sweethearts

𝟏𝟓 • till death do we part

(trigger warning: character death)

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
"TILL DEATH DO WE PART"
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A CHILDREN'S BENEFIT GALA was the last place Alíz expected to be when she thought about killing Jerome Valeska. She always pictured a desolate room with dim lighting, and herself covered in blood standing over him. The thought of his blood on her hands used to terrify her, but now it would be more of a pleasure. She didn't want him invading her life any longer. Alíz realized after her talk with Maureen yesterday that Jerome never had her best interests at heart.

If anything, their entire relationship was built on manipulation.

Jerome always convinced Alíz that he was the only friend she ever needed. He always bought her gifts and showered her with affection. Jerome knew that Alíz was desperate for it, he knew she lacked physical affection at home. He always hugged her and gave her kisses on her cheek knowing full well how much it made her grow even more attached to him.

All he ever wanted was to control her. And when he knew he could, he got bored. There was a point in time when Alíz couldn't bear the thought of living a life without him in it. She remembers a brief moment of weakness she had when Jerome hadn't returned her calls and was refusing to see her for an entire week. Alíz never knew his reasons, but she does remember the faint pattern of self-inflicted scars running up her left arm.

The girl's right-hand brushes over her left arm as she painfully tries to ignore the memory. Alíz had spent that entire day training her knife throwing in an empty alleyway nearby the children's gala, not wanting to miss it. She had chosen knives because they were easier to conceal than a gun, and she wasn't all that comfortable firing a gun as she was handling a knife. The girl had hidden knives all over her body from the pocket of her hoodie to the inside of her boots.

Her hands still ache from the number of times she threw those knives; Alíz clenches her fists as she feels the soreness in her knuckles. Alíz wasn't so sure if she was physically ready to kill him, but she had to. She had no choice but to be. Perhaps, lady luck will shine upon her and grant her the blessing of amazing accuracy.

Alíz stood a few feet away from the building the gala would happen in, the Capitale. It was nearly dark out, and people began arriving at the building in their fancy suits and dresses. Alíz was dressed in the same clothes she'd arrived at Maureen's house in a black hoodie, jeans, and black boots with the addition of a black mask that obscured half of her face. Usually, this kind of outfit would disguise her in a large crowd of regularly dressed people, but these people just took being rich to a whole other level of obnoxiousness. It would be nearly impossible to blend in unless Alíz robbed someone of their suit or their jewelry.

The girl looks around and finds a conveniently placed boutique four shops east of the gala and makes her way over to it. Alíz jogs into the store and hastily looks through their racks, not paying attention to her surroundings. The girl was brought out of her daze by a worker, "Are you looking for something in particular, Miss?" Alíz snaps her head towards the worker, "Where are your blazers?" The worker motions over to a nearby rack, and Alíz returns to her focused daze as she picks out a black blazer and dress pants. The girl hurries over to the section of the boutique that had their dressing rooms.