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This… this was why Lyss never wanted to be the “leader.” In her hungover and grieving state, she obviously hadn’t thought over her words. Now, hearing the others react to her this way, she realized that she’d done them wrong. She felt like something was off about herself. She wasn’t feeling the same after the recent failures and tragedies. Sure, she barely knew Ellie and Izzy, but they had become a large part of her new life in Tampa. Maybe it was because she wasn’t supposed to have been in this city for so long. [i]I should have moved on the second the DENs were involved.[/i]

The girls had a point. Her inside information from the DENs did look suspicious. She was getting too entangled with them, but was that really such a bad thing? Would they have known of Izzy’s death if not for Liao? Would they know that Annabelle Heart was growing more of a danger to their home with every passing day? No. They would have found out the hard way. When Annabelle would crash through their new front door and kill them all.

Lyss raised her eyes to look at Emily and the girls and felt her cheeks flush. They all looked just as in pain as she’d felt last night. At first she’d wondered why she even felt that way. Yet after talking with Max, and drinking half a bottle of whiskey before bed, she realized that she hadn’t cared for another person in so long that she forgot what it felt like to lose them. 

Still, Emily and Vashti had a point. Liao told her that the pictures were too grotesque to see, but Lyss had seen mangled bodies before. She hadn’t asked for the pictures because of the shock of it all. What if she had? Would Liao have shared them with her? Would they have looked like a killing done by a monster or by an extra-normal government agent? Lyss pressed her lips together. She was going to find out one way or another. It was time they tested the DENs. She had to admit that if Liao or even Max was playing with her, she’d fallen for it easily.

But just before she could explain why it happened this way, who Annabelle Heart was, or how she even knew this information about Annabelle, Claudette rolled in with two newbies. Lyss cleared her throat and took this moment of awkward pause to drink the melted ice water that was in her glass. This was the first time she felt so out of place in this group. Even if Maya and Vashti were defending her honor despite their anger towards her. She never felt this way before because she didn’t care what any of them said or did, but now it was different. She’d done them wrong and let her emotions get the better of her. It couldn’t happen again. Especially now that Annabelle was a bigger threat to the Coven than before.

Lyss felt a moment of relief as she listened to Claudette. Her eyes silently thanked the other leader. She agreed that it was time to tell the Coven about the DENs number one target. In fact, she’d planned to do it yesterday until the booze and Max distracted her. Her moment of weakness yesterday, and a few times before that, was what put her in this situation. Then again, if she hadn’t given the DENs an ounce of trust she would have never learned about Annabelle until yesterday. At least she had the information from her first meeting with Max to tell the girls now.

Lyss frowned again as Emily spoke. Annabelle, Babylon, the DENs, what else would come for them next? Her old partners from the market? A giant Michelin man? The old Lyss would have packed her bags and left by now. For some reason, she didn’t have the heart to leave this time. [i]This has just made my headache worse.[/i] She thought bitterly before getting to her feet. It was time she got over her own emotions. She always had a clear head when she was apathetic. What she needed to do now was figure out a middle ground. It would start with explaining the situation to the girls.

[color=D3D3D3] “Emily… I know that it’s important to find Babylon. In fact, I think she’s the one we should focus on for the time being. She needs to be brought to justice and sealed away from the world forever. Ellie… Ellie’s body needs to be put to rest. The proper way, with a burial.”[/color]

Her heart hurt again as she thought of Izzy, but she ignored it.

[color=D3D3D3] “I don’t know why this Annabelle attacked Izzy. Maybe she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe it was something to do with the DENs. I admit I’ve become too entangled with them, but I’ve also learned more about them in my meetings with Maximil-Agent Cornell- than I could have if I didn’t give them the time to speak.”

“The thing that killed Izzy is named Annabelle Heart. From what I’ve heard, she was a normal girl with no magic until she ran into a man named Saul up north. I’ve looked Saul up, and it seems like he runs some sort of cult following that’s made its way from South Carolina to Tampa. Wherever Saul goes, Annabelle follows him and leaves a trail of blood behind her. It seems like she’s looking for him, and I think it's because she wants revenge. I think Saul has something to do with how she’s become such a monster.”[/color]

She sighed softly now and pushed her hair back from her face. [color=D3D3D3] “I didn’t tell you about Annabelle because I didn’t want any of us to be put in danger. I used to think that it was the DENs problem, and that we had enough problems of our own. Then Blake fucking Schmidt killed the girls from the strip club, the Outsider attacked… Babylon killed Ellie… and now Izzy is gone.”[/color] She looked each girl in the eyes.

[color=D3D3D3] “I’m sorry that I waited to tell you. I let myself get distracted, and my emotions got the better of me. I guess… I didn’t have the stomach to tell you so soon after Ellie.”[/color] The guilt was eating at her empty stomach, but she wasn’t going to let it shut her down again. She needed to use it to make her stronger.

[color=D3D3D3] “What I can do now is promise you that I will do my best to make sure that no more of us are taken by Babylon, Annabelle, or even the DENs. Next time I see Liao or Maximillian I will confront them. I’m going to demand that Izzy gets put to rest properly, and then we are going to hunt Babylon down so that we can do the same for Ellie.”[/color]

She looked at Emily now. [color=D3D3D3] “Keep looking for leads. Keep us informed. I’m sure you can lead us to Babylon, and we can help you take her down. You’re capable of leading us, Emily, but I think this has to be a group effort from now on, like I’ve said before.”[/color]

[color=D3D3D3] “I haven’t listened to my own advice lately, but I promise you all that I’m going to from now on.”[/color]