Candy- Chapter 11
Flora X Riven Modern Day AU
AN: This is Krystal's POV from years earlier. Enjoy!
"Krystal, how did you find out?"
"You tend to leave your files lying around. Strange from a mafia, in my opinion."
Her father had looked down, furrowing his eyebrows like he always did when irritated.
"I'm not a mafia. I told you already."
The little girl looked into his eyes, raising her eyebrows.
"Care to explain the room full of guns I randomly walked into last time?"
The man's eyes grew wide. How did she know?
"Hide and seek.", the girl said matter of factly, before rolling her eyes.
A small pause echoed.
"Plus, I'm not stupid. You should stop guarding things from me. I'm smarter than you think, and I'll find out anyways."
Another pause, in which the girl's father readjusted his glasses in a pensive manner.
"Father. Who is Flora?", the girl continued, walking closer.
She knew she was playing with fire, but she needed to know.
"Enough!", the man took out a small knife, which never left his black suit.
If Krystal looked anything, it was unimpressed. She had seen him do much, much worse. To her, and to others.
"Yeah. Right. Kill me, go on."
The man looked shocked, before bringing the knife to her throat.
The girl didn't even flinch.
"Yeah, kill the evidence. Run away from anyone that could help you deal with whatever's in that head of yours. Just like Miss Stanford, right?"
She could feel her father starting to shiver at the sound of that name.
"You do realize a knife isn't only for killing matter?" he asked, putting the weapon closer to the girl's soft neck, the tip starting to drain in red.
"You do realize it'll only give me more proof when I reach the police station?"
Mr. Wyatt looked down, before smirking.
"And after that? What would that friend of yours, Helia, think of when he realizes you're my daughter? Plus, I'm supposed to be a dead man."
The girl instantly felt a shiver go up her collarbone. She straightened up. No, he couldn't know. He just couldn't.
"I think I hear the doorbell ringing. It's probably mother. May I be excused?"
Her father pulled away, before laughing.
"How stupid of me to think you had something in you. You're just a scared little girl. A coward."
He then walked away, leaving her to her bleeding neck.
And heart.
Krystal was used to blood. She was used to the intensity of her way of life, and the element of mystery that never left her past for long. It was one thing to live in ignorance, another to live with the knowledge that you are kept in the dark. Intentionally.
"Helia!", she ran up to the boy the next day, at school. But he looked gloomy. Gloomier than usual, that is, for the boy had a troubled past for himself. His father was physically abusive whenever his son's grades didn't reach his high expectations, and his mother had been brutally murdered years ago by a man she was having an affair with. The sweet taste of revenge had yet to reach the boy's tongue, and he was craving it. To make the man that took away his only source of comfort pay.
For now, though, he was sure that man was deceased. It made Krystal feel guilty for lying to him about her heritage, but if he knew her father was the cause of it all, not only would their friendship crumble, but the girl's life was at risk, too.
Helia had, after all, promised himself that if he couldn't take down the father, he would take down his children. In this case, a girl. He was now obsessed with finding her, and making her pay for her father's deeds, whatever that meant.
"Krys. Hi. I have something to tell you.", he said, pulling her away from the crowd they were standing in, before taking her to a small alley right behind the school building.
It was their secret place, where they would talk about anything, from ecology, to poetry, to murder schemes. Of course, Krystal never was enchanted about the last part, but she believed he wouldn't actually do horrendous things like that. At least, that's what she wanted to think.
"I found her.", Helia said, gritting his teeth.
"What do you mean?", the girl asked, "I thought it was a man that did-"
She was quickly cut by the sound of his voice.
"His daughter."
Krystal's eyes shot wide, her mouth opening even wider. No, not him, she thought. Her childhood friend, her childhood best friend, her soulmate. She dreamed of them being something more, but his past intertwined with hers in not-so-pretty ways. Really ugly ways.
But then, the boy's eyes lit up, as he grinned widely.
"Her name's Flora, she lives in Gardenia, and she's about a year younger than us."
Krystal froze again. Could it be…?
"You mean, she lives here?", she asked, suddenly gaining interest.
"Yeah."
The girl didn't know what she wanted: to meet her sister and risk her getting hurt by Helia, or have her be safe yet always live in unanswered questions herself? She really didn't want to admit it to herself. No, it was far too selfish of her.
"You're gonna help me find her, right, Krys?", the boy in front of her smiled, taking her hand into both of his.
His eyes were so genuine, and sparkled of a feeling called hope. 11 yo Krystal just couldn't say no.
"Of course.", she let out.
"You're the best friend I've ever had! Let's go, Riven's waiting for us."
Riven was another friend of Helia's. They lived in the same building, one on the twentieth floor, the other on the fourteenth, and had met after the boy moved over.
Really, Krystal didn't know what to think of Riven. He was hard to get along with, but somehow made the perfect team alongside Helia. The girl guessed it was because both of their mothers left, for different reasons, and both of their fathers were abusive in their own way. At least he had no revenge to take, unlike… Krystal didn't want to think of it.
Riven had a small sister, too. She was about two years younger than him, but had skipped a grade. The girl used to hang out with Helia's little sister Millie whenever they went out in a group, but soon got enough of it for the girl was only in the first grade.
Now, she kept following Helia around, and you didn't need to be a genius to see she had the hots for a certain dark-haired boy with midnight blues.
"Bloom, for God's sake, me and Helia are talking, can't you see?"
Yeah. She was really annoying.
Millie, though, was a sweet and caring girl. She always had a spontaneous aura, and was curious about everything and anything. Helia, who normally acted polite but cold around others, had a real soft spot for her, and they were close despite their age difference.
But Millie also had a dark side. The Stanfords always begged Krystal to babysit her, which she did gladly, for the little girl was a bundle of joy. Or so she thought.
They quickly got closer, and soon the little girl treated her like a big sister, telling her everything.
Until today, where it all changed.
Everything was normal. The two girls were playing princesses. Krystal had on a beautiful Aurora dress, and was helping Millie put on Snow White's. They were laughing, making small talk, until it happened.
"Kryssy, is Helia going to be okay?", Millie asked in that angelic voice of hers.
Krystal first looked surprised, then puzzled. Then she understood. The small girl had seen her father hit the boy.
"What makes you say that?", she still asked, for precaution.
By now Millie looked sad. Krystal started brushing her hair, gently.
"Daddy keeps screaming at him, and I think he has a nosebleed."
"Anything else?"
Krystal didn't know about this. She was aware of the fact that her best friend's father would get heated whenever he got anything beneath an A, but to this point?
"Krystal, I'm scared."
The girl looked over again, coming back to reality.
"Why, Millie?", she asked.
"I'm not very smart. I'm scared daddy won't want me."
Krystal knew nothing better to do than trap the girl in a tight hug.
"No, that won't happen.", she assured, patting the 7 year old's back.
"Sometimes, I wish I would never grow up."
Krystal didn't know what to say.
"I wish I would disappear."
A small pause echoed, in which the little girl started crying.
"Millie, don't say that. Do you want me to tell Helia about it?"
"No!", she cut.
Then she quickly ran over to her room. She didn't come out for the rest of the afternoon.
Krystal took out a book, sat down on the couch, and started reading. It was an Agatha Christie, and soon daylight was replaced by dusk. She heard footsteps, then the door opening up.
"Hey, Krys."
The girl looked over. It was Helia. The boy looked nothing like his usual self. He had scratches all over his arms, a black eye, and a tissue over his nose in case it would bleed again.
"Helia, are you alright?", she quickly ran over, worried.
"The usual. Got a B in Math.", he laughed, sadness tainting his voice.
"But why is he like this?", the girl let out.
She noticed he was limping.
"You wouldn't understand. He wants me to be a doctor, he doesn't approve of my dream. He thinks art is stupid."
Krystal couldn't tell whether Helia was crying because of his darkened eyes, but she did feel the unstableness of the boy's voice.
She never really knew how to cheer people up. Tell them all was fine? It wasn't, and they knew it. She did, too. Tell them all would be alright? And what if it wouldn't? Krystal hated lying to herself. But as the boy's sobs started getting louder, she gently enveloped him into a heartwarming hug.
She did understand. After all, her own father was part of the mafia, and she had grown up in an environment of cold-bloodedness. He had never hit her out of anger, no, but he had used colder methods to put her back to her place.
"I can't promise it's going to be alright, Helia, but whatever happens, I'll be with you through it. Okay?"
She regretted the words for she wasn't sure if she could stick to her promise, but for a second she thought the boy's smile was worth it. She would help him get his revenge, if that was what he desperately wanted, but she would also use her position of power over his feelings to make sure the mysterious Flora girl never got into danger.
"Thanks, Krystal."
He started crying into her neck, as she played with his hair. The boy had decided to keep it long since the day he set his mind on getting back his mother's honor.
Krystal's hair, though, was a boring shade of blonde. It looked dirty, but at the same time smooth. But most importantly, it was the exact replica of her father's. That's why she always hated it, and kept if in a constant braid. That evening, when the girl got home, she decided to act on an impulse for once.
She didn't want to look into the mirror and see Christian Wyatt anymore. She wanted to see Krystal Laurence.
That night, she dyed her hair lavender. The color of devotion. The color of caution. The color of serenity. The color of who she wanted to be.
Herself. Her own self.