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“May I get a water, please?”
“There’s one on the table,” Payne snaps.
“Don’t eat or drink anything they give you,”I quickly but silently warn her.
Malia reaches for it and I feel a flair of panic before she knocks it over, all while making it seem accidental. “Sorry! Could I have a fresh one?”
I quickly open my briefcase and hand her a safe bottle of water. She hesitates but takes it. I understand her concern. She’s caught on about the water quite fast.
“You can’t give her that!” Payne complains.
“I can and I have,” I retort. I really dislike this guy. Might save myself the time of investigating him, and just add him to the kill list. With Tanimola and Malia’s parents. And those ‘doctors’ who thought they would treat Malia with shock ‘therapy’.
“Well, she can’t drink it.”
I almost laugh at his petulant expression, but there’s a steel in his eyes that tells me he’s not going to let this go. His agitation is suspicious, and his desperation to make Malia drink from his cup – which is likely drugged – is palpable in the room.
“My client has this specific water for medical reasons,” I lie smoothly, knowing that Reef will have taken care of Malia’s records by now. I’m glad I was able to message him to do it on my way over here. “If you don’t believe me, check her file.”
“Her file’s huge! It’ll take days to go through everything in there.”
“Exactly. Have fun explaining to the courts that she died of dehydration in the meantime.”
“But—”
“Payne!” the detective snaps. “Let’s go.”
They leave, and once I nod at Malia, she cracks open the bottle and takes a sip. I watch as she visibly relaxes and a little of the tension leaves her shoulders.
“You thought it was the other water. The one that makes you forget.”
She grimaces and shrugs slightly, taking another sip.
“This one just calms nerves. Please just trust me, and I’ll tell you everything when we’re out of here. I promise. No more secrets.”
I mean it too. It’s time to come clean and tell her everything. Even if it means our cover is exposed in the process. It’ll be worth it.
“Bhodi, Reef and Cove are waiting in reception for you. I promise, another twenty minutes, tops, and you can see them.”
I watch as her eyes fill with tears and a wave of sympathy for her washes over me. She’s not used to being cared about. It spurs me on to add,“Oh yes, they’re beside themselves with worry for you, Malia.”And then for some unknown reason – perhaps because I, too, was beside myself with fear when I heard she’d been taken – I confess, “We all were.”
I watch her steel herself and feel a rush of pride at her strength and resilience, but before I can tell her how proud I am, there’sa roar from outside the interview room, followed by a heavy thump against the door which makes Malia jump.
I spring to my feet and position myself in front of Malia, ready to defend her with my life if need be.And not just because she might be the star. But I can’t think about that right now. I won’t. That means admitting something I’m not ready to consider. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to consider it.
Even if it won’t make it any less true.
Fuck. Am I falling for my student? Have I already fallen for the girl who might be the saviour of two worlds? When the time comes, will I be able to do what it takes and make the ultimate sacrifice?
“I’m sorry Miss Van der Zee, some new evidence has come to light and we’re going to need you to remain here a little while longer… We have an eyewitness who has come forward and who can place you at the scene of the crime for all of the murders and disappearances in question… In light of this new evidence, you will be processed and potentially charged with several murders.”
This has to be some kind of prank. Surely no twist of fate could be this cruel? They just told me I could go. I can smell my freedom on the salty sea air as the station doors open out into the night sky and someone walks into the building.
“I’m so sorry, Malia,” someone cries, sounding absolutely distraught. “I didn’t have a choice. I had to tell them!”
Are my eyes playing tricks on me? They must be. My ears too. Because there’s no way I’ve just stepped out of one fresh hell and into another. I must be hallucinating or something because there’s no way that I’m staring at Summer – my only friend – and she’s the eyewitness they’re talking about. She can’t be. It’s impossible.
Why would she do this? Why would she lie? Oh dear god, what’s going to happen to me now?
