Expulsion gave Liam Barrett a dangerous choice. Needing to transfer for his final year, he'd known immediately where to go. It was a distantly familiar place that'd taken everything from him; had once ruined him so absolutely and twisted his persona...
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Liam inspected the framed pictures on the mantelpiece, a thin layer of dust matting the surface. The familiar girl he'd known a few years ago smiled brightly with her friends. The older she became, the more poorly she appeared in the photos, her once-coloured cheeks paling, soft eyes sinking and dulling.
ㅤIt was a shame, Liam thought. He'd been fond of her. They would've stayed friends if she hadn't degenerated the way she did. There was no way he could've helped her when he'd barely been able to help himself at the time.
ㅤSomething clattered in the kitchen, followed by a grunted expletive.
ㅤ"Don't touch anything," he warned, his voice carrying.
ㅤCharlie appeared in the doorframe, disgruntled. "Why? There's no reason for anyone to take prints at this point."
ㅤ"That's what they say on telly. And it seems like a sensible enough idea, so..."
ㅤCharlie slanted an unimpressed look and wandered up beside him. His eyes were still glassy and red and he rubbed one of them.
ㅤ"She's pretty," he commented, scanning the images. His attention seemingly caught on a newer picture where she looked sickly. He slowly blink at it.
ㅤ"Yea, she was." These reminders were weighing on Liam's mood. He didn't blame himself for her addiction but he wished it'd ended differently. Her spark had been bright. If only she'd followed him after he'd held her hands to say he would get clean before it was too late.
ㅤCharlie sniffed and wiped his nose distractedly. "Okay so... now what?"
ㅤ"Err, we look for clues?"
ㅤ"Clues," Charlie blankly repeated.
ㅤLiam groaned, exasperatedly threading his hands through his hair. "I don't know, man! Maybe look for stuff that might tell us about Rottweiler or who reported Hazel? I don't know. We're looking for anything at this point."
ㅤCharlie's head tilted ever so slightly, thoughtfully. His expression revealed nothing, as usual. Those intelligent brown pools of sharp perception and a thousand secrets bored into him.
ㅤ"Don't you feel like we're a bit out of our depth here?"
ㅤBut Liam caught onto what he was doing immediately.
ㅤIt'd been crafted to dissect Liam's thoughts on the matter, disguised as if it lined up with Charlie's own opinions. In reality, Charlie didn't think so. No, it'd been designed to catch if Liam agreed with that false sentiment.
ㅤCharlie's tests were so subtle they were sometimes hard to catch. It was a relief he could pick up on these things quickly. Regardless that it made him defensive, Liam settled for an honest answer. Lying wouldn't achieve anything after getting this far.
ㅤ"Of course I do. We're just two sixth-formers; what can we actually achieve on our own? But, it's something we've got to do, because what else could we do if not this?"
