Hollows In Time (✔️) | 'Hollows' Book Ⅱ

Chapter Forty-One

"We were so concerned about keeping our secret safe that we almost forgot that we weren't the only ones in possession of it."
—me again ha
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H o l l o w s I n
T I M E
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I was completing and utterly shocked. If by 'relationship' Toby meant my past heart-shattering love for my Guardian, then surely it wouldn't be such a big deal right now? I don't love Jameson. Not anymore.

"Surely if the council knew, Jameson would be long gone by now." I raised an eyebrow at Toby, as if testing the viability of his information.

"That's the problem. Zack was under the impression that Owen and those two others know about the secrets, and that they went to the authorities about them, but we aren't sure which secrets they told and which they kept." Toby explained.

I closed my eyes and sighed. Just what I needed, for those secrets in my back garden to be dug up.

"It depends what side they're on." I said, eyes still closed.

"Eden's, or yours." Toby responded.

I shook my head, "Eden's, ours, or the law—and it's impossible to be on the side of all three of those." I laid my chin in the palm of my hands and considered the mess that Jameson and I had created. The mess that we would now have to clean up, one more willingly than the other.

"Three sides for three people." Toby said. "There's a chance that they could all pick different sides."

I nodded, "but that still leaves us with at least one person on our side." Toby looked at me as if I was insane as I suddenly became optimistic.

"See, if someone sides with Eden, it just means more jump scares for me, but how on earth would they work with Eden through the bars of her jail cell?" Toby waved his hand around as if he was crediting me for my reasoning.

"The only side that would have us screwed would be the side of the law. Jameson and I have known from the start what would happen to us if we.." I tiptoed around my words, "got involved."

Toby raised his eyebrows, "so then why did you do it?" He asked.

I shrugged. "We are uneducated fools?" I offered as an answer.

Toby scoffed, "that, I can believe." I gasped and slapped his arm mockingly. As I went to pull my arm away, Toby grabbed onto my hand. I froze.

"Sky, I know you." He began, looking deep into my eyes, "if what you did for me today doesn't justify that then I don't know what will." Flashes of me holding him just moments ago came to mind.

"You are so compassionate, that I think that if there were ever anyone that you found hard to love—then there must be something very wrong." I listened intently, hoping that he could provide me with more answers than my own self could provide.

"Maybe it's just something to think about." I nodded. "You aren't the person to hate someone without a reason." I was baffled by Toby's sudden understanding of me.

"Do you hate him?" Toby asked. I blinked.

"I don't know." I told him honestly.

Toby nodded, "I'm sure you'll figure it out." He reassured me. I smiled.

"That or you'll both get horny and figure it out that way." I snatched my arm out of his grasp as my eyes widened at his repulsive comment. I slapped his arm again as he cackled unashamedly.