Black Iris

Their confession

Rose

When we pulled into the carpark of the Library Gwen had told us to go to, Jordan quietly muttered, "What the fuck is going on?"

I couldn't help but mirror the sentiment. In the middle of the carpark was a black news van, with satellites and all on top.

On the phone call, Gwen had been super vague. Just muttering about 'needing to do this right, finally,' and that if I could be there, it might help. I was in half a mind to hang up on her and call the police, tell them she'd been in contact. But I didn't. I said okay.

I then spent ten minutes arguing with Jordan about going. In the end, she agreed to drive me there as long as she came inside with me and told her parents where we were, just not what was going on. Not that we knew what was going on.

Jordan climbed out of the car and I trailed her into the library, glancing at the news van as we walked in.

"Hey, what's happening with that van?" Jordan asked the librarian at the assistance desk near the door, who was folding plastic over a picture book.

"Just a local news story on book week- oh, dear, it's you." She had looked up, and caught sight of my face. Her eyes softened, whatever lie she was about to tell about book week dying on her lips. "They're upstairs, love. I think they're already set up."

I nodded, and followed her gesture to go climb the stairs by the entrance, to go to the second floor. "Set up for what?" Jordan asked, under her breath. I just shrugged.

"I have no idea. I never know what Gwen is doing."

"I'm starting to think that no one does," Jordan muttered.

I just murmured in agreement.

As we stepped up to the second floor, the first thing I heard was the sound of a camera clicking. Then, voices quietly talking. As Jordan and I walked through to the sound of the noise, we rounded the corner to find Gwen, standing, holding her shirt up slightly but looking the other way, at a photographer. Beside the photographer, a woman sat with a notepad and pen, listening while Gwen talked.

"He didn't help much back then, no. He expected me to-"

She stopped, noticing the photographer had paused when she saw me. I watched as Gwen eased her shirt back down and turned.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey," I replied. It felt like the room stood still for a second, everyone waiting for what would happen next.

Gwen was the first to break eye contact, looking behind me to Jordan. "Jordan, I assume?"

I could feel Jordan, tense and furious behind me. "You assume correctly."

Gwen nodded, shifting on her feet. "Well, thank you for coming. I know it's hard to trust me-"

"That's an understatement," Jordan muttered under her breath.

"-but I promise, I'm here with genuine intentions." She stopped, and gestured back at the two people behind her. "This is Bella Saunders, from CBC. She's interviewing me, properly interviewing me, for a story about Blake." The woman on the couch gave a wave. Gwen continued, looking at the photographer. "This is Ayesha. She's here to... take photos."

"Of you?" Jordan asked, but I shook my head, lancing down at her shirt where she'd been holding it, then back at her face.

"Photos of your scar," I said, quietly. Gwen nodded, locking eyes with me.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"I saw it, that night that I..." but then I trailed off, because Jordan was behind me, and because in the time that had passed since that day, I could see how stupid I'd been to go to her apartment that night. "I wanted to use it in court. My lawyer thought it would be good, too. But we couldn't find any proof."