Page 30 of White Charms and Dark Secrets

The door opens, and my jaw drops from sheer disbelief and shock as I see who is standing on the other side.

“Kayla? What the hell are you doing here?” Lizzy asks, looking a bit dazed at my arrival as she takes me in. I stare at her too. Her hair has been cut short and dyed black, and she's used a charm to change her eye colour, but I'd recognise my best friend anywhere.

“Goddess, I'm so glad you're okay,” I breathe, stepping forward and pulling her into a crushingly tight hug. She returns the hug, but seems hesitant. I pull back and look at her. “What's wrong?”

She looks over my shoulder at Rhydian, her anxiety obvious, before looking back to me. “I'm just surprised to see you here. How the hell did you find me?” she asks, directing the question towards Rhydian, knowing with certainty that I don’t have the skills or knowledge to track her.

“I happen to possess an ancient fae artefact that allows me to find anyone, anywhere. It's a secret I'm sure you'll keep, and as such, I'll keep your location a secret too. I had procured it for another reason, but it didn't arrive in time for that. However, it seemed a waste not to put it to use to help Kayla here,” Rhydian tells us, very matter-of-factly.

I give him an inquisitive look.I wonder why he got it in the first place? And how the hell does it work?

“I'm using three charms, two curses, and a complex enchantment to hide my location, and yet, you still found me,” Lizzy complains, accusation sliding into her tone.

“It's a good thing only one of these artefacts exists, and I have zero vested interest in sharing it,” Rhydian replies, giving her a smile. It doesn't quite reach his eyes though.

“I want to talk to Kayla alone. You can wait out here.” She stares at him as if waiting for an objection, and when she receives none, she grabs my hand and pulls me through the door, shutting it behind us.

“You didn't have to be so rude,” I grumble, feeling a little bad for her shutting Rhydian out there.

“Rude? He tracked me down and brought you here with him!” she exclaims. “He put you at risk by bringing you here, Kay.” She sighs, walking further into the room. I follow her, noting the modest living room that surrounds us. A small sofa, a coffee table, and a small TV on the wall make up its meagre contents. There are two doors to the right, and that's about it. The place is empty, and still manages to feel cramped.

“How long have you been here?” I ask her.

“About two weeks,” Lizzy answers.

“It looks like nobody is staying here,” I comment, looking around again for signs of the place being lived in, but there aren't any. Not so much as a crumb on the table or a glass of water.

“I keep all of my stuff in my bag unless I'm using it. Makes it easier for me to just grab it and run if I need too.” She sits down on the sofa and pats the spot beside her. I walk over and join her, sitting sideways on the sofa so that I can face her.

“I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Being accused of something like this is outrageous by itself, but I can't believe you're actually forced to hide out,” I babble, empathic as I dealt with a similar situation, for this same crime, a mere month ago. Being a suspect was one thing, but Kier thought he had evidence of her alleged misdeeds because he caught her searching Jay’s things.

The photos we foundwerepretty damning, as was her admitting to messing with his memory. With the evidence he had, it might be enough to throw her into The Tomb. It isn’t like we have proper trials for supernatural crimes. I’d experienced the appalling nature of our justice system due to my misidentification as Gina.

Lizzy’s recoil is noticeable, and she’s forced take a few breaths before responding, “It's not ideal, but it beats being thrown into The Tomb.”

“Trust me, after my recent stint there, you have no idea how right you are.” I shudder at the simple thought of that place.

“Wait. You've been to The Tomb? How the hell?” she stutters, her eyes flying wide in surprise, before her expression morphs into one of concern.

“It's a long story. They got me confused with someone else and threw me in there. It wasn't fun, and I had to call on the demonagainto escape, and now I'm going to have to explain to Kier that I may have aided two actual criminals in escaping by accident.” My chest tightens at the thought of relaying all of this to him.Why is this my life?

“You... The Tomb… A demon…” Lizzy trails off giving me a look of pure disbelief. “Your life is never boring,” she manages to finish, shaking her head in dismay. “I'm glad you seem to be okay despite everything though. I've missed you.”

“I've missed you, too. Goddess, you wouldn't believe how much. I swear I've needed your advice like a thousand times since you've been gone. Things with Darren are a whole new level of complicated, and Rhydian, the irritating fae outside, isn't helping matters either,” I ramble, wishing we could have every single missed conversation all at once I need my best friend back.

“I'm sorry,” she whispers. “I'm so sorry, Kay. I should be there for you, and I'm not. Please forgive me.”

“It's not your fault, Liz. You didn't ask for this,” I reassure her, frowning as she looks away from me, as if incapable of meeting my eyes.

Rhydian's words flash through my head… ‘The day you came to The Rift you had a question for me. You should ask her the same one.’

“Lizzy... you didn't... you didn't do it, did you?” I falter, only just able to spit the words out. Even as I say them, I feel ridiculous asking.

She swallows thickly, and when she glances back up at me I can see the tears filling her eyes. She nods, ever so slightly, and I feel like she just stabbed me in the gut. She did it. She did it, and she let me be the suspect. She did it, and then she lied to me about it.

“You lied to me.”Somehow that hurt the worst.I stand up, backing away from her. Jay was terrible. He was a poor excuse for a human being.But murder? How could she justify that? Surely there was a better way?

“Please… let me explain,” Lizzy pleads, her voice cracking with every word.

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