Don't You Dare Insult the Book!

Lilith stood in front of a food stall nibbling her minced caret looking glum. She felt terrible. Even the delicious caret from the stall's owner -a plump old woman- did not help her.

"Are you alright, lass?" asked the concerned old woman. "You seem to be down. If you have any problems, feel free to talk to me. It won't do to have a pretty young girl looking so depressed in front of my stall." She was worried about the girl. The previous times the girl had come to her stall, she had been smiling brightly and complimenting her food. But now the old woman could almost see clouds of gloom hanging over her head.

"I'm fine." Lilith muttered, the clouds of gloom only becoming more visible to the old lady.

"Well, you don't look fine too me. Did someone break your heart?" the old woman asked.

Lilith nodded and the old woman wondered if she should not have brought up the topic.

"The person who broke the heart of a girl as pretty as you must be heartless. How can they bear to look at themselves in the mirror after what they have done to you?" the old woman ranted. "Who is that idiot who dared to hurt you?"

"A book." Lilith muttered.

"Huh?"

"I read a book." Lilith said looking at the old woman.

"So... why are you crying?" the old woman asked. She wondered how could a book make the girl be so miserable. And how could it have broken her heart.

Lilith stared at the old woman before whispering, "I want to die."

"Ok, I don't know what did you read," the old woman said as she patted the girl's head from the counter. "But no book is worth your life. So, don't be so depressed. Look at the bright side of things. And try to distract yourself. Also, don't forget to eat your minced caret."

"I'm not hungry." Lilith stated stiffly. She suddenly noticed a little black cat that looked awfully familiar near the back door of the stall. It was the cat she had seen on the way to the library the other day, she realised.

Lilith moved quietly to the cat, ignoring what the old woman was saying.

The cat looked up to her, first hissing in fright and then, after realising that she had food, calmed down and stared at the caret in her hand as if saying: 'Give me food, human.'

"Here kitty." she said as she put down the caret which she had only nibbled. The little cat pounced on the caret, paying no attention to the girl who had just fed it.

"That's Niji - the cat of the market." huffed the old woman as she looked out of the back door. "Always waiting for a chance to eat. He may look cute but I assure you, he's just trying to get into your good graces for more food."

Lilith looked up with a smile at the old woman, feeling much better than earlier.

"Thank you for the food." she said and decided to go back to the library. She really wanted to meat that beautiful woman again. It was already seven in the evening. If she went any later, she doubted Lena would wait for her.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Andrew was pissed. More than that green-eyed blonde guessed. It took all his will power not to choke her to death after what she had done two days ago. And she still had the audacity to sit next to him and flirt after she had tricked him.

She had told him that she would tell him about the Dolls Organization, and he -being the idiot that he was- believed her.

To be fair, she had told him about the Organisation, but not enough. Just that they were publishing propaganda. Just that. The remaining ten minutes, she flirted with him like there was no tomorrow, all while acting like she knew more than what she had just told him.

And when he finally snapped and asked if she was just fooling around, she told him that if he wanted to know more, he'd have to read the book she had given to the brown haired girl earlier. On hearing that, he had stormed out of there wishing that he could just strangle her.

Yet, here she was - not one bit worried of how angry he was.

"Andrew, stop ignoring me." the woman grumbled.

He continued to ignore her. He was here to read. And to take his mind off that bloodied scene of murder he had seen the previous day. He had definitely not come to see that woman. He had hoped with all his heart and soul that she would not be there, yet here she was. Alive and well despite his curses at her.

While he was deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice the girl in a green dress appear at the entrance and then, before he knew it, she had thrown herself onto the blonde woman and had begun sobbing hysterically.

"Why?" the girl whimpered. "Why did Ali have to die?"

On hearing the last part, the blonde woman looked confused. Andrew wondered who was Ali and why was the girl crying so much over that person. And why she had gone to the blonde woman for consolation.

"I hadn't thought that the book would have such an impact on you, Lily." she smiled gently, her words leaving Andrew wondering if the girl was crying over a book.

"I don't get why you are crying," he said. "It was a Marin book right? So why would you cry over it?"

No sooner the words left his mouth the girl was clutching his shirt with a look so fierce in her eyes, that Andrew shut up.

"Don't you dare insult the book!" she hissed through her teeth.

Andrew widened his eyes as if in agreement, not daring to move his head fearing that he would end up hurt from the tiny, yet sharp blade she had pressed against his neck.

She would be an excellent assassin, he thought. With that speed and fierceness, he was glad as hell he wasn't killed already. The only thing she lacked was training. Even a little training would do. She'd be a perfect killing machine.

'Stop thinking about her being an assassin, you idiot! She can easily kill you now. And it's up to her to do what she wants, why are you thinking of asking her to join the army?' he scolded himself mentally.

"Lily, he's a stupid person who hasn't even read the book," the blonde woman quietly told her while placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. "so don't waste your time on him.

It was only after that the girl called Lily loosened her grip on his shirt. She looked away only after giving him another bone chilling glare.

Andrew made a mental note not to piss her off again, even if he still didn't understand why she was crying.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Note to Readers:

I'll be writing another story soon (it's called 'Petals of Fire'). It's set in the same world as this, but 2000 years before Andrew and Lilith. Back then magic existed. The book follows a girl and a boy (past selves of Lilith and Andrew) and how they, quite literally, nearly destroyed the world. Also, it does not have a happy end (this story might have a happy end. I'm not sure. I'm writing it with the flow.)

'Petals of Fire' will introduce you to a sadist author, don't say I didn't warn you. Also it will introduce you to a bunch of God's and Goddesses (who will appear in this book too). All the best in remembering their names (I'm having a hard time remembering then myself).

Fun Fact: Their world is a cylinder (I'm not joking).