Flashback:2012

The door to the flat clicked open, allowing the two occupants to trudge in. Elizabeth, face red with tears, was wrapped in a blanket, with a large backpack slung over her shoulder. The pair slumped onto the sofa, both letting out a deep sigh.

"Oh fuck me" Markus cursed. "I've left my bloody phone on the train, could this night get any worse?"

Elizabeth let out a huff. Could the night get worse? She thought back to a few hours ago, when her and Markus were hurriedly climbing into the back of a taxi after escaping the clutches of the Van Vaughan estate. She thought of how she immediately broke down in tears of relief, like a huge weight had been removed from her back. She thought of how she got soaked in the rain while waiting for the train from Bangor to Cardiff, and having to sit for four hours on said train. And now Markus had lost his phone. Great.

"I wonder if they've noticed I'm gone yet" she muttered, looking at the time on her own phone. "We left at 12am, and it's 5:30am now. Do you think anyone is up? Oh god what if they try and find me? What if they get the Police involved Mark?"

"Liz! Relax, we talked about this. They can't do anything about it, you're a grown woman, you're allowed to leave home". Markus put his arm around Elizabeth, she was still shaking from the rain. "I know, let's make some soup. It'll take your mind off it, and it'll warm you up. How about it?".

Elizabeth smiled weakly, nodding her head. "Sounds good, but there's one problem...I've never cooked anything before" she admitted. "I guess growing up with private chefs eradicated the need for me to learn".

Markus sighed, "well, now's good a time as any to learn. Here" he handed her a carrot peeler "you can peel the carrots, and I'll do...everything else".

Elizabeth chuckled slightly, taking the peeler. "Yes chef" she joked. She picked up a carrot and began removing its skin, all was going well until...

"Ow, fuck!" She cursed, dropping the peeler. She clutched her hand tightly, wincing at the pain. "I cut my hand...sorry"

Markus rushed over with a cloth and a bandage. "Don't apologise for God's sake. It's not your fault my kitchen equipment is shit" he chuckled.

Elizabeth smiled back weakly, slumping down onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table. She looked down to her bleeding thumb, and started to weep, not from pain, but from frustration and anger. Markus noticed, and quickly turned his attention for

Her thumb to her face.

"Hey, hey, what's up?" He asked, knowing it was a stupid question.

"I'm useless." She stated simply. "I can't do anything, I was raised like a bird in a cage, all I know how to do is look pretty and sing my pretty little songs to entertain the people that peer in at me." She thought for a moment. "But... I'm out now. No one can look in at me, and no one cares. And I'm left with nothing. So I'm sorry Markus, that you got stuck with someone as useless as me."

There was silence for a moment. Before Markus stood. "You're not useless. You're just... unrefined."

"Unrefined?" She questioned.

"Yes! Like a diamond or emerald or something. All the stuff is there to make something great, and hey it's pretty damn great already! But when someone helps to take away the things that weigh it down, it shines brighter than every before." He smiles.

Elizabeth lets out a snort. "That is... unbelievably cheesy". She giggled.

Markus laughed lightly. "Yeah, I thought you'd say that."

The two let out a sigh. They knew that the next few years would be tough. They knew that they'd have to stick with each other. But they were prepared.

"Hey mark?"

"Yeah?"

"I think... we're gunna be ok" she smiled.