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

“How come we don’t have the downstairs room anymore?” Sky asked her brother.

“That’s Dad’s room now. He thought you would want to be upstairs with the rest of us.”

“Us?”

“Me, Nate, and Lexx. Dad was going to give you the downstairs room by yourself, but he thought you’d feel isolated, or something.”

“Oh.”

“This is Lexx’s room,” Jake said leading her into a small pink room.

          The room had a bed, a dresser, a closet, a book case, and a toy box in it. The mattress was bare, except for a pillow. There was a pile of blankets and sheets on the floor next to it. Sky laid Lexx down on the bed and covered her up with a thin pink blanket. Even though it was summer time, and it was hot outside the room was cool.

“Everything’s pink,” Sky stated as a matter of fact.

Now that she took a closer look around she realized everything really was pink.

“Yeah. That was Dad’s idea. He thought she would like it. What do you think?”’

“I think she’ll like it.”

“Good. Ready to see your room?”

Sky nodded, even though she wasn’t. She didn’t like the idea of not being with her sister. She knew Lexx was safe, but it just went against Sky’s better judgement.

          Jake led her down the hall two doors, and across the hall into a large room with freshly painted white walls. All the furniture was covered in sheets, and the floor had cans of paint, of all sorts different colors, on it. There were stencils and paintbrushes, and sponges, and newspapers all around her.

“What’s going on?” She asked suspiciously.

“Dad didn’t know what color to paint your room, so I talked to Jonny. He said you and him painted a mural in his room, and thought it would be a good idea to let you do something like that in your room.”

Sky smiled. Her brothers and Jonny were always looking out for her. They always knew what to do and say. They always knew what she liked. They understood her.

“Thanks,” She said to her brother hugging him.

At first he was surprised because she hadn’t hugged him since they were small, but then he relaxed and hugged her back.

“Aww. How cute,” A voice said behind them.

Sky pulled away from her brother only to find her other brother and a bunch of other people holding boxes and bags in their hands.

“What goes where?” One of them asked.

He had brown hair gelled up in a messy way. He was dressed in jeans, a Doctor Who t-shirt, and a black vest. What caught her eye though, was his golden brown eyes. They were beautiful.

“Sky?” Nate said breaking her from her thoughts.

“Oh, uh, the box with the toys goes in Lexx’s room. Be careful not to wake her, please. I have her clothes. Umm, the small box goes in her room too. The book labeled “books’n’stuff” and the trash bag are in here.”

Nate handed Sky her shoe boxes marked “fragile”.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

          Sky set the box down on a sheet covered shelf, and hugged her oldest brother. He was only a year older than her and Jake, but Jake was only five months older than Sky. When Nate pulled away, she turned to the far wall with the window. There was a seat in the window where Sky could see herself siting and reading her books or drawing.

“So, what are ya gonna paint, sis?” Nate asked putting his arm around her shoulder.

Sky ducked out from under his arm, opened her “books’n’stuff” box, and pulled out one of her sketch books. This one was a black with a purple feather painted on the front. She flipped through the pages until she found a landscape drawing.

“This one,” she said, pointing to it.

“Can’t wait to see it.”

And with that, Sky began to paint.

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

There was a knock on Sky’s door.

“Sky? Are you in there?” Sky recognized the voice as her oldest brother, Nate.

“Yeah,” She replied.

“Can I come in?”

“Just a second.”

Sky picked her way around the many open buckets of paint all the way to the door. Using a red rag, she unlocked the door for her brother.

“It’s open,” She said already making her way back to her project.

Nate opened the door and looked around. The room was a mess. There was a big blue tarp in the middle of the floor covered in open cans of paint, and an old white sheet lay on the floor in front of the far wall. The sheet was covered in paint brushes, roller, sponges, and more paint cans, only these one were about half the size of the others. There was paint covered red rags everywhere, and pieces of card board boxes used as paint pallets here and there.

“Sorry about the mess. I’ve been busy,” Sky said.

“You haven’t even unpacked yet?” Nate asked, noticing the unpacked boxes and bags on the bed. He sounded surprised, but this was normal for Sky. She always seemed to have something packed away.

“I’ve been busy,” She shrugged.

When Nate looked at the far wall, he could see why. The far wall had a window in the center of it, and painted around it was a mural. On the left side on the window there was a fall tree losing its leaves with a swing hanging from one of its limbs. On the right side was a grassy hill with a foot path leading to an old farmhouse on top of the hill. The Sun was shining, and the sky was the perfect blend of baby and sky blue. 

"Wow," was all he said.

Sky turned around to face him, and saw another boy standing behind him. He had dark chocolate brown eyes, and dark brown, messy, gelled up hair. He was wearing faded dark blue jeans, and a Doctor Who t-shirt under a black vest. He was definitely shorter than her brother, but he only looked to be a few inches taller than her. 

"Who's your friend?"

"Toby."

"Okay."

"Not gonna question it?"

"Nope."

"Okay."

"Did you paint that?" Toby asked.

Sky looked at the wall behind her, then looked back at him. Instead of answering him she said, "Who's your favorite Doctor?" 

"Huh?"

"Who's your favorite Doctor?"

Toby still looked confused.

"Your shirt", Nate clarified.

"Oh. Ten, by far."

"Smart kid."

"Sky, He's older than you."

"So?"

"So you can't call someone older than you 'kid'."

"Sure you can. It just won't make sense."

"That's my point."

Sky just shrugged and went back to her project.

Nate and Toby left, and Nate was shutting the door behind him when he said, "Dinner's ready," almost as an afterthought. He waited for Sky to say "I'm not hungry," before he finished shutting the door.

Nates POV:

When Nate and Toby got down stairs, everyone had already started eating. 

"Where's your sister?", asked their father.

"Busy," Nate replied. "What's for dinner?"

"Pizza."

"Again," added Jake. "I'm surprised you couldn't smell it."

"Sky's room smells so strongly of paint that you can smell it half way up the stairs."

"So letting her paint her own room was a good idea?" asked their father.

"Yeah."

"Sky loves to paint," Lexx said.

Everyone, except Toby, stopped and starred at Lexx. 

"What?" asked Toby.

"She never talks to anyone that isn't Sky. Especaiilly when Sky isn't around," explained Jake.

When he looked back, Lexx was pointing at something. They all followed her gaze to see Sky walk around the corner. Sky stopped in her tracks when everyone turned to look at her. Everyone quickly went back to what they were doing. 

 "Did I miss something?" Toby asked.

No one answered him. Sky got a bottle of water out of the fridge, while her father handed out pizza to every one.

"Sky? Pizza?" He asked her.

Sky shook her head no and made a disgusted face.

"Right. I forgot. Sorry."

"It's okay. I'll make something later, or something."

"What are you working on?"

"Nothing," Sky replied before running back to her room.

“Where are you going?” Jake asked Nate when he got up from the table.

“With Sky.”

“Aren’t you hungry?” asked his father.

“Not really.” Toby got up to follow Nate, plate still in hand.

“You can’t go up the with that,” Jake said.

“why not?”

“Sky can’t stand the smell of pizza.”

“Oh.” Toby put his plate down. “Save it for me, please?”

“Yeah. I’ll be up later. I’m waiting for a friend.”

“Alright.”

By the time Toby got upstairs Nate was still standing outside Sky’s bedroom door. Apparently, it was locked.

“Sky!” Nate yelled as he knocked of the door. “Sky!?”

Nate knew it was no use. He could hear her music loud and clear. She wouldn’t be able to hear him until there was a break between songs.

“What is that?” Toby asked.

“Another language.”

“She’s really pretty,” Toby half said to himself.

Nate looked at Toby like he was crazy. “What?”

“Sky. She’s really pretty.”

“No. Don’t even think about it.”

“What?”

“She’s my sister. Not gonna happen. That’s final.”

“That’s her decision,” Toby said, rather defiantly.

“Unless you feel like dying, you wouldn’t try.”

“Challenge accepted,” Toby smiled.

Nate glared at him. “Dude I really don’t want to have to burry my best friend, but I won’t hesitate.”

The song was over, and before another one could begin Nate quickly and loudly knocked on her door once more.

“What?”

“Can we come in?”

“We?”

“Toby and I.”

Nate heard her sigh before saying a murmured “yeah”. When the door open Toby didn’t hesitate to step into the room. Nate glared at him the whole time. The music was turned down, and it was in English. Nate watched as Toby checked his little sister out as she walking back to her project, singing along to Temporary Home by Carrie Underwood. Nate’s patience was growing thin with Toby, but looking at Sky’s project made him feel better. And listening to her singing softly, hitting all the notes made him almost forget his anger.

Around her closet, on the left wall, Sky was painting another mural. So far, it was a dark blue, almost black, base with, what looked like sponge splotches, of purples and pinks. He watched in silence as she continued.

Nate often forgot how talented his sister really was. He only got to see his sisters during the summer and school breaks; after their father took him and Jake and left their mother, leaving the girls behind. He always told them he’d bring them to live with him, but never actually followed through with it until he didn’t have a choice. Their mother was an abusive alcoholic. Unfortunately, Sky got the worst of it. Their mother’s most recent episode almost got Sky and Lexx killed. Jake hated their mother and refused to admit that she was his mother. But, to tell the truth, neither Jake nor Nate liked their father very much for leaving the girls behind. And if it wasn’t for the resemblance between him and Jake, Jake would deny him being his father too.

“You busy?” Jake asked Sky, poking his head in the door.

“Nope,” She replied, even though she clearly was.

Sky put down her paint brush and turned the music off. She stopped and only looked at Toby and Nate.

“Alright, I can take a hint. Come on, Toby. Let’s go”, Nate said dramatically, grabbing Toby’s arm, leading him out of the room.

Once they were out and the door was shut Toby tried to pull his arm from Nate, but Nate only tightened his grip. He got in toby’s face and said between gritted teeth, “Now listen here. She’s my little sister. I want you to put any thoughts of her out of your head right now.”

“You don’t have a say. It’s her