Lilith/Cain

Chris stepped into the apartment, bag hung over his shoulder. He'd been gone two months this time and he noticed an immense change in the atmosphere from when he'd left. When he'd been called away the air in his home had been thick and oppressive, carrying the weight of tragedy. Now the tension was slackened, though still waiting in the corners.

He entered the kitchen and saw Angie sitting at the table, halfway through a bowl of cereal. She was wolfing her food down, which was a bit odd of her. She stopped when she saw him, dropping her spoon into her bowl. "Chris!" she exclaimed happily.

To his surprise she stood right up and hurried over to him. She limped heavily, but she was walking. She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely. He dropped his bag on the floor and immediately wrapped both arms around her tightly. His throat was tight and he could feel a sting at the back of it. "Evie." His voice was rough. "Good to see you back on your feet."

She pulled back, but only far enough to look properly at his face. "Yeah, Arthur set me up with a replacement." She reached down and pulled up the leg of her jeans, revealing the metal leg. "It's not bad, tougher than my old one."

He noticed the knife holster strapped to her thigh. "You and Arthur have been hanging out a bit?"

She shrugged. "He's been training me. Re-teaching me how to walk, and to run."

He could feel that tight feeling in his throat travel down to his chest. "Other stuff too?"

Her expression remained neutral. "Just what I'm going to need to know."

He kept his voice carefully controlled. "Like hunting?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. She pulled away from him fully. "Arthur's retired. He's not a Hunter anymore."

He kept his gaze steady. "And what about you?"

She looked to the side indifferently. "I'm not a Hunter, but I am going on a hunt."

He lifted his hand a few inches, then dropped it. "When are you leaving?"

"As soon as I know in which direction to go."

He nodded. "Let me know when you find out."

xxxXXXxxx

"When are you taking me down to the range?" Angie asked unexpectedly.

Arthur was startled. They were sitting together in the park, on a bench under a tree. They were done running and Angie was resting up for the walk home. "You want me to teach you how to shoot?"

She nodded. "I'm an okay shot, but I haven't had any formal training." She was looking into the distance, but her eyes were focused on something confined to her mind.

"I already showed you some self-defense with the knife," he pointed out uneasily.

"That won't be good enough. I'm not that fast."

"Do you have a gun?"

She put a hand to her jacket pocket. "Yes."

He glanced around the empty park. "Let me see it."

She pulled out the silver gun and handed it to him. It felt small in his hand. "I got it from Thorn, a vampire in Paris."

"I've heard of him. He's a bit of an oddity, making weapons to kill his own kind."

"I'm sure he has his reasons."

He looked at her. "This isn't just for self-defense, is it?"

She didn't look back at him. "It is not."

He chose his next words carefully. "Is this for Gabriel, once you find him?"

"No."

"Then for who?" He kept his voice neutral.

Angie's eyes narrowed. "Just in case I run into Lilith."

"The Lilith? You mean the ‘first blood’? The ‘fallen star’?"

Finally she looked at him. "You've heard of her, then."

He gaped at her. "Just a bit..." He cleared his throat. "Do you think you'll really come across her?"

"Gabriel's going after her, so I would say the chance is high."

"And you think you can take her on if it comes to that?"

She shrugged. "If it comes to that."

"Could you really kill her? You couldn't kill Gabriel when you first met, right?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I shouldn't have told you that story."

"You're not a hunter," he said softly. "I'm not going to help you become one."

She ignored that. "Manigault told me that I had the potential to become the greatest hunter in the world. He said the Statton bloodline was strong and went back a long time."

Arthur shook his head slowly. "The only thing my father taught me was how to hunt, it wasn't a good life to grow up into. I never wanted that for you, which is why I stayed away for so long."

She looked back at him, her gaze steady. "I still have that potential, and like it or not I'm involved. I'm not going to do the work that you did, but I am going after Gabriel." She regarded him intently. "So you can teach me what I need to know so I come back with him, or not."

He handed her gun back to her and looked away. "We can hit the range on Tuesday," he told her simply.

"Good."

xxxXXXxxx

When she and Arthur returned to the apartment building there was someone waiting on the steps. They wore a black jeans and a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up.

"Sybil." Angie's voice was cool. "What brings you to Queens?"

Arthur glanced between them. "I'll meet you upstairs," he said quickly, retreating.

The young vampire stood up as he passed her. "You haven't been home in a while," she said softly.

"I've been busy." Angie's stare was hard. "Recuperating and such."

Sybil shifted uncomfortably. "I know Callie misses you."

"If she did, then she would have answered one of the dozens of calls I've made. Or at least called me back." Her voice turned downright icy. "Better yet, she would have come by herself rather than sending you."

"She didn't send me. I came here on my own."

"Obviously she's too busy to bother with me, then." Angie made to walk past Sybil, but she blocked her way.

"Angie please don't be like this," Sybil pleaded. "There's a good reason, just-"

She tried to put a hand on her arm, but it was shrugged off. "Obviously not a good enough reason to tell me what's going on!" Angie snapped. "I thought we were friends, but she just ignores me!"

"She's not ignoring you!" Sybil cried. "She needs help!"

"Tell me." She folded her arms across her chest and waited.

Sybil shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her head bowed. "Something happened to her. She's hurt or something, but I can't figure out how. I wanted to come get you sooner, but she wouldn't let me." She lifted her head, looking into Angie's eyes. "She can't communicate anymore."

Angie lowered her arms slowly. "What do you mean?"

"She's practically mute now. I'm not sure how it happened. The day that you-" Her voice broke. "The day that you got hurt, she collapsed. When she woke up she couldn't speak at all. Now she can say a few words, but I don’t understand anything she says. I tried to get her to write, but it's all scribbles." Sybil grabbed both of Angie's shoulders and squeezed them hard. "You have to come back with me. I left when she fell asleep, but she'll wake up soon and if I'm not there-" Her voice broke again.

Angie could feel concern driving away the dark ice in her chest. "Let's go now."

Sybil hugged her fiercely. "Please help her," she begged.

"I'll try my best."

xxxXXXxxx

Her bishop disappeared from the board, but she couldn't see the piece that had claimed it. "You're definitely cheating."

"I'm following the rules, believe it or not."

"Being able to see your opponent's movements is one of the rules."

That soft laugh again. "Where does it say that?"

Her queen wasn't in a position to move to the spot her bishop had been. She moved it nearby anyway. "You're worried that I'll win. That's the only reason you have to cheat."

"I'm not worried about that at all." The amusement in her opponent's voice was heavy and sweet.

“I know who you are,” she said softly.

“Do you now?”

“‘Her nobles shall be no more, nor shall kings be proclaimed there; all her princes are gone’,” she quoted. “‘Her castles shall be overgrown with thorns, her fortresses with thistles and briers.’”

Her opponent put chin in palm. “Someone has been doing their research.”

“That’s the thing about us humans, we keep records. We’re organized.” Her eyes narrowed. “It’s your turn.”

xxxXXXxxx

Angie burst into the apartment. The lights were all out and the windows were covered. The only illumination came from the hallway light spilling into the kitchen. "Callie!" she called, her voice tight with worry.

Callie's apartment was a small studio. The kitchen was divided from the bedroom by a small counter. In the back of the room a shape moved on the bed, hidden under the covers.

“Callie!” Angie rushed clumsily to her friend but was shunned as the vampire pulled the blankets tightly around herself.

She put her hand on the quivering cloth. “It’s okay. I’m not mad at you,” she said softly. “I want to help.” The huddled mass shrank away.

“Callie please,” Sybil begged. “Please let us help you.”

“I need Lissie.” The voice that came from the blankets was small and weak. “Where’s Lissie?”

“I don’t know what that is,” Sybil said helplessly. “That’s the only thing she says.”

“Who’s Lissie?” Angie asked gently. “Where are they? We’ll go get them.”

“I NEED LISSIE!” Callie cried desperately. “She’s supposed to protect me! WHERE IS MY SISTER?”

Angie stared at the blanket in disbelief. “Callisto’s dead, Callie. Don’t you remember?” Her voice went weak. “Gabriel killed her.”

Sapphire eyes glowed at her from under the covers. She was knocked back, falling off the bed and hitting the floor. Callie was on top of her, claws digging into her shoulders. A low, menacing growl came from deep in her chest.

Sybil grabbed her roommate around the waist and hauled her up. Callie’s claws swiped through the air inches from Angie’s wide eyes. “You’d better get out of here for now,” Sybil grunted. “I’ll let you know when she calms down.”

Angie got to her feet and limped out of the apartment. She closed the door behind her and leaned on it. She put a hand to her forehead, tears stinging her eyes. “Callie…” Her voice broke.

After a few moments she pulled herself together. She looked down the hallway, to the elevator. She pushed away from the door and headed over to it.

She went up instead of down, to the top floor. There was only one apartment up here.

The door had no lock. She turned the knob and walked in, her hand automatically reaching for the light. She flipped the switch, but the apartment stayed dark.

She went in anyway. The sun was just getting ready to set and gold light flooded in from the huge window/wall in the living room.

She walked through the kitchen and stood in the glow. The weak sunlight did not feel warm and a shiver ran through her.

Her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She pulled it out and answered it automatically, without checking the screen. “Yes?” she asked curtly.

No one responded.

“Hello?” Still no answer.

She looked at the screen and her pupils dilated. She put the phone back to her ear. “Gabriel? Where are you?”

There was no response, only silence.

She stood there, her eyes watching the sun slip down slowly over the horizon. She gripped the phone tightly. “I’m going to find you. No matter where you are.”

The sky went from gold to deep pink, purple and violet creeping across the sky. There was a beep in her ear. Her caller had hung up.

She didn’t waste any time. She dialed a new number, one that she had memorized over the past two months. “Yes, hello,” she said when the line picked up. “I’d like to activate the GPS for a phone on my account.”