Secrets by Destiny Marie (if you liked this book TXT) 📕

“Oh, but you are.”

Sky hesitated before she said, “You’re not real.”

“Ouch. That really hurt my feelings.” He waited a minute before continuing. “But you know what hurt them more?”

“Nothing hurts you.”

She thought she saw a flash of hurt cross his face, but just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

“You weren’t there,” He stated simply.

Sky knew exactly what he meant. Instead of telling, him that, however, she said, “I don’t understand.”

“You know, you were never very good at lying. Especially to me.” Sky was silent so he continued, “Do you ever lie awake at night, thinking about how you could’ve saved me, but you didn’t?”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“Yes it was. You know it was. Now it’s your turn.”

He took a step forward, took her hand, and placed a knife in it. It was the very knife he used that night. The blood was still there, staining the knife, only it looked fresh. Sky went to touch it.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. It might upset your loved ones to see their blood on your hands.”

Sky’s grip on the knife tightened. “You killed them,” she screamed. “Those were your friends, too. They were your family. How could you?”

“The same way you could let me die,” he replied coldly.

“I didn’t let you die. I did everything I could.”

“I needed you! You weren’t there!”

“I tried!”

“You said you’d be there. Where were you?” He sounded vulnerable. He looked away when he whispered, “I believed you.” Sky saw a tear fall from his face and land on the ground.

“I was at your front door, when I heard your body hit the floor. I did everything I could.”

“You weren’t fast enough!” He looked her in the eyes. “Now it’s your turn. It’s your turn to die knowing I didn’t do everything I could to save you.”

“No. I can’t.”

“Why not. All your friends and family are waiting for you. I’m waiting for you.”

Sky shook her head, “No.”

“Do it.”

“No.”

“Do it.”

“No.”

“Do it!” The more he said it, the louder he got, and the bigger his smirk grew.

“No...” The more she argued, the quieter she got, and the more tears rolled down her face.

She glanced down at the knife. It was no later that she looked away that she felt a sharp pain in her back. She fell to her knees and hit the ground with a thud. She looked up at Nate. He was smiling.

“I did it because I love you,” he said.

Everything went black.

Sky sat up straight, quick and out of breath. Her face was red, puffy, and sticky with tears. Her eyes were a bright jade green color. She took a minute to take in her surroundings. The room she was in looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place where exactly she was. She was sitting on a dark green futon in a small room with shaggy white carpeting, and light purple walls. The ceiling fan was on and the flat screen TV was quietly playing country. There were a couple steps at one end of the room leading to, what looked like a small closet, but on either side was another room. Her older cousin, Jonny, came in from the room on the left.

          That’s when she remembered where she was. Her and her little sister, Lexx, had stayed the night Jonny’s house after their mom was arrested the night before. Dad will be here soon, Sky thought to herself.

“What’s wrong?” Jonny asked her.

“Just a bad dream,” She replied looking at her hands in her lap.

“Must’ve been pretty bad. You were screaming and crying in your sleep again.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for something you can’t control.”

“Sorry. Force of habit I guess.”

“Not anymore I hope.”

          Sky didn’t answer. She remembered when her mother would hit her for crying or screaming in her sleep. One time her mother hit her while she was still sleeping, and Sky was out for three days. Sky remembered the day the doctor told her father that it was her way of working things out, and that it was best not to wake her up when it happened because it was almost like waking a sleep walker. Her mother refused to believe it. She said Sky was just looking for attention. That it was all fake. Her dad left not long after that. He said he was done with her bull shit, so he took Sky’s brothers and left. We’re moving in with them soon, she thought.

“Hello?” Jonny said snapping her out of her thoughts. “Any one home?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“Where do you go in that head of yours?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I tried to ask when Uncle Daniel was gonna be here to get you guys.”

“Dad will be here around noon, he said. Why?”

“I thought I would help you guys pack.”

“We would really appreciate it.”

---------------------------------------------

It was almost ten by the time Lexx woke up, and they had all eaten breakfast. It had only taken them two hours to pack their things. Now it was almost noon and the three of them were sitting on the front lawn surrounded by boxes and bags in silence. All of Lexx’s clothes were packed away in Sky’s duffle bag and the few toys she had were packed into a box. Sky’s clothes were packed in a small trash bag, her books were packed in a box, and her pictures and fragiles were packed into a shoe box. Her backpack was half full of the stuff she had left over from school last year.

“It’s almost noon,” Jonny said breaking the silence. “Uncle Daniel should be here any minute now. Are you guys excited to go live with your dad?”

“It will be different, but I think we’ll like it. Huh, Lexx?”

Lexx nodded. “I’m gonna miss you, Jonny,” She said in her quiet voice.

“I’m gonna miss you too, kiddo.”

“Daddy!” Lexx squealed when she saw his bright red, extra cab Dodge pickup pull up to the curb. Lexx ran up to greet him when he got out.

“Hey, kiddo,” He said kneeling down and hugging her.

He looked over at Sky still sitting on the grass with Jonny. She was leaning on him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I’m going to miss you,” She said just above a whisper.

“I’m going to miss you too, Cuz,” He replied wrapping his arm around her shoulder, giving her a side hug. “I’m going to miss you too,” He whispered again, more to himself this time.

“I wish you could come with us.”

“I do too, but I’m starting school at Stanford in the fall.”

“I know.”

“Tell you what. I’ll come visit on breaks and every summer.”

“Promise?” She asked holding out her pinky.

“I promise,” He said wrapping their pinkies together. “Now come on. I think your dad is waiting for you.”

Sky stood and slung her backpack and duffle bag of her shoulder, and picked up the box with Lexx’s toys. Jonny picked up the box of books and Sky’s trash bag of clothes. Lexx ran over and picked up Sky’s shoe box of fragiles. Together, they walked over to the truck. Jonny and Sky put all the boxes and bags in the back and Lexx placed the shoe box in Sky’s seat.

“All set?” Their father asked. All three nodded. “Then we’ll be on our way. It was nice seeing you, Jonny. We would stay longer, but we’ve got a long rip ahead of us.”

“I understand.”

Lexx gave Jonny a hug and climbed into her booster seat in the back. Sky gave Jonny a hug, and he wrapped one around her.

She pulled away and pouted, “I want a real hug.”

“That is a real hug.”

“No, That’s half a hug. I want a real hug.”

Jonny wrapped both arms around Sky’s waist and picked her up, giving her a tight hug, and spinning in a circle before placing her gently on the ground.

“Better?” He asked.

“Better,” She beamed.

Their father beeped the horn to tell her it was time to go. Sky sighed, and hopped in the truck, looking at Jonny one last time for a long time. To her, Jonny was home. We’re leaving home, Sky thought. And with that a tear slipped down her cheek as she waved him goodbye.

“Girls. We’re here,” Their father beamed.

Sky woke up as the truck slowed to stop, and looked out her window. The farm was just as she remembered it. The red barn was half repainted and its doors were open. The cows were out grazing in the field that needed to be hayed, while the pigs and chickens were in their pens eating and laying in the warm sun. The only animal remaining in the barn was Sky’s horse, Jazmine, just itching to get out.

When she looked at the half painted Blue house, she saw her brothers, Jake and Nate, on the front porch waiting with a bunch of their friends. Looking out the screen door, was their cat, Shadow, and their Husky, Pepper.

“Lexx,” Sky said to her sister, but when she looked back at her she was still sound asleep.

“I’ll wake her,” Her dad said.

“No, don’t. I’ll get her.”

Sky unbuckled Lexx, and hoped out of the truck. With her backpack and duffle bag on her shoulder, Sky picked up her sister, and carried her to the house.

“I’ll take her,” Jake said meeting Sky half way.

“I’ve got her.”

“I know you had to protect her from your mom, but you don’t have to protect her from us. You know that.”

“I also know that she’s your mom too.”

“Prove it.”

“Do you really want to have this conversation right now?”

“Enough you two,” Their father said giving them both a stern look. Turning to Sky he said, “You just got here, and you’re already going to start? Really? Grow up a little, would you?”

I didn’t start it, she wanted to say, but instead she said nothing. She was always the one who had to grow up, even though she was the second youngest.

“Boys, go get you sisters’ things. Jake, show your sister their new rooms.”

“Rooms?” Sky had always shared a room with Lexx. She had to. She never knew when their mom would come in during one of her drunken rages.

“Sky it’s alright. There’s no need to worry. Okay?”

Sky hesitated before nodding. Still carrying her sister, she followed Jake past all the people, and into the house. She could tell they had been busy because the house was a mess. There were dishes in the sink, the house needed to be swept and dusted, and there was laundry everywhere. Sky followed Jake through the living room