Life was hard. The feeling of constantly being in a fog. With each step taken, it was like wading through chest high muddy water. He never knew where he was going with no shore in sight and the dirty water hid what was within. The only thing on the horizon was the hungry, licking flames. The fire's dance reflected barely across the water giving a distorted nightmare of something already evoking hell. There was a reason hell was always depicted burning.

He fell and lost his footing. Things skittered past his legs, curling and caressing him to send shivers of fear up him. But he knew he couldn't stop, it didn't matter each step was a slogging through something that was once normal. Something that used to give him and and was easy suddenly became the most exhausting task.

No one had to know. If he didn't acknowledge the waters, the fire, the things hiding within the dark, he could just keep moving forward. It wasn't true. He had seen true agony, darkness, and insanity. It couldn't be plaguing him. He knew the symptoms and had taught himself the signs. He had learned as much as he could to help and advocate after watching someone jump off the edge and not being able to catch them in time. So he couldn't be the one struggling when there were others who had it so much worse. What was the measure of his struggle to anyone else's? He had no right to complain, no right to wallow, and no right to feel this way. It was really nothing.

Each carefully crafted lie was said with ease. Exaggerating something that in all honesty wasn't even happening. Yes of course he had done that paperwork, in fact his had gotten far ahead in it. Just give me a bit while I find then it will definitely be on your desk. Each story spun a hero from something that couldn't save himself let alone anyone else. Of course he'd go rescue the girl from the mental health institute. Yes he'd go help that boy from the monsters chasing him in and out of his head.

Just nod. Say yes. Look them in the  eye and never stop smiling. Stare at everything else on fire without fear, because he knew it couldn't burn him if he was already trapped in the water. Even if  it means drowning, he couldn't get out of the water or he'd risk being burned alive.

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A strong reek of peppermint hung in the air. Michael's face had an odd sticky feeling, he reached up a hand to scratch at it with his eyes still shut. Bits of something were knocked loose from where they had been stuck to his face like a teen with bad acne. The sound of them falling to the floor to bounce and shatter reaching his ears. Breathing in, he reluctantly opened his eyes to see another one poised in a small out stretched hand to be put on.

"Please don't tell me you've been licking those."

A small smile crept across her face before Lilith stuck the one she held to the tip of his nose. "How else are they supposed to stick?"

"You, the all powerful being and a genius, couldn't come up with  anything better?" He swatted her hand away and hoped over her to clean himself up, not that a bathroom on a bus was exactly clean.

No mirror, but some tarnished metal at least allowed for him to see enough to find them all and scrub at the spots with a wet paper towel. He scrapped fingers through his hair, tousling it to I didn't try look that still looked good. Keep the image together, don't let them see it fall. He caught his reflection again as he washed his hands. The blurred and scratched up reflection distorting in his peripherals. If he didn't turn, he could image it was Lyon standing beside him.

It should've been Lyon here. He would've made the better agent. He wouldn't have made so many mistakes, lost so many people and himself.

A knock pulled him from himself.

"Excuse sir."

"Yeah sorry almost done."

"No it's not that, the little girl you were with...um it's just she kinda."

Michael shoved open the door, smile already in place. "Hey sorry is my little sis causing a problem?"

The woman looked him over, saw the image she and he both wanted her to see. A polite, responsible young man out on a trip with his little sister. Her anxious eyes relaxed, reducing the crinkled wrinkles that had appeared around her eyes in worry and a light hearted laugh came relaxing the formerly tense shoulders. People were easy to fool. She pointed over to the row he had been sitting, even from here he could see the red glittered cat ears Lilith had changed into.

"It's just she kinda took my son's game and won't give it back. I know how hard it can be with kids, but she really shouldn't just take things. It's not good manners."

Michael apologized, calling in a firm kind manner to Lilith as he approached. She glared at him in response. He didn't back down though, holding out a hand and waiting. The seconds drug on as Michael waited. There wasn't much he could do. They had agreed to ride the bus to find others to stay more on the down low from Fiction, so starting a fight or forcing police involvement over what appeared to be a hand-held game console would be less than ideal. Still, he couldn't make her. He just hoped she saw the logic in giving it back and didn't like, well kill everyone on the bus and probably within at least a few miles over it.

He couldn't help the relief when it was placed in his palm. Apologizing again, he returned it commenting about darn kids and all that. The woman gave a smile of sympathy then got off the bus with her children. He even made sure to wave at them through the window as the bus continued along with their journey.

The facade fell, a bit. As he leaned back in his seat and rolled his head to look down at Lilith. She was now playing a game on her phone.

"That was stupid."

"Say that again and die."

She didn't even look up. The flashing bright colors and lights of the game holding all her attention, not that he was naive enough to not believe she knew everything happening on the bus. In her little fluffy dress she had through on, she was like a little doll. Many layers of bright red and black, she had hotly informed his she was wearing something called goth lolita when he had suggested she tone it done. The answer not leaving room for debate as though that somehow made it stand out less and explained away any of his concerns. Girl was going to be the death of him. At least with her frozen age body she looked like a child, it helped explain it away more and kept people from like wanting to take pictures...well most people anyway.

"People are so disgusting, especially children. His grubby little hands were getting boogers and drool and who knows what else all over it."

"Does not mean you can take it." Michael said.

A huff was his only answer. Great just 12 more hours of this and three bus changes. Time was going to fly by.

The final bus screeched to a halt at a rundown station in a country town with barely any signal, as Lilith continued to grumble about.

"Why would anyone come here? What is wrong with humans?" She sniffed the air as she got off the bus. "What is that smell?"

"Clean air, fertilizer, agriculture in general, ya know not city smog."

"Gross." 

Lilith strode away, running into people as she forced her way through the small crowd picking people up or leaving on the next bus. Her eyes were glued to her phone, making a beeline with unbridled confidence. Michael trailed behind, giving apologetic smiles and sheepish excuse me to wave off anger or concern for her. 

Heels of her shoes clicked together as she turned in a militaristic fashion, heading deeper into town. No concern for traffic or people, she was lucky it was a slow town. Michael followed after her short stature easily that and her clothing certainly made it easy to always find her. Michael waved and grinned at people, winking at a group of giggling girls gazing at him. The performance in it's act, him at the top of his game. He almost ran into Lilith when she abruptly stopped in front of a cheap one-level motel with a neon sign.

A exasperated groan came out as Lilith made a face. "Your friends have no class or self-respect. I say we let them die."

He grabbed her by the collar and to stop her retreating figure.

"Come on." He walked forward, his heart starting to pound and genuine happiness peeking it's head again, a promise of light. "Besides you'll like them."

"I doubt it."

They came up to a door on the end, far away from the lobby. Instead of knocking, Lilith raised her phone making the lock mechanism beep before turning green to allow entrance. Before he could stop her, she flung the door open. Bullets riddled out, peppering her and ripping through her dress. Lilith didn't even move from the impact, only the shooting through and knocking off of her cat ears caused a reaction. 

"Woah, woah woah!" Michael jumped in front of her, staring her down in the doorway.

Pink eyes glared at him, glowing to the point they were like headlight beams. He squinted, trying not to look away and back down. He couldn't show weakness, not that he could do much to stop her if she wanted. Even now, he could feel her power rolling and riling beneath the small figures surface. This entire town was at risk of being wiped off the map. He got ready to beg when a word came from behind him.

"Michael?"

That voice, dear god forgive him for wanting something he didn't deserve but how he had missed it. 

"Hey Sparky, missed me?"

AN: Hey Wattpad people! Look who is alive...kinda. Anyway thanks to anyone who sticks around through all my lack of updates. Love you all.

Going through some tough stuff right now, but trying to get back into writing to get my emotions out and help with my mental health. Definitely made me feel better, missed this and these characters.