What You Are Is Beautiful

Carry Your Own Girfriend

Ava had managed putting up her tent with a little help, so why couldn't she take it down by herself? She took out the metal stakes and then moved to disassemble the flexible rods. She lifted one side and lost her grip. The rod flung upward lifting the tent and smacking her hard on the jaw.

"Shit." She yelled.

"What did you do?" Lilith asked from where she stood rolling up her tent and sliding it into her bag.

"I was taking out the posts and got uppercut by a tent." She rubbed the sore spot on her jaw and took her hand away to look at the blood slicked on her fingers. Camila laughed from a few yards away where she stood with her tent in its bag. "It cut me too."

Lilith sighed and set her tent aside. "Let me look." She walked over to Ava and harshly grabbed her by the chin, pushing her head back and to the side.

"Damn, could you be any more rough."

"I assure you, I could. And if you keep whining, I'll give you something to whine about," she threatened with a predatory glare.

"Lilith..." Camila looked at Lilith with disappointment clouding her features.

"She needs to learn to toughen up."

"We can do that when we get to Antequera. Right now we need to pack." Mary sat polishing her one shotgun left over from the fight at the Vatican. The other was lost in the horde of demons and they didn't have time to find it.

"We can't just run forever." Lilith retorted. "She has to learn to fight for herself so we can lock Adriel back up and life can go back to normal. The way it should be." She released Ava's face and the girl rubbed at her cut. "You're going to infect it. Leave it alone. It's just a cut. You'll live."

"I never said I wouldn't."

"Then don't act like it." Lilith snarled back.

"What is your problem?" Ava stood her ground against Lilith's challenging glare.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do. What's your deal? If there's something you want to tell me, do it."

"Everywhere you go, you cause chaos. You messed up everyone's life here as if messing up yours wasn't enough. You released Adriel and dragged all of us and hundreds of civilians into it."

"Last time I checked, you didn't do anything to stop it."

"Because you're the halo bearer. You're supposed to lead us, but you suck at it." Lilith gestured to herself. "And now I'm this, we can't go home, there is what I'm pretty sure is a demon on the loose, and it's all because a foolish, unqualified non believer got the halo and won't give it up because she doesn't want to sacrifice the pitiful life she leads." Lilith's picked up her tent and finished rolling it up. When she didn't get a response, she turned around again to face Ava. She was gone.

"Nice going Lilith," Mary commented. "You chased away Ava."

"I didn't do anything but tell the truth."

Camila frowned. "But she's trying, Lilith."

"As much as I would love to believe in her, her trying isn't enough." Lilith sighed. "I have to go get her. We need to leave soon." Lilith's began walking to the river.

Mary stopped her with a hand on the shoulder, pulling her back. "I think it's best you don't do it." She put her hand back to her side. "Let's wait for Beatrice to get back and we can send her. Beatrice has her ways with Ava."

Camila creased her brow. "Where is Beatrice?"

Mary sighed. "I don't know. She packed up her stuff and made a bee line away from camp as soon as she could. She's acting weird."