"Me?" I reply after a short moment of silence.

Justine walks into the room and hands Erik a steaming cup of tea.

"Thank you." He gives a single nod towards Justine.

"Well," I say, still in shock. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but I didn't even know my father was a thief until today so..."

"Indeed," Erik interrupts. "When I got a hold of this information I thought that there must have been some mistake, but alas it is the truth."

I blink, not sure what to say, and Erik continues.

"You see, I did some digging myself, and their theory could be proven correctly. I think, and the assassins think, that at some point in your life, your father must have told you."

"What?" I reply in astonishment. Told me?

When Erik doesn't respond, I continue. "Look, I'm not trying to be rude, but you better hope that this crazy theory of yours is wrong because I can barely remember what I ate for lunch, let alone remember some hiding place my father may or may not have told me."

"Did your father ever teach you anything explicit during those 'childhood games'?" he asks, completely ignoring my confusion.

"Look, I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm not about to start digging up unwanted memories," I snap in frustration.

"Well, it looks like you'll have to start," Erik says with a shrug. "I don't think you understand the importance of this, Audrey. These people are dangerous and they are growing impatient." Erik's tone turns serious. "They will go after your friends and family too. Not just you, as I'm sure you realise after today."

A wave of guilt washes over me. It's my fault Anita's dead.

"Erik," I say hesitantly, "I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me, but if my dad did tell me the hiding spot, then he left it to the wrong person, because I've basically erased – or at least tried to erase – all my memories with him."

I stare at my hands, which have begun to shake slightly. "You have no idea how painful it is... Wanting those memories to come to life again. But they never do. So it's better to simply bury them." My voice sounds detached, and a lump has formed in my throat again.

I didn't cry when dad died. I decided to stay in denial. Sure, it's not the best solution, but then again, there isn't a solution when it comes to death. So it's easier to live in denial, I find.

For some reason, I find myself looking at Mark for comfort, but he seems to be just as distant as I'm feeling.

Erik sighs. "I think you've absorbed enough information for one day. We'll talk about this more tomorrow."

I notice Justine is standing near the living room entrance, hesitant to step inside.

"So we'll meet here?" she asks quietly.

Erik nods and stands up. "Oh and Audrey," he adds. "Don't worry about your mother. I'll have two people I trust to make sure nothing bad will come to her."

I nod silently and stand, grabbing my school bag that Justine had left for me near the couch before following Erik to the front door.

"Get some rest." Erik opens the door, and I exit, followed shortly by Mark and then Justine.

I hear a faint click as the door closes behind us, and we make our way down the driveway. There's an awkward silence between us as we walk through the quiet streets. When we draw closer to the main road, Mark speaks.

"I can pick you up from your house if you want," he looks at me, and a blush threatens to creep up to my cheeks.

"It's fine," I say quickly, and the silence resumes once more.

"So..." Justine starts awkwardly, shifting her backpack from one shoulder to the other. "School's over. Two whole weeks of freedom before we have to go back." She clears her throat. "Talk about ending school with a bang."

I notice she wavers slightly on the last word. I know she's just trying to lighten the mood, but personally, I think it's way too soon to start cracking jokes about it.

"Yeah..." Mark says, in an obvious attempt to continue the conversation. "It doesn't feel like that long has passed."

Justine gives a dreamy sigh, and I can already see a hint of the old her returning. "I just love the holidays. Such a fabulous time to catch up on much-needed beauty sleep."

"You can say that again," Mark chuckles and Justine whacks him playfully.

"Who says I was talking about me?" Justine smirks at Mark, who scoffs.

Just kill me now, I pray silently, checking around for some sign of a hefty man in black. No one. Darn.

I avert my eyes from the flirting pair just as we round a corner leading onto the main street.

"Well, my bus stop is across the road, so I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow," Justine smiles.

Oh, thank bloody goodness.

She waves and Mark grins at her before she runs across the road.

Use the bloody pedestrian crossing, jeez.

I grumpily begin to make my way up the pathway.

Stupid uphill pedestrian paths. Stupid jaywalkers who want to get themselves run over by cars. Stupid...

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

I turn around abruptly, and my bitterness immediately disappears at Mark's gentle smile. Well, almost.

Stupid Mark.

"Yeah," I say with a forced smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He turns, making his way in the opposite direction downhill, and I continue to make my way up. I soon recognise a house on the outskirts of my streets and make a left turn. By this time, I'd usually be panting from such a big walk up, however, I'm too concerned with what I'm going to tell my mum.

So, mum, a few months ago I totally forgot to tell you about this creepy hooded man who came knocking on the door. I roll my eyes. Well done, Audrey. That totally won't freak her out.

***

"Hey, mum," I say just as she opens the door.

"Audrey!" she immediately pulls me into a tight hug. "I got notified about the lockdown! Are you alright, sweetie?"

I shift my gaze away, not wanting her to see my tear-filled eyes.

She tightens her grip on me. "Audrey, you know you can tell me anything. What is it, sweetheart?"

A huge sob escapes my lips, which surprises me slightly seeing as moments before I thought I'd be too exhausted to have another meltdown, yet here I am, about to bawl my eyes out.

"Anita's dead," I choke.

"What?" my mother cries.

And it's all my fault.

"I can't talk about it now," I stutter, frightened of the lifeless body pictured in my mind. "Please."

"Audrey Litt!" She's shaking me now. "Young lady, this better not be a practical joke."

She stops speaking when I cover my face with my hands and shake my head miserably.

Stop crying. Just stop.

She's silent for a moment, and I'm beginning to think she's contemplating how to force the truth out of me.

Where would I even begin? How can I keep such a big secret from her? How am I going to live knowing Anita's death is my fault? I have no right to cry.

Finally, she lets out a long sigh, and she takes my bag off me, dropping it on the floor before gently guiding me towards the couch in the living room.

"Sit down. I'll make you a hot chocolate, and then the two of us can watch a movie. Any movie you want. Does that sound nice?"

I look at my mother and nod, feeling a bit like a five-year-old calming down from a tantrum.

"I just have to finish off some things for work, and I'll be right downstairs, okay?" she gives me a smile, and I return it half-heartedly.

She pats my knee in reassurance. "I had originally planned a date night here at home, but..."

"Oh no, mum," I interrupt. "You don't have to cancel for me."

She shakes her head. "Anything for you, sweetie. In fact, I'll call him now."

I open my mouth in protest, but she waves me off.

"Enough, Audrey. You always come first no matter what."

I'm not sure what to reply, so I smile gratefully instead, and she walks away, her heels making a clacking sound as she makes her way up the wooden stairway.

"I'll be right back!" she calls.

I let out a long sigh, and lie down on the couch, feeling myself slowly sink into it. I'm not sure why, but crying has always made me very sleepy, and I soon find it hard to keep my eyes open. I hear my mum somewhere upstairs, probably in her bedroom, talking to someone on the phone.

She doesn't sound too happy, I think guiltily. I hope I haven't completely ruined her plans. I really wanted to meet this mystery date of hers.

That's the last thought to cross my mind before I enter the endless void of dreams.

***

"Dad?" My voice seems strangely distant and detached. "Where are you?"

I can't see. Everything is pitch black, and I begin to hyperventilate.

No, no, no. I hate the dark. I hate it! Where am I? Why can't I see? Where's dad?

Perspiration begins to form on my forehead, and my heart is racing a million times a minute.

"Focus," my dad's calm and gentle voice seems to travel like a gentle breeze surrounding me.

"Focus your mind," he says. "Observe. Think. Remember."

I open my eyes abruptly. Sweat is trickling down my temple, and I can't tell if it's because of the dream, or the hot and humid night.

Just a dream, I tell myself, slowly inhaling and exhaling. I look around and notice I'm still on the couch, the only difference being it's extremely dark now and I have a blanket draped over me. Or at least it must have been at some point. By now it's halfway to the floor. Deciding there's probably still a few hours left until dawn, I trudge upstairs towards my room. Unfortunately, I step on a squeaky floorboard right outside mum's bedroom, and I hear a tired groan.

I freeze mid-step, mentally kicking myself for forgetting about that god-forsaken floorboard.

"Audrey?" my mum croaks.

"Yeah," I say sheepishly. "Just me."

This last sentence sends a chill up my spine, and suddenly my tired brain seems to be actively vivid, full of horrifying thoughts.

But what if it wasn't me? These assassins could sneak in here at any time during the night. What if one day I wake up to find her dead?

"Get some rest, sweetie."

I nod before remembering she can't even see me. I tip-toe the rest of the way into my room and dive under the blankets. That's how I remain for at least an hour. I don't toss and turn, and I don't dare close my eyes for more than a minute. Too scared to get out of bed yet too paranoid to get any sleep, that's how I remain for the rest of the night.

***

"Mark," I say in surprise, walking down my driveway.

"Morning," he beams, two distinct dimples forming on his cheeks.

He looks perfect. Way too perfect.

Why does he not have a hair out of place and I have to tie my freaking hair back into a messy bun? Oh, and it's not even an intentional 'messy'.

I note that his shirt is slightly tight on him, defining his features and...

Woah there. I avert my eyes. What am I doing? I'm still supposed to be pissed.

I tug at my tank top in an attempt to flatten out the wrinkles.

"What are you doing here?" It's meant to come out as a snap, but it's more of a stutter. "I told you, I know my way to Erik's house."

That's a lie. To be honest, my mental GPS has never been up to date, and I don't even remember in which street he lives.

"I know," he says, shoving his hands in his pockets awkwardly. "But there's a change of plans. We're meeting at the city. Erik says it's not safe to meet in the same spot."

I shiver, wondering if the assassins are tracking us down as we speak.

"Come on," he turns and begins walking.

"Justine could've just texted me. You didn't have to pick me up." I hurry to catch up to him.

"Not safe. Erik's pretty sure they can hack into your messages as well."

I stare at him in astonishment. 'Pretty sure'? I thought these people were killers, not freaking hackers as well.

"Plus," he adds hesitantly. "I wanted to come."

All I can do is thank my lucky stars that he's staring at the ground because my face has grown so hot I doubt even ice cubes can cool it down. I stare at my black, worn-out converses in embarrassment.

Why do I have to blush at every little comment? It probably doesn't even mean anything.

Too distracted by my thoughts, I don't notice when we make it to the bus station. In fact, I walk right past it.

"Um... Audrey?" Mark calls, and I turn abruptly to face him. He points towards the bus stop sign, and I blush furiously.

"Right, sorry," I mutter, shuffling awkwardly towards the bus bench.

He chuckles, staring at me in amusement and I find myself wishing I hadn't tied back my hair.

If only I could control my blush, I think wistfully.

I risk a glance at him and groan inwardly when I notice him trying to cover up a smirk.

I have a feeling this is going to be a long day.

***

About a half-hour later, we arrive at the city centre. It's been a while since I've gone to the city, and I forgot how busy city life could be. Lines of cars are immobile as their drivers impatiently wait for the traffic lights to signal 'go'. The tall glass buildings reflect the morning sun, seeming to shimmer radiantly. Men and women hurry past in their business suits, briefcases swinging. A group of stylish teenagers bump past us with shopping bags in tow, laughing merrily.

"Come on," Mark urges, walking promptly along the pathway.

"Where are we going?" I ask, matching his brisk pace.

"The City Botanic Gardens. It's not too far away from here."

There's a brief moment of silence before another question occurs to me.

"Do you think the assassins know where Erik lives?"

Mark stops abruptly and faces me with a new seriousness to his eyes. He takes my arm and leads me to a quiet, dirty street not used by many people.

"I don't think so, but listen, Audrey, you can't ask questions like that out in the open. You never know who could be listening or watching." He waits for me to nod before walking off towards one of the main streets again. I'm about to follow when someone bumps into me from behind, and I rub the back of my shoulder.

"Ouch," I murmur, glaring at the back of the tall man's head as he makes his way past me.

"Excuse me, sir!" I call out to him, noticing the wallet on the ground. "You dropped your wallet."

A sudden shiver travels up my spine, and all my senses are screaming that something is wrong, yet everything seems normal. Maybe it's the creepy, lonesome street that looks like a place where drug dealers meet. Maybe it's the fact that I could have sworn this guy just appeared out of nowhere, or the fact that moments before I thought Mark and I were alone. But as the muscular man in the baseball cap and military-style outfit slowly turns around, I get the feeling that it doesn't matter what triggered this sensation because it isn't paranoia, for sure.

"Audrey?"

I see Mark waiting for me in the distance on the main street, eyebrows furrowed as he glances suspiciously at the man. By now, though, the man has his back turned to Mark and is facing me. The brim of his military cap is covering his eyes, but I can clearly see that familiar, cold sneer on his face, and I instantly recognise him as one of the two assassins that were on the library steps at school yesterday.

Before my brain can comprehend what is happening, the burly man seizes my wrist, making me drop the wallet in surprise.

"No!" Mark shouts, running towards me.

"Mark!" I yell, struggling to free myself from the assassin's iron grip.

The man pins me against the brick wall of a building, and I groan with the impact. He smiles menacingly, and I'm now in a position to see those dark, gleaming eyes as they bore into mine.

"Hello, girlie," he taunts.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

| Dedicated to KateKay3948 |

Thanks for being a lovely supporter and for actively commenting <3

I hope you all enjoyed chapter 12! Looks like it's time for the action to begin for Audrey and Mark.

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EDITED ✔