Blue Royalty | 1x1: Candice Clarke & Delilah Hawthorne

[novella]

1x1 RP with Candice Clarke (@benitz786) and Delilah Hawthorne (@eclipseis)

Hi hi hi this is a 1x1 roleplay from a scene in the RP that had to be done over PM due to there being some secrets disclosed (e.g. Candice… in general).

Short backstory for people not in the Blue Royalty RP, or who joined late, or who just missed any of this:
Delilah and Candice were childhood best friends until Delilah decided that she hated her and by senior year, they were rivals. We then find out that Delilah and Candice are actually half-sisters (because would it really be a drama RP if they weren’t?) through Lily-Ann Collins, who was an overbearing parent for Candice, and was an absent one for Delilah. Then Candice dies (drama RP, what do you expect?). During this time Lily-Ann Collins decides that, since the first daughter was dead, maybe the second one should have a chance, and during Candice’s funeral, she announces that she would like to be a parent to Delilah. That brings us to where Delilah is, taking a few weeks off school so that Lily-Ann and her can debut their rebuilding of family. But then Delilah receives a text from Blue Royalty, and we come to find out that Candice faked her death (drama RP, you see). Which leads us to the beginning of this 1x1.

please post any thoughts/reactions you may have (that we would love to hear) on the Blue Royalty General Chat rather than here, thank you!!

@BlueRoyalty in case anyone was interested in this

[novella]

It had been years since a conversation with her mother, Lily-Ann Collins, yet within days of their reunion, she had followed her along to Paris, London, New York, and elsewhere so that Lily-Ann could parade Delilah around continuously reannouncing their fixed relationship that always received endless praise. Needless to say, Delilah was in her element here. Though her and Lily-Ann only had a small handful of conversations in those days, she was happy to pretend otherwise for the sake of admiration from everyone.

“It would be great publicity, Delilah,” Lily-Ann said to her when they had arrived in their sixth hotel of the week. “Mason Hale has a perfect, golden-boy reputation, association with him will improve your image immensely.” Delilah leaned back in her chair, looking away from her. Lily-Ann had made a few small and subtle instructions to push Delilah’s reputation to be more on the positive side. She had even dyed her hair blonde, which, not seeing it as Lily-Ann’s attempt to make her seem more white like she was, she was happy to go along with. But sleeping with someone, though in the past she would have happily done so, now seemed more of an outrageous request. Not only did she have to sleep with someone, but she also had to do so ‘without a condom.’

Thankfully Delilah didn’t have to stay in the daunting waiting room for too long, as she was soon led into a very long and even more depressing room, half a dozen beds, divided by only curtains… A nurse told her to wait for around 5-10 minutes before the process began.*

With that additional request, Delilah abruptly stood up, the sound of the chair making Lily-Ann jump. “I’ll have to think about it,” Delilah replied, playing it off with nonchalance. “Whether or not the likes of Mr. Hale deserves even my presence.” Before Lily-Ann could state her objections, Delilah picked up her Louis Vuitton bag and left the hotel room. Delilah stepped out of the building and onto the streets of New York. Though usually a sight like this would only be seen as photo opportunities, Lily-Ann’s request had brought back memories of a day she hadn’t even realised had effected her.

That’s when her attention refocused to a woman on the other side of the curtain next to her, who was in an argument with whoever she was with. “No, I’m not leaving here. I don’t want another baby,” The woman sternly said to the other person. “I already have a child. I don’t want nor need a second one.”

For a moment, Delilah was caught off guard with what was said as she realised they were probably words once said about her and her eyes fell to the ground, the hand that was still raised began to drop.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone’s text tone, echoing amongst the silence that had been lingering in the streets. Thankful for a distraction, Delilah pulled out her phone to see a text from someone… or something she found she hadn’t even thought about in a while.

To: Delilah Rose Hawthorne
From: Blue Royalty

Latitude: 42.6384261, Longitude: 12.674297
Go to Room 43A and knock on the door for 15 points.

The text was less formal than Blue Royalty’s previous texts, but she decided to overlook that for the sake of being on Blue Royalty. She knew that her points score had quickly gone into the negatives after the opportunity to give and take away points from each other and now Delilah was willing to take on any task that meant she would be able to bring it up. Especially since her absence had probably made room for even more people to overtake her.

It took little debating to decide that Blue Royalty’s tasks were more significant than Lily-Ann’s, and she looked up the location of the coordinates, to find that she would be taking a short trip to Italy. Instead of calling to tell Lily-Ann, she lifted the phone to her ear to call for the private jet they had been travelling in, of course, to arrive in style.

Almost nine hours later, Delilah had arrived in the less-glamorous side of Italy that the coordinates had taken her to. Whoever was here was either painfully lower class or an upper class not wanting to be found. Her eyes skimmed across all the numbers on the doors until she reached the desired one. Delilah hesitated for a moment, a little more nervous than she had anticipated, before finally knocking on the door. She could hear some shuffling around behind the door before it cracked open to reveal the person inside.

*for reference: these memories were from this part of the RP

@benitz786

[benitz786]

Escape. She had been chasing it. Begging for it. And finally - for once in her life. She had it. Candice Clarke had escaped from her old life. The bad… and the good. Hell. Her name wasn’t even Candice Clarke anymore. No, Now, Candice’s ID read the name Cameron Claire Josephine. An artist who lived in the outskirts of Italy - doing landscapes of the countryside for a living - not that she needed it. C- had more than enough money to last her years from the modeling gigs she had begun funneling money from when she had decided on her plan to escape. It was odd not to be in the spotlight for once. Candice Clarke was no more a household name. No… she didn’t even look like herself anymore. No, CC had cut her and dyed it a light blonde. Everything about her old life was gone… or so she thought.

In retrospect, it was all thanks to one Daniel Parker. Truly… without him, it would have been an impossible endeavor. The way he rigged her car to drive by itself over the bridge… the way he made it explode. Hell, the way he put a fake cadaver in car and changed her DNA in the biometric system so it seemed like the dead girl was her. Every step was meticulously calculated so C- could escape. Though it was with the low price that he would be able to expose her during her funeral. Though what could she say. Daniel may seem heartless and likely did anything and everything to seem it to others - but in reality, he wasn’t. Something that shocked her.

A smile met her lips as her phone rung to life - the caller ID indicating her father on the other line. He was the only one she told the truth… after her funeral that is. Suffice to say, the man was shocked at his daughter’s return from the grave. Happy but shocked. Though it did take a bit of convincing for him not to tell her mother about what she had done. Though skeptical, he listened.

" Papà. Come va il viaggio?" Candice asked in fluent Italian. She had been practicing for the last week and a half - attempting to fully immerse herself in her new home. “I see you’re practicing sweetie. The expedition is going swimmingly. I have a few more shots I have to take over the next week and then I’ll be back and I can take you to Australia to our new home.”"

C smiled, “Take your time Dad, I’m honestly really enjoying Italy.” she explained. Her father had tried to convince her to stay in his penthouse that he kept in Italy, but honestly, Candice quite enjoyed taking care of herself for once. And having the ability to take care of herself. Well… that was until she heard a knock on her door - an oddity since C- had kept to herself over the past week.

“… I’ll call you back later papá” Candice mumbled, walking towards the door as she stated clearly “chi è?”. The one downside to where she was staying was it didn’t really have a hole to see who was on the other side. So instead Candice opened the door, her neighborhood being relatively safe hence her decreased worry in opening the door randomly. Though the moment she did, her eyes widened. The individual on the other end was one she never expected to see again. Truly. “Delilah,” Candice muttered, awestruck by the girl’s appearance. “Ho…how?”

ORP: New Hair

[novella]

Before the door was opened she could hear the muffled sound of talking, but certainly not saying anything Delilah could understand. She sighed and looked around, how was she supposed to communicate with whoever this is when they speak another language? Obviously, Delilah had fluency in the basics, English, Spanish, French, Latin, of course… she wasn’t a troglodyte. But this one, she assumed was talking in Italian, she knew she was going to have a hard time speaking to. As well as that, her mind filled with questions surrounding Blue Royalty’s reasoning for asking her to come here.

When the door opened, for a moment Delilah thought she had seen Candice Clarke. Which would be ridiculous, since she and almost the entire town watched her body be buried, but maybe her death had affected her more than she had realised. She closed her eyes for a moment, as they seemed to be playing tricks on her, and she almost laughed out loud at the thought of seeing her.

However, when she looked back up, Delilah realised soon enough that it wasn’t her imagination as she saw the same face, with an expression matching how she felt. It was actually her, it was actually the late Candice Clarke standing in front of her. Very much alive. She began to question all of the most recent events, all the conversations and mourning and tears shed for her. But, no, those moments were real and, to everyone at Beryl Heights, if not the world, thought that Candice was dead. So how was it possible that she was here, alive… and in Italy?

Although it seemed like the question Delilah should be asking, Candice, in few words, asked how she was here. She stammered for a moment, having no idea how to find the correct words to compose a sentence that would be appropriate for a situation… like this. “Me being here is not beyond the realms of possibility,” Delilah started, through a small but nervous laugh at the irony of Candice asking that question instead of her. “At least certainly not as much as it is for you.”

But then, her shock and disbelief, and even disgust, melted away through a laugh. “I knew you were one to do things for attention. For the love and praise of everyone else,” Delilah looked around at the sight she was seeing. “But this is… you’ve really outdone yourself. Memorials, eulogies… f^cking shrines for you. What’s the plan here then, y-you fake your death, gain the admiration, glory, worship of the town and then miraculously return? Easily play the innocent victim by saying you were… kidnapped or something,” She sighed in somewhat annoyance. Not because she had done it, but that it had actually worked. “That explosion was quite impressive how did you do that? And whose grave did you have to dig out to get that body to replace you?”

Current appearance

[benitz786]

Delilah Rose Hawthorne. Her old friend. Her half-sister. A girl that Candice truly had never expected to see again - but, in retrospect, she didn’t mind that though. The idea of being gone. Of “Candice Clarke” being dead… perhaps the only part that really hurt was the fact that she couldn’t tell her former best friend, Valerie. In all honesty, Candice had seen in the news about the acclaimed Lily-Ann Collins adopting Delilah Hawthorne after the news of her death broke out. Candice wished she could say it hurt… but it didn’t. It was an odd feeling, but CC felt nothing. Sure, it hurt finding out that Delilah was her half-sister, but did it hurt that in leu of her “death” her mother used her funeral to make sure her reputation was saved? No, it didn’t. It didn’t even cause Candice to bat an eye.

But now, as Candice found herself face to face with her half-sister - she found herself shocked mixed in with something else… fear? Perhaps. Candice’s new life had only just begun… she wasn’t willing to get dragged back into that world. She couldn’t. No - she was 18, an adult, and willing to find happiness in being Cameron Josephine. So there they stood, two girls at opposite ends. Candice still holding on tightly to the door as she met Delilah’s eyes as the girl begin talking.

“Me being here is not beyond the realms of possibility…At least certainly not as much as it is for you."

Though - what could Candice expect out of Deliilah? Of course, the girl would turn this whole thing back onto her being selfish. And she continued, even having the audacity to mention that she was going to use this for the press. “Delilah,” Candice muttered in between her ludicrous statements - though the girl didn’t stop. “God for f*cks sake Delilah,” Candice groaned as the girl finally stopped - asking her about how she pulled her escape off. Perhaps once upon a time, C would have been nice. Been her perfect self. But that Candice was dead. “I’m not coming back Delilah, ever. Candice Clarke is dead and she will be for as long as I have a say in it,” Candice sighed - opening the door wider into her small studio apartment so Delilah could enter. The small space was covered in paintings and photographs; landscapes of the Italian countryside, sketches of her friends.

“Well, you might as well come in before one of these people recognize you as Delilah Hawthrone,” C stated. It was true - since her death, Delilah’s name had skyrocketed in the industry and the world. She was almost a household name - even in Italy. “Water? Did Dan tell you where I was? That idiot - we had an agreement,” she muttered - closing the door behind the girl. “And to answer your question since you’ll probably not leave until after I do so - Daniel was the mastermind behind the explosion and the body that was found. How he found the body is… honestly something I don’t want to know,”

[novella]

Candice didn’t react well to her accusations of doing this for attention, which Delilah had completely expected, and perhaps knowing she would get that reaction was why she was saying it. That, plus the fact that she believed there must be some truth to it - even if Candice argued against it to death. Or fake death. “No I’m sorry, I’m sure your reasons were good,” She started after Candice’s groans. “I’m sure they were worth the amount of pain you’ve caused to everyone at Beryl Heights.” Delilah continued, appearing light-hearted and uncaring above the somewhat serious comment she was making.

She laughed and rolled her eyes at the next part Candice said. “Well, that’s good, because I’m not asking you to come back,” Delilah replied. “By all means, stay here as long as you want.” In fact, her not being there had been only beneficial to her. Finally getting the attention from her mother that she had always wanted, and, perhaps more importantly, it left a space on the Blue Bloods list. A space that Delilah was determined to take, and was able to take while she was gone.

The door opened wider as Candice told her to come in, which Delilah was reluctant to do - as she was only here by Blue Royalty’s request, she wasn’t planning on staying too long. But, while she was here, Delilah decided to walk in, and find out more about the fake death. “Daniel?” She repeated immediately. She hadn’t considered the fact that he would be involved, but now looking at it, the eulogy and just in general his ability to do… pretty much anything, it made sense. It almost became too obvious, and she began to wonder how no one had already theorised that. “No he didn’t tell me,” Delilah finally replied, a moment after Candice had finished talking. “Blue Royalty knows, somehow, and they told me to come.”

[benitz786]

“I’m sure they were wroth the amount of pain you caused everyone at Beryl Heights”

Candice’s heart ached towards her friends she left behind. Her real ones… Maverick… and Valerie… she had heart them. But somewhere in her heart, she had convinced herself that her death was simply better for everyone. She had already begin to ice Maverick out for the past few weeks… even though a part of her still… loved him. And her best friend… now that one hurt. It hurt for C to leave her, but she hoped her letter would have been enough closure for the girl. “Don’t berate me about what I did Delilah, trust me, I thought about every freaking possibility that happened.” She had watched the live telecast of her funeral… though couldn’t sit through the whole thing. Her eyes wondering towards her real friends in the audience.

Candice rolled her eyes as Delilah told her not to come back - though she never needed any clarification from the girl about what to do… nor did she want it honestly. Candice had made her decision long before. “So what do you want Delilah?” Candice asked as the girl made her way inside. Though she wasn’t surprised that blue royalty found out - they had known from the get go - making one of her tasks to finish something she was going to do anyways. She just… never expected them to use that against her. “So… you’re here. You got the points. What do you want me to say Delilah? Congrats? Hope you win that stupid game? Have fun with our mum?” She started, a sigh leaving her lips that she didn’t even know she was holding. Perhaps in all the years Candice Clarke had known Delilah, this was the most honest conversation she had with the girl. “Are you even happy Delilah? Is our mom everything you could have asked for in a mother? She sure wasn’t for me. Did she make you do that?” Candice asked, motioning towards the blonde hair Delilah had. “She made me dye my hair a few different times for shoots and galas. Tell me… has she started to get under your skin yet?” Candice stood to the side, her arms crossed around her chest as she said words she never had the courage to say before. “Has she told you to sleep with people yet? She made me start when I was thirteen.”

[novella]

Not that she really minded about how Candice had effected the likes of Valerie and Maverick, and whoever else, but Delilah found it hard to believe she truly cared about them if she was willing to do something like this to them. However, she didn’t care enough to carry on talking to her about it. “I’m sure you have,” She replied, then after hesitation, she added, “Well… they miss you.” She looked up at the ceiling in slight annoyance about saying that out loud, admitting that fact as she knew Candice wouldn’t be able to say the same if it was the other way around.

Candice gave her what seemed like, an endless stream of questions, that all revolved around somewhat the same subject, to which she had no intention of answering. No, she wasn’t completely sure what she was doing here yet, but she had a feeling Blue Royalty had a deeper reason for her to be the one to come here. While Candice continued to question, Delilah looked around the studio apartment. From one glimpse, Delilah could see that Candice took the stereotypical route, running away to Europe to fulfil dreams of being an artist - but she hadn’t completely decided whether or not the cliché had worked for Candice.

Reluctantly, she returned her attention to Candice as she began to ask about Delilah’s happiness, and, subsequently, Lily-Ann. Those where questions that stayed in her mind, but it seemed like Candice already knew the answer to most of them. “Is that why there’s a baby with Lily-Ann right now?” She asked, finally breaking her silence when Candice mentioned sleeping with people, mirroring her with her arms crossed. “From one of the times she asked you to sleep with someone?”

[benitz786]

Well… they miss you,"

Her heart ached at that statement. She missed them… more than anything else in the world. But this was better for both of them… to forget about her. She was just… too damaged. “I… I really appreciate you telling me that,” Candice revealed after a moment of staring at her before taking a seat on her couch as her mind raced over her last memories with Valerie… Well with Valerie… Candice did make a mistake. She did get an account on Instagram just to dm her that she was sorry before deleting the account. She knew Daniel would kill her if he found out - the whole point of her being dead was having no contact with her old life. With her… old friends.

Though - that wasn’t the statement that surprised her the most. No… apparently, that was only the start of the surprises that Delilah had in store for her. The next words that left Delilah’s lips… almost broke Candice. “Is that why there’s a baby with Lily-Ann right now… From one of the times, she asked you to sleep with someone?”

Flashback

Candice woke up confused and disoriented in a hospital bed - her hand almost immediately going towards her stomach but… something was wrong. She knew it. Tears had started streaming down her eyes as she thrashed in her bed. Trying to get out - but being too weak to do so. Accidentally setting off the emergency alarm as she pulled the wires off her body and nurses ran into her room. Calm down She heard, though she couldn’t. “What… happened?” Candice cried. The last thing she could remember was being in her mother’s house in Greece where her mom had sent her and then… oh god the amount of blood.

“You’ve been out for 48 hours, you’re disoriented… please calm down,”

“What happened to my baby?” Candice cried, though before anyone in the room said anything - Candice caught eyes with her mother. “You lost the baby honey. I mean, what can we do. You were only at five and a half months, it happens.”

End of Flashback

“It happens,” That’s what her mom had said when she lost the baby. The depression she had gone into for the next few months was severe. They had told her she lost the baby because of her malnourishment, though ironically, losing the baby made her even more malnorished. Though her mother didn’t mind - after all, she looked skinnier. That’s all that mattered. “How… how old is the baby?” Candice whispered, her features pale as she looked over at her half-sister. “What… is the gender? I never… I never found out.” Candice whimpered. “I thought it died,” she mumbled. She hated this - hated being weak in front of Delilah. But she couldn’t help it. “Yes… the baby was from on of the times Lily-Ann asked me to sleep with someone…” she finally responded quietly.

[novella]

Her eyes fell from the ceiling back to Candice when she told Delilah how she appreciated her saying that, her tone entirely different to the initial one, which Delilah hadn’t expected. “Yeah it’s… whatever,” She replied. She almost sighed out loud when she found herself feeling sorry for Candice. Yes, faking her death was a horrible thing, but it must have been a series of… equally, if not more so, horrible events that she could safely assume were to do with Lily-Ann. And it made her have to leave everyone and everything she knew. She was still painfully infuriating, though, of course.

As soon as Delilah said what she had, she could see that it had effected Candice more than what she had expected it to. There was no sign of embarrassment from Delilah finding out… instead, it was more so seeming like Candice was finding out, and, from that reaction alone, it became more apparent that Lily-Ann was a lot worse than she had initially thought.

Because she had given no reply, Delilah had to watch and wait, and try to make inferences from facial expressions, as thousands of thoughts filled Candice’s head. Breaking her silence, Candice started asking questions about the baby. “What? I don’t…- around one, I guess,” She started, initially with somewhat impatience at the ambiguity of her questioning and not being able to work out why she would be asking. But the desperation- the weakness- in Candice’s face, she could feel her tolerance starting to increase. “It’s a boy… what- why are you…-?” Delilah stopped herself as she began to connect the dots. “You’ve never… met him?”

[benitz786]

CC’s mind went to all the memories after the… loss. How her mother told her to suck it up, how she indicated no mention of the child being alive. What did her mom do? Pay off the nursing staff? No one - no one contradicted her mother that day in the room as she cried herself to sleep. Was it her child? It was just… too much of a coincidence of a baby being in Lily-Ann’s house… a one year old baby at that. It had to be… right. Perhaps there was a part of Candice that wanted to leave that - she had escaped. Finally escaped. The baby would be better without her there. But would he? Would her child be better? If he was even the child that she had lost. Not with Lily-Ann as a mother.

“How does… how does Lily- Ann treat him?” Candice let out after a long moment of silence. She didn’t speak, no tears streamed down her face. She was… stoic in all sense of the word. “You never… met him?” Candice looked ahead, unable to face Delilah Hawthrone as the question was said. “I didn’t even know he was alive. She told me the baby had died,” Candice muttered after a few moments. Why she was being so honest… she didn’t know. There was once a time that Candice would never tell Delilah anything - even before she knew they were sisters. But now - what did it matter. Candice was dead… and even with this news - she had no intention of coming back there… but the baby. “Is he safe with her?” Candice let out after a few moments, finally turning towards her sister with clear sadness in her eyes.

[novella]

Delilah had only seen brief moments between Lily-Ann and the baby. But, after the weeks Delilah had spent with her, plus the realisation of how she must have treated Candice, and now this revelation… she realised she had been plagued with feelings of care for the no-named infant. She knew she didn’t want for him to grow up in Lily-Ann’s care - or… lack of care. “Nowhere near as well as you would,” Delilah responded, after hesitation. “But… I think you know that.”

She stayed quiet as Candice explained how she was told her baby had died, not completely being able to believe what was going on. First of all, still, the fact that Candice was alive. Not only was she alive, but now standing in front of her, opening up about what had happened in the past. Sure, it was Blue Royalty-prompted, but it still felt impossible for this to be happening.

But then the moment came where Delilah needed to say something, as Candice looked up and asked her whether or not the baby was safe with Lily-Ann, to which Delilah had to stop herself from laughing at how plainly obvious the answer was. “Candice, you just told me that Lily-Ann told you that your son was dead, and has pushed you to fake your death,” Delilah answered, trying to tread lightly, but also being blunt enough so she can see whether or not he would really be safe with her. “You’ve answered that question already.”

[benitz786]

“Nowhere near as well as you would,”

Candice didn’t know what happened but something in her snapped and a sob escaped her lips. She sunk into the sofa and pulled her legs near her chest in a slight fetal position as her mind raced with the information. Her baby… was alive. Her child. Another sob escaped her throat and she felt Delilah shuffling next to her. She didn’t know what it was in her, but Candice’s head leaned against Delilah’s as she pulled the girl into a hug. It was a scene no one had ever expected… for a multitude of reasons. For one; Candice Clarke, as far as anyone knew, was dead. For another; Candice hugging Delilah? That was… unheard of. But there she was, finding comfort in her half-sister’s arms who was clearly trying her best to calm her. Did it matter that her best was an awkward return at a hug as she patted her shoulder - seemingly unsure of what to do? No… all that mattered was there was someone there with her… in that moment… likely one, if not the, worst moment in her life.

She heard the laugh leave Delialh’s lips at her second question - and she knew Delilah was right. Lily-Ann had always been an unfit mother. And Delilah restating that fact only strengthened the idea. “I know…” she started taking a deep breath, wiping the tears as she looked at Delilah. “I know you’re right… but I can’t go back, Delilah. Do you know what she would do to me? How do… I do I get my baby if I can’t let her know I’m alive?”. Her lips pursed after a few seconds. Tears were still streaming down her eyes as her mind attempted to figure out what to do. “Is there any way we can get my dad custody of the child? Or… I don’t even know… What if I asked Daniel for another favor and he helped get the baby out?” C whispered - a momentarily clarity meeting her mind though soon realizing it may still not work. Her dad couldn’t even gain custody of her - she doubted a child with unknown origins wouldn’t help. Though Knowing her mom, she probably kept the right names on the birth certificate to use it against the father. They could ask Dan, but Candice had used all her favors, and getting entangled with the man again meant risking her new found freedom. “Could you…” Candice started, “Could you ask Dan for help? Get the baby here? Or I could meet you somewhere? I don’t… I don’t know”

[novella]

Delilah’s words were followed by a cry from Candice, to which any trace of defensiveness on Delilah’s face completely vanished. Of course, Delilah still hated Candice and everything… but, for some reason, it was hurting Delilah to see her like this. She watched as she fell onto the sofa, completely defeated. A few months ago - hell, even a few weeks ago - Delilah would have relished at the sight of Candice being down.

But instead, she found herself slowly sinking down into the sofa next to her. As soon as she did, Candice’s arms were around her in a hug. What felt like decades ago, the two of them hugging would have been a normal, even frequent thing. But, that was before… things happened. So what was now happening surprised her. Delilah Hawthorne and Candice Clarke were meant to be rivals in this world, or at least Delilah had made it that way. But, after a moment of hesitation, Delilah’s own arms were around Candice’s, as she knew it would help her. And, in some way, it was helping Delilah too.

She knew it wouldn’t take much for Delilah’s answer to get through to Candice, as she knew Candice was already convinced of that fact. Delilah tried to keep up with Candice’s endless train of thought, trying to figure out how to get the baby away from Lily-Ann… ideas containing Candice’s dad… Daniel… ideas that she seemed to find issues with. Delilah stood up when Candice turned to her with her ask for help. “I can get the baby. I’ll figure out how when I get back, but I will,” Delilah said, suddenly filled with determination to do so as soon as she said it. “And I’ll come back with him… I can come back here?”

[benitz786]

Though Candice’s life ironically felt as if was falling apart - she appreciated… Delilah being there. Being her road to sanity as the girl hugged her back and calmed her down. She always wished she had this… someone to rely on. A sister that was there. Delilah was never that person but now… now that felt different. She was here - maybe the only person here for her right now.

Maybe her mind was racing - as she threw ten different ideas at once. Candice wanted her baby - she always did. The minute she heard the baby hadn’t survived had broken her. And now… now that that he was alive… it was keeping her going.

“I can get the baby. I’ll figure out how when I get bak, but I will.”

Candice’s eyes widened. That was something she never expected. Delilah offering to do something that big but… but she appreciated it more than C would ever be able to explain. So without a second’s notice, Candice hugged Delilah for the second time. “I… thank you so much,” she whispered. “I… I’m supposed to be going to Australia to meet with my dad but I can stay here until… until you come back.”

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THE END.

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