The Crown cannot Help You

Chapter 32: The Second Chance

Audelia didn't dare think about anything other than where she was heading.

It was nearly midnight. And despite being fully clothed, Audelia still felt the cold biting at her skin.

She tiptoed carefully over the deserted streets that she'd come to learn so well until finally stopping outside a small alley. She never went out of her way to avoid alleyways, but ever since the incident, she couldn't help how her skin crawled at the sight of them.

Flynn had told her where Lily and Max were staying. He said it was an abandoned building that you could only access if you shoved your way down a narrow alley. The idea of them shoving themselves into a building that was covered in mould in order to try and capture her, really made her wonder. She couldn't help but think about why capturing her was worth living in such discomfort for the months that they had.

Audelia carried out the instructions that Flynn had given to her, carefully squeezing through the alley before arriving at the building's entrance. There was no door. A large plank of wood instead covered the place where the door would have been.

They both clearly weren't concerned about the security of the building, and Audelia couldn't blame them. After all, she feared for whatever poor sod stumbled their way into the lion's den.

Audelia slipped her fingers around the edge of the wood and gently pushed it to one side, hoping to make as little sound as possible. Once there was a gap big enough, she stepped inside and went about on her search.

While she desperately wanted to find Flynn as soon as possible to ensure he was okay, a large part of her hoped Flynn was somewhere else so she could face Lily and Max by herself. The entire reason she crept off without Tabitha was so she wouldn't drag Flynn and Tabitha back into a life they had tried so hard to escape.

Audelia saw the way Flynn carried his ever kill with him, she saw how little sleep he got from the nightmares he constantly had to fight. He was miserable. And the fact he was still trying to be better, made Audelia aware that he deserved more than being forced back into being a killer.

She remained vigilant as she turned the corner, finding herself now looking down a dark hallway. She chose a direction based off a feeling in her gut and started to creep down it when suddenly the silent building was filled with angry shouting. She couldn't work out the words, but there was an overbearing amount of pain in each shout.

She continued down the hall, heading towards the screaming when suddenly a door opened.

Audelia remained glued to the spot as she watched as a warm candlelight flood the hall, followed quickly by the girl she'd come here to find.

It took a second before Lily's eyes snapped to Audelia's frozen form. Small horizontal lines appeared across Lily's forehead as her eyes widened with surprise. "Well, isn't this fun." Lily smoothly said, her face immediately falling into a wide grin.

Audelia opted to give a sheepish smile back, finding herself at a loss for how to start the conversation. Audelia let out a nervous cough before finally finding some words, "I know this is a little- unconventional, but could we talk?"

"You want to...talk?" Lily repeated, taking a step towards Audelia. "Talk?" She said again, either with the intent to mock Audelia or because she didn't know how else to reply.

Audelia stood her ground, refusing to budge as Lily stepped closer. It was the right thing to do, she reminded herself, straightening her back as she did. Now wasn't the time to shy away from the decision she'd made.

"This is perfect," Lily snarled, clapping her hands together loudly. "I was just about to come and get you so you could join our little party, but you've made this so much easy."