Part One, Chapter Four

"Good Morning," Raven said.

The rain outside drowned out her words.

"Morning."

"Would you care for some coffee?"

"I'd love to," Jean Luc replied as he settled down on a seat around the kitchen table.

She set it down before him, and another for herself before her phone rang. An irritated sigh escaped her lips. She had not forgotten about the plan, not for a second, but it was peaceful with Jean Luc for the past few days. She did not have to worry about removing evidence from her victims or carving the two letters she dominated into skin.

"Hey," Raven said into the phone.

"Dom," Celie said, a message that showed that the next step of the plan was taking place.

A member of the crew, Dominic, would be marking and disposing of a victim as Raven. This could remove most eyes from her instantly.

"Good," came the reply before Raven put on yet another show for Jean Luc. "I was hoping I could take a break after the last incident. I'll be back soon, but right now, it isn't safe."

"Sure. Take as long as you want with the man with information. Make sure you bite his finger off."

Raven rolled her eyes. If Celie made her laugh and break out of character, she would be pretty bitter.

"Thank you."

"Of course. Anything for you."

Raven could almost visualise the wink that came after that sentence. She hung up before she could add a comment.

"It was my boss," she told Jean Luc.

"Pretty obvious. How long are you allowed to stay home."

"As long as I need, apparently."

"That's great news," he responded with a genuine smile. That look made something unfamiliar and warm surge into her chest.

Sitting across him around the table, Raven let out a quiet sigh. Days with him had been calming and glorious, and she was quietly enjoying it. However, she craved going outside.

"Hey," Raven said abruptly. Jean Luc perked up. "Don't the demon only hunt at night? We are relatively safe during the day, aren't we?"

"I wouldn't say safe, but if you need to go out for groceries or something, I could help you."

Raven waved her hand dismissively before standing and grabbing the hand of Jean Luc. His hand covered hers entirely, and the sensation made her heart skip. She only felt this way after getting away with doing something bad, but holding his hand was all it took for her to feel this way. It was quite comforting.

"The coffee--" Jean Luc exclaimed, but his words trailed away as Raven led him outside the door, into the rain. They sprinted five minutes away from the cottage.

There, around them, there was simply an empty road. Their body and clothes were drenched, but Jean Luc did not give many objections except a baffled look.

--

What was this woman doing? Jean Luc thought.

She darted outside her home as if she had no murderers watching her back, into the heavy rain.

He was about to question her when Lucinda decided to lie down in the middle of the road. Her clothes were soaked and see-through, but she did not seem to care.

The smile on her face was beautiful, but Jean Luc had no clue why she thought this was a good idea.

"What are you doing, Lucinda?" he asked, though all he wanted to do was join her, laying on the road like a lunatic.

"What does it look like?" she replied, her voice barely audible. "I'm lying down on the road."

"You have a bed in your home."

"Don't be a killjoy. It's much more fun knowing a car might turn into the road anytime."

She was crazy. And Jean Luc might be crazy too because he approached her and laid beside the woman who had been making his heart pound for the past days.

"You came around. That's a first."

Snickering Jean Luc turned to face her. "I wonder what did to deserve such a wild, wild woman."

"I'd take that as a compliment, thank you very much."

As they soaked in silence, with rain splattering their faces without care, Jean Luc realised how much he was enjoying this. Laying beside Lucinda as she traced the clouds to form pictures, then creating a whole story out of it.

"What do you see when you look at the sky?" she asked.

"Clouds."

"You're boring."

"You're interesting. We make quite a match."

"Well, I think you need to be more carefree. I'd suggest robbing a bank, but I think we can settle for sneaking into the Domsville museum." Lucinda said this with a half-hearted smile.

"You're funny."

"Except, it's not a joke."

Jean Luc turned to face her with an amused expression. "Sneaking into Domville museum? We can pay and get into that place."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Alright then. When do you think we'll be going on this little, illegal journey?" Jean Luc decided to continue with her little joke. She wouldn't expect him to agree to something so crazy.

"Later tonight, then."

"You're not worried about the murderer on your back now?"

Lucinda frowned as if just realising the fact. "I can call in people to guard us."

Jean Luc raised an eyebrow before anyone could blink. At that moment, he discovered her plan to sneak into the museum was not a joke.

--

"What?"

The background checks did not mention he had a hearing problem. Or perhaps he could not comprehend the fact that they were going to sneak into a museum. People don't do it often enough.

"There's a tunnel leading to the museum."

"You've sneaked inside before?" Jean Luc's features twisted incredulously.

"Yes," Raven said. She knew she was supposed to act like a normal and innocent girl, but wildness ran in her blood. She knew she could not stand to be inside her home for too long before losing her mind.

"I have no idea if you're joking."

"Since we're living together, I figured I should let you in on a secret," Raven said, still staring at the raining clouds. "I grew up in a different and painful environment. I had to learn to survive the hard way."

"How?"

"For one, I lived in the tunnels as a child. I know every little secret inside," she said with a hint of pride. She has been through a lot to get to where she was. "How about you, Jean Luc? How was your childhood?"

She knew, of course. She just wanted to hear his voice.

"Not as horrible as yours," he started, before talking about the schools that Raven knew he studied in, and his jobs growing up.

"My sister is young, but--"

The sound of a car steering towards them interrupted his sentence. Raven rolled her eyes. The road was supposed to be empty. Most of the time it was unless someone took a wrong turn.

Raven glimpsed at the car coming from the distance and grinned.

Jean Luc had immediately sat up and grabbed Raven's hand.

"Where are you going?" Raven asked, and received an exasperated look.

"Lucinda, a car is coming your way," he was calm until he realised that Raven had no intention of moving. "Are you out of your mind? Woman, you might want to die but I don't."

"Then move to the side of the road," she replied, still gazing at the grey clouds.

Jean Luc groaned as if already used to her antics and scooped her up into her arms. Maybe she should pretend to have a death wish more. It felt good in his private space.

The car stopped just as they reached the side of the road, mere centimetres from them.

Raven allowed a laugh to escape her lips as her best friend stepped out of the vehicle. She did not inch away from him. Instead, she snaked her arms around his neck.

"How charming," Raven muttered. "I wouldn't willingly just save a stranger's life if I were you."

"There are much better ways to die," he replied before a look of recognition flashed across his gaze. Raven figured that the pictures in her house would easily give Celie away. However, this was very much against the plan. Celie was supposed to stay hidden for the sake of herself and Raven. They were in a dangerous game, and Celie had known that more than anyone.

"What are you doing here?" Raven questioned, but she did not remove her eyes from Jean Luc. He had the heart to save her, although she was not in much trouble at all. She wondered what he would think when he discovered who she truly was.

She was placed back on the ground, and she instantly missed the warmth of his body.

"It's raining," Celie seethed, and Raven was taken aback. Her best friend was genuinely mad.

"So?"

"Your shirt."

Raven looked down. Her skin could be seen through the wet clothes, but that was all.

"So?" she said again.

"Your back, you idiot!"

It took a mere second for Raven's eyes to widen and for her to turn her back away from Jean Luc. The man made her blind with so much unfamiliar joy that she almost slipped up. She might already have, but he hadn't mentioned anything. He did not yet comment on the tattoos and scars she had permanently on her back. Especially the two small, almost unnoticeable letters that represented her as a murderer in the town of Domsville.

Jean Luc knitted his eyebrows together. "What about your back?"

"Another personal tattoo," Raven replied.

"Will it burn my eyes?"

"No, it wouldn't. But it's better to not see some things."

The scars on her back that told the stories of her childhood. It might be the only thing that she did not dare to face again.

A type of fabric covered her back, and Raven realised that Celie brought a jacket with her.

"You're lucky that you're being watched by Darrow," she muttered quietly.

"Tell him thank you for me,"  Raven responded before looking between Celie and Jean Luc. "I need a ride to the tunnels later tonight."

"For why?" Celie dropped the hushed tone as well.

Raven smirked as an idea came to mind.