Spooky Scary Skeletons (RANDOM BOOK #3)

Guilt

     "_____?" Lilith's voice caught in her throat as she stared up at the figure, a trace of fear in her eyes.

     "I'm sorry I left you, little one." The person gently sat down next to Lilith, an expression of regret crossing their face. "I promise, it's not your fault the tree is like this. It's..." They sighed, and glanced up at the tree, a great sadness in their gaze. "It's power has been split. Between you, and Cassia. The tree is a living creature too, and right now it doesn't know how to respond. So, it's turning in on itself, doing all it can on the inside to figure things out..."

     Lilith sniffed, tears still trickling from her eyes. "W-will it c-come ba-back?" she hiccupped. "M-maybe if I di-died, it w-would be ok-okay aga-again..." she muttered, unconsciously leaning on the person for comfort.

     The person glanced down at Lilith sharply. "Don't. Don't you ever think anything will be fixes by subtracting yourself from the equation. That has NEVER, EVER helped. Hear me?"

     Lilith glanced up at the one she'd known since the start, fresh tears welling up. "B-but the tree... It's broken because of me. What if Cassia comes back and finds out what happened?"

     They sighed, and glanced down at Lilith. She glanced up at the same time, and their eyes met. Light green to dark blue, the two of them still shared the same bond of being created at the sane time. "Lilith... I promise, Cassia isn't like that. You know who I am, and that's should tell you something."

     Lilith glanced away, wiping away a few tears. "I... I know. I've just had to hold it together so long, first with Jacob, then with the humans, I'm... I'm afraid I'll snap at the wrong time..." She looked up at the person. "You understand that, right, _____?"

     They nodded. "I do. And I know you're hurting, but you came here for a reason, right?" They gently reminded the smaller girl. "I know that bottle wasn't there last time we met here, Lilith." They said, nodding toward the purple bottle Lilith had first noticed.

     Lilith glanced back at the tree, then at the figure. "Looking at those memories won't hurt the tree, right? I don't want to make it worse..."

     The figure shook its head. "Cassia wouldn't have left it for you if it was going to hurt the tree." They reminded Lilith gently. "Maybe it has some of the answers you're looking for. It couldn't hurt to take a look, you know."

     Lilith glanced back at the bottle, a longing in her eyes. She was naturally curious, it was just part of nature. Part of how Cassia created her. Then she glanced up at the blue haired figure. "You have to leave for me to view it, don't you?"

     They nodded, and gently withdrew from Lilith. "But don't worry. I'll always come back. We were made alongside each other, remember? We have a shared bond, one that can never be broken or discarded." Their tone was soft as velvet as they stood, using their blue orb tipped staff to bring themselves to their feet.

     Reaching a hand out to Lilith, they helped the young girl to her feet as well. "Take care, Lilith. And please, don't let Jacob find you again. It was hard enough to recuse you the first time, I'm not so sure I could do it again."

     Lilith nodded, and hugged them once before backing off, nervously tucking a piece of hair behind their ear. "I guess I'll see you around then, _____. Maybe you'll find the answer you've been seeking on your travels before next we meet."

     The person laughed, the movement causing their wings to shake as well. "Perhaps I will, little one. Stay safe, alright?" They starting walking to the back door, but paused, and glanced back at Lilith. "Hey, Lilith? It's okay to trust the humans. They're not like Jacob, I promise." And with that parting remark, they vanished.