Beneath The Light

11. The Secrets We Keep

"What?" Aden blurted confusedly, pushing his empty plate away. "Maybe someone's put a charm on him, so he's only programmed to attack us and not spill on who charmed him." Zac nodded his head and gently elbowed Alice. "That's a good thought Al, I didn't think of that one." Alice smiled happily. "But if that's the case, why didn't Franklin pick up on it last night?" Alice shrugged, "I dunno who Franklin is, but if he's a warlock, then maybe it's a strong charm that only highly powerful witches or warlocks can pick up on."

"But Franklin's the best in the city Bennie said." Aden reminded them. "Well Bennie's said a lot of things in the past that haven't been true." Topaz snapped moodily. Aden looked at her questioningly, but she merely shook her head. Zac cleared his throat and looked shiftily at Aden. "I have an idea..." He began, looking at the Angel. "No. No way, Zac, I know what you're going to say." Topaz said defensively, looking at her brother with fire in her eyes. "But c'mon Paz, it's the only way-"

"Don't Paz me, Zac, do you not remember what happened to him last time? Just because he found her then, doesn't mean he'd be able to find her now."

"But you'd be with him."

"WHAT?!" Topaz's hair was blazing auburn now, and yet Zac wasn't backing down. He knew how angry she was and yet he didn't seem the slightest bit fazed. "You heard me," He was saying. "You and Aden can track Jemima and we'll join you with Robert and get him de-charmed. Find out who charmed him in the first place, and why, and then we'll all go looking for them." Topaz was shaking her head violently. "I'm not doing that, that is not happening, Zac. Not while you and Al get to lie back here and relax while we do all the hard work, you know how difficult it is to track a witch, that isn't fair." Zac narrowed his eyes and slammed his coffee cup down on the counter. "I am your brother and this is what's happening whether you like it or not, Topaz. You and Aden will go to Jemima and once you get there you will contact us and we will join you to get Robert de-charmed. I don't care if you're not happy with that idea and I don't care if it isn't fair because I am sick of constantly running and fighting and this is where it stops!"

"I'm sorry we can't stick to our deal." Topaz whispered to Alice as they said their goodbyes at the front door later that day. Topaz wasn't talking to Zac; she couldn't even look at him. He was endangering not just her life, but the life of Robert and Aden and Topaz was infuriated that this was all just so he and Alice could 'have some quality time together before they went off to find the person who charmed Robert'. And what if Robert hadn't been charmed? What if he was just refusing to talk to them? He'd done it before. Albeit not to these extents, but that's what siblings were like. They fought, they bickered, and then they made up. Once all this was over and they'd caught their parents' killers, they'd laugh about this. All five of them.

"Don't worry about it." Alice smiled, helping Topaz with her heavy backpack. "As long as you're protected, that's all that matters." Topaz smiled slightly. "At least you understand that." Topaz shot her brother an angry look across the entryway and Alice smiled. "Your brother's only trying to look out for you, you know. There's got to be a reason he doesn't want you staying here. But you've got to remember that he loves you, and he's only doing this to protect you." Topaz rolled her eyes. "I wished I saw things like you, Alice." The Angel laughed. "That, Paz, you really don't want to wish for."

Aden sat in the driver's seat of the car Zac had acquired for their journey. "Now you know how to drive?" Aden nodded his head. He might be an Angel from the most law-abiding World there is, and he may be in the Dark World for the first time in his life, but he knew how to drive a car. That was a basic. "Okay, well, the documents are in the glove compartment if you need them, you're full of petrol and your ferry tickets are in with the car docs. You sure you'll be alright?" At that Topaz threw open the passenger door and slid into the neat black upholstering. "If he's not, I will be." She was in her fighting gear, as was Aden, and she'd never looked so deadly. "Alright, well..." Zac took a step back from the car to join Alice on the pavement after she'd packed Topaz's bags into the boot of the car. "Good luck." Topaz rolled her eyes and nodded her head. "Just drive Aden." She asked of the Angel. With one last wave he pushed the button on his door and his window went up, his signal to drive off making the Worlders on the pavement tense and wave after them. Neither of them waved in return.