Raisin' Some Hell

Lilith's Lament (Lilith Clawthorne POV)

Crraaaaugh! I cast a Teleportation Spell just as my transformed sister was about to come down on us, roaring. Bwoosh! The blue flames enveloped not only my form but Amity's and Luz's, teleporting us a few meters away. Kwok! The Owl Beast's dug right into the ground. Even if my magic wasn't as weak as it is now, there is no way my barriers would survive an impact like that. "Edalyn, snap out of it!" I shouted to my sister. The Owl Beast bared her teeth and roared once more. Crraaaaugh!

Boosh! "Ahh!" I cried out as a Fireball struck and knocked me to the ground.

"Nuttin' yu say is gonna reach her, lady. Got that?" Nolan taunted as I turned my gaze to him, and smoke rose from his fingers. My blood boiled as he had that grin on his face. The grin that was telling me he was winning.

"You coward!"

"Yu callin' me a coward, huh? I prefer tu call it bein' smarta. I've met people like yu befo'. Yu claim tu be above stuff like dis, but when pushed into a corna, yu would sink tu my level. Yu can only push some people so far. Dat's just how it is."

Crraaaaugh! I turned back and saw Edalyn charging at me. I drew a circle and formed a bubble around her, and rolled past the children and me. Crraaaaugh! She hollered again, scratching at the surface. That rage in her attacks... it wasn't rage. It was fear and pain. That's all she's feeling... all she's felt since I abandoned her.

Ten years after I joined the Emperor's Coven, Edalyn found and wanted to speak to me during one of my missions. Even though she was older than me, the curse made her appear more so. Her hair still had the bright orange to it but was slowly graying. "What are you doing here, Edalyn?" I asked her. "You know the Emperor wants you. If anyone else sees us talking, I will need to arrest you."

"I want you to tell me the truth, Lily." She asked in a tone that gave me much concern back then.

"What truth?"

"Why did you join the Emperor's Coven?"

"Is that all?" I laughed it off. "I was suspecting you wanted to snoop more into all the dirty secrets I now know about the Coven."

Edalyn didn't share the same humor. "Just answer the question." Now, I was worried.

"You know why. It's what we wanted ever since we were little girls."

"Yeah, it's what "we" wanted. Both of us." She said with a hint of contempt.

I looked at my sister with confusion. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It was always you and me, the Clawthorne sisters, versus the world. So, why did it have to end? Why did you leave me?"

"Is that what this is about? You know the Emperor's Coven saw my potential and saw I would be worthy of their ranks. I couldn't turn them down."

"Yes, you could've!" Her shout echoed, and I feared someone would hear us, but that went away when I saw the tears drip down my sister's cheek. I rarely see such vulnerability from her. "I would've if you had a curse that turned you into a monster every night!"

I blinked and figured out exactly what she was asking me. "Edalyn..."

"I needed you, Lily! I needed you more than anyone! And you just left to serve a tyrant! You walked right out the door! You walked right out of my life! Was it because of the curse? Or was it something I did? What did I do to make you hate me?"

What happened next, she did not expect at all as I embraced my sister. "I don't hate you, Edalyn. You can be the most annoying person in my life, but I could never hate you." I hoped what I said would bring her peace, and her hugging me back may have answered that question. The truth is the only person I hate is myself... she's in this much pain because of me... because I was jealous — Nolan's right. I am a coward.