tw: mention of abuse.

"Are we completely sure this is gonna work?" Fleur asked, sitting in the backseat and tapping her foot, "I feel like a prostitute."

"Oh my god." Moon said in disbelief at her words, "You are not a prostitute."

"It's definitely gonna work, trust me." Demetri agreed, turning around and looking at her with a eyebrow raise, "You sure you're okay with doing this? Because we can wait a few days."

"No, the sooner I do this, the sooner I can start school." Fleur said hesitantly, "Did you print the fake transcript?"

"Sure did." Demetri nodding, pulling the piece of paper from his pocket, "What it looks like is that you, Fleur Khori, have been a students attending online school all your life and have finally decided to join a public school junior year."

"You really think they'll believe it?" Fleur asked with a raise of her eyebrows.

"Please, the office doesn't care as long as they can protect all the kids thats parents donate to the school." Moon nodded her head, looking back at her again, "Plus, my parents do a lot for the school. They're completely on board with saying you're my cousin and staying with us. It's the perfect lie."

"Almost too perfect." Fleur nodded, taking a deep breath as she unbuckled her seat belt, "I'm heading in."

"Watch his hair, sharper then it looks." Moon warned.

"And please don't fall in love with him, we have enough issues as is." Demetri begged. Fleur cracked him a grin as she got out of the car, shutting the door and heading up the small side walk. She gave a hesitant wave over her shoulder before pulling the doors open. The tattoo shop was almost peaceful to be in, a faint music playing and dimmed lights with the multiple designs on the wall.

Fleurs eyes set on Eli, his back turned and looking up at the tribal tattoos hanging up. Fleur sighed, straightening her posture and walking closer, "Any recommendations?"

"For what?" he asked, glancing over before realizing it had been her. His eyes rolled, "What do you want?"

"A tattoo, and a fake ID." Fleur said back, trying to keep her cool and not seem nervous or as if she was hiding something, "What do you want?"

"For you to leave." he stated, turning to her and crossing his arms, "Miyagi Do isn't welcome here. Rico already knows that."

"It's a good thing I don't go to that pussy dojo anymore." Fleur said back confidentiality, holding her head up higher, "Quit a few weeks ago."

"Seriously?" he asked her, a raise of one of his eyebrows, "Is that why you weren't at the school fight?"

"Maybe. Why? Were you looking for me?" Fleur asked, a smirk across her face as her arms crossing. Eli cracked a grin back, glancing at the wall again, "Are you getting one?"

"Nah, I already have one." he waved her off, "You could get one though."

"I'm good, don't wanna offend anyone's culture without realizing it." Fleur explained, glancing toward the smaller ones. Her eyes set on the magnifying glass, "What about that one?"

"Nerd." he commented, "Where do you want it at?"

"Where do you think I should get it?" Fleur asked, looking over with a grin and a raise of her eyebrows. Eli grinned, grabbing the outline and calling out for Rico.

"You don't want to take your drivers test?" Eli asked as Fleur laid on her back, her shirt pulled up as Rico tattooed right above her hip bone.

"I kept failing." Fleur said back, watching as he put in her actual age instead of saying she was twenty-one. "I can drive but when I drive with them I get all freaked out."

"Yeah, I get that." he agreed, glancing at her tattoo, "Hurt any?"

"Just sore, not bad though." Fleur said back. She would never tell Demetri and she felt guilty for even thinking it, but talking to Eli felt naturally and relatively easy. Maybe it was because they were so similar in a way that neither of them truly understood how or why, "I took a few pain meds before anyways."

"You're hair looks better like that." Hawk said to her, looking at the blonde upper half, that was tied up and showing off the red underside and the few strands of red hanging in her face, "The plain blonde made you look kinda pale."

"I like the red too. Feels more like me then the the complete blonde." Flair spoke back, though she wasn't sure if she wanted to keep it like this until today when Moon helped get some of the blonde back, "What do you use to not destroy it?"

Eli inhaled and gave her a knowing look, "Top secret."

"I like secrets." Fleur spoke softly, sitting up on her elbows with a bat of her eyelashes and a grin.

"You're done." Rico broke the moment, making Fleur look down at the magnifying glass that was small yet felt important, "I'll print that for you."

"Thanks." Fleur called out as he headed to the back. She looked back at Eli again, "How much do I owe him?"

"He doesn't charge if you're with me." Hawk said back, a cocky grin across his face that Fleur avoided rolling her eyes sat, "Do you go to school?"

"Starting tomorrow." Fleur hummed.

"So... can I get your number or something?" he asked, a faint laugh in his words.

"Or something." she repeated, "I don't have a phone yet."

"You don't have a phone?" he asked, getting a shake of her head, "Cool."

"But when I do, i'll be sure to track you down and give it to you." Fleur grinned, hoping off the table and thanking Rico yet again when he gave her the fake license, "So, i'll see you around, Hawk."

"Yeah, see you." he said back, giving her a final check out that he made very obvious, before she turned on her heels and left.

"From kidnapped, to run away, to not a real person, to rich girl." Demetri said as he carried some of the shopping bags into Fleurs new room in Moons house, "I can't believe Moons parents are totally cool with you staying here and giving you money for clothes."

"I hope i'm like them one day." Fleur said, dropping the bags she carried on the floor while Demetri did the same, "Be able to love and help people, seeing the good."

"What stops you now?" Demetri asked her, falling onto the bed dramatically. It was bigger, a queen size. Moon had two guest bedrooms and Fleur took the one with the red bedding.

"Fear, I guess." Fleur said back, kicking her shoes off and falling next to him, "The whole kidnapping thing."

"Right, sorry, I don't know why-" Demetri began, feeling guilty once he realized what he'd been asking her.

"No, it's okay." Fleur shook her head, turning to look his way, "I thought my dad was a nice person and then he locked me in a basement and tied me up. I wish I was like Moons parents, but I don't think I ever will be."

Demetri rolled on the side to nod at her, "You never told me anything about what happened, when you were down there."

"Didn't know you wanted to know." Fleur said back, turning to lay like he was as well, "He never physically hurt me, not him that was. I wasn't always locked down there though, the first month I just couldn't leave the house."

Demetri messed with her fingers, not wanting to push but wanting to know so bad.

"I made a run for it. I only got half way down the road before he caught me. After that I wasn't allowed to leave the basement." Fleur explained, she looked off a moment with a blink, "The cold, lonely, dark basement. He use to play music really load to tune me out when i'd hit the door, yelling for him to let me out. When the neighbors made a complaint about the music, he tied me to the freezer and sound proofed then walls."

Demetri blinked, staring. He knew, whatever Fleur had gone though, was going to be bad. But he hadn't expected this, he didn't expect something so hard hitting and to feel so guilty, "Fleur."

"Yeah?" she asked, meeting his eye again.

"I'm sorry." he whispered to her with a sad look. Fleur gave a shake of her head, "You're the best person i've ever known and you shouldn't have had to go through that."

"Can I tell you something?" Fleur asked, Demetri nodded his head with a half grin, "I usually always think about what happened, it's really just like a constant fear sitting on my chest."

Demetri went to say something before Fleur cut in again, "But when i'm around you, I don't feel that way."

His eyes softened at her words, a sad smile on his face, "Same. Not that I was kidnapped, but, you get what I mean."

Fleur cracked a grin before a knock was heard on the door, "You guys wanna watch a movie before Demetri has to go?"

•

kylie speaks

i'm finally at that
part in the book were
you guys get to see
all the trauma and pain
the past two years have
put on fleur and really
dig under that mask she
keeps up to seem strong!

also, fleur has a edit on
my insta now! @/wheeler_blossom