*****
Outside there was maybe a good two thousand people, milling about talking, hugging, and playing. Children ran laughing and screaming every which way she looked. Lilith couldn’t see a single straight jacketed maniac anywhere and all the children certainly seemed alright. This family picnic looked all together different from the one her mother had shown her, she relaxed a little more and headed out into the milling group searching for the kids her age (maybe I can find some of the more exotic cousins) in no time she found the wall where one of the pictures had been taken and climbed on top for a better vantage of the picnic.
In the distance she could just glimpse the barbecue pit and her father. Pete had taken off his shirt despite the chill in the air and even from that distance she could tell he was sweating pretty hard. Though she couldn’t quite see what was on the spit he was turning her mouth watered in anticipation when she got a whiff of the smell of roasting meat.
“Hey, you’re Lilith right?”
She turned around so fast she lost her footing and started to fall from the wall (what is it with every one sneaking up on me lately) she hit the ground with a thump, missing a large rock by just a few inches and rebounded to her feet. Her face flushed with blood and she rounded on whoever had snuck up on her, mouth already open to give ‘em hell (oh – my – god) and closed it with a snap nearly as loud as the thud had been.
David Blane stood before her, smiling an apologetic smile that glanced off the edges of his murky brown eyes. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. Are you ok?”
“I’m fine! (Oh my god I’m related to David Blane) Never better.” Her voice sounded obnoxiously perky to her own ears, but she was unable to stop herself from gushing. (I’m going to hate myself for this in the morning) she caught her traitorous fingers making excited gestures and gripped the wall with them in order to calm them down. Lilith had to turn away from (can I call him David, he’s family, of course I can call him David) David to grip it with both hands and not facing him directly made it a little easier to regain her composure.
(I don’t even like street magic.)
“So – what is it you wanted?”
“Just wanted to say hi, since the picnics been called for your brother and all, kinda makes you a guest of honor.”
“It’s for my brother?” Lilith’s eyes ticked back and forth, as she considered. Made sense, explained why her and her mother had hors d’oeuvres and soup all by themselves inside, though she wasn’t sure why Pete was turning the spit (maybe it’s some kind of honor) this meant Adrian had to be around somewhere. (Duh, no one’s exempt from a family picnic) with a measure of control she’d never known she had, she managed not to jump up and down and embrace David Blane, even if he was a distant cousin that still would have been way too much.
She scrambled back on top of the wall and began turning in slow circles, trying to catch sight of her brother but there were simply too many other relations. Remembering David, “is there going to be some kind of ceremony or something, ‘cause I wanna see him but there’s way too many people?”
David tilted his head up, the sun directly in his eyes but he didn’t seem to notice and even with the direct light of the sun to aid her Lilith still found it hard to see anything in his eyes, though the bright light did reveal the pupil. The side of his face quirked in a reflexive squint, “well don’t worry, can’t miss him. Just wait for the barbecue; actually, I think it’s starting.”
She glanced over her shoulder at his nodded gesture; both Maria and Pete where by the pit now and she could see the family drifting in that direction. She gave David a wave as she jumped down on the other side of the wall (too many damn cousins, I’ll never get to the pit) and began trying to slip through the closing gaps in the crowd.
Now back on ground level she had lost sight of the pit and her parents though she could be reasonably certain she was heading in the right direction from the press of the crowd around her. Before long she was the only one moving, elbowing her way through (let these be the last of them) relatives and mumbling half felt apologies as she moved toward the pit.
“Well everybody has finally arrived,” Judith’s disembodied and amplified voice (arrgh I’m going in the wrong direction) coming from her right. Lilith changed direction nearly falling into and over a cousin even shorter than her, her face pulling down in a determined frown (no cousins are going to keep me from seeing my brother) and shot him a dirty look in lieu of an apology.
“Well, we know why we’re all here. To remind ourselves of what really matters. Most of us don’t loose sight of that, but every so often one does and we get the opportunity to bring them back into the family with one of these picnics.
“Thank the wisdom of old Jacob, for keeping our family together through thick and thin. And we certainly are thick right now; we must have sent out fifteen hundred invitations this time.”
Pause for applause.
“Well I know you’re all starving, so let’s get to the eating. And please people remember, we’re bringing someone home, try and enjoy yourselves. The vomit pits are a last resort, and located to the north of the Homestead.
“Now let’s have Adrian Tate’s parents begin the serving, with Lilith. – ah there you are child - well hurry, come on up and get a piece.”
(What kind of meat is that, who cares I’m hungry.)
The crowd parted for her and Lilith found herself directly in front of the pit at last. She spared a passing thought for her brother but had eyes only for the plate her mother was handing her, grabbing it and moving to sit behind her parents with her meal. She had gotten the first few slices of the meaty upper leg and counted herself fortunate, there obviously wasn’t enough of the roast to go around most of the cousins would be dinning on more of the sausages and soup she’d sampled earlier. Only a select few would be getting a slice directly off the spit. The skin, crisp, melting in her mouth, the meat tender and juicy smothered in a barbecue sauce that was second to heaven.
Her hands were covered in sauce and grease in a matter of seconds, she didn’t want to think about the amount she must have on her face. Gnawing hunger finally slacking, she paused to lick her fingers, savoring the sauce on each one and heard something strange. Her mother was crying.
Not just crying, Maria was bawling, she breathed in big watery hitches and sounded in serious jeopardy of drowning.
(Maria doesn’t cry.)
Lilith absently popped the last piece of meat in her mouth and stood moving with slow dread to stand in front of her parents; Maria, crying a steady river and handing out plates of barbecue to relations who approached with downturned eyes and murmured words of apology. Lilith stopped, stood still by her mother and chewed reflectively, her father crying less dramatically over the pit, his tears sizzled on the coals as he sliced off mystery meat and put them on the table for Maria to hand out.
(What the hell is going on. Where’s Adrian? What did he do now…)
Maria blinked and focused on Lilith. “Enjoying yourself?” Her mother’s previous unnatural tears gave way to her volcanic anger.
(Good I know how to handle this.)
“I can’t believe how stupid you are.” Lilith flinched under her mothers rage and pain filled gaze. The cousins marched up and picked up their own plates from the table, none of them meeting Lilith’s stunned eyes. She saw David step up for a plate, he clucked his teeth in passing. Her grandparents had to be somewhere in the crowd but they were too far away to offer any assistance. ”Haven’t figured it out yet have you? Did you enjoy it sweetie, the soup and sausages and barbecue? Did you like the roasted ears they served as hors d’ oeuvres?
(…What!?! Eww…)
“You wanna know what you’re chewing, huh?” But Lilith didn’t need to hear any more she stumbled backwards away from her mother and nearly tripped over her own feet.
(…oh my god adrian oh my god oh my god oh my god…)
She looked down at her hands and the sauce that still clung to her thum
b.
(no wonder it tasted so good on my fingers…oh my god oh my god)
She could identify the bone from her soup now and did as the ground rushed to meet her body and darkness blanketed her mind.
(finger)
*****
Lilith didn’t bother to knock on her mother’s door pushing if open without preamble (at least Dad’s not home so there’s nothing to interrupt) and struck a saucy pose as soon as she cleared the doorway, hands on hips and hips resting entirely on her right leg. “Mom, you have to get up. You have to write the letters.”
“No, no I don’t, all I have to do is wait for the keepers to come and get us; all of us this time. One big happy family on the spit.”
“Mom, you know they just did it to bring Adrian back to us.”
“Bull. You loved him too, how can you be so calm now? Why didn’t you puke when you found out what you’d been eating? What’s wrong with you?”
“There-is-nothing-wrong-with-me!” With that Lilith whirled out of the door pausing only to slam it repeatedly behind her.
(I just know what really matters)
She stomped loudly to her room and pulled out her school notebook, she could get about a hundred pages out of it easy, Lilith flop-pounced on her bed, and started writing.
####
About the Author
Y.K. Greene is a former volunteer worker, teacher’s assistant, tutor, VOD editor, celebrity blogger, porn and sex toy