𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 [𝐣𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐱 𝐨𝐜]

Chapter 24 | Unlikely Partnership

Jim Lake Jr. POV

"— and that's it."

Sitting atop the bed across from Jim, Toby stares at him dumbfounded. "That's it. That's it?! How come you never said anything to me about this, dude?! That Liz was your lost childhood friend, and she used to live here in this house – my house!" He gasps, looking around frantically with fear in his eyes. "What if it's haunted?!"

"Quiet down, Tobes. It's not haunted. I'm sorry that I didn't share this with you before. It was — " Jim looks down, fidgeting his hands on his lap, unable to look at his friend in the eye. "— too painful for me to talk about it before."

Jim hears a sniffle, prompting him to look up, only to blink in surprise when he sees Toby teary-eyed. "Why are you crying?"

Toby sniffles, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "Because I just found out that my best friend was suffering this whole time, and I didn't even know about it until now."

"It's okay, Tobes. Even though you didn't know, you were there for me. I struggled to accept it, but as time passed, you helped me get through it. When you first moved here, I remember the times you knocked on my door almost every day, asking me if I wanted to go play outside or eat some of your Gran's cookies."

Toby almost drools at the memory. "Ah, those cookies were to die for. Maybe I should ask Gran to bake them again sometime. It was a good thing I was persistent then. You would have missed out."

"And that's why you're my best friend. You never gave up on me." Jim said, making Toby tear up again and punch Jim lightly. "Stop it, Jimbo, you're going to make me cry. Anyways, now that you told me everything, I got to ask – how did you know Liz was your childhood friend? Sure, Liz reminds you of her by looks, but what if it's just a coincidence?"

Jim shakes his head. "I didn't want to assume that Liz was her at first, even though they looked similar. But then, when she called me Jimmy, I was shocked because no one other than Lizzie called me by that nickname even though Liz hardly knew me. She also mentioned during dinner that she couldn't remember anything before the car accident that killed her parents and was taken to Trollmarket to be raised by Kanjigar. After hearing all that, it was no longer a coincidence to me that Liz and Lizzie are the same person."

"But didn't you say before that your childhood friend..." Toby hesitated for a second before continuing. "– died?"

"That's what was thought then. You see, after Lizzie, and her parents went on their weekend picnic trip out of town, they never returned the following Monday. I remember there was a storm at that time, and my mom was worried, so she reported it to the police, and they sent out a search party. Days later, when the storm passed, the police found her parents in their car washed up on the banks near Lake Arcadia Oaks. They were found dead at the scene, but Lizzie...she was still missing, and they couldn't find her anywhere." Jim releases a shaky breath, reminiscing the painful memory. "After months of looking, they gave up the search and presumed her dead. I didn't believe it at first, hoping that she was still out there alive. But she never returned or was found. Yet this whole time –"

Jim rubs his eyes, trying to prevent tears from forming. Saddened to see his friend like this, Toby pats his friend on the back to console him and instead finishes the sentence for him. "She was alive this entire time."

"Yeah, and was living right under our feet." Jim softly chuckled. He gazes around Toby's room, his eyes stopping at the window as a memory flashed in his mind of a sky blue painted room with soft pink curtains blowing in the breeze and a little girl's giggle echoing in the background. For a moment, his lips turn into a soft smile at a distant memory until a small frown began to settle on his face. "But even though she's alive, she doesn't remember me, my mom, her parents – it's like a part of her is missing and...."