Chapter 1: When in Rome
And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you.
― Kiersten White, The Chaos of Stars
Chloe dragged her finger across the row of book spines as she made her way through the stacks of the Vatican Library. The library was huge, cataloguing an impressive collection of manuscripts and texts not just devoted to theology, but also law, history, philosophy, science, and Greek and Latin classical literature.
Overwhelmed and not knowing where to begin, she wandered aimlessly through the theology section, skimming book titles in Latin, Italian, and Greek. Occasionally, she'd pull one from the shelf and flip through it, scanning the foreign words absentmindedly in a pointless attempt to extract meaning from them.
It had been a coincidence that Chloe had ended up in Rome after learning that Heaven and Hell and God and…yes, the Devil…were all real. She had just needed to get away, as far away as she could, to put some space between herself and Lucifer after seeing his other face—his devil face—and Rome had been the first place to pop into her mind.
Chloe had always wanted to visit Rome, and Trixie had begun to develop an interest in ancient history. It had seemed like the perfect destination for a spontaneous vacation. The city was full of history, as past and present seemed to converge right before one's eyes. Ancient ruins sat next door to modern architecture. The limestone cobbles of the via Appia, one of Rome's earliest roads, once traversed by horses and sandals were now trampled upon by sneakers and scooters.
But from the moment their double-decker tour bus had taken her and Trixie through Vatican City, she'd felt a strong pull to return back to that very spot ever since. It made her question if it truly had been a coincidence that she'd ended up in Rome or if her subconscious had had something to do with it.
After all, what better place to research the Devil than the city that was home to the Catholic Church?
And research she would.
One of the library's custodians, an older man with thinning gray hair, rounded into her aisle carrying a stack of manuscripts. Perhaps noticing the lost look on her face, he offered in a thick Italian accent, "Can I help you find something, signora?"
Chloe blushed, embarrassed to admit to this holy man that her interests lay in the Devil. As she considered what to say, he waited patiently for her to speak, shifting the manuscripts slightly in his grasp.
She cleared her throat. "This may sound strange," she prefaced and waited for him to nod before she continued, "but I'm interested in learning more about…" her voice dropped to a whisper, "the Devil."
He reassured her with a kind smile. "Not at all strange. We get scholars interested in a number of topics, Lucifer included."
The unexpectedness of hearing Lucifer's name in a casual reference to the Devil threw her, reminding her all too abruptly that they were one in the same.
She stuttered as she quickly corrected, "Oh, I'm not a scholar. I'm just here out of, um, personal curiosity." The man nodded again, and Chloe could detect no judgment whatsoever in his facial features as he waited for her to continue. "I just… I don't know where to start. The library is so big and I'm not sure which section to look in."
"Would you like me to pull some selections for you?" he offered.
"Really? That would be great," she admitted, sighing with relief. "Thank you so much."
"Are you interested in anything in particular about the Devil?"
Chloe chewed on her lip as she hummed thoughtfully. "I guess his background? He was an angel first, right? So…how did he become the Devil? Why is he thought of as the most evil being in all of existence? And…does everyone see him that way?"
The man nodded. "Alright. Interesting questions, signora. In fact, some scholars do view Lucifer as misunderstood and misrepresented in holy texts. Why don't you go find a desk and I'll bring you a few options."
Chloe nodded, relief washing over her at his words, and thanked him once more.
For the next few hours, she flipped through tome after tome. Most of the books were not in English, and she was unable to read the text. Instead, she focused on the images and the way the Devil—her Lucifer—had been depicted in artwork throughout history. The custodian's words that had relieved her earlier were forgotten as depictions of a red, horned creature took their place at the forefront of her mind.
How could years and years of history and religious teachings be wrong? Surely, he must be evil.
But if that were the case, then why was it so hard for her to merge the Devil with the Lucifer she'd known the past two years? Her partner. The man who had risked his life for her and her daughter countless times, who had thrown her an impromptu prom, the man who had stolen her heart long ago...the man who she'd fallen hopelessly in love with.
She sighed, noticing how the late morning sun shone brightly through the large windows of the library. Checking her phone for the time, she realized Trixie was likely already awake. She found the custodian who had helped her earlier and explained to him that she had to go and wasn't sure what to do about the books he'd found for her.
"I will take care of them, signora."
"I'll probably be back again tomorrow morning," she said as she grabbed her purse. "If you find anything else on the Devil."
"Trixie! Emilia! We're leaving in five minutes!" Chloe called down the hallway.
"We're ready!" Trixie squealed, dashing out of Emilia's room with the other girl hot on her heels as they circled the kitchen table. "I can't wait to see the Colosseum!"
"It's ginormous!" Emilia chimed in, holding her arms out wide to the side for emphasis. "I went on a field trip there last year with my class; it's so cool!"
"Mom, did you know that gladiators used to fight lions and bears in the arena?" Trixie enthused.
"Did they?" Chloe asked interestedly.
"And crocodiles!" Emilia added.
"Girls, get your shoes on," Valerie said, pushing an earring into her ear as she came out of the bathroom. "Sneakers. We're going to be doing a lot of walking today."
As the children darted off to the foyer to put their shoes on, Chloe placed a hand on Valerie's arm. "Thanks again for letting us crash with you, Val. And for doing all the touristy stuff with us."
"Of course," Valerie said, her lips stretching into a grin. "It's been so much fun to catch up, and Emilia and Trixie have become fast friends. You two are welcome to stay as long as you'd like."
Chloe smiled gratefully. She'd known Valerie since they were Trixie and Emilia's age, always up for the same minor roles in commercials and TV shows. They'd had a lot in common back then, stemming from a mutual distaste for acting but having been pushed into it by their mothers.
"Mom!" the girls screeched impatiently at the front door, clearly ready to start the day.
Valerie pushed off the chair she'd been leaning on and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly at their daughters' excitement. "We're coming!"
It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, as they made their way through the streets of Rome.
"Wow!" Trixie exclaimed as they approached the towering remains of the Colosseum. She craned her neck up against the bright sun as she took it in.
Her wonder made Chloe smile. She loved seeing the curiosity bloom in her daughter; she was such a smart and inquisitive kid.
"Come on!" Emilia said, taking Trixie's hand and tugging her forward.
"Stay close," Valerie called after them. "We're supposed to meet the tour guide right here."
While they waited for the tour guide to arrive, Trixie and Emilia chased each other, pretending to be gladiators battling for their lives in the arena.
"Hi! Valerie?" a young woman asked as she approached. She wore a huge friendly smile. "I'm Mara, your tour guide. Nice to meet you."
After they'd all introduced themselves, Mara led them toward the entrance of the Colosseum.
"I'm a history PhD candidate," she explained. "I specialize in the Julio-Claudian dynasty—so just a bit before the Colosseum was built—but I know a lot of general information about ancient Rome and about the Colosseum, so feel free to ask any questions you have and I'll do my very best to answer them."
Mara led them into the massive amphitheater, flashing identification to a security guard. Walking backwards so that she could face them, she began her spiel.
"The Colosseum was originally called the Flavian amphitheater and began construction in the year 70AD under the Emperor Vespasian. Vespasian was regarded as a good, just emperor, and he was exactly what the people of Rome needed at the time. Just before his reign, the emperor Nero, who is considered one of the most evil people in history, reigned for fourteen years, and his death sparked a civil war that lasted three more. During that time, no one was able to hold the position of emperor for long. So when Vespasian seized power, the people of Rome were due for a time of peace."
"What did Nero do?" Trixie asked curiously.
Mara looked to Chloe and Valerie for permission to elaborate, both of whom just shrugged, trusting Mara to give a kid-friendly description of the tyrant.
"Well, historical accounts of many Roman emperors are very likely biased, especially if they weren't well-liked by the public, but some believe he set fire to Rome and watched from the balcony of his palace while his city burned below. There are some stories that say he even played an instrument called the lyre while he watched the city burn."
"Why did he do that?" Emilia asked.
"Some believe that he wanted to clear the land around his palace so that he could expand on the palace, making it bigger than it already was. And because that land was already in use, he wasn't able to do that without first getting rid of what was already there."
"So he just burned people's homes so that he could have a bigger palace?" Emilia asked. "That's so greedy."
"Very." Mara nodded. "Historians also believe that he was responsible for the deaths of his own mother, wife, and stepbrother."
"Wow," Trixie said. "He sounds like a very bad man."
The tour guide hummed. "Early Christians believed that he was the Antichrist."
Giggling, Trixie looked up at Chloe. "I wonder what Lucifer would say about that, huh Mom?"
Lucifer.
Chloe's heart sped up at the mention of him, and she blushed as Mara shot her a questioning look at the name. "We have a friend named Lucifer," she explained. Turning to Trixie, she gave her daughter a shrug in reply to her question. "And you know…I'm not sure what he'd say about that."
What would Lucifer say about that? Probably that the very notion of the Antichrist was utter nonsense.
Lucifer had alluded to previous visits to earth before, back when she'd assumed his talk had been nothing more than delusional ravings. She hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, but now she wished she had.
Had Lucifer visited earth around this time? Had he known Nero? Had he influenced the emperor's depravity?
Mara took them to every level of the Colosseum, explaining how the gladiator matches were free and open to everyone, even slaves, although slaves and women were made to sit in the seats at the top of the balcony, furthest from the action.
"You know," Mara said, "The whole set up was very similar to sporting events and concerts today. They even offered snacks at concession stands."
"I read that gladiators sometimes fought against lions! Is that true?" Trixie asked as they descended into the area underneath the stands.
"It is. See those enclosures?" Mara pointed out the remains of the stalls. "Gladiators would fight all kinds of animals—lions, bears, wild dogs, crocodiles…even tigers were sometimes imported from India. And sometimes, just like at the zoo or circus today, the animals performed tricks instead of fighting."
Mara led them back up to the main level so that they could look out at the huge oval-shaped arena. "Some gladiators were volunteers; it was a way to earn money and fame. They were trained fighters, celebrities to the Roman public. They even had fans who would come to cheer their favorite gladiators on. Other gladiators were criminals or traitors of the empire who were sentenced to death in the arena. They'd be forced to fight over and over again until they were defeated and killed."
Chloe felt an odd sense of dread bubble up within her as Mara continued to describe the gladiatorial games. Her stomach churned and she felt a creeping anxiety settle in her chest.
If Lucifer had visited ancient Rome, had he enjoyed the gore of the gladiatorial fights? Had he sat in these very stands and cheered as humans were slaughtered for sport?
She couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that remained heavy in the pit of her gut as they finished their tour of the massive amphitheater. The whole time, a mental image of Lucifer cheering as men died in disturbing and gruesome ways kept intruding upon her thoughts, making her feel sick. She had no reason to believe that he'd even been around at that time and yet the image remained.
When the tour was over, Chloe felt relieved. Mara really was a wonderful guide, knowledgeable and funny, and had no qualms answering the girls' random and enthusiastic questions, but Chloe's trepidation had only seemed to grow the more they explored the ancient ruins.
"What do you want for dinner?" Valerie asked the kids after they'd bade Mara farewell.
"Pizza?" Emilia suggested, shooting Trixie an excited look.
Trixie was quick to agree, "Yeah, pizza!"
"And then maybe gelato for dessert?" Chloe proposed, forcing a grin in an attempt to lighten her own mood. She hoped that distance from the ancient relics would bring her back to the present and allow her mind a reprieve from ruminating on all of the unknowns about Lucifer's long past.
"Really?" Trixie asked, clearly surprised by the suggestion. "Again?!"
"Well…you know what they say," Chloe said with a conspiratorial smile as she bent down to the kids' height, "when in Rome!"
"Yes!" they yelled, throwing their arms around one another and bouncing up and down in their excitement.
Emilia's energy only seemed to exacerbate Trixie's, but in the end Chloe was grateful for the way they fed off each other, because the kids were exhausted by the time they made it back to Valerie's after dinner.
"Do you mind watching Trix again tomorrow morning?" Chloe asked from her spot on the sofa as Val passed her a glass of wine.
"Of course not. Where are you off to?" she asked, taking the seat next to Chloe.
Chloe felt the flush creep up her neck and settle across her cheeks. She sipped her wine and then wrinkled her nose in embarrassment before confessing, "The Vatican."
Valerie nearly choked on her own wine as she laughed. "The Vatican? I didn't think you were religious."
Chloe chuckled, still blushing. "I'm not… Well, I never used to be. I- my worldview was shaken up pretty recently, and now I'm not sure what to believe or how to feel. So I guess I'm just curious to check it out and do a little research of my own."
Val nodded. "How very 'Chloe' of you," she said with a knowing smirk. "Attempting to research faith."
Chloe hummed softly at the irony of that statement. What did humans actually know about Heaven and Hell and the Devil? As far as she knew, the only person who knew the truth was Lucifer.
"I don't know how much it will help," she admitted. She sipped from her wine, the alcohol dulling some of the odd anxiety she'd felt all day.
"You know," Valerie ventured after a moment of companionable silence, "if you want to talk about them, I'm a good listener."
Chloe's brow furrowed. "Who?"
"Whoever broke your heart. The person you've traveled halfway across the world to get away from."
Unbidden, Lucifer's charred face flashed through her mind.
"How do you know someone broke my heart?"
Valerie tipped her head to the side and gave Chloe a knowing look. "Girl, I see the way you get lost in your thoughts; the way you frown when Trixie's not around and you let your guard down."
Chloe chewed on her bottom lip. "It's nothing. I just found out that someone I care a lot about isn't who I thought he was. I just needed a little space to process, that's all."
Valerie squinted at her, and it was obvious to Chloe that she wanted to pry, but she only nodded and changed the subject. "So Emilia idolizes Trixie."
Chloe lay awake all night, tossing and turning. Even the two glasses of wine she'd drunk weren't enough to banish Lucifer from her mind.
Despite everything, she missed him. She had to fight the urge to reach for her phone and send him a text checking in on him. Did he miss her, too? Was he angry at the way she'd reacted to his face? Was he hurt by it?
And then another voice in her head claimed, monsters don't get hurt.
She immediately felt guilty for the thought. The Lucifer she knew wasn't a monster; he did care about the way people saw him and he did feel hurt when people saw him as evil.
Contradictory thoughts of Lucifer kept her up until finally it was early enough to be considered morning, and she got up and readied herself for the day. She slipped out of Valerie's apartment and made her way back to the Vatican Library to continue her research. Leo, the custodian who had helped her the previous day, had new volumes and manuscripts waiting for her to pour over.
She'd spent the entire night doing her best to remember her partner, but as she flipped through the pages of the books in front of her, other memories of Lucifer cycled through her mind. Memories of his other side, the side she hadn't known at the time was his devilish side.
She'd watched as Jimmy Barnes riddled him with bullets on their very first case together, yet he'd walked away without a scratch. She'd witnessed his impossible super-human strength as he'd thrown Joe Hanson through a glass wall; she'd seen the effect he had on suspects when she left him alone with them.
Now, she knew that Lucifer had shown those suspects his devil face, and the memory of it peppered with live embers that flickered and cracked, flesh still burning as he stood over Pierce's body flashed in her mind's eye; she couldn't suppress the chill that ran down her spine in response.
She wanted to accept him so badly; she wanted to believe he was good. But the fear she felt was instinctual, and she couldn't tamp it down.
Chloe gasped suddenly as a hand on her shoulder startled her, and she spun in her chair to see who had snuck up on her.
"Oh, hi… I'm so sorry," the man chuckled nervously at her surprise. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Her breathing settled as the man—a priest given his collar and robe—circled her desk.
"I'm Father Kinley."
As he introduced himself, she stood from her seat, unsure of the proper way to greet a priest.
He continued, "Someone said you might need some help with research?"
"Yes," she breathed out through a chuckle at her own nervousness. Looking at all the depictions of the Devil and the memory of Lucifer's face had put her on edge. "Did you hear some crazy lady was asking about the Devil?"
Father Kinley laughed politely at her joke but sobered quickly. Shaking his head, he said, "I don't think you're crazy at all." Chloe's smile faded at the seriousness in his tone. "In fact…I think we should talk."
She squinted her eyes at him, wondering why a priest in Rome would want to talk to her. Had her topic of research set off a red flag?
"Why don't we step outside?" he suggested, gesturing toward the library entrance. "Have you seen the Vatican Gardens yet?"
She shook her head, and then glanced at the open books that littered the table.
"You can just leave those there; we won't be gone long," Father Kinley reassured.
Outside, birds sang their sunrise songs and Chloe breathed in the crisp early morning air as she walked alongside the priest.
"I work for a division of the Church called the International Association of Exorcists," Father Kinley explained as they walked through the Vatican Gardens. "We deal with demonic possession. People who believe that they have encountered the Devil or…to be the Devil."
She pondered his words, confused as to why he was disclosing this information to her. Did he know about Lucifer and her connection to him? She shifted her eyes over to him nervously, feeling like that must be it. A whole division of the church dedicated to that one purpose would surely know of Lucifer.
"We know about Lucifer Morningstar, Ms. Decker," he said, confirming her thoughts. She opened her mouth to ask him how he knew her name, but he continued, "We've been aware of him for about seven years. At first, we thought he was just a benign eccentric, but the more we watched him, the more…terrifyingly authentic he became. And since you traveled all this way to research him, I assume that you agree."
Chloe shook her head, at a loss for words. "I don't know what to think," she said, opting not to say much until she learned more of what Father Kinley knew about Lucifer and how he felt about him.
He slowed to a stop, turning to face her. "I realize that this must be extremely difficult for you. But I want you to know that I'm here to help," he said.
"How?" she asked, and she knew she sounded desperate. "How can you help me?" As he hesitated to answer, she felt any hope she had slip away. He couldn't help her. Lucifer was the Devil… No one could help her. She swallowed, nodding resignedly. "That's what I thought."
Father Kinley cleared his throat. "But there is something you can do."
She looked up at him curiously, waiting to hear what he had to say. What could she do?
A bell chimed loudly, signaling the hour. Father Kinley sighed and frowned. "I have to be getting back. Will you be in Rome much longer?"
After a moment of hesitation, Chloe nodded.
"Can you come back tomorrow evening?" She hesitated again, and he picked up on it. "I have some things you need to see. They're important."
Inhaling deeply through her nose, she nodded resolutely. "Okay."
The dark and stormy night seemed to match the storm brewing within Chloe's mind. What did Kinley want with her? What did Lucifer want with her? Her stomach had been in knots the past two days as she waited to see what the priest had to show her.
Father Kinley led her through the library and down a deserted hallway, into an area clearly labeled restricted. She felt so nervous that a loud clap of thunder had her stomach leaping into her throat.
"Once we uncovered Lucifer's identity, we were able to uncover evidence of his previous visits with humanity," he said, breaking the silence. She was grateful for it; his voice spoken at a normal register helped ease her nerves and made the whole situation seem less covert, less shady.
He opened a door from the hallway and gestured for her to enter. "My office," he explained.
Inside, behind a large desk, a roaring fireplace heated the room. Shelves and shelves of books lined the other walls.
"Have a seat," he said, indicating his desk chair. After unlocking a cabinet, he produced a large book and set it on the desk in front of her. "I've compiled most of the evidence into this book."
He stood over her shoulder as she began to flip through what was essentially a large scrapbook. Newspaper clippings and photographs were adhered to each page.
Sighing—out of disbelief, annoyance, or relief, she didn't know, likely a combination of all three—she glanced up at him. "You're saying he caused the Chicago Fire and…Nazi Germany?"
She just didn't buy it. Lucifer didn't have that much influence over others. She'd seen his mojo in action herself. He could draw out desires, yes, but she'd never seen him directly manipulate someone else's behavior.
"I'm saying that whenever he visits," he corrected, "death and destruction follow."
"Okay, well, speaking as a detective, this is circumstantial evidence at best," she said looking up at him challengingly.
"Perhaps." Kinley made quite an ominous picture, looming over her with the thunderstorm raging outside the window behind him. "But when the circumstances pile up this high aren't you forced to draw conclusions?"
She shook her head. "No. No, I'm not. This isn't the man I know," she firmly stated, shutting the book pointedly.
"Keep going," he urged, reaching over her to open the book to a page with Jimmy Barnes' medical record taped to it. Attached to the page next to it was an article about the street preacher Lucifer had been framed for killing.
Shaking her head again, she denied, "He didn't kill these people." She flipped the page. Images of Pierce covered the page along with a newspaper clipping about the suspicious circumstances of his death. "Pierce," she breathed out. "Okay, he killed Pierce, but Lucifer was just protecting me," she argued, feeling suddenly defensive over the Devil. Perhaps that should have been indication enough of where her heart lay.
"From a situation he caused," Kinley insisted, just as adamant as she. She turned back to the book. "As for the others, you don't need to be the one pulling the trigger to cause evil."
She swallowed, not wanting to be persuaded by his argument. She realized she wanted Kinley to be wrong about Lucifer. She wanted the entire world to be wrong about him.
But wanting it didn't make it true.
"Look, I know this is a lot to take in, Chloe." He touched her arm gently. "But he is the Devil. He's not supposed to be here. And somewhere inside, you know that whatever he may seem…he is dangerous."
Her heart sped up as she pictured his face as he stood over Pierce's body; she couldn't seem to erase the image from her mind. It haunted her. Had he killed others? And even if he hadn't been directly responsible for anyone else's death… If Kinley was right and death and destruction followed him, wasn't that just as bad?
"There is a prophecy," he began softly. "When the Devil walks the earth and finds his first love, evil shall be released."
Chloe gasped.
Kinley's gaze pierced her soul. "Given your reaction to those words, I fear we may be too late."
She didn't say anything, she would never divulge anything so personal to him, but was it narcissistic to think that the prophecy could be about her? She knew how she felt for Lucifer, and sure, there was a time she thought he cared about her as well, but love? And if the prophecy were true and she did nothing to stop it, did that put her at fault for the evil that would be released?
"What would I have to do?" she asked. At his questioning look, she clarified, "You said there was something only I could do…"
For a moment, his eyes seemed to light up as he realized what she was asking. His excitement made her stomach lurch. He reached into his robe and produced a small glass vial.
Immediately, Chloe understood what it contained.
"No," she said firmly, shaking her head emphatically. "I can't. You cannot ask me to do that."
She crossed her arms tightly over her chest as tears stung the corners of her eyes. What had she gotten herself into with him? He wanted her to kill Lucifer?
He inhaled deeply. "Listen to me, Chloe," he said, his voice compassionate, yet firm. "Every day he remains on earth, people are in danger. The Devil must go back to Hell. And the only person who can send him there is you."
She blinked back the tears. What did he mean by that? Why her? Did it have to do with the prophecy? And why was he so convinced that Lucifer belonged in Hell?
Shaking her head, Chloe squinted her eyes at him. "I won't do that to him. Everything you've told me about Lucifer-"
"I know you're finding it hard to believe," he interrupted.
"Yeah," she breathed out. "I just don't see the same monster that you do."
"No, of course you don't."
"You say you've known about him for seven years. Have you ever met him? Have you ever had a conversation with him?"
"No. I'm sure he's the most magnetic individual you ever met. Charming and eloquent. Funny. Kind, even."
"Yeah, he is," she confirmed.
"It's all an act. The Devil has been manipulating human beings since the beginning of time. If you don't respond favorably to something, well, he'll make an adjustment until you do. Anything to make sure he gets what he wants, because the only person that he is interested in is himself."
Huffing out a sigh, she shook her head. "But…he seems so real."
"Yes. That's what he does. That's what he's been doing for thousands of years. Perfecting. Why do you think they call him the Prince of Lies?"
"No," she insisted. "No. Lucifer always tells the truth. Always. He does not lie."
"What if this is the biggest lie of all?" Kinley proposed.
He placed the vial in her hand, and she felt her fingers curl around it reflexively. His words had caused doubt to flood through her.
"Take the book with you. Look over it closely." He turned and walked toward the door, opening it for her. She stood, holding the book to her chest. "We can talk more tomorrow."
By the time she returned to Valerie's apartment after seeing Kinley, it was late. Valerie and the kids were long asleep. Chloe knew sleep would continue to elude her as long her mind remained so conflicted.
She climbed onto Val's couch, serving as her makeshift bed, the dim light from the lamp beside her illuminating the open scrapbook on her lap in a soft, warm glow. Her eyes hurt from all the reading she'd been doing, and she rubbed them with the heels of her hands as she staved off a yawn.
She had to figure out what to do; the uncertainty and indecision plagued her.
Flipping the page, she scrutinized the photos of Lucifer in Nazi Germany. He stood right next to Hitler in one of the pictures. Had he been pals with him? Had he done nothing while millions of innocent people were packed into cattle cars and shipped off to labor camps to be worked to death, die of disease, gassed, or shot? Even worse, had he had a hand in it all?
She just couldn't imagine her Lucifer having any part in that. She traced her finger over the image of his face, remembering the way he'd smiled so shyly at her when she'd opened the bullet necklace he'd gifted her on her last birthday.
Had everything that had happened between them been an act?
She drew her finger over the next image of him, faltering as something in the photo caught her eye. Inhaling sharply through her nose, she felt her heart begin to race in her chest as she brought her face closer to the page, not believing her own eyes.
It couldn't be. It wasn't possible.
There in the background, blurry and grainy, her own face stared back at her.
A/N: I would love to hear your thoughts on this new fic!