- 9 -

After everything that came before, boarding seemed a trivial task. Lilith joined a small queue stretching forward toward an older man. He examined each passenger's ticket before handing them a key ring from the small metal lockbox beside him. When Lilith reached the front of the line, he gave her a kindly smile.

"Ticket please, young lady."

Lilith held the ticket forward. The attendant grabbed it, adjusted his glasses, then squinted as he read some numbers aloud. A worrying wrinkle formed between his eyes. Maybe boarding wasn't going to be as easy as she had planned.

"Ma'am, this is a second class ticket. This entrance is meant to board the third class passengers. I'm afraid I don't have your key with me."

Lilith stiffened. Boarding here was her only option. Andor was patrolling the other ramp. She would be caught in seconds if she tried to sneak through. Her thoughts raced, searching for any to avoid that possibility.

"You can't be serious," she cried. She morphed her voice into an imitation of the stuck up woman that had spit on her that morning. It was her best reference for the type of rich woman that always got her way. "How was I to know that? You really aught to label these things better. And now you want me to walk all the way to the other ramp; it's so dreadfully far away."

Lilith felt horrible speaking to the man like she was, especially when she noticed the way his face twisted at her words. He reached down to his hip and took hold of a large metal block hanging from his belt. "I truly am sorry for the inconvenience, ma'am. Of course, I don't intent to make you walk all the way back along the dock. If you just give me your name I can radio for your key to be left with guest services. You can board here and pick your key up on the ship."

It had actually worked. Relief washed over her. Suddenly, the smile Fennel had gifted her felt real. She had actually made it, she was safe.

The attendant unfastened a rope strung across the ramp's entrance and held it aside. "Welcome aboard."

Lilith thanked the man, sure to use the haughty tone from before, then started up the ramp. She slid her fingers over the canvas wall as she ascended; felt the texture bounce against her fingertips. She wanted to take in every detail: The salty taste of the air, the spacing of the boards below her feet, the shine of the metal handrail poking out between the straps that held the side walls in place. Lilith's feet grew lighter and lighter the higher she rose. This was freedom.

The third-class ramp didn't climb all the way to the deck like its counterpart across the ship. Instead, it lead up to a massive door built into the side of the hull. Above the archway, the name of the ship, Colossal, was displayed in massive block letters. A smaller sign hung at the side of the door. It read, stoop watch your head. Lilith's height made that a non-issue.

Stepping inside, she was greeted by a group of uniformed men standing in a line. They welcomed her aboard the ship and she nodded to them before stepping further inside. She glanced around, finding a seemingly endless hallway extending in both directions. Countless white doors lined the hall blending in with the white paneled walls, small brass plagues the only indication of their presence. She felt helpless to navigate the nondescript path alone so she turned to the uniformed men to ask for directions.

"Excuse me, sir. I was told I need to go to guest services. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes, ma'am." The man closest to her stepped out from the line while the others continued greeting the other passengers. "Allow me to escort you."

Lilith agreed and allowed the man to guide her. As they walked, she took in every detail of the environment. The timbers of the floor oriented to point in the direction of travel, the exposed pipes and ductwork running the length of the ceiling, and the identical doors differentiated only by a small label. She worried she would become lost the first trip she attempted alone, but she planned to spend most of the time hiding in her room anyway.

"Here we are," her guide said. He stopped in front of the same door they had passed a hundred times over and took the knob in his hand. "From here you just take the stairs up two floors to C deck. Guest services is right by the staircase so you can't miss it."

As the man pulled the door open Lilith was struck with awe. Past the door frame the interior transformed. A grand staircase stood as the centerpiece of the room, its banisters intricately carved and marked with gold accents. The walls weren't the endless white panels of the hallway, but instead brilliant mahogany with its chatoyant grain on full display. The plain timbers floorboards were replaced with gleaming white floor tiles.

Wonder swelled in Lilith's voice. "Is that marble?"

"No, ma'am. Something far more expensive. Linoleum."

Lilith ran up the stairway and out into an open area. Rainbow light from the stained glass windows streamed into a lounge already beginning to fill with passengers. She wanted to rush over and stare out, find out how much of the docks she could see, but she had a task to complete first. The man had told her guest services was on C deck.

The staircase up was even more grand on this floor. It was far wider, with a third banister running through its center. An ornate candelabra stood at the stairway's base, casting its light on the large painting hung on the opposite wall. Lilith grabbed hold of the railing, sliding her hand along the polished wood as she climbed.

Once she reached the next desk, her destination came into view. A long counter resting below a series of windows into the next room over. A small queue of passengers had already formed in front and Lilith took her place at the back. To pass the time she watched the crew rush around their office, working to help each individual.

When her turn finally came around, she stepped forward and greeted the man behind the window. "Hello, my name is Lilith. I—"

"Ah, yes ma'am. I was told to expect you. Your room key just arrived a few minutes ago. Give me one moment."

The man ducked below the counter and after a bit of shuffling, popped back up with a metal lock box. It clanked down onto the counter, then the man pulled a ring of keys from his hip. He flipped through each one in turn until he found the one he needed. He removed the padlock, opened the box, and reached inside. When his hand returned from the box, a key followed; his finger pressed through the key ring allowing it to dangle loose. A large wooden tag hung beside it, B-27 carved into its face.

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"Your assigned room is on B deck. Second from the top, room twenty seven. Feel free to ask any of the crew if you have trouble finding it."

Lilith took the key from the man and held it close to her chest. She had planned to head straight to her room and isolate herself, but it would be such a waste to never see the view from the deck. Excitement buzzed through her arms at the thought, causing the keys to jingle slightly. Lilith thanked the clerk and rushed up the grand staircase. She would allow herself this one treat.

Somehow, the ship seemed even bigger from the deck. Steel reclining chairs ran in lines down the side of the ship. Lilith bounced over to the outer railing and inhaled the cool sea air. She leaned forward to stare down to the dock where the crowd ebbed and flowed like ocean waves. But then the tide broke, and Fennel was left in the wake, pretending to search for her. Nausea struck Lilith and she stumbled back.

She wanted to blame sea sickness, wished for it with everything she had, but she knew that wasn't the cause. Not having a home to return to wouldn't stop homesickness from ripping at her heart. Fennel was the last living person she cared about, and she would never see her again.

Lilith gripped at her tightening chest. As if the feeling was something she could run from, she turned and burst down the deck. She sprinted past guests, past crew members, and past the second boarding ramp.

"What are you doing here?"

Lilith ran headfirst into the question and it stopped her dead. She turned around as Pandora stepped off the boarding ramp. With such a large ship Lilith didn't expect to meet her again so soon, or really at all. With the plan being to hold up in her cabin she thought meeting the woman again would be a long shot; that her last memory of Pandora would be her arguing with...

Lilith's gaze dropped to the dock below. Andor had really gotten into it with Pandora. What if he watched her board? If he sees me up here... Even without a ticket, a hunter might be able to get on board if it was to slay a youkai.

Lilith gripped the handrail and scanned the crowd below. She caught sight of Andor arguing with two men dressed in constable uniforms. He hadn't seen her. Not wanting to push her luck further, Lilith backed a few steps away from the railing.

The scent of cinnamon, orange, and tobacco filled Lilith's head. She turned to find Pandora right beside her. She had closed the gap between them already. A small vibration rocked Lilith's feet as Pandora dropped her suitcase to the ground beside her.

"You ignoring me because you think I'll be mad? I'm not. If I found a way to sneak on board I'd sell my ticket too."

"I had two. I sold you my extra."

Pandora's eye crawled across her. "How exactly did you end up with a spare? You don't look particularly well off."

Pandora probably thought she had stolen them. It might have been best to let her believe that, but the question brought back memories of that night. Lilith's head dropped and before she could think better of it, she was telling the truth.

"It was my father's ticket."

Stupid! Idiotic! Boneheaded! Lilith's face pulled back into a tight grimace as she braced for the inevitable question she had just invited.

What happened to your father?

Instead, Pandora said, "You're shaking again."

Sure enough, it was true, but the change of topic caught Lilith off guard. Pandora removed the luggage from her shoulders, placed it on the ground by her suitcase, then slid her shoulders back to let her coat fall free. Her bare right arm peaked out from behind the heavy fabric, revealing toned muscle and black ink.

"What are you—"

Pandora whipped the coat into the air, spinning it around in the space above Lilith's head. It drifted down and came to rest on her shoulders.

"I wanted you to buy a coat with that money, but don't count on finding a tailor aboard the ship. So, you can have mine."

Lilith's mouth fell open waiting for a response that never came. Pandora walked to the edge of the deck, leaned against the railing, then lit a cigarette. Lilith rushed to her side ready to argue; to tell her she couldn't accept such a valuable gift, but Pandora spoke first.

"Look, your boyfriend finally caught up."

The thief from before stomped around the dock, parting the crowd like Moses parting the sea. Water rolled down his arms and dripped off clenched fists to leave a trail of water, marking his path.

"Someone call a hunter!" Pandora shouted. "There's a mermaid walking around down there!" She laughed at her taunt as the thief's head shot up in her direction, followed by most of the passing crowd. Lilith ducked behind the railing to hide. A cocksure grin washed across Pandora's face. She raised the middle finger on each hand then leaned over the railing to extend them to the young boy.

Pandora glanced down at her. "You don't need to hide, he can't get aboard."

Lilith met the woman's gaze, then sighed. That wasn't the real reason she hid, but now the idea crawled into her head and cuddled up next to the thought of Andor catching her. Pandora turned her attention back to the thief, no doubt ready to taunt him some more. Surprise washed her face and she snickered.

"He sure is trying though."

"What?" Lilith raised her head just enough to peek out over the railing. The boy flailed and kicked as the ticket collector tried to pull him back by the waist. If he broke free he could be up the ramp and on them in an instant. Lilith scanned her surroundings in preparation for an escape. By contrast, Pandora choked on the smoke from her cigarette as she failed to hold back laughter.

"Aren't you worried at all?"

"A little. If I throw him in the water from this height he might die."

"That's not what I me—"

"Fuck!"

Lilith's pulse jumped at the sudden curse. Her eyes shot back down to the thief. Had he broken free? She expected to see him rushing over knife in hand. Instead, a pair of massive arms had wrapped around the boy, pinning him in place. Lilith traced the rippling muscle up to a heavily scarred face. What exactly was Pandora swearing about? The situation seemed near resolution.

"What is that gorilla doing here?" Pandora made no attempt to mask the contempt in her voice. "That bastard said he was staying in Coventry."

Lilith's breath caught at the mention of her home... former home. This woman should have no reason to bring it up. A dark thought wrapped around Lilith's chest and squeezed making it impossible to draw air. Her lip quivered as she debated ending the conversation there; letting the implication hang between them unconfirmed. But she couldn't.

"You know that man, Pandora?"

"His name's Graham. Like the cracker. The dumb-fuck nearly got three hunters killed. Maybe I could forgive that, except one of them was me and I hold a mean grudge."

"Y-you're a hunter?" Lilith tried her best to swallow her anxiety before Pandora caught on to her nerves. She wouldn't be able to explain away the shaking this time. Any crack in her facade would be enough to give her away. After all, hunters trained for years to identify and eliminate youkai.

Pandora smothered the flame of her cigarette leaving an ashy smudge on the brass railing. "Yeah, I can tell you some stories later."

Boarding the ship was supposed to be the end of it. The moment she was finally free. But now there was a hunter on board and worse she had been the one to sell her the ticket. Lilith struggled to control her breathing. Her body longed for shallow quick breaths but they would give her away in an instant. She needed to appear calm if she was going to live to see Eden.

Until the ship reached port she was trapped in a game of deception. Death was the penalty and Lilith would face it if Pandora so much as realized they were playing. An endless masquerade.

I'm doomed.

How had everything gotten so fucked up? Lilith wasn't cool under pressure. This was a game more suited to Fennel. Composure had always been her specialty. Memories of their goodbye washed over Lilith. She couldn't give up here. Fennel had gifted her a smile; the rest she would just have to fake.

Lilith pulled her mouth into a wide grin and said, "I would love to hear your stories sometime."

"Damn, he's really coming up the ramp." Pandora rushed back to her luggage and scooped it roughly into her arms, mumbling to herself. "That idiot was supposed to stay and hunt a succubus or something. Liar!" She turned back to Lilith, nearly losing grip on her bags in the process. "It's a promise. I'll tell you all sorts of cool stories next time but I have to go now."

Lilith watched Pandora retreat into the ship's interior. The instant the woman disappeared from vision Lilith's forced smile dropped away. She wanted to disappear. She curled into herself and pulled Pandora's jacket tight. No, it was her jacket now.

"It smells like her."