Little White Lies

Chapter 10

Candice wished that she could have a good night's sleep, but with so many revelations and questions, she didn't. When the sunlight started to peek through the blinds, she decided that she might as well give up.

She found a pair of slippers in the guest wardrobe and put it on. It wasn't like she hadn't already used the pajamas inside already. She exited her room quietly, making sure that the door didn't slam shut. It felt weird to tiptoe around, but she didn't want to wake anyone and she was hungry.

The house was surprisingly cool and Candice shivered as she made her way to the kitchen, which she caught a glimpse of yesterday. She also wanted to find some pen and paper, so she could try to straighten her thoughts by writing.

But it seemed she wasn't the only one who was hungry.

Eric was already there, cooking away. The scent of fried bacon and eggs wafted through the air and Candice found herself walking right towards him.

"Good morning," she said quietly and Eric jumped. He relaxed when he saw it was her, going back to frying the food.

"Can't sleep?" Candice asked and Eric nodded with a slight smile. The slightly awkward atmosphere was back and Candice wanted desperately to diffuse it. Eric was the only anchor she had, and if she lost him, she didn't know what to do.

"Yeah," Eric said and the awkwardness resumed. Candice wrecked her brain for something to say, but all she could do was look at the food in the saucepan. Eric chuckled and pull out another plate.

"Thanks," Candice said and sat down in front of the kitchen island. It finally felt less strained, and the food was brightening Candice's mood already.

"Do you think we can trust David?" the question slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. Candice's heart was in her throat as she watched Eric's reaction.

"I don't know," Eric answered, moving onto making pancakes. Candice couldn't resist starting on the bacon as she waited for Eric to elaborate.

"He didn't seem to be lying. He could have just got your DNA and signature already, but he hadn't," Eric said. "But I think we should reserve judgment until we find out more."

Candice felt a bit confused by his words. "How are we going to find out?" she asked. There wasn't a laptop in sight and she had lost her phone along the way. While Candice was no tech genius, she didn't think it would be too hard for David to track their internet browsing history one way or another.

"I've got my phone. Eva is on it," Eric leaned forward and whispered in Candice's right ear. A blush formed on her face as his breath tickled her face, but she held herself together. He had reacted unfavorably to their moment last time, and for once Candice decided that she should play it safe.

"Regardless, we should go along and find out who is going after you," Eric continued. Candice almost felt like she was being tutored. It felt good to be taken care of, and as Eric dished up some pancake, she felt like things were actually starting to look up.

"You two have made the news." David suddenly appeared without so much as a greeting. He had a satin navy robe on, marching towards the living room that was in sight from the open plan kitchen. He found the TV remote and turned it on with a flicker.

"Authorities are now searching for two students from UCLA that had gone missing for almost four days. Eric Goodman and Candice White were last seen at a fraternity party on campus. Originally thought to be a simple runaway case, new witness report had come forth that the duo was spotted being chased by masked attackers in downtown LA on the same night. Candice White also happened to be the only daughter of the recently deceased Richard and Linda White of the White Jewelries, both were killed in a tragic shooting during the Sacramento Charity Ball..."