Page 66 of She is the Darke

Alex froze for a three-count, and then handed her the phone.

“Alex is about to drink my blood, she looks hungry—”

“Oh my God,” Callum murmured. “Are you okay? Did you see anyone go into your room?”

“No. I was at the library trying to figure out why there’s pictures of me in some enchanted ho’s book!”

“You saw Matilda’s book?”

“Page 152, Callum! Apparently, I’m Iris! And your sister gave me a paper-cut and it really hurts.”

“Okay, calm down—”

“Yeah, because you should always tell a woman to calm down when she’s freaking out,” Stacia enlightened him.

She was pretty sure Alex mouthed,boys are idiots, but she couldn’t be sure. Alex stood and drifted into the bathroom.

“Look,” Callum said softly, “I don’t know what’s happening yet, but the newspaper articles were locked in a vault in my house. I’m in my closet looking at it right now, and my vault is busted wide open. The only thing that seems to be missing is that box.”

“The box of secrets.”

“Yes.”

“Who has access to your home?”

Silence stretched for a few breaths and then, “My people. Are you still in your room? I’m going to come get you.”

“Don’t bother,” Alex said, like she could hear the phone conversation from the bathroom. “I’m going to bring her to you. Just sit tight. I’m packing her things right now.”

“Wait, what?” Stacia asked, bolting for the bathroom. Sure enough, Alex had her toiletries bag and was tossing in her face washes. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yes you are,” Alex murmured.

“Stacia,” Callum rumbled. “Nothing is going to happen to you, but I feel better having you close. Someone is trying to expose something that is against our laws to talk about, and I don’t know why yet. I swear I’ll keep you safe.”

“I…” She swallowed hard. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“You don’t trust me.”

“I think you’ve not been truthful. Even if it’s against your laws, or it’s something you can’t tell someone right away, a lie is a lie. And…well, I hope you know I’m not really her.” There it was—the part that was hurting the most. The part that dug through the weight of this new information and was just staring at her, waiting for the ache to grow. “Did you love her? Iris?”

“Yes,” he murmured, no hesitation.

Stacia made her way to a chair near a small desk in the corner and sank down into it. “I’m just me, Callum.”

“I would never ask you to be anything else.” The honesty in his voice tugged at the raw edges of her heart. “Come here and I’ll explain everything. I promise.”

“Okay.” She hung up the phone, utterly confused about how to feel right now. “Hey Alex?”

“Yeah?” she asked, as she appeared in the doorway of the bathroom. Stacia forced a smile. “Don’t forget to take the little complementary bottles of shampoo.”

Alex had looked worried, and distracted, but a smile ghosted her lips now. “Already packed.”

“Were you just pretending to be nice to me?”

“No.” Alex lifted her chin higher into the air. “Iris was my best friend. She was supposed to be my sister. When I saw you…” Alex chewed on the side of her lip. “You look like her, but on the inside, you are very different. When I looked deeper, you’re easy to tell apart. Now you don’t feel like Iris at all. You’re Stacia.”

Okay. Okay. It was enough. Had to be for now.

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