Devilish Detective ✅

You Have A Secret

His pale pink, plum lips part and I feel my throat dry up. I lean closer to him, wanting to answer any questions that comes out of him. I know that in this state, I can divulge anything to the Devil, and he seems to know this too.

“You have a secret, Ash.” It isn’t a question. He states it factually and I hear Asher make a somewhat gasping sound, but I am unable to pay attention to him. “That’s okay. It really is. Everyone has their secrets. You can trust me, I’m here to listen without judging you.”

His voice is smoother than butter, it glides out of his mouth like a gentle breeze and flows through the air, making its way into my head where it swirls around, repeating itself over and over. It’s like a siren’s call beckoning me. I can’t get over it. I want to hear more. I need him to keep talking!

Sam isn’t the enemy. He isn’t evil.

“I’m here to listen without judging you.”

“I’m here to listen without judging you.”

“I’m here to listen without judging you.”

Asher makes weird and strained sounds, and Sam leans closer to him, a small smile on his face; the most beautiful smile I have been fortunate to gaze upon. It makes him look a lot younger and his flickering eyes seem a hundred times more appealing.

He’s perfect.

“Why are you trying to resist? Surely, you know that it’s no fun keeping a secret all to yourself. I understand your fright. You mistake me as the enemy, but I’m not. I have absolutely nothing against you, and you know I’m saying the truth. I don’t tell lies. You can tell me what’s bothering you.

“I don’t want to say,” is Asher’s strangled response.

The pain in his voice snaps me out of whatever hypnotic spell I was trapped in. the tranquil shatters and I am forcefully brought back to the painful reality where my cousin is dead and Sam believes his best friend and the guy that I like has something to do with it.

Asher looks tense and twitchy. He doesn’t look as relaxed as I was. Instead, he appears tormented. Beads of sweat has formed on his forehead, and he tries hard as he can to look away, but he can’t. He looks like he’s losing a battle against his own mind.

“I know you don’t. It’s hard to let go of secrets, but I know it’s eating you up and you want the guilt gone, don’t you, Asher?”

Asher nods in response.

“So, stop fighting. I can take away the bad feeling.”

I want to turn to Sam, but I fear I’m going to get lost once more. I reach out my arm to hold Asher, but fingers suddenly enclose around my wrist and I look down to find Sam’s gloved hand on mine.

He doesn’t take his eyes off Asher as he brings my arm back down before he lets go of me. I breathe in deeply, but I don’t say anything to defy him.

“I did a bad thing,” Asher sounds breathy and remorseful.

“Humans do bad things all the time. It can be traced down to the very first humans to walk the planet. It’s nothing new and nothing to be ashamed of. It’s perfectly natural.”

“I set a building on fire.”

A gasp escapes my lips before I can stop it and I slap my palms over my mouth as I stare with Asher with wide eyes. Images flash in my head and I am standing before Lina’s Pastries, sirens wailing. The air is heavy with smoke and the heat from the building can be felt on my skin, even from miles away.