How'd That Happen?

Chapter 4

When Lani wakes up, it takes her a moment to remember where she is. It's not until she sees the beam of red coming from the morning sky that she recalls everything that has happened. She sits up in bed to both question and admire the bright red sky. "That's peculiar," she says to herself in a puzzling tone. She looks at the sky for another second before getting out of bed. Her weight moves to her feet, and a sharp pain jolts through her stomach and legs. "Shit!" she drops to the cold, wooden floor. She pants a few times before calling out for help, "Lilith!" She shouts. Seconds later, Lani hears nothing before she tries again with more force in her voice, "Lilith! I need help!" She waits a few seconds longer until she finally hears footsteps.

A moment later, the door opens, and Lilith walks in. "Oh god, I told you to be careful," she says with concern as she walks over to give Lani a hand.

"I know, I'm sorry." Lani takes Lilith's hand and lifts herself up, leaning against Lilith.

"Yeah, don't sweat it; let's just get you downstairs." Lani leans on Lilith, who has her arm wrapped around her. They walk down the stairs slowly until they reach the bottom. "I have a wheelchair in the kitchen. It would be a good idea if you used it," Lilith said as they crossed the living room.

"Since when do people have wheelchairs lying around their house?" Lilith gave Lani an icy glare, and she immediately regretted saying anything.

The two reach the kitchen, and Lilith helps Lani into the wheelchair and then walks to the refrigerator. "Anything you want to eat?" Lilith asks. There is a sense of frustration in her voice.

"Oh, umm, just a bowl of fruit, thank you." Lani is taken aback by the tone in Lilith's voice. "I'm sorry if I upset you." A sense of guilt washed over her like a flood.

"It's whatever," Lilith said, sounding almost dissociated. As if her voice were changed to that of a monotone. The two sit in silence. Lani is picking at the strawberries in the bowl with a fork. "Look, I know you didn't mean to make me feel bad, so let it go," Lilith finally said sympathetically.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Lani looked up from the bowl into Lilith's blood-red eyes. There was an obvious sense of guilt and sorrow. Clearly, Lilith caught on because she stood up from her chair and walked to the other side of the table where Lani was sitting.

Their eyes met what could have been an unbreakable gaze: "Everyone makes mistakes. I swear, it's not the end of the world. Mistakes are a part of nature for everyone. So don't try to be perfect, got it?" Lilith's tone was slightly laid-back, but with a hint of sternness. Lani took those words in and held onto them for a long while. Never in her existence had she ever heard the words, "don't try to be perfect." She held her breath for a moment before letting out a brief sigh. That was all the conformation Lilith needed before giving Lani a slight smile. "Just relax for like two weeks; after that, you can choose what you're going to do next." Lilith put a gentle hand on Lani's shoulder, and in return, she gave Lilith a bright smile full of appreciation.

The rest of the day wasn't very eventful. It was mainly Lilith tending to Lani whenever she needed it. Lani would read a lot throughout the day. Lilith had many books about different religions and science books that related to the earth. It was all incredibly interesting, especially about the books with the Greek goddesses and how a few of them even have assigned planets and ways to summon or reach them. There were a few times Lilith stepped out for a few hours before coming back to check on Lani. This gave Lani a chance to lie back and reflect on everything that had happened. She couldn't believe that it was only three days ago that she probably would have been taking lessons on posture, holding three books on her head while walking in a straight line with her arms out. It's like she's been a caterpillar in a chrysalis for centuries, and it's only now that she has managed to find her way out. She wonders if it hurts a butterfly to escape the chrysalis. And when the pain ends, how do they know what to do next? Or how are they so naturally brave when taking flight? Are they not afraid to fall? If they fall on the first try, do they ever get up again? So many questions, and yet not enough answers in the world could ever satisfy her.

Days pass by like nothing, and Lani can't help but imagine what things are like in heaven right now. Surely they can't be the same as they were before-not with everything that Lani knows, that is. She's sitting in the living room in her wheelchair before Lilith opens the front door and plops down beside her on the couch. There is an infinitesimal moment where Lilith sees Lani lost in her mind: "What are you thinking about?" Lilith asks in her usual careless voice.

"Hm? Oh! Nothing important," Lani turns her head and replies with a plastered smile, "I don't think you would understand it anyway." Her smile fades as she turns her head away from Lilith. There is yet again that uncomfortable silence that both Lani and Lilith are getting used to far too well. Although there are fewer of them now, they still come up from time to time, and it's rarely, if ever, pleasant. That is until Lani speaks again: "Do you think heaven has changed since I've left?" She shifts her eyes to meet Lilith's.

"On the outside, no; on the inside, probably."

"Could you elaborate?" Lani asks, bewildered, as she raises an eyebrow.

"I mean that, like before, everything probably looks fine, but in the dark, they've made a lot of changes, and there's a good chance the angels don't know about it." Lilith's tone sounds a little more serious than before. "Why? Are you planning on staying here after you've healed?" She tilts her head in curiosity.

"I'm not sure. I want to go back! I really do," Lani's eyes grow passionate. "I miss my father and my best friend, but like you said when I first got here, I probably can't go back knowing everything I do now." Her gaze strays from Lilith onto the floor.

"Is there a chance your dad and friend could come over to this side?" Lilith asks, her eyes moving to the sky as she leans back on the couch and crosses her arms.

Lani chuckles. "I doubt it, knowing my father, he would rather kill me than switch sides."

Lilith looks back at Lani, full of shock and concern. "Who the hell is your dad?" She asks with a disgusted expression.

"Archangel Gabriel," Lani finally says.

Lilith is still clearly in shock, but there's a small smirk on her lips. "Damn. The daughter of the second highest archangel runs away like a delinquent who wants freedom, only to realize she's been lied to for her entire life." Her smirk turned into a half-chuckle. "It sounds like a fairytale, if you ask me."

"Hey! This is still my existence we're talking about it here!" Lani replied in a playfully teased tone.

"Hahaha, yeah, an existence that's been royally fucked up," Lilith keeps teasing until Lani grabs a couch pillow close to her and throws it in Lilith's face. "Hey!" Lani giggles in response.

"You were asking for it." She gives Lilith an innocent smile, which could make even her stone-cold heart melt. The laughter dies down as they both take a moment to think about everything. "How do you know so much about heaven, anyway?" Lilith stays silent for a moment and breaks eye contact with Lani. For a minute, Lani isn't sure if Lilith is going to answer.

"Let's just say I knew God at some point." Her voice becomes deeper, with hints of despair creeping into her tone.

"Oh? Were you guys close? Like friends?" Lani was intrigued and clearly wanted to know more.

"Hehe, I wouldn't go that far." Lilith stands up from the couch and walks towards the kitchen. "Do you want anything to snack on?" She asks, clearly trying to change the subject.

"No! I want to hear more about your relationship with God." Lani is still in that playful tone.

"Maybe another time, meanwhile, I can get us some food." Lilith had calmed down from the teasing earlier.

"Awww, please? It's all really interesting to know that."

"I said that's enough!" Lilith grew frustrated, and Lani could sense the tone shift. By reflex, her posture straightened, and her head looked down at the floor. It was almost like she was in the position of a submissive servant. "Look, I didn't mean to,"

"No, it's alright; I'm feeling a little hungry, so some food sounds nice." Lilith was filled with immediate regret, but she couldn't do anything at that point, so she left the conversation on that note. Lani weeled into the kitchen with poise, her neck stretched high, but her head was facing the ground, and her back was straightened to its peak. "You really don't have to do that. I didn't mean to."

"This is how it should be." Her reply was swift, in a monotone voice. Their food was eaten in pure silence.

Lilith was pacing around her room before slamming her fist against the wall. "Shit!" Thump! The wall went, and the entire room shook from the noise. "Why the fuck would I yell at her like that? She probably had people yelling at her all the time in heaven. Now she comes here, looking for sanctuary, and I have the audacity to yell at her like a servant? Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Lilith slapped herself in the face. She wanted to do more to justify what she did to Lani. "Damnit, where is Nero when you fucking need them?" She lifted her lamp and, whoo, crashed. She had shattered her lamp across the floor. Her next victim was the nightstand that held the lamp. She flipped it on its side and flew it half across the room. She wanted to scream and rage. She knew she deserved to feel guilty for what she had done. But she wanted to cry and apologize for what she had said to Lani. For some reason, she felt way more guilty than she should have. If it was any other demon or angel, she wouldn't have cared what came out of her mouth, but spending this passing time with Lani made her feel so many things that she hadn't felt in a shitload of time.

Just then, Lilith heard three small taps on her bedroom door. If she kept on raging, she probably wouldn't have heard them. "Come in." She said it with a new tremble in her voice.

"I-I umm.... I heard something, so I just wanted to check on you and make sure everything was fine." Lani's voice was as quiet as a mouse. Lilith could tell she had struggled to get up the stairs without a wheelchair by the way her legs were swollen and aching from pain.

"Yeah, everything is fine. You really shouldn't be walking around without your wheelchair." Lani opened the door a little more, only to see the absolute shipwreck that was Lilith's bedroom. "Oh my god, what happened?" Lani's face was in horror. She had never seen such a messed-up and ruined room.

"Look, don't worry about this. It just happens sometimes when I get upset." There was a long, long pause, and Lilith widened her eyes, realizing what she had said.

"I didn't mean to make you so upset." Tears formed in Lani's eyes. The idea that she could make someone want to have a fit of rage flabbergasted her.

"No, no, no, I'm not upset with you, I swear! Just please let me explain." Lilith opened the door fully, motioning for Lani to come in. "I know it sounds bad. Just hear me out." This was new. Lilith had never felt the need to talk things out with other people, and the only person she would ever talk with was Nero. She told herself that she missed Nero and was trying to find a temporary replacement, but deep down, she knew this wasn't the case.

Lani begins to cry. She was clearly dissatisfied with herself. How could she be such a disappointment to the person who saved her from getting chopped and sold? She couldn't bear the thought. Lilith stood helplessly as Lani cried. "Come in.....please." Lani walked into the room with tears in her eyes. She took a seat on the floor, and Lilith sat next to her. "Look, I'm not upset with you; alright, I'm just upset with myself; I didn't mean you yell at you, and I-" Lilith cut herself off. "The point is, you're okay, and you didn't do anything wrong."

Lani took a moment to look at Lilith's blood-red eyes and ask, "Are you sure?" The way she studied could have broken anyone's heart right then and there.

"Positive," was the last word she needed to say before Lani broke out a small smile.

The rest of the day went by smoothly as it went on. Both girls did a normal routine of things that they had been doing. Typically, this involves the two talking and getting to know a little more about each other. However, as the day went by, Lani's skin, around where her stitches are, started to itch pretty badly. She started to lightly rub them, trying to fend off the uncomfortable feeling in her skin. "Don't do that. It might ruin the stitches." Lani heard Lilith's voice as she entered the living room.

"But it itches, and it's annoying." Lani tried to sound polite but stood her ground at the same time.

"Yeah, but that means it's getting better. You could make it worse by rubbing or scratching it like that.

"Oh, I see. Do you not have any cream to help it?"

Lilith freezes for a moment before continuing, "I did, but I need to use it for something important." Lilith's eyes drifted down as if she were recalling a memory before darting back ahead as if something was being masked.

"Oh, I get it...." Lani's eyes widened when she realized what Lilith was using the cream for: "I assume you guys are... low on supplies?" There was curiosity in her voice.

"Well, you could say, we are getting close, and it doesn't help that I'm back here at home and not out there." Lilith stares out the window as if she were longing to get out of the house. Lani couldn't help but feel like she was the reason Lilith was stuck with her. "Do you know what you're going to do once you're better?" Lilith turned her gaze back to Lani before Lani shot her eyes downward.

Lani knew this would come up eventually but unfortunately didn't have an answer: "I guess I haven't really been thinking about it. I would like to go back, but the longer I stay here, the more I believe it's not possible," her eyes prickle with tears. The truth is, Lani isn't sure if she wants to return at this point. She has seen more horror this past week than she could ever imagine.

Lilith grabs some tissues and bends down to Lani's wheelchair to wipe the tears that start to come down Lani's eyes. She sobs and runs a finger across her eye to wipe away a tear as Lilith uses the tissue on her other eye. "I'm sorry for getting so emotional, but I really don't know what I'm doing or what I'm going to do." Lani sobs but tries to smile at the same time. She places her hand where Lilith's hand is, which is placed on her cheek. "Ya know you're really sweet; ya know for a demon," Lani says with her glassy blue eyes locked on Lilith's blood red gaze.

Lilith quickly pulls her hand away and averts her gaze embarrassingly. "Nah," she tries to keep her cool but is so obviously flustered. "Me and sweet don't go well together," Lani cups Lilith's chin between her thumb and pointer finger, turning Lilith's head back to hers.

"I beg to differ. You have shown me nothing but kindness, even though I was prejudiced against you, and for that, I deeply apologize." Lani gives another one of her bright smiles that could light up even the darkest pits of hell.

Lilith freezes for a few moments, unsure what to do with the compliment she was just given. "Alright, angel, that's enough," Lilith says jokingly as she pushes Lani's hand away from her face. The two share a laugh. But as they are laughing, Lilith can't help but notice her cheeks, which feel pink, and the butterflies in her stomach.

With a little bit of help from an open door frame, Lani is pulling herself up, trying to stand and step out of her wheelchair. At this point, it's been almost a week and a half, and while she is making some progress on healing, she's not making as much as she would like to. Lani takes a few steps before stumbling back into her wheelchair. "Damnit," she mumbles to herself, clearly frustrated. She looks up, glaring at the doorframe, until her mind wanders off for just a moment. I wonder if butterflies stumble back on their legs after trying to take flight for the first time. What happens if they never get the hang of it? Do they stay on the ground until death? Or do they keep trying until they finally get it?

"Whoa there, angel, take it easy." Lilith comes up behind Lani with a chuckle. Lani didn't even hear her footprints coming up behind her. "You'll get plenty of time to stand up and sit down once your stitches heal up."

"Tch easy for you to say, you're not stuck downstairs feeling useless constantly," Lani replies in a snarky tone.

Lilith raises an eyebrow and says, "It's not normal for you to have an attitude."

Lani averts her eyes and gives a short, but heavy, sigh. "I know, I know. My apologies. I just can't stand the fact that I can't do things for myself. I feel so useless. I want to get up, move, and walk around. I despise being in the chair all day; it's depressing." Lani crosses her arms and looks up at Lilith, clearly frustrated with the situation she's in.

Lilith takes a quick glance at Lani's stitches and says, "I know it's a pain in the ass, but you've only got a few more days until we take 'em off. Think you can hold on a little longer?" Lilith's tone sounds condescending, but something about it eases Lani.

"I guess I could try," Lani replies as she brings her gaze back to Lilith's blood-red eyes.

"It looks like they are healing fine anyway, so that means you'll be okay," Liliths says with a smile. Immidently, Lani beams into happiness. Lani has been feeling absolutely useless since she got here, so knowing that she will be able to stand in just a few short days fills her with joy. Of course, there is the pressure of what she is going to do when she's back on her feet. "But you'll still have to take it easy for a while," Lani disregards that last sentence that Lilith said, because there is no way she's going to take it easy after she gets her stitches off. She trails her eyes to the stitches on her thighs and slowly runs up her arms. She thinks about the stitches in her stomach, knowing her body will never be the same after all the trauma it has gone through and how ugly she will look when they are removed. Lilith puts a hand over Lani's, seemingly reading her mind: "Don't worry about what they are going to look like when they heal; you'll look fine."

Lani frowns. "Thanks for trying, but no one is going to think that."

"Lani You can't talk to yourself like that. Trust me, it's shit for your self-esteem."

"We'll, it's not like it's a lie! Besides, like always, you're just trying to be nice."

Lilith scrunches the corners of her eyes in disgust. "Excuse me? I don't say all this shit just to be nice; I say it because it's true. Anyone who's worth it isn't going to care if your body is scarred. And frankly, it makes me mad that you think I would say all this just to be nice to you, because for the record, I think you are beautiful and would probably kill anyone who says otherwise!" Lilith takes a few breaths as Lani sits there.

"I didn't realize you thought I was that pretty."

"Are you kidding me? You are gorgeous; fucking Aphrodite would be jealous if she ever saw you." Lani's cheeks turn a light shade of pink. That was way too much praise for her to handle, especially about her looks, as when it comes to being perfect, obviously looking perfect was part of it. Lilith closed her mouth, realizing she said way too much.

"Thank you..." Lani's tone was soft, almost shy.

"Yeah....no problem." Lilith shocked herself as much as she shocked Lani with the words that just came out of her mouth. "I'll... be right back." Lilith rushed from the door frame into a separate bed room before swiftly shutting the door and sitting down on the floor with her knees to her chest. "What the hell is wrong with me? I can't be saying shit like that to someone. Damnit, I probably scared her with how creepy I was. What the hell was I thinking? I wanted to make her feel better, but all I did was basically give a speech, fawning about how beautiful she looks." Lilith slams her fist against the wall. She wants to do more but doesn't get the chance when she hears small taps on the door. Quickly standing up, she opens the door and says, "I didn't mean to be so forward with you, I-." Before she could finish her sentence, Lani pulled her down into a hug.

"You have no idea how much I appreciate your words," Lani whispers in her ear. Lilith is taken aback by the hug that she's been pulled into. It's been a while since she has wanted physical contact from another being.

"Just.... Don't say things like that about yourself again; I hate hearing you talk like that to yourself." Tears prickle Lani's eyes and run down her cheeks.

With a smile Lani breaks the hug but keeps both hers and Lilith's faces close together, with their foreheads almost touching. "And for the record, I think you are even more beautiful," Lani smiles, and for a moment, just a small moment. She thinks about what would happen next if she planted her soft, cherry lips on Lilith.

As for Lilith, she pulls her face closer to Lani's than it already is, but quickly stops herself before pulling away. Holy sh*t, I did not almost just do that.