The Secret Read online

  Jake hesitated, then snorted a laugh and reached for my hand. “Oh, she was. You have no idea.”

  Grinning at him, I pulled my hand away, feeling stunned at how perfect he was. The light from the street lamp shone in through the windows, and the ocean blue color in Jake’s eyes sang to me like a song I could listen to over and over again. “Why doesn’t she like me? I mean, I understand why they’re all frustrated—but Marsha seems like she seriously hates me.”

  Jake ran his hand through his hair. I’d come to recognize that as a sign that he didn’t want to talk about something. “I could tell you it’s complicated but, in truth, it’s actually quite simple.” He sighed. “Her little sister is still at The Foundation. And she thinks you’re the key to getting back there.”

  Panic started to burn in the pit of my stomach.

  Jake reached out, touching one of my curls. “She’s fine, Lanie. Don’t worry.” He ran his hand down my hair. “But Marsha worries…and she’s jealous of you. She hates needing your help.” He shrugged, then dropped his voice. “You’re so beautiful, Lanie.”

  Searching his face, I was calmed by his seeming lack of worry about Marsha’s sister. I leaned back into the seat, but he still stared at me and I felt myself flush. I thought of what he was looking at: my wild mass of red hair, my white skin, and my boring green eyes. But the sincerity in his voice made me almost believe him. I wanted to believe I was beautiful.

  He searched my eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

  I knew my eyes were starting to flutter and I tried to stop them.

  Laughing softly, he reached down, putting his warm hand over mine. “Is that a yes?”

  I looked at our hands and then back to his lips, my heart calming and determination working its way through me like a soft snowfall, lightly touching my face and melting through me. “Yes.”

  Leaning forward, Jake closed his eyes.

  Fear surged through me. Immediately, I yanked back, sucking in a breath. “No! I…on second thought…things are so complicated right now. We should wait to start anything between us. Don’t you think?”

  Jake pulled away, but his lip quirked. He searched my face and finally spoke. “Lanie, you have to realize that you don’t have the market on different anymore—okay? And you don’t have to face things alone. You could do so much if you would just let yourself.”

  I gulped, but felt embarrassed. “Gee. Great. Thanks, Mr. School Counselor—be all you can be. Thanks for teaching me a life lesson.”

  He laughed again, which was starting to tick me off.

  “You sound like the others.” I turned away from him. “You’ve obviously never had to kill anything before.”

  Abruptly, he stopped laughing. “Lanie…I didn’t realize it was that bad. Tell me what happened.”

  I knew my face was turning red and I hated it. But part of me wanted to tell him, wanted to share it. “I killed things, Jake. Lots of things.” Images of all the animals I had killed popped into my mind.

  Jake reached for me but I leaned away from him.

  “I made a vow that I would never use my powers to hurt anything again.” I let out my breath. “The closest I’ve come to breaking that vow was that day I thought you were taking me back. And…I don’t want to do that again—to be that person.”

  Jake didn’t say anything for a few moments. At last, he spoke. “I’m sorry, Lanie. And you’re right—none of us understand what you’ve been through. I get that. But…my mom used to say that sometimes the only thing we can pick in life is how we react to what’s being thrown at us. No one’s safe. Everyone gets hurt from time to time. At some point, the only thing we can choose is what we do about it—do we run and hide…or act and move forward?”

  I studied him for a minute. I didn’t run—not always—did I?

  Before I knew what was happening, I reached for him—pulling him to me. His lips were soft…like a whisper, warming the air between us. His hands pulled me closer to him and it felt like I could hear his heartbeat drawing us together.

  Warmth spread through me and I knew that when this was over, I wanted to paint the new color that was exploding inside of me.

  Jake pulled back. “I guess that’s not running.” He smiled. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time.” Looking over my shoulder, he pulled me into the seat. “Lanie, there he is.”

  I felt like there wasn’t enough air. It was time—time to figure out the truth. I peeked over the dashboard.

  Mr. Drake was jogging toward Jake’s Mustang, his eyes intense.

  Fear gripped my heart. “Jake?”

  He sat up quickly, hesitating briefly before opening his door.

  I opened my door too, getting out.

  “Mr. Curtis.” Mr. Drake looked Jake up and down then turned to me. “Ms. Hart. What can I do for you?”

  Jake leaned forward, opening his hands. “I don’t know, Mr. Drake. What can you do for me?”

  Stepping back and acting a bit flustered, Mr. Drake put his briefcase down. “I don’t know, but it’s not kosher to have my students stalking me outside of my house.”

  Jake sniffed the air, suspicion lacing his features. “She contacted you—didn’t she?”

  Mr. Drake shook his head, but picked up his briefcase again and turned away from us. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Leave before I call the police.”

  Jake ran in front of him. “I found your name in her appointment book. Why?”

  Mr. Drake tried to bypass him, dashing around the car and going for the back gate.

  Jake’s voice broke a little. “Please—they killed her.”

  Mr. Drake stopped, pulling his hand away from the lock into the backyard.

  I stepped up beside Jake. “Mr. Drake. Where is the book? Who wants them dead? Is it Luth?”

  Turning around, Mr. Drake leaned against the back of the fence. “I don’t know.”

  He knew something.

  Jake stepped toward him and anger swept over his face. “Talk.”

  Mr. Drake straightened, unlatching the gate finally and walking through it quickly. He motioned for us to follow him. “Come.”

  As we came through the gate, he herded us to a shed. Pulling out the key, he unlocked it, glancing worriedly toward his house. “Shelia will be expecting me. I need to give Tim a goodnight kiss. Pull the hatch and go downstairs. I’ll be back in a moment.” He shoved the door open and waved us in, plucking a string that turned on a light. “Go on.”

  The shed was small with tools on the walls and a lawn mower in the corner. Jake found the large, rusted latch on the floor and pulled it up. The stairs weren’t big, but they were deep.

  At the bottom it opened up in to what looked like some type of lab on one side and a 1970’s party on the other side. Bookcases filled every part of the walls, and the smell of butterscotch and dust permeated the air. There were two purple couches and a beat-up, lime green lounge chair on top of the ugliest orange shag carpet I had ever seen.

  Jake surveyed the room with a frown on his face.

  I pulled away from him, walking over to the make-shift plank desks against the wall, next to a telescope. Bolted to the wall in a small glass frame was a coin—the matching coin. My heart picked up speed. Mr. Drake was one of them.

  I reached up, touching the case, then looked down at the piled up newspapers filling the desk. The one on the top read, “Billionaire Ruth Curtis murdered. All her money left to her son, Raphael Jacob Curtis.”

  Stepping next to me, Jake ripped the paper out of my hands and threw it down. “Perfect.” The stomping of steps pulled our attention to the stairs. Mr. Drake appeared, looking a little fatalistic. “I guess you know who I am.”

  Emotion welled up in my throat. “Is Luth trying to kill them?”

  Mr. Drake shook his head.
“I don’t know.”

  Glowering, Jake motioned to the newspapers. “What’s this?”

  The sudden sound of new footsteps alerted us that we were not alone with Mr. Drake, just before Reed burst through to join us.

  He momentarily paused before giving us a smirk. “Good thing we followed you for back up.” He looked at Jake. “Nice of you to call it in.” Then he flopped into the lounge chair and glared a little at both of us. “But you were a little busy with your girlfriend.”

  Jake turned to him, but didn’t say anything.

  Marsha stepped down, a small, white, fur jacket puffing out around her. She turned up her nose and gave us disapproving looks. “It stinks down here.”

  Rob and Karen emerged next, both wearing apologetic expressions. Rob released Karen’s hand and stepped to Mr. Drake. “Where’s the book?”

  Mr. Drake looked at all of us. “Sit down. Let’s talk.”

  Jake and I moved to one of the couches, sinking into the dust.

  Mr. Drake looked at Jake and exhaled. “She was the only one I even had ties with. We conversed through code in the newspaper. She sent a message that she needed help. I watched the paper for a meeting to be set up, but…”

  “She was killed.” Jake crossed his arms.

  Wiping the sweat from his brow, Mr. Drake paused. “I was sorry to hear about Ruthie. She was a good soul.”

  Marsha sat forward. “Did you know my parents?”

  Nodding, Mr. Drake frowned. “Yes, I knew all of your parents.”

  Rob leaned forward, tapping his fingers against a rustic looking coffee table. “What can you do?”

  Mr. Drake held his eyes, letting out a breath. “I have the power to help people see the truth of something—a situation, an idea. And I have the power to see if others are telling the truth—to discern the truth of their intentions.”

  I exhaled. “That day—it was real.”

  Mr. Drake went serious. “Yes, I wanted you to see that you needed to help your friends.” He turned back to Jake. “I’ve been watching you all. I knew…well, last year Ruthie told me you’d lost your powers. But she didn’t tell me much.”

  Karen’s voice was quiet, but direct. “You probably know about all of our parents…the accidents.”

  Anguish crossed his face. “I could see what Nicholi was doing…but they couldn’t. When I started hearing about their deaths, I realized he was the one behind it—manipulating them.”

  Marsha stood, looking poised to fight. “Where is this Nicholi?”

  Mr. Drake threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know where he is. Ruthie told me that he sort of went off the grid for a while, but he must be in play again.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean by manipulating them?”

  Mr. Drake focused on me. “He can sway people.”

  “Like mind control?” Karen asked.

  His lips turned down. “Kind of…it’s more like listening to one of the most charismatic people you’ve ever heard before. You want to believe. You want to do what he’s asking you to do. He can change people’s minds—make them think his idea is really their own. His power used to be contained to the room—to when others were in his presence. But—I realized a few years ago, that his power had grown.” Mr. Drake took his glasses off and looked at the floor. “I think that’s how he killed all of your parents.”

  Karen shifted on the couch, looking troubled. “They weren’t accidents.”

  Mr. Drake frowned. “There was a spell—a way to gain their powers once they died. He couldn’t unlock it. He asked me for help—but—”

  “You left.” Jake shook his head in annoyance. “You ran.”

  His eyes looked sad and apologetic. “I didn’t know what to do.”

  Karen didn’t look at him. “Will you help us now?”

  Mr. Drake started shaking his head. “I have a family to protect.”

  My heart was thudding rapidly inside of me. “Why didn’t you fight him?”

  Reed gave me an incredulous look, cocking his eyebrow. “Coz he was afraid, Lanie. He was a coward.”

  Guilt formed in the pit of my stomach and I looked away from him.

  Reed turned back to Mr. Drake and his voice boomed. “Where are our powers?”

  Mr. Drake shrugged. “You still have them. They are still inside of you.”

  Reed’s eyes flashed with venom. “Don’t mess with me.”

  “I can tell that they are still inside of you—I can feel it.” For a brief moment his face flashed with remorse. He turned away and cleared his throat. “That’s all I know.”

  And then it dawned on me. “You do know where the book is.”

  His head started twitching back and forth. “No…”

  In one leap, Reed was across the room, pushing Mr. Drake against the wall.

  Marsha moved beside him and stomped on Mr. Drake’s foot. “Tell us, ‘cause I swear those cheap, knock-off shoes of yours won’t hold up against my designer heel.”

  Mr. Drake started making gagging noises from the pressure Reed was putting on his throat.

  Jake was soon next to them, looking angry and puzzled. “Ease up, Reed.”

  Finally, Reed let him go.

  Mr. Drake slumped to the floor. “I had it. When I left ten years ago—it was the only thing I could do to protect everyone from him. But—” He let his breath out and touched his throat. “But today—I went to get it…and it was gone. I don’t know where it’s at.”

  The hair on the back of my neck rose and I knew. I knew why he hadn’t come home sooner. “The Flatirons. That’s where you’ve been today—isn’t it? And that’s why my father came here. He knew you had the book.”

  Episode 12: Freedom

  “You know the Equinox is starting?” Rob sat in the chair next to my mom’s bed. His face was pastier than usual and he had a defeated look on his face. “And we’re no closer to finding out anything—where the book is, who’s trying to kill them, how to get rid of your powers.”

  I waved him away. “Go home, take a shower. You’ve been locked up in this room for the past forty-eight hours. There’s nothing we can do, Rob.”

  His eyes grew serious. “I just don’t want us to miss our chance to free you—and help them. If Dad was the only other person that knew about the book, then he must have told Mom.”

  I touched Mom’s soft hand. “Do you think he told Luth?”

  Rob began to circle the room, touching the tuft of hair on his chin in thought. “No, but who knows.”

  I looked out of the window. “Mom must have told someone.”

  Rob’s phone buzzed and he answered it. “Stewart—hey. Yeah, I’m still here. We’re just waiting for her to wake up.”

  Rob smiled and I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him do that. “Oh.” He covered the phone with his hand. “He’s getting off his plane right now.”

  I thought of Stewart with his neatly trimmed beard and soft brown eyes. My father’s oldest friend. The only one we could trust. The only one from before The Foundation. My dad had always kept a picture of them together, standing in their military garb with a plane behind them. I felt myself relax. Stewart had offered to come help us figure this out. “The cavalry’s coming.”

  Rob nodded, relief filling his face. “Okay—great, see you in a little bit.” Ending the call, he pulled his laptop bag over his shoulder. “Karen told me Reed is obsessed with finding something in the cave—are they going back there tonight? It creeps me out—that sketch of them dead. Plus, the Equinox starting.”

  I sighed. “Yeah. I told Jake that it was pointless—we’ve scoured the cave a dozen times. The book is gone. But they were all going to head up there.”

  Rob searched my eyes. “How serious is this thing…with you
and Jake?”

  I felt myself blush. “I don’t know.” I thought of earlier that day when I was getting ready to leave for the Facility. The way Jake’s arms had held me to him…I’d felt safe.

  Rob squinted at me. “I’m worried.”

  Cameron, one of the nurses, walked into the room. His six foot frame towered over us. The blonde wig and fake eyelashes made him less intimidating. “Yo, Rob and Lanie, what’s up?”

  Rob’s eyes went wide at Cameron’s appearance and then he laughed. “Nice.”

  Cameron touched his wig. “Hey—don’t knock it ‘til you try it. They love it around here—don’t you, Mrs. Hart?” He looked at Mom and then went for her chart, starting on her vitals check.

  Gratitude warmed me. “Thanks for being so good to her.”

  Turning back to us, he pulled an envelope out of his pocket. “The front desk wanted me to bring this down. It’s addressed to your mom.”

  Ripping it open, I pulled out a yellow sticky note. The words were smudged.

  Rob pulled it to him. “Is that blood?”

  I started blinking. Two words were scrawled: The Gathering.

  My hand started shaking. “Luth’s here, Rob!” I pointed to the words. “The Gathering. We have to go to the cave!”

  We walked through the opening of the cave together, Rob invisible beside me. The smell of sulphur permeated my nostrils and the heat from the raging bonfire scalded my cold skin. Luth’s silver hair shone brightly against the fire. He was wearing a white, fancy top that made him look like an old, rich baron. On the other side of the fire sat Jake, Reed, Marsha, and Karen. They were tied up with gags in their mouths.

  My breath caught in my throat and panic knotted in my stomach. Calm. Control. Rob and I had talked about this on the way up. We needed to remain calm.