- 11 -

Lilith sat on the bed with her hands clasped in prayer, begging God to forgive her existence.

I'll do anything. I'll devote my life in whatever way you see fit. I'll serve the church in Eden or I'll travel the lands spreading your gospel. Her eyes were shut tight but tears still pushed free to trickle down her cheeks. Even though I was born this way I'll make it up to you somehow. Just tell me what you wish of me; anything.

Lilith opened her eyes and turned her gaze to the ceiling; looking past it as if to the sky beyond. Please, deliver me safely from these hunters. She pulled her hands apart and whispered the end of her prayer. "If it is your will, give unto me a sign."

A jingling pulled Lilith's attention to the door at her left. Lilith held her breath as the lock on the door spun. Light from the hall burst through the dark cabin. At its center, a twin-headed beast in a shadow's form. The creature was roughly human in shape, but with a wolf's head protruding from the side of the neck.

"Why is it dark in here?"

The pounding of Lilith's heart slowed as she recognized the voice. The outline of a pointed hat atop the head confirmed the identity. The person at her door wasn't some monster, it was Pandora. but that brought more questions that set her heart racing again.

Why is she here? Could Pandora have discovered she was a youkai already? But it had only been a few hours. But a barbed thought coiled around her mind. God had answered her prayer. Not just with a no, but an execution.

Except Pandora didn't have the look of someone on the hunt. No weapon drawn and no urgency in her movements. Lilith took a deep breath and dawned her smile like a mask. Her voice would be rough after crying but she would hide it best she was able. "I couldn't find any candles." She added a little laugh at the end that came across as fake even to her ears.

"Candles?"

Pandora was an impenetrable shadow, save for her edges where the light feathered around her. Lilith couldn't read her expression. Her only hope was to keep smiling and pray she was convincing.

"Oh right, you weren't well off. It makes sense that you wouldn't be used to electric lights."

Lilith felt idiotic. Even though there were none in Coventry, she knew what electric lights were; she had read about them. If she had been paying the barest of attention she would have noticed them shining bright in the hallways. Her mind had reason to be elsewhere, but she hadn't even considered that the sun couldn't shine through solid steel.

With a click, light brought the cabin into sharp relief. A small room with none of its modest space wasted. A single four-post bed took up the majority of the room; a thin u shape around its edge marked the entirety of the floor space. Pandora took a single step inside; the only step. A second would have seen her crawling into the bed atop Lilith.

"Oh, you've been crying. I'm sorry, I came at a bad time."

Lilith brought a hand to her face. Moisture still pooled at the corners of her eyes so she wiped it away. She needed to do a better job of hiding her true feelings away. She turned to Pandora with her smile reapplied and asked "What are you doing here?"

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Lilith followed Pandora's eye to the door. It swung deep enough into the room to strike against the bedside table. Pandora pressed her foot against its base and pulled her key from the lock, letting it dangle from her finger. "I guess you didn't notice. Rooms were assigned by ticket."

Lilith's mind shot to attention as her balance faltered and she had to catch herself to keep from falling. Had a wave struck the side of the ship, or had Pandora's words hit her that hard? Share a room? This room? This tiny little room? Where would they sleep? There was only one bed.

Lilith shut her eyes and sent a message up to her God. Less a prayer than a curse. You cruel bastard. You mean to send me off to sleep in the arms of my enemy?

Lilith must have let her feelings slip through to her face again because Pandora's gaze traversed the room. She was avoiding eye contact.

"Sorry. You're stuck with me till Eden. But I can give you some space tonight. I know you're still upset about your father."

Lilith swallowed hard. Pandora had been on the hunt with her father. It made sense that she knew he was dead. But how did she know he was her father? Unless she really had figured everything out already. No, that was paranoia speaking, but Lilith needed to be sure.

"My father?" The question was painted with guilt. Lilith attempted to play dumb but she was a miserable liar. What cruelty that her life now depended on her acting skills.

"You sold me a spare ticket, originally meant for your father and now you're sitting in the dark crying," Pandora said, closing the door. "It's not hard to figure out what happened."

Pandora squeezed across the room. "Is it okay if I put my bags next to yours?" A writing desk with a wardrobe butted against it lined the wall nearest the foot of the bed. Lilith's satchel sat atop the desk, filled to bursting with objects that would raise unwanted questions.

"Y-yes." Lilith's nerves were still coming through too strong. She swallowed and tried to measure her breathing.

Pandora pushed Lilith's bag over to make room for her own luggage. Once finished she looked around before heading further into the room; a long thin object wrapped in white cloth still strapped to her back. Now that Lilith knew Pandora was a hunter, it was easy to guess what was inside. A weapon.

The room's right side was dominated by something Lilith had never seen before; thick metal taking the shape of a three-foot segment of fence. Whatever its purpose, Pandora shimmied past it to lean her weapon in the far corner of the room. Lilith would be sleeping mere inches from the instrument of her unmaking.

She watched Pandora as she made her way back around the edge of the bed. It was quick, but she caught Pandora glancing over at her. She pulled her knees into her chest and rested her head in them but she couldn't wipe the expression from her mind; Pandora's face was washed with pity.

When Lilith looked up Pandora had made it all the way back to the door. Her arms were crossed under her breasts and she looked off at nothing. "Do you... want to talk about it?"

More than anything.

Lilith would have gladly relived every detail of that moment if it only meant someone else would know what she had gone through. That they could tell her how strong she was being, or that everything would be alright. But each word spoken would be one more clue for Pandora.

"Not... not really."

Pandora fidgeted around clearly uncomfortable with the heavy atmosphere the conversation brought. But why? Lilith couldn't understand. Why did Pandora go so far out of her way to care for her? Over the past three days, most people wouldn't even look at her. Yet Pandora had not only acknowledged her existence but saved her life, given her money and gifts, and attempted emotional support.

"Well... do you think you're up to eating? If not I understand."

Lilith looked up at Pandora. She was about to do it again, offer help to the person that would be her mortal enemy if she only knew. God must love complex irony.

"The galley closes soon so this is your last chance until morning. If you want we can go together."

Lilith wondered if she even needed to eat. There was no doubt she needed to feed. No matter how much she wanted to ignore it, at some point, the strength she had stolen from Joshua would wear off and she would need to find someone else to sleep with. But did she need food? She had gone the last three days without and hadn't missed it in the slightest. She couldn't remember being hungry even once in her life.

But humans did need to eat; they did get hungry. So Lilith drew her mouth into a reluctant smile and accepted Pandora's invitation.