A Year In The Making

“You can’t wear white to commit murder, Lilith.”

“Who says I’m gonna commit murder?” Lilith looked at herself in the mirror. Curls pinned back, makeup on point; perfect. Her bedroom, on the other hand, was such a mess that she couldn’t see the floor. That left Malcolm sitting on her bed, the cleanest place in the room, apart from the pile of clean clothes she never seemed to put away.

Mal scowled at her reflection, the complete opposite of her with his buzzed head and dark clothes. “Dad’s in town and after what happened last time…” When Lilith didn’t reply, his eyes shifted to the window. The sun was setting.

With a pained expression, Malcolm looked away again and crossed his arms over his chest. His fingers tapped on his forearm before he started scratching. With a sigh, Lilith grabbed her bedside lotion and flopped down on the bed, taking her brother’s hand in hers.

“You’re all ashy now.” She rubbed lotion onto his dark skin until it shone like a penny. “We should leave,” she said before pulling his sleeves down and buttoning the cuffs. “Don’t wanna be late.”

While locking up behind them, Lilith paused, making sure there wasn’t anyone in the hall, then added her own special lock. Pressing her finger to the door, it glowed faintly before returning to the normal grey color common to the building.

“Should I have set booby-traps?” Malcolm asked as they left the building and walked down the street in the fading light.

“No one’s getting past the door,” Lilith said confidently, waving at a neighbor walking their dog. “Besides, I don’t expect anyone to actually break in.”

At only 21, they didn’t own items worth stealing. Planting surveillance spells was useless too, since the twins could easily detect and destroy them. The only time one of their dad’s employees broke in, it was because Lilith didn’t want to visit. But for privacy’s sake, Lilith liked to lock up when their dad was in town.

“Lil! Mal!”

The twins paused, each trying not to cringe, before turning. Immediately, Malcolm was pulled in for a back breaking hug, then Lilith received the same, with the addition of a kiss on the cheek.

“How are you? I’ve missed seeing you around.”

“We’re alright, Mrs. Duncan.” Malcolm forced a smile onto his face, more out of habit than obligation. She tutted and patted his arm.

“I’m sure you’re trying to be, but it must be hard with the anniversary coming up. I’ll drop by with a casserole in a few days. You’re both skin and bones!”

Not true in the slightest. Malcolm had the build of a linebacker and Lilith was all curves.

“Melody would’ve wanted me to watch over you,” Mrs. Duncan insisted.

Malcolm dug his fingers into his forearm, unable to scratch with his sleeve rolled down.

“Thank you so much for your concern,” Lilith said with a sweet smile as she dragged Malcolm away. “Our mom would’ve been grateful.”

“I don’t know why Mom was always nice to that lady,” Malcolm muttered when they’d turned the corner. “Nosy witch.”

“Don’t insult witches like that. Besides, Mom was nice to everyone.”

Most problems in their mom’s life stemmed from her unbiased kindness. It was how she’d ended up with their dad. Walking toward the east side of town, Lilith couldn’t help glancing to the south, where the graveyard sat. They’d need to visit soon.

Others walked a similar path, keeping their distance from the twins. Even those who didn’t know their dad could at least sense the power flowing in their veins. Those who did know their dad hurried to distance themselves. They entered the park far ahead of Malcolm and Lilith.

The park was pretty plain. A walking path, a playground, and some tennis courts in the far corner. Nothing to write home about. A few humans watched their kids play, trying to tire them out before dinner and bedtime. They didn’t look at the gate. Couldn’t. It was a spell for the event. Anyone with magic who neared the park went unnoticed. That way, a human wouldn’t happen to see someone disappear into thin air.

When the twins stopped at the park gate, blood rushed in Malcolm’s ears and Lilith’s skin hummed. The air shimmered like heat on pavement in the summer, invisible to human eyes. After taking each other’s hands, they stepped forward. Walking into the shimmering air felt like a finger poking into Jello, but it was over in an instant, and they stepped out on the other side.

The humans were gone. The playground, the walking path and tennis courts, erased from existence. Any other day of the year, the park would still be there. Malcolm and Lilith would walk through the gate and wave politely at the humans they passed. But one night of the year, as the sun set, the circus came to town.

Screams of terror filled the air, coming from a large tent set up near the trees. The roars of animals followed and a group of healers ran by the twins, headed toward the chaos.

“They started the show without healers?” Malcolm asked, gawking in the tent’s direction.

“Or dear old dad brought creatures he couldn’t handle yet again. Come on.” Lilith walked in the opposite direction, not eager to see blood.

Even in the human world, circuses could be dangerous. Adding magic didn’t make things safer. Lilith attended the tent show twice in her years at the circus. The first time, everything went fine. The circus brought small or peaceful animals that were easy to handle, like a phoenix or a baby griffin.

The last time she went, they had some sort of giant spider. It attacked the crowd, killing a heroic werewolf defending a group of children. But no matter what happened, their father never learned. He kept getting dangerous creatures, regardless of the consequences.

The twins avoided the dangerous tents in favor of delicious food. Every worker knew them on sight, meaning it was all free. After loading up plates of meat and sweets, Lilith and Malcolm settled at a table, ready to gorge themselves.

“I want a pixie!” A passing satyr child whined to his mother.

“Pixies aren’t pets,” the woman said for what sounded like the hundredth time, and the child stamped his little cloven foot.

As the mom dragged him away, Malcolm chuckled. “Remember when you begged Mom to let you take home a wyvern?”

Lilith rolled her eyes and licked her fingers clean of powdered sugar. “Please. At least I asked for an animal. You were like that boy. You wanted a gremlin.”

If creatures were slightly humanoid and could communicate, they weren’t pets. In fact, most mythical creatures weren’t owned but kept on pockets of land only accessible through portals, keeping them safe from humans. How their father acquired creatures was unknown, but it probably wasn’t legal.

As if thinking summoned him, an enormous man appeared at their table. “Your father wants to see you.”

“Well, hello to you, Winnie. I’m fine, thanks for asking. How about you?”

The man’s nose wrinkled as he turned toward Lilith. “Fine. Your father wants you.”

Malcolm groaned as he stood up and stretched. “We heard you, Winnie. You can chill.”

It took a lot for the man’s grey skin to flush with anger, but the twins always managed to pull it off in record time. His wings twitched with annoyance, but he turned without another word, expecting them to follow.

“You’re not made of stone,” Lilith called after him. “Wouldn’t kill you to crack a smile.”

The twins followed the gargoyle to the crew tents, leading them to the largest one. Winston lifted the flag and waved them inside, seeming to take pleasure in the twins’ discomfort. Even though they saw their dad once a year, they never got used to him.

“There my kiddos are. Come, give your old man a hug! How are you?”

When in the human world, magic users and creatures blended in. The first time they’d met their dad, he looked normal. He’d shown up at their apartment when they were five years old, looking like the typical suburban dad. At the circus, he shed his disguise. The twins braced themselves for his cold skin as he wrapped his arms around them, carefully keeping his claws away from their skin.

Demons weren’t common, even in the magical world. They mainly kept to themselves. Not Tavish. The demon enjoyed being seen. It often led to fear, awe and, in some cases, love. How their mother had loved him was mind-boggling, but Lilith was sure it had to do with the paranormal romance books she read growing up.

Tavish loved being loved, proven by the ten-year-old girl sitting in the corner, playing on an old iPhone. Their half sister. The girl looked up, flashed a smile at the twins, then went back to playing. Lilith steadied her breathing and smiled politely at their father.

“We’re alright, thanks.”

Tavish’s red eyes narrowed. He tsked and shook his head. “Don’t lie to me. I know you’re still sad about your mother’s passing. And you should be! She was a beautiful woman. Amazing, really. She gave me the both of you and I’ll never stop being grateful.” The demon’s smile was honest, even though it was fangy. He loved his kids and had loved their mom. Not enough, though.

“Melody was lucky I was new to fatherhood,” he said, returning to his desk and kicking his feet up. “If I’d been smarter, I’d have kept you with me. You two are so dreadfully human.”

The twins were half human and half demon, but being raised in the human world affected them. Even at the circus, they kept human form. If they didn’t, their eyes would glow a faint red and their skin would have been pale and cold to the touch. Well, as pale as brown skin could be.

“I like humans.” The little girl in the corner set down the phone, getting to her feet to greet her siblings with hugs.

“Hush,” Tavish said, a little edge to his voice. “You know nothing about humans, Petra.” The grey skinned little girl rolled her at her father and took Lilith’s hand.

“I knew Melody!”

Tavish’s smile dimmed. “Right you are, my dear. Only because I was kind enough to allow her entry.”

The magic surrounding the circus kept humans away, meaning Melody could only visit with her kids. Not that she’d minded. The creatures put her on edge, so even when she attended, it was only for a little while. But that changed when Petra and Tamsin were born.

Half demon and half gargoyle, the little twins’ mother had already been long gone the first time Lilith and Thomas met the babies. Only a year old, they were adorable and needy. Melody loved them as if they were her own, even if she only got to see them once a year.

“Speaking of humans,” Tavish said, switching the subject. “Thomas, we need to have a conversation. A little birdie told me you’ve been dating around.”

Taking that as her cue, Lilith turned to leave the tent, clutching Petra’s hand.

“Hold on. Where are you two going?”

Lilith turned back to her father with an innocent smile. “What? I can’t treat my little sister to some candy?” She squeezed Petra’s hand and the girl gave the demon her perfected puppy dog eyes.

“Please? Can I please go?”

As much as Tavish didn’t like to admit it, his circus was dangerous. That fact made him hesitate.

“Just stay away from the animal tent,” he instructed, his focus going back to Thomas.

Thomas let out a sigh as they left, but Lilith knew he’d play it cool until he could get away.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” Lilith led Petra to a table by the food stalls right away, her worry almost making her interrogate the kid right outside of her dad’s tent.

Petra blinked hard, her violet eyes watering. “I’m okay…”

Neither of them were really okay. Lilith pulled the girl in for a hug, letting her cry on her shoulder. Those around them pointedly ignored the interaction. They were the boss’s kids, so it wasn’t their business. Besides, they already knew why the child was crying. Everyone did.

“It’ll get better,” Lilith promised as she rubbed the girl’s back. But after three years, Petra wasn’t over losing her twin. It happened between visits. One year, Lilith and her family were playing with the kids. The next year, Petra was alone.

After the spider incident, Lilith and Melody begged Tavish to be more careful. Melody had been trying for years to have Petra and Tamsin stay with her, saying the circus was too dangerous for them. But the demon was against it, not wanting his new twins to be humanized. A month after the circus left for the next location, seven-year-old Tamsin was killed by Tavish’s newly acquired hellhounds.

Melody hadn’t been able to handle the circus after hearing the news. In a rare moment of humanity, Tavish let all of his kids skip the circus and Petra went home with their family for the night. It was comforting for the little girl, but as soon as the sun rose, the circus would be inaccessible to their world and vice versa. Winston fetched Petra back before morning.

The year after that, Petra couldn’t leave the circus, but she spent all her time with Melody and her older siblings. The three of them were overprotective of the girl. Understandably so. Yet Tavish went back to business as usual. He replaced the hellhounds with a chupacabra because, according to him, they only went after livestock. When it came to mythical creatures, assuming absolutes proved deadly.

Petra sniffled and rubbed her eyes. “How are you?” The child searched Lilith’s face for any signs of distress, but the woman remained composed.

“Better, now that I have you.” Losing Melody hurt like hell. It’d only been a year, so of course, Lilith and Thomas were still mourning. But their mom had protected Petra with her life. Honoring her memory was hard and a year in the making, but it would be worth it. “Come on. Let’s have a fun night.”

Petra grew up at the circus, so it was all old news to her. Still, she and Lilith enjoyed themselves. After hours of food, games, and visiting the actual friendly animals, they were exhausted.

“Aren’t they adorable?” Petra asked as they knelt in the middle of some squonks.

“Sure…” Lilith forced herself to pet the wrinkly, piglike creature at her side. That they were comfortable enough around Petra to not disappear meant a lot, but cute was the last word that came to mind. Not that it mattered. They’d come out of their little kennels as the sky hinted at the approaching dawn. People left the circus, needing to be outside of the gate before the sun rose.

Lilith’s heart raced as a loud roar filled the air, making the earth tremble. Screams once again filled the air as people ran toward the gate, workers rushing past them to the animal tent. Before they got there, a van-sized dragon tore the top of the tent, its flapping wings making the fabric flutter in the air. As the dragon roared again, the squonks sobbed and melted away into puddles of tears.

Unconcerned, Petra jumped up, wiping her hands on her pants. It was only the squonks’ defense mechanism. Lilith stood and grabbed the girl’s hand.

“You ready, sweetheart?”

“Absolutely.”

The chained dragon couldn’t escape. It was only a threat to those in its immediate vicinity. Luckily, the tent was empty close to sunrise and the workers knew how to handle the dragon. Lilith crossed her fingers that no one would be badly injured, then she and Petra ran for the gate.

The dragon’s rage mixed with the impending sunrise created chaos. People ran in one direction or the other, allowing Lilith and Petra to blend with the crowd. The magic users from town didn’t want to be trapped with the circus for the next year, especially with an enraged dragon.

People crowded the gate in a rush to leave, but they still allowed Lilith to push to the front. A few people noticed the girl at her side, but didn’t say anything. If they turned back to report it, they’d be trapped.

Pushing through the barrier, Lilith ran right into Thomas. “Finally! I thought I’d have to come looking for you guys.” Petra reached for him and Thomas pulled the girl into his arms.

“We were near the gate,” Lilith explained, moving aside so others could exit. “It was better to wait until the last minute.”

As the sky lightened, the last people poured out of the gate. It stood empty for a few seconds before the shimmering air returned to normal.

“We did it,” Petra whispered. “We did it!” She let out a whoop and threw her arms around Thomas’ neck. People hurried away, not wanting to be associated with rule breakers. Not that it mattered. Even Tavish couldn’t reopen the gate to their town.

Thomas lowered their little sister to the ground and they each grabbed her hand. “So,” Lilith said, as they walked back toward the apartment. “After getting some sleep, what do you want to do on your first day of your human year?”

“Visit Melody’s grave,” Petra admitted softly. “I need to thank her for saving me.”

A child going to a graveyard on her first day of freedom sounded morbid. But with only a year to themselves, Thomas and Lilith would do whatever Petra wanted. A year was enough time that Tavish wouldn’t be able to reverse the effects of Petra living with her older siblings. The freedom might be temporary, but the demon child would be humanized forever.