Criminal Affinity [18+]

Chapter 11

Now I gotta wake it up.
Now I gotta wake it up.
The devil in me.

| Devil In Me - Halsey |

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Ava doesn't have much rest before falling into the flamboyant celebration. Even from afar, Ava hates it as much as she is drawn to it.

Lorenzo and Lily are dressed up in clothes so fine it hurts to look at them. Her arm is locked with his as they walk around and exchange pleasantries with the ever growing crowd.

William Chevalier is nowhere to be seen. And she herself is practically invisible standing up so high.

As she is surveying the grounds, a bunch of similar clothes women walk past her. Ava doesn't expect to be addressed, but a couple of them stop right behind her silently. Their gazes send a prickle down her spine but Ava doesn't look back nor does she say a word.

These must be the Lolitas Lily warned her about. The performers of the Family.

They walk past her and descend down the stairs while passing her glances once in a while. Ava meets eyes with none of them.

A split later another pair of footsteps sounds to her side and walks out another member of the Lolitas, but Ava has seen her before. The girl stops short as she sees Ava, in the middle of shoving pins into her hair.

"Oh," She says softly. "Hi."

Ava doesn't reply, turning her eyes back down on the hall. Not taking the hint, the girl comes beside Ava and begins to talk. "I know you saw us earlier. Sorry about that."

Ava's eyes slant to the girl, her pretty face and her long ashy hair. How did she know? Even though she apologises, she doesn't really sound sorry. She sounds mischievous if anything. Ava doesn't mind that. "I don't know what you see in him, honestly."

She gives a surprised laugh and peers over the railing. The fabric of her clothing hissing while rubbing against itself. "No one knows. He says it's better to keep it that way, because the rest of the girls might not take it well."

He seems a bit too old for her. "How long has it been?"

"A bit over three years." She says. "Even since I came here, basically."

"Cool," Ava says. "You know you're not supposed to give me personal information, right? I'm your enemy."

The girl raises an eyebrow and smiles. "Is that what you've been going around telling everyone? 'I'm a villain. You should be afraid'?"

Ava, annoyed with everything around her, doesn't reply.

"Since you're so against personal talks, I should also tell you that today is my parents' tenth death anniversary."

Ava's mind flatlines as she stares down at the white marble. Ava can't even recall the day her parents died. Her reply is without much processing or emotion. "My parents are dead, too."

Svetlana looks at her with an intentionally blank face. "How?"

"Car crash." Ava frowns. "I don't remember the details. They crashed into a tree. All I remember is smoke and brightness."

"You were in the car with them?" She asks. "How old were you?"

Even though it makes her uncomfortable to bring up her parents, something about not recalling any details has always made her feel grateful. As morbid and selfish as that is. If she remembered the unrecognizably damaged bodies of her parents, she would be nothing but a broken doll stuck in a mental hospital.