It took a moment for Lilith to adjust to the gloom. Small windows let in only a trickle of light. Between rows of boxes and the looming refrigerator stood Agatha, her eyes glittering in the dark. Behind her, Monika's white teeth sparkled in a dazzling smile. She made a kissing noise and dropped something on the floor. It made a wet smack. Panther produced a sound of sheer doggy happiness, rushed over, and bit into it.

An echo of distant merriment reached them. In the dimness of the kitchen, it seemed unreal that somewhere out there people could enjoy themselves.

"Er, hello," said Lilith, waving her hand.

"Little miss wants to save lives. Zat iz very brave," said Agatha without any preamble.

"I..." Lilith's face turned hot. She felt grateful for the darkness. "Excuse me, but how do you know?"

"I told them," said Ed.

Lilith grabbed his arm and whispered hotly, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. "You told them what?"

"Everything."

"Everything? Everything, everything?"

Ed nodded, retreating to his old habit.

"And they believed you? I mean, they don't think I'm crazy?" Lilith trembled.

"They've known. All along," he said.

"I suspected. I mean, it's great to hear it confirmed. It's excruciatingly splendid news, but, you know. You could've asked me first."

"Sorry. You were sleeping?" Ed suddenly became very interested in the windows.

"Naturally." Lilith narrowed her eyes and released her hold, fuming. "Once you tell a friend a secret, everyone knows about it."

"We heard little miss needz fire," professed Agatha.

"Shhhh!" shushed Lilith. "Don't say the word!"

Alas. The kitchen shook as if a herd of cows ran across its perimeter. Plates rattled, glasses tinkled.

"Please don't say the word," pleaded Lilith, miming the rest as Ed would. She waved her arms about and moved her lips in an exaggerated manner, hoping it spelled out to everyone, don't talk about fire, the mansion can hear us. Of course, given the darkness of the room, the servants hardly understood what she meant.

The kitchen's tremor didn't seem to phase Agatha one bit. "We want to help," she continued, her eyes glinting. "Zere iz little time. Monika?"

Monika petted Panther who pretended to be an ordinary dog with no extraordinary speaking abilities.

"Monika!"

"Ja, Frau Agatha!" Monika startled, disappeared into a dark corner, and emerged triumphantly, holding a bunch of arm-length iron sticks, their ends wrapped in spongy foam. 

"Are these..." said Lilith.

"Torches. From the circus," said Ed.

Hanging pots clanged. The floor heaved, shaking the stove and the refrigerator dangerously. Lilith reached out to Ed to hold on.

"Well, this is spiffing spectacular. Um. Everyone? Perhaps it's better we talk outside?" suggested Lilith irritably, horror sliding into her stomach.

"Too late," said Ed. "It knows."

All window latches snapped shut as one. Both door locks turned, clicking into place, shutting them off from the rest of the mansion as well as from the way out into the garden.

As if this was not enough, a loud thud outside made them jump. It sounded as if either Rosehead stomped her foot, or an elephant tripped and fell. Then there was a distant shifting of the floors above, indicating either Alfred's victory over the room, or the room's victory over him, or something else. In fact, it sounded suspiciously like someone or something was being ejected into the sky.

Panther produced a noise very similar to a chuckle.

Lilith gulped. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I hope. He lands. In a pile of dung," whispered Ed.

"At least he's outside. As opposed to us, lovingly trapped and about to be crushed alive," said Lilith, eyeing the ceiling.

The ceiling didn't fall short of her expectations. It dropped a foot, thought about it, and dropped two more. The walls joined by muscling over a good chunk of the floor, pushing the stove, the refrigerator and all the counters with them. The racket was unimaginable.

Ed and Lilith covered their ears, while Panther hopped about as if escaping a horde of biting fleas. The servants, on the other hand, didn't mind the situation one bit. It appeared they were quite used to this sort of behavior from the house.

"Monika," commanded Agatha, adding something in German.

Monika produced a lighter and lit one of the torches. It sputtered and spit, filling the kitchen with the burnt smell of resin. Agatha snatched it out of her hand.

"Zere will be fire eating. We set fire to ze garden zen," she said, ignoring another stony vibration. "Zis way." She lowered the torch so that the flames licked the doorknob.

It squealed horribly, twisting and squirming and throbbing. Every surface in the room bulged and creaked. The entire mansion seemed to be squealing, passing whistles like those of a gigantic teakettle about to burst. And it stunk unmercifully of smoldering dirt.

Lilith and Ed covered their faces, coughing.

Panther yelped in fright.

Agatha held true until the knob, blackened and smoking, bleated defeat and the door blasted open.

The party dashed out, just in time for the door to snap behind them with an upset twang. They halted, separated from the first line of the rosebushes by about ten feet of gravel. The garden rustled as if pulsing with hunger.

"Wait. Wait!" said Lilith. Things happened too fast. Could she trust the servants who knew their master longer than she was alive?

"Zere izn't time," Agatha hissed.

"She's right. Come on," said Ed.

"I need to know." Lilith shook her head stubbornly, torn by doubt and fear. "Could you kindly elaborate as to why you want to help me?" She licked her lips, eyeing one of the bushes that slowly inched closer. "You served my grandfather for several decades, correct? Why turn against him all of a sudden?"

"Little miss iz all questions," Agatha snapped. "Alwayz questions." She suddenly rushed close, glaring. "It iz not eazy watching people die—watch ze lady of ze house die. We tried getting rid of ze spirit. We failed. Only heir can do zat. Master won't do it, master iz afraid. You are a brave girl wiz brave friends. We will do anyzing to stop zis."

Lilith's heart thrummed in her throat. "You saw Rosehead eat my grandmother?"

"We were too late to find her. Too late." Agatha looked away, and in time. A bush rushed at her. She stuck out the torch. It hissed and retreated. They were safe under the protection of fire, but not for long. More bushes surrounded them, a hideous chatter issuing from their depth.

"Thank you for believing me," said Lilith. "Thank you for not thinking I'm nuts or cuckoo."

"Come on!" breathed Ed feverishly, throwing up his arms.

Panther snarled, baring his teeth.

"One more thing." She looked at the servants. "It seems like everyone here has their own agenda, the mansion included. Esteemed Agatha, I don't mean anything by it, please excuse me for saying this, it's nothing personal, you understand, but how do I know you're not lying?"

"Dad trusted her," said Ed firmly.

"Little miss iz hurting our pride. No Bloom servant haz lied to Bloom master." Red splotches climbed up Agatha's cheeks.

"I don't buy this for a second," retorted Lilith. "You lied to my grandfather about my beret, didn't you?"

"Not saying zings iz not lying," Agatha snapped.

"It iz our duty to do your bidding," chimed in Monika, to extinguish the argument.

Another heavy thump shuddered the ground. A piercing wail full of rage tore through the sky.

The housekeeper winced. "She knowz. Ze mansion told her."

"How do you know? And how is it that nobody except us can hear her?" asked Lilith, unable to withhold the questions that burned in her head since she heard the monster for the first time.

"People hear only what zey want to hear," hissed Agatha. "Will zis help little miss decide faster? I, Agatha Weber, ze houzekeeper, pledge to you my service." She elbowed the cook.

"I, Monika Pflaume, ze cook, pledge to you my service."

They bowed.

Lilith fixed her beret. "Um," she began uncertainly.

Rose stems gnashed against each other like teeth, a tight circle of them barely a few feet away from the party, seething and swaying.

Panther barked. Ed snatched the torch from Agatha's hand and poked the bushes. "You stinking garden. If you have guts. I'd like to see them. Pop and sizzle."

The shrubs retreated, but only for a moment.

Lilith said hastily, "Okay, okay. Dear Agatha and Monika, please excuse my hesitation. I, Lilith Bloom, heir to the Bloom property, accept your pledge of service. I'm forever and eternally and everlastingly—"

Panther bit her ankle.

"Grateful," Lilith finished. "I'm ready." She took a torch and a lighter from Monika, her hands shaking hard.

"Zis way," prompted Agatha.

They pressed their backs to each other and, thrusting the torches into the dark green mass of leaves, slowly made their way around the mansion. 

"Where are we going?" asked Lilith in between attempts to make her lighter work.

"Ze motor court," said Agatha, waving her blazing torch. "We will hide by ze fence."

Lilith frowned, finally succeeding in lighting her torch. It crackled, caught fire and issued smoke. Monika pressed behind her, slashing at the bushes. Ed's arm flew left and right in wide arcs, his face glistening with sweat.

"Hold on." Lilith tapped Agatha's shoulder. "How do you know Rosehead will be there?"

"She alwayz comez to watch," Agatha threw out, without turning.

Ed's eyes blazed with excitement. "Can't wait. To burn her. Down." He brandished his torch so energetically that he swiped it a bit too close to Monika. She yelped. Panther woofed. Agatha shushed them.

The garden seemed to have gotten the message, letting them pass unharmed. But from deep inside it came noises akin to dripping saliva and hungry stomach gurgles.

They tiptoed close to the fence. Echoes of clown jokes and bursts of laughter told them that they were close. A ringmaster's booming voice announced the next act. A carnival tune pierced the evening air with a clash of cymbals, a beat of the drum, and a buzz of trumpets.

They reached the front gate and halted, peeking through a gap in the greenery. Lilith held her breath. What she glimpsed made her momentarily forget her fear.

Golden lantern light illuminated the front of the mansion. Guests were seated on the steps, captivated by the show which unfolded in the middle of the makeshift arena temporarily cleared of cars. Every light in the house was turned off, making the stage stand out that much more.

Juggling sparkling orbs, an acrobat rode a lavishly decked elephant. A small orchestra played music. A clown ran around the pitch, cheering on the audience. A group of acrobats in glittering unitards huddled to the side. One of them wore a tutu that made Lilith miss her ballet attire.

"Zere she iz." Agatha pointed, and Lilith reluctantly tore her gaze away from the circus to peer into the darkness above.

Hidden in the shade of the mansion, silent and enormous, Rosehead leaned on a wall and gazed intently at the seated crowd, dancing light reflecting in her rose eyes.

If you didn't know what you were looking at, you could've easily mistaken her for a tree. Sadly, that was not the case. To add to the horror, the roof of the mansion appeared to be breathing. A thick blanket of crows perched there, waiting for the scraps from their master's table. The mansion itself loomed over the crowd, slightly inclined.

Lilith's insides turned to acid and flooded her with dread. She desperately searched the spectators' faces for her parents. They weren't there. Her heart hammered. One clear thought pounded in her head: The mansion knew she planned to break their deal, and it was probably angry, especially after being attacked with fire. Nothing prevented Rosehead from lunging at the crowd and sucking them empty like juice packets.

What did I do? I fell for the cowardly idea of saving myself, putting the lives of everyone—including mine—in danger. Excellent, dear Holmes. You deserve a medal of honor. She tightened her grip on the torch, furious.

Bushes inched closer from the shadows, undetectable by the blinded audience but clearly visible from their hiding place. The mansion shivered. Rosehead straightened, suddenly alert. If she were to lurch at her prey right now, not Lilith, not Ed, not even Panther would reach her in time.

Lilith's nerves snapped. "She's about to pounce!"

"Agatha," stuttered Ed. "We have to. Warn them."

"No. When ze firebreazers start. Zen. We make it look like accident," Agatha wheezed. "You don't want to be known az fire starter. Not good reputation."

"But the mansion knows!" said Lilith in alarm. "It's no good now! The whole plan, it's—"

The front doors burst open.

Lilith's palms turned sweaty. Gabby and Daniel stepped out, searching the crowd. Illuminated by the yellow lantern light, they looked haggard, especially her mother. Lilith knew then that she had to make a choice, pick one or the other. Live or love. In that moment she understood that she loved her parents more than she loved herself. It made her strangely serene. She knew what she had to do, on her own, without consulting her book, or Panther, or Ed, or anyone else.

It was her decision to make, hers and hers alone.

She turned to face them.

As if sensing her decision, Agatha snapped. "Not yet. Little miss haz to wait!"

But Lilith couldn't wait any longer; she already separated herself from the living. A pang of pain stabbed her chest. She didn't watch her mother knit, didn't go on a walk with her father, and didn't look for a squirrel with Panther like she planned. There was one more thing she could still do.

Lilith leaned, took in a lungful of Ed's cookie smell, and kissed him.

Ed tensed. Then he un-tensed. Then his knees went soft and he was kissing her back.

If that's what it's like kissing boys, I'm certainly sorry I didn't do this before.

The music stopped, applause erupted, and Lilith launched into action. She disentangled herself from Ed's hold, bent down to hug Panther, and before anyone realized what she was doing, with a cry "I love you both, forever!" Lilith took off, thrusting her burning torch high into the air, yelling at the top of her lungs. "Hey, mansion? I'm here! See me? Right here! Remember the deal! I'm coming! Tell Rosehead not to touch them! You hear me? TELL HER NOT TO TOUCH THEM!"

She sprinted along the pathway, the flickering flame making her dress look like the wings of a butterfly headed for its death.