The Abandoned Path

Heat

The weekend that followed Lilith's return home was full of family gatherings and sorting out belongings. The moving pod that held nearly all her worldly possessions was delivered to a storage unit and she had been able to rifle through it to gather items for her next, less intense move. After a hot day of sorting, unpacking and repacking, Lilith and Sam sat on her parents' back deck, cold watermelon and lemonade in hand. As they watched the early evening sky change colors, a violent vibration shook the glass table top they sat at, causing them both to jump. The culprit was Lilith's phone that was ringing, the number unknown to her. Quick to stop the loud vibration, she grabbed it and answered the call.

"Hello?" she asked timidly.

"Hello, is this Lilith?" the male voice asked, calm and lyrical. He sounded almost bored in fact.

"Yes, who is this?" she asked, looking at Sam who had begun to mime her question of who had called. Lilith shrugged.

"This is Mr. L. I was reaching out to see if you needed any assistance with moving your items tomorrow." He asked coolly. Lilith's heart jumped and clearly her face showed her surprise because Sam quickly leaned in.

"We don't need moving help. What time would you like us to arrive?" Lilith smiled at Sam who had begun to grin, realizing who must be on the phone.

"Nine tomorrow morning should work."

"Alright, that works. Thank you."

"Thank you. Good night, see you in the morning Lilith." His words sounded a bit more lively, but Lilith wasn't sure if she was hearing what she wanted.

"Good night, Mr. L" she sheepishly replied and hung up the phone. "Wow. I can't believe this is real. What a great job this will be. Housing and pay." Lilith said, Sam nodding.

"Cush for sure." Sam laughed. It was too good to be true, but no one else seemed to think so. There were too many red flags for her to ignore, like how was the job not filled by someone with housekeeping experience? How did her mother find it? She never reads the paper, let alone the classified section. Why were they so eager to hire them that they made accommodations even Lilith felt were a bit unreasonable? She didn't want to kill Sam's high though, so she kept her worries to herself.

Honestly, she needed to move, regardless of where to. Despite her love for her family, she moved across the country for a reason. Her mother was overbearing, and her father was at times horribly passive aggressive about her choices and opinions. Not to mention the constant comparisons of her to her brother. She was also tired of sleeping in a room that had been untouched since she was in middle school. Her hope was that this move would be a fresh start. Not just the move to the manor, but also the move back to Portland. A new chapter without the weight of what had happened, and with more support. Perhaps, she thought, the angels won't realize I've left. She chuckled at the thought, knowing it was absurd.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked. Lilith shook her head and took a sip of her lemonade.

"Nothing. Just thinking about how I'm going from hardly picking up my room to cleaning a mansion." Lilith fibbed, though it wasn't completely untrue.

"I know! Orias seemed doubtful when we saw him on Thursday too. But I have a good feeling! We are going to do great and maybe we'll be able to get to know Cain and Mr. L more." Sam chortled, causing Lilith's eyes to roll. A soft breeze rolled off the lake and across the grass before it swept over the women. This moment was nice, it was calm and peaceful. As the sun set low in the deep blue sky, the sparce clouds burned a bright orange hue and they watched as a sailboat drifted lazily past as silence fell yet again. She found herself replaying the evening they had gone to see Omega and Alpha at the quaint three-bedroom house roughly ten minutes away from her parents' home. Lilith still couldn't bring herself to talk about what she felt when shaking hands with Mr. L, nor her apprehensions about the whole situation. The thought of voicing it alone felt overwhelming and panic inducing. Instead, it was superficial conversation that Lilith tried to guide away from the many stressors that hung over her. After nearly three hours, Alpha drove them home. The men did make a point to warn the women of the dangers that still lurked, leaving them both on edge for the rest of the night. It was not the most pleasant conversation ender, but Lilith could feel a tension building, like a constant electrical hum in the air. It was so faint that she could hardly sense it, but its presence was undeniable.