the hell happened?"
"Guess."
"Is that an answer or a demand?"
"Both." Lilith spun to face him. She was covered with blood and dirt.
Full of paternal worry, Dante grabbed her by both arms. "What happened!" He wiped the blood from her face, but more of it poured from her eyes. He stared at it running down her cheeks and through his fingers. It was the first time he'd seen it. "What the hell is happening to you?"
"She killed my dog," Lilith said absently. "Deanna killed my dog."
Dante loosened his grip but didn't release her. "How do you know?"
"You can ask her when she gets out of the hospital."
"Hospital?" He pulled Lilith closer. "What did you do?" Dante felt the static run through him as the lightning discharged between them.
"Let's just say she has a bad habit of not listening to you."
*
A week later, Deanna regained conciousness in the hospital. Her left arm was in a cast. The right one was tightly bandaged. A dull throbbing permeated her whole body. She realized the constant beeping in her ears came from the heart monitor beside her head. Her chest ached when she breathed; she must have broken a few ribs. The last thing she recalled was terrible pain and burning alive. Her hair even had a scorched odor.
"It's about time you woke up."
Deanna closed her eyes. She didn't bother finding the person who spoke to her. "What are you doing here, Dante?" Her voice was raspy, and her throat hurt.
"I thought it was my job to be concerned about you." She felt him take her hand. "I need to talk to you. I know this is extremely bad timing, but this is terribly important."
Deanna didn't care at first. "What is it?"
Dante sighed as if mustering courage. Deanna realized how significant this was before he opened his mouth. "You're moving out," he finally said.
Deanna opened her eyes as quickly as possible, which was actually very slowly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you're going to live somewhere else, for awhile at least."
Deanna forgot her condition and tried sitting up. The pain of lifting her head forced her back down. "Why?"
"You know why. You and Lilith need some time apart. She almost killed you because you constantly ignored my warnings."
"Why don't you get rid of her? SHE did this to ME."
"Yes, but you provoked her. You slaughtered her dog. I think that's reason enough to worry. Besides, she's my daughter. In this circumstance, I have to put her before you."
"I can't believe you said that."
"Maybe that didn't come out right." Dante released her hand. "This is for both of your own goods. If I were to send Lilith away, it would only increase the friction. Consider it just more free time that you always wanted."
He gave her time to let it sink in. "If I leave, where will I go?"
"I talked to one of your party friends. I didn't tell her what really happened, but she said she'd be willing to let you stay with her."
"For how long?"
"I'll give you two years at most. If you can't get yourself together by then, then I won't take you back."
"Will you at least..."
"Don't worry. I haven't forgotten your request."
*
Lilith hit the ground head first, rolled, and skidded across the yard. Her body was crusted with her own blood. She was bruised from head to toe. She couldn't move anything below her neck. The impact had probably broken it. She felt herself suffocating with her face in the dirt as her lungs refused to expand.
Dante reverted to human form and dropped beside her from the sky. He carefully placed both hands around her neck and yanked until the bones popped back into place. Lilith felt her neck tingle as the bones and spinal cord healed themselves. She inhaled deeply with relief as sensation returned to her entire body. She wiggled her toes to be sure.
As if she were an infant, Dante placed her head back on the ground. He stood and rubbed his hands together. "Come inside when you can walk. In case you don't know, you're grounded for the next month."
Lilith stared down at the crystal shards scattered across the floor. Five minutes ago her mother's crystal cat figurine was sitting on the tabletop. Now its fragments were strewn everywhere. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the door open and close. Time felt as if it were in slow motion as she heard her mother gasp. Deanna spun Lilith around. "What did you do!" Lilith was too terrified to answer. Deanna pushed her aside and kneeled next to the broken crystal. "Were you playing with this after I repeatedly told you not to?"
"No."
"Don't lie to me!"
"I'm not!"
Deanna snapped her head around. "Don't yell at me either!"
"It's not what you think, or what you want to think."
Lilith didn't expect what happened next. Deanna had disciplined her before, but this time Deanna was in no mood to stop and think. Deanna stood and struck Lilith across the face. The force of the blow knocked Lilith to the floor. "Don't you dare talk to me like that again," Deanna threatened.
Lilith learned early on to remain perfectly still when Deanna was angry with her. She waited with one hand over her bleeding nose while Deanna idly cleaned the floor one fragment at the time. She cringed as each shard crashed against each other in the trash. Just as Deanna picked up the last piece, the door opened again. Lilith allowed herself to relax when she heard Dante whistling. The song halted when he saw Lilith on the floor with a bleeding nose and Deanna with a piece of crystal in her hand.
"Did I miss something?" he asked Deanna.
Deanna held up the shard. "Your daughter broke my cat figurine."
"My daughter?" he mouthed. "What happened?" he asked Lilith.
She moved her hand from her face to speak clearly. "It's not what you think. It was an accident."
"What are you doing on the floor?" Lilith stood but did not speak. She didn't have to. Dante wiped the blood from her face with one sweep. "Go upstairs. I'll talk to you in a minute." Lilith wasted no time in obeying. Dante waited for the sound of the door closing before turning to Deanna. "Did you hit her?"
"What difference does it make? I wasn't thinking."
"Obviously. I thought I told you years ago to leave the discipline to me when her powers first surfaced. You don't understand what you could be contending with, especially in an emotional ten year old."
"I forgot, all right! I was angry. She broke my cat."
"You can't say I didn't warn you. I told you to keep it off that table."
"Maybe if she didn't run in the house, then she wouldn't keep bumping into the damn table and knocking shit over. Maybe if she kept her grubby little hands off everything, I wouldn't have to keep replacing it."
"That may be true, but what if Lilith had gotten angry enough at you to fight back? She's already capable of metamorphosing into a demon form under her own power. What would you have done if she managed to do so and attacked you?"
"Look! I said I'm sorry!"
"No you didn't, and don't yell at me. I'm not your child."
"Whatever." Dante didn't bother listening. He went upstairs and knocked on Lilith's door.
"What!" Lilith yelled.
"Don't yell at me, young lady." That he said it in a normal tone was enough for her to open the door. She cracked it just enough to stick her head through it. Dante ruffled her hair as soon as he could get a hold of it. "Get your coat. I'm taking you out."
*
"Will you please stop kicking my seat?"
Lilith curled her legs. "Sorry. I've had a bad day."
Dante glimpsed into the rearview mirror. "Are you sure that's all?"
"No. There is the stupid cat."
"I told you not to run around that corner. You always hit that table when you do."
"I know. I'm sorry." Lilith pressed her forehead against the window. "Are you going to spank me?"
Dante swallowed a snicker. "No. I think your mother got the point across."
"That's not funny."
Dante didn't straighten his face. "Who's laughing?"
Lilith didn't pay attention when the car stopped. Her mind was wandering when Dante pulled his seat up and undid her seat belt. She let him pull her out of the backseat by her arm. When she didn't notice where they were, he lifted her chin with his finger and pointed her face towards the Baskin Robbins sign. She bolted into a run towards the door. Dante shook his head. "Kids." He shut the car door and ran after her.
He found her balancing on her toes to gaze over the counter. He knew exactly what she was looking for. He told her to take a seat and wait. A minute later he placed a cup full of Rocky Road in front of her. "Thank you," she said quietly.
Dante sat opposite her with a cup of Cookies and Cream. "What's wrong?"
"She never hit me before. Not in the face. And you told her she couldn't punish me anymore. Only you could do that from now on."
Dante sat back. "How did you know about that?"
"I know everything." She shoved a spoonful of Rocky Road into her mouth.
"Really?"
"Just eat your ice cream, silly. I'm only joking."
"I doubt that."
*
Deanna waved at the women in the car before their car pulled off. Thunder in the distance made her run to the door. She fumbled with the keys for a moment. The muffled sound of an animal caused her to drop them. She listened carefully with her ear against the door. She was certain she heard a bark. Deanna picked up the keys and forced them into the door until she found the right one. When she opened the door, a black Labrador puppy stopped in its tracks to look at her. It spread its nostrils and growled at her.
"What is that beast doing in here!" Deanna demanded.
Lilith approached the puppy from behind and picked it up. It continued growling at Deanna. "This is our new dog. Isn't she cute?"
"Dog? What are we doing with a dog?"
"Lighten up, Deanna." Deanna raised her eyes to Dante without lifting her head. Her grimace only incited Dante. "Let the girl have some fun."
"What are you doing buying her a dog?"
"She wanted a pet."
"She has guppies."
"She wanted an interesting pet."
Deanna raised her head. "But a dog will leave a mess everywhere. It'll get into everything. It'll bring weird things home. We have Lilith for that."
"I'll take care of her," Lilith begged right before Dante stepped towards Deanna to strike her. "I promise."
"No way. No how." Deanna hadn't noticed how close she came to provoking Dante's dark side.
"That's not for you to say," Dante said. "I say the dog stays."
"What?"
Dante put a hand on Lilith's shoulder. "You know the drill. I'll see you in five."
I've heard that before, Lilith thought. "Can she sleep on my bed tonight?"
"Sure." As was the usual habit, he waited until he heard the door close to say anything. "Deanna, what is the problem?"
"If you had to get her another pet, why a dog?"
"I took her to a pet store on a whim. She saw a black Lab puppy. She wanted it. I let her have it. It's not that difficult to understand."
"Dante, you're spoiling her. All she has to do is cry and you'd give her the Eiffel Tower."
"Somebody has to. All you do is convince her that she's not worthy of you."
"How would you know any of that?"
"I'm her father. It's my job to know. Given our mutual natures, we share a bond that you can't understand. That's how I know. You never spend time with her; you'd rather run off with your friends. You never refuse your boss or ask for time off so you'd have extra time with her. I have to use all my free time on her. That's how I know. I take her to my office away from home, and she already knows how to play billiards. She only three games behind me. Contradict me, if you dare."
Deanna remained silent long enough to get over the shock her ego suffered. Then she forced herself to ask, "What's the dog's name?"
"Guess."
Deanna launched her keys across the room. "Dante, I'm not in the mood for games!"
"I'm not playing. That's the dog's name. Guess." Dante stood next to her so she could hear him whisper. "Get over it, dear. There's a new bitch in this house."
*
"Lilith!" Deanna threw several clothing articles one after another over her shoulder. "Lilith!" she called again. When she realized her daughter wasn't listening, she snatched up an armful of clothes and headed outside. She found Lilith, Dante, and Guess playing an amalgam of Frisbee and football. As she had done for the past six years, Guess stopped in her tracks and growled at Deanna. Deanna was the only one who seemed bothered by it.
"Lilith!"
Lilith tossed the Frisbee aside and slipped two fingers under Guess's collar. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it."
Deanna held out a handful of clothes. "I have told you too many times over the past six years to keep that dog out of my things."
"Sorry. I'll take responsibility."
"You bet you will." Deanna slung the clothes at Lilith. "What do you expect to do about this?"
Lilith pulled her hand from the collar when Dante slipped his own fingers under it. "There's no need for malevolence," Dante said. "You can always get new clothes. You've worn those only once and forgot you even had them. You wouldn't have remembered they were in your closet if Guess hadn't torn them up."
"Oh, shut up!" Deanna demanded. "You're just as bad as she is. You always take the damn dog's side."
"That is not true," Lilith calmly retorted. "I said I'll take care of it."
"Well, I know how you can start. Get rid of the dog."
Guess turned her ears back and barked at Deanna. Dante yanked the collar back, but Guess wouldn't stop until she was nearly choking. She ceased long enough to catch her breath, then began growling again. "There's no need to be so belligerent," Dante said.
Deanna didn't realize he was talking to the dog. "It doesn't matter. I'll just call my friends and go out for some fresh air." She pointed at Lilith. "I'm holding you responsible for that dog."
"Haven't you always?"
Deanna drew her hand back as if to strike her. Dante reached up to catch Deanna's hand, but he didn't have to. Lilith's hand snatched Deanna's, and his hand landed on top of Lilith's. Dante's grip prevented Lilith from twisting Deanna's wrist back. When she comprehended what she had done, Lilith jerked her hand free. She dropped to the ground beside Guess.
"Now do you understand?" Dante asked Deanna. "That is why you must be careful. You haven't seen what she can do."
But I have a good idea. Deanna slowly withdrew her hand. "I need to rest. We'll discuss this later."
When Deanna was gone, Dante sat on the ground on Guess's other side. "I suppose the rest of the afternoon is a bust."
"Definitely." Lilith scratched Guess behind an ear. "Why do you think Guess and Mom don't get along? Since the beginning, Guess always growls and barks whenever she sees Mom."
"They say that animals have a sixth sense. Maybe Guess knows something we don't. Do not ask me what it is."
"What could possibly be wrong with Mom that we wouldn't notice?"
"I just told you not to ask me that."
*
Guess pressed her nose against the door and scratched the wood in desperation. She stopped only when she heard the footsteps and smelled the person. A growl formed in her throat.
"Hello, doggie." Guess backed from the door as Deanna approached her. She saw her feeding bowl in Deanna's hand. "Are you hungry?" Guess responded with more growling. "I knew you'd say that." Deanna placed the bowl onto the floor and gave the dog plenty of room. Guess sniffed at the food. A faint odor of borax caused her to back away. Deanna flinched as Guess began another barking rampage. "Stupid dog!"
Guess bolted and snapped at Deanna's feet. The bowl of borax and dog food toppled over. Guess snagged Deanna's pant leg as Deanna fell backwards. "That's it!" Deanna screamed. "I'm through with you, you damn mutt!"
*
Lilith tossed her bookbag onto the sofa and ran for the back door. Expecting Guess to bound through it, she opened the door and stepped aside. When she saw what was left of Guess, she shrieked, then quickly covered her mouth. She jumped over the corpse and vomited onto the grass. She knew exactly who was responsible.
"Deanna! Get out here, bitch!"
When Deanna arrived, she saw Lilith trembling with rage. Deanna kicked the corpse pieces aside. She raised her right hand to reveal a knife. The blood dripped to her elbow. "Did you ring, you little brat?"
Lilith turned and pointed at Deanna. "How could you! What the hell is wrong with you!" Lilith's face was covered with tears. "I'll kill you!"
"Kill me? You won't lay a finger on me. Your father won't let you hurt me."
What's wrong with you? You're bitchier than usual. "Why not?"
"You may be his favorite, but he's gotta fuck."
Lilith closed her eyes. She could feel the accumulated hatred of sixteen years preparing to break free. She felt her heart try to break through her chest. "To hell with you, Deanna." Deanna dropped the knife. An unusual calm fell over Lilith. When Lilith opened her eyes, drops of blood fell from them. Lilith spoke; her voice had become handsomely masculine, yet terrifying. "I will kill you."
"What?" Deanna asked out of sarcasm rather than terror.
Lilith's eyes glowed red. Arcs of lightning flashed across her body. "You may be a good fuck, but my father isn't here to save your ass." Her platinum hair flew about her as she was surrounded by a black light. Leathery dragon wings sprouted from her back as scaly gauntlets covered her arms. Her claws slashed across Deanna's chest as she seized her mother's shirt. "Now you die." They were engulfed by flames. With one mighty flap of her wings, Lilith took to the air. Deanna was too terrified to scream as Lilith turned upside down and flew straight for the ground.
*
"I don't know what's worse. Going to work or coming home from work." Dante wiped the last of the blood from Sparda before placing it onto the wall. He dropped the shotgun onto the desk and placed Ebony and Ivory beside it. This once, he was too tired to leave them at the office away from home. He began whistling as he walked through the office into the house. The first thing he noticed was that his daughter didn't come running to search his pockets. "There's something I don't see everyday. I actually have something to give her this time."
He saw Lilith's bookbag on the sofa. "She hasn't done her homework. Strike two." He noticed that Guess didn't run into the room with her tail wagging and eyes pleading for a treat. Strike three. "Lilith!" The only response was a pulling urge in his mind. Dante followed it outside. When he opened the door, he saw Lilith standing in the yard. Though she'd returned to human form, lightning still ran across her. The grass was scorched in several places. The yard was dotted with impact craters. "Lilith?" She didn't answer but tilted her head to show she was listening. "What the hell happened?"
"Guess."
"Is that an answer or a demand?"
"Both." Lilith spun to face him. She was covered with blood and dirt.
Full of paternal worry, Dante grabbed her by both arms. "What happened!" He wiped the blood from her face, but more of it poured from her eyes. He stared at it running down her cheeks and through his fingers. It was the first time he'd seen it. "What the hell is happening to you?"
"She killed my dog," Lilith said absently. "Deanna killed my dog."
Dante loosened his grip but didn't release her. "How do you know?"
"You can ask her when she gets out of the hospital."
"Hospital?" He pulled Lilith closer. "What did you do?" Dante felt the static run through him as the lightning discharged between them.
"Let's just say she has a bad habit of not listening to you."
*
A week later, Deanna regained conciousness in the hospital. Her left arm was in a cast. The right one was tightly bandaged. A dull throbbing permeated her whole body. She realized the constant beeping in her ears came from the heart monitor beside her head. Her chest ached when she breathed; she must have broken a few ribs. The last thing she recalled was terrible pain and burning alive. Her hair even had a scorched odor.
"It's about time you woke up."
Deanna closed her eyes. She didn't bother finding the person who spoke to her. "What are you doing here, Dante?" Her voice was raspy, and her throat hurt.
"I thought it was my job to be concerned about you." She felt him take her hand. "I need to talk to you. I know this is extremely bad timing, but this is terribly important."
Deanna didn't care at first. "What is it?"
Dante sighed as if mustering courage. Deanna realized how significant this was before he opened his mouth. "You're moving out," he finally said.
Deanna opened her eyes as quickly as possible, which was actually very slowly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you're going to live somewhere else, for awhile at least."
Deanna forgot her condition and tried sitting up. The pain of lifting her head forced her back down. "Why?"
"You know why. You and Lilith need some time apart. She almost killed you because you constantly ignored my warnings."
"Why don't you get rid of her? SHE did this to ME."
"Yes, but you provoked her. You slaughtered her dog. I think that's reason enough to worry. Besides, she's my daughter. In this circumstance, I have to put her before you."
"I can't believe you said that."
"Maybe that didn't come out right." Dante released her hand. "This is for both of your own goods. If I were to send Lilith away, it would only increase the friction. Consider it just more free time that you always wanted."
He gave her time to let it sink in. "If I leave, where will I go?"
"I talked to one of your party friends. I didn't tell her what really happened, but she said she'd be willing to let you stay with her."
"For how long?"
"I'll give you two years at most. If you can't get yourself together by then, then I won't take you back."
"Will you at least..."
"Don't worry. I haven't forgotten your request."
*
Lilith hit the ground head first, rolled, and skidded across the yard. Her body was crusted with her own blood. She was bruised from head to toe. She couldn't move anything below her neck. The impact had probably broken it. She felt herself suffocating with her face in the dirt as her lungs refused to expand.
Dante reverted to human form and dropped beside her from the sky. He carefully placed both hands around her neck and yanked until the bones popped back into place. Lilith felt her neck tingle as the bones and spinal cord healed themselves. She inhaled deeply with relief as sensation returned to her entire body. She wiggled her toes to be sure.
As if she were an infant, Dante placed her head back on the ground. He stood and rubbed his hands together. "Come inside when you can walk. In case you don't know, you're grounded for the next month."