Flora. {Credence Barebone}

Chapter Sixteen.

"Flora, Flora!"

Flora could feel the eyes of the entire newsroom on her, watching with bated breath as she rushed through, desperate to catch up with the Barebones.

She was in huge trouble.

Flora had never slapped someone before; there was a sort of satisfaction in swiping her right hand across the Senator's left cheek.

But Flora was still Flora, and as she missed the Barebones' elevator and ran to the stairwell, she couldn't help but feel that the stinging in her hand was more the pain of guilt than anything else.

"Flora!" Flora heard Henry call again, accompanied by the rushing of his feet on the steps above her head as she rounded yet another flight of stairs.

She had slowed by the time she had reached the ground floor, and as she pushed open the door, with the back of Credence in sight, she felt a strong hand grab her left arm.

"Credence!" She had called before she was yanked backwards to face the concerned-looking Senator.

"Flora," he sighed as Flora glared up into his face. Right now more than ever she wished that she had obtained her father's natural talent at wordless and wandless magic.

The Senator's face was tinged slightly pink, and Flora could almost make out the outline of her slender fingers upon his left cheek.

"Flora, what's wrong?" He asked while his hand maintained an iron grip on her upper arm. Flora scoffed before replying.

"What's wrong?" She spoke, her voice taking on a higher pitch. She couldn't believe that he was asking her this. She did not care who he was, or who he thought he was in the No-Maj world, she would not stand for him to say such awful things to anyone; especially Credence.

"Flora I'm only asking because I'm concerned. There's no need to be a bearcat."

Flora tried to tug her arm back but it didn't work; his grip was too tight.

"You," Flora fumed. "You are horrible."

The Senator's mouth opened to speak but Flora continued.

"You cannot speak to people in such a disgusting way and expect me to be okay with it. So yes, something is wrong!"

As Flora continued to rant at the wonderstruck Senator, she didn't notice that while the Barebones had left, Credence had hung back. If Flora had averted her raging eyes from the Senator's baffled face, she would have seen the Salemer boy, watching from just around the building's corner. She would have realised that her blinding anger was nothing compared to the rage that was building up inside of Credence as he watched the Senator pull the furious Flora closer.

"Henry!" Flora barked. "Could you please get your hands off of me?"

"Flora." Henry spoke calmly, as if nothing Flora had just said had any impact on him. In actual fact, seeing how much of a live wire Flora could be made him even more attracted to the petite blonde whose dishevelled hair had fallen in front of her ferocious eyes.

"I have something to ask you."

Flora was enraged beyond reason and she couldn't help but scoff. How dare the man who had just berated Credence, have the audacity to interrupt her rage to ask her a question.

"I'm serious Flora."

Henry's grip on Flora's arm slackened, but not enough for her to pull away and run down the street towards where she imagined Credence was, far from view; not five steps away.

"Henry just-"

"I would like to ask you, Flora," The Senator interrupted her. "To accompany me to City Hall this evening."

Henry beamed down at the dumbstruck witch standing, against her will, before him. Flora could tell from the light in his eyes that he expected her to fall to her knees and thank him for inviting her to such a prestigious event. However, in actual fact, Flora was disgusted.

"I don't care who you are," Flora spat, releasing herself from his iron grip with one last firm tug. "I will not condone your behaviour towards the Barebones by decorating your arm to tonight's fancy function! Wh-"

"Of course not! Of course not!" Henry rushed to comply with the fuming blonde, gently placing his hands on her arms. "And thanks to you Flora, I now realise how horrible I was to people who are nothing but victims to their own minds. Flora, you have shown me the light."

Henry reached to place a gentle hand on Flora's rosy cheeks, but Flora took a hasty step back.

"Flora, please accompany me tonight, I beg of you. Do not punish me any longer. I realise my wrongdoings, and I will fix them for you."

"What do you mean?" Flora inquired, after a moment, ashamed to say that she was intrigued into what he was about to say.

"Name your price Flora, anything, and I will do it. After my speech, I will go straight over to the.. the Barebones' home and apologise.
And anything, anything else you want, I will do it."

Flora shamelessly allowed ideas to whirl through her mind, as the Senator promised her the world.

"Anything?" She asked quietly after a while, looking up to the man who stared earnestly down at her.

"Anything at all."

Taking one least deep breath, Flora sighed.

"I'll meet you at the office," she stated before turning on her heels, leaving behind a man who heaved a sigh of relief so large that he nearly fell over.

Yes, what he had done was wrong, and she would never forgive him for it, but this was her opportunity. This was her chance to give Credence the comfortable life he deserved, away from the terrifying watchful eyes of his 'mother'. A life, that Flora intended to spend with him.

But as Flora retreated from her stand-off with the Senator, she didn't notice the defeated boy who sunk with heartbreak towards the wall behind him. A boy who could take the hate that was thrown at him, but would not stand for the abuse and manipulation he believed had just taken place before him. A boy who was shaking so uncontrollably that the ground beneath him began to quiver.