Rosehead

Chapter 29. The Dramatic Reunion

For a moment, two solitary figures stood outlined in the doorway, and then rushed inside. Gabby scooped up her daughter. Daniel hugged them both, petting Panther who attempted to squeeze into the pile.

"Lilith!" Gabby sniffled. "I lost all hope." She sniffled some more. "What happened? Where have you been? We were waiting by the door. How did you get in?"

"Pup," said Daniel, tightening his hold.

Gabby blew her nose. "We nearly lost our minds! We couldn't get out of the mansion. Every door lock jammed. Your father tried breaking the windows, but they're made of some unbreakable glass. Our phones wouldn't work. And your grandfather disappeared!" She said it like it was somehow Lilith's fault.

Neither of them mentioned their daughter's outburst prior to her departure, as if it never happened.

Lilith barely listened. Relief flooded her. Nobody was going to get hurt. She concentrated on soaking in every detail about her parents, the way their hair shined in the light, the way the wrinkles traced their faces. She let them examine her scratches, feel her temperature, and study her eyes and tongue and throat.

"Where were you this whole time? In the garden?"

Lilith took a long look at her father before nodding.

"Alone?"

Lilith thought it safe to shake her head.

Daniel frowned. "Who were you with, if you care to share?"

Lilith thought about retelling everything that happened since her disappearance, but whatever strength she had left deserted her. She closed her eyes.

"It's okay, pup, it's okay. Never mind us. You can tell us later, can't you?"

"Lilith, you can't simply disappear like this ever again. We thought you died!" Gabby's voice caught.

Lilith wanted to say, I'm about to.

"Gabby, would you stop, please?" There was an irritated tone in her father's voice that Lilith hadn't heard before. He didn't call his wife love, which in and of itself was an entirely new development. The hushed tones of her parents' disagreement reached her as if from the end of a tunnel. Part of her wanted to cling to reality, part wanted to be alone to shut down; the latter part won out. Her mind already stepped out of life, passing into limbo.

Acutely aware of his friend's moods, Panther was the only one who felt the change, licking Lilith's face to bring her back.

"Lilith?" Ed edged into the room.

Lilith opened her eyes. "Ed!"

Her friend grinned. "It is. Okay. She is. Sleeping," he stuttered, still croaking like an old man and evidently testing his speaking ability in short declaratory sentences. "Is that. Okay. If I...?" He looked expectantly at Daniel and Gabby.

"Hey, buddy! Where have you been? You're talking again?" said Daniel. "How does it feel, stiff tongue, eh? Did something prompt you or..."

"Lilith. Asked me."

"She did?" Daniel smiled and ruffled Lilith's hair. "That's my girl."

"See? I knew it. When you need to, you can talk," Gabby snapped, and was about to add more before Daniel interrupted her.

 "Come in, come in. Close the door though. We don't want people snooping. You're a different deal. Friends are welcome. Lilith needs more friends, don't you, pup?"

"You could've told us where she went, you know," said Gabby. "This not talking pretense was not necessary."

Daniel spoke over his wife in German, addressing Ed.