Stolen Secret

by Piper Dow

  He walked quickly, eager to get back to camp. He had chosen not to pack it up this time when he went to the city. The snow covering the tent and cooler should be enough camouflage to keep it hidden, and if he'd packed it up he would have had to set it all up again in all the snow. Better to keep it up, but the thought of it there in the woods with him so far away from the area made him nervous.

  The money he had earned from his day labor at the docks was split into several little bundles. He never kept all of his money in one place, just in case he got jumped. He had tried opening a bank account, because it would have been better to just have a debit card to keep safe instead of worrying about carrying all this cash, but the manager at the bank said he needed to have a mailing address.

  Matt frowned, thinking of the man's dismissive expression again. He knew that expression well. He had seen it on Tony's face enough over the years, and on plenty of faces since. When he first left home - Tony's home, as Tony repeatedly reminded him, Matt had tried to get a regular job. Every place he applied to wanted to know his address, wanted the name of the high school he graduated from, needed a phone number to be able to call him. He hadn't seen the sense in finishing school after his mother died. He didn't have a cell phone, and didn't have money to buy one because he couldn't get a job.

  He tried, once, to sign up for welfare, but the image of Tony's sneering face telling him he was no good and just wanted a hand-out wouldn't let him get through the door. Instead, he'd learned about day labor job sites near the docks. There were other sites, too, but the docks paid him the best. He had learned how to get along without his diploma, and how to live outside. He'd thought of getting a cell phone in case of emergencies, but never wanted to spend the money. It wasn't like he had any friends to call, and the day labor places didn't need a phone number. Well, maybe he'd get a mailbox at the post office or one of those shipping places that rented mailboxes. If he did, though, he wouldn't go back to that bank.

  A truck sped past, the wind it pushed blowing little clouds of sand and salt from the street into Matt's face. He grimaced. Maybe he should stop and grab a coffee. There was a gas station a little ways up. He thought of how long he'd been gone from camp and shook his head. He could make the trip in less than eight hours, but if he kept stopping for coffee, and then to relieve himself, it could take all day.

  He'd left his spot under the overpass just as the sky was getting light. He had stopped then for coffee and a couple of hot breakfast sandwiches, and saved a banana to eat while he walked. He'd been rewarded with a beautiful sunrise, the sky turning from purple to dark pink and finally a golden red ball popped up as the sun came up over the top of the trees. Now, though, it was a bright, clear blue. Beautiful, but bone-achingly cold.

  He followed the highway, though of course pedestrians weren't allowed on the road itself. During the summer, when the air was cooler away from the pavement and he wasn't on such a tear to get back to camp, he allowed himself to enjoy the towns he moved through. He chose to stay in the towns, even though it meant a day's walk for work and back, because the quiet of the towns made him feel less on edge. The sounds of the city bounced off all the concrete and asphalt and had him looking over his shoulders every other minute. Noise at his camp in town was usually squirrels or birds, or an occasional fox or deer. Nothing he had to worry about jumping him.

  Chapter twenty

  Kelly juggled her purse and keys with a large plastic container of cupcakes as she got out of the car. She put the box on the top of the car so she could sling her bag over her shoulder, tossed the keys into the top of the bag, and hit the button to lock the car before closing the door.

  "Hey, girl! Those smell amazing!" Bizzy grinned at her from where she and Tyler stood waiting at the edge of the parking lot.

  Kelly smiled. It figured that Bizzy could smell the cupcakes; they had just cooled enough to put the frosting on them before she packed them up. Still, it amazed Kelly just how good the twins' senses were.

  "I thought I would bring something to kind of celebrate, since it's the last day," she said as she drew closer.

  "You're celebrating that it's the last day?" Tyler teased, deliberately misunderstanding her.

  Kelly wrinkled her nose at him. "Yes, Tyler, I'm celebrating not having to listen to your horrible dad jokes every day." They set off for the Dome. "No, I'm celebrating meeting you guys. All of you. You two know how nervous I was that first day, even if I thought I was hiding it pretty well. Everyone has been great; this class has been amazing! I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting because they are my favorites, but I also made vanilla with vanilla frosting because Amy said she can't have dairy."

  Drew and Steve crossed the grass toward the Dome from the other parking lot. Kelly could hear them talking about a video game Drew played online.

  "Nah, man, you don't have to pay. Just make a profile and text me your user name, I'll find you and give you the link." Drew grinned, sniffing the air with appreciation as they neared. "Is Staples planning another party? I smell cake."

  Steve sniffed the air, staring at the entrance of the Dome, then shrugged. "I can't smell anything, but my nose is so cold I probably wouldn't smell a skunk if I stepped on it." Then he spotted the cake carrier in Kelly's arms. "My eyes still work, though. Kelly's got goodies!"

  Mr. Staples met them in the foyer again, with the door to the gym closed behind him. He had a table set up on the side for everyone to put their belongings on, and they started their class immediately. He gave them two minutes to line up by height, then three minutes to line up youngest to oldest, and finally three minutes to line up according to birth dates from January through December.

  "Ok, last class today. This one is going to challenge some of you more than others," he said, grinning at Ashley and Bizzy, who were discussing the woes of summer birthday parties. "For the start of today's session, you are going to lose two of your senses. This element requires no talking, and you must wear these." He held up a bag and pulled out a blindfold, then handed the bag off for everyone to take one.

  "Once everyone has their blindfold on, we're going to go into the gym. Your object once in there is to find an object. I'm not going to tell you what the object is, but you will know it when you find it. There are just a few simple rules. No talking. No taking the blindfold off. If you take the blindfold off, you take yourself out of the challenge—but you're still not allowed to speak. I'm going to lead you into the room and put your hand on a rope. You must keep one hand on the rope at all times, until the object is found. There isn't anything to step over, but you'll still want to be careful. Ready?"

  Kelly had her blindfold on. Mr. Staples directed them to put one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them so they could follow to the challenge. She was surprised how exposed and vulnerable she felt, being led into the gym unable to see.

  She felt a hand lift her free hand and found it placed onto the rope. Okay. She felt Tyler's hand drop from her shoulder and dropped her own from Jamie Lee's shoulder. She immediately wished she hadn't. She felt alone, despite knowing there were a dozen other people in the room. She could hear footsteps shuffling and the rustle of fabric as people began to move. She took a step to her right, sliding her hand along the rope that hung around chest height, and bumped into Jamie Lee.

  If they couldn't take their hands off the rope, they were stuck between the two people they lined up between. She felt Tyler's hand again on her shoulder. She jumped a little at the sudden contact, and he gave her shoulder a little squeeze and nudged her toward Jamie Lee. Kelly smiled, catching on to his idea—if they all kept contact with each other, as they had when they came into the gym, they would be less likely to fall over each other. She reached out and felt Jamie Lee's back, trailing her hand upward until she found her shoulder, and held on. She felt Jamie Lee's arm raise as she reached to make contact with the next person in line.

  They moved slowly at first, then with growing confidence. Kelly could feel the twist of the s
trands of rope beneath her left hand as she slid forward with each step. Her arm stretched suddenly as Jamie Lee turned, following the leading of the rope that nearly doubled back on itself. The near loss of contact with Jamie Lee's shoulder rattled her, and she drew in a deep breath to steady herself. She took a few short, shuffling steps to ease around the corner without losing Tyler's hand.

  Jamie Lee continued moving, and Kelly felt panic beginning to rise in her chest as she had to reach to stay in contact with her. Suddenly Tyler's hand gave her shoulder a squeeze, and then another. Kelly remembered his Vulpie form cocking his head at her, tapping her foot, and smiled again. Right. She focused on his hand gripping her shoulder, the rope underneath her hand, the way the hood of Jamie Lee's sweatshirt felt against her right hand. The floor underneath her sneakers was rubber, solid but with a little give to it. She felt her head begin to clear.

  They moved through the room, sometimes slowing as they encountered another bend in the rope. Kelly felt the posts the ropes were attached to as she rounded one turn and imagined they were moving through a giant movie theater queue. The sound of muffled footsteps and rustling fabric were all she heard, until finally the clang of a bell being rung started Mr. Staples' clapping.

  "Nicely done! Go ahead and remove your blindfolds," he called out.

  Kelly peeled her blindfold away from her eyes, blinking at the sudden brightness of the gym.Looking around, she could see that they had traversed a maze that took up half of the room. Brad held up a dinner bell that was tied on another, shorter rope, and the unsecured end of the long rope they had been holding onto.

  Mr. Staples directed them back to the foyer for debriefing after the challenge. The gym had security cameras, and their trip through the maze had been recorded. Kelly set out the box of cupcakes as they watched their progression through the activity. A couple of times Mr. Staples paused the replay to ask questions.

  Kelly saw that Amy had been the first to reestablish contact with the next person on the line, and the chain had been restored from there. Connection had been broken at a few of the corners, but quickly reinstated. She saw her own hesitation and near-stumble when Jamie Lee had rounded the corner without warning, and Tyler's reassuring hand on her shoulder.

  "How did it feel, knowing you needed to find something but not knowing what you were trying to find?" he asked.

  "A little uncertain, I think. And nervous," admitted Brad. "I mean, I knew I was the leader, so I figured I would find it, but..." he grinned, a little embarrassed. "I've never liked those things where they have you put your hand in and see if you can feel something and identify it. What if it's sharp? What if it's slimy?"

  Tim shrugged his shoulders. "I was curious, I guess, but I was more nervous about whether I was going to step on Ashley and cripple her or something."

  Kim nodded. "I'm with Tim—I was curious what we were supposed to be finding, but I knew I wasn't going to be the one to locate it. I had one hand on the rope and one hand on Bizzy. I just didn't want to fall."

  "Okay." Mr. Staples walked over to Kelly's box of cupcakes and selected a chocolate one, peeling the wrapper off as he perched against the table. "Now let's take it a little deeper. What are some of the unknowns in your lives? How can you use what you guys have learned during this course to deal with some of those unknowns?"

  The rest of the session was spent in discussion of how their world was filled with the unknown, and how the tools they had learned could help them navigate even when they were voiceless or blind to the goal.

  "Guys, this can't be the end," Bizzy wailed as the others began putting their coats back on. "I don't want to lose touch with all of you!"

  "I'm on Spaces, Bizzy. Follow me on there," Kim suggested.

  Kelly knew Bizzy tried to limit her time on social media. "Bizzy, give me your number." She tapped it into her phone and sent a text. "There, that's mine. We'll figure out when we can get together once classes start and we know our schedules."

  Bizzy flung her arms around Kelly's neck and squeezed her warmly. "Yes! I want you to meet my mom, I've told her so much about you. We'll find a night you can come for supper or something."

  Kelly smiled, nodding while she extricated herself from Bizzy's grasp. She collected the cake carrier and the few cupcakes left, saying good-bye to the others who dawdled in the foyer, and headed for her car.

  Tyler was standing near the edge of the parking lot with his hands shoved into his pocket. Kelly realized he had been waiting for her.

  "Hey, I was wondering. There's a new movie with Chris Pratt in it coming out next week. Would you like to go see it with me?"

  Kelly had unlocked the car and stowed the cake carrier on the back seat. She paused. Was he asking her on a date? Flutters stirred in her chest, but this time not of panic. She turned to face him. His face, normally alight with teasing, was shuttered, waiting.

  She had to be sure. "Like, a date?" At his short nod, she smiled. The stirring in her chest was a full-on boiling now. "I would like that."

  He grinned, his face relaxing. He pulled out his phone and she gave him her number, agreeing to set the date up for the following weekend. Driving out of the parking lot, she turned the music up and sang along, unable to keep the grin off her face.

  Chapter twenty-one

  At Wayne's knock, Kelly looked up from where she lay sprawled reading on her bed. He entered without waiting for her to respond. She groaned as she scooted into a sitting position, shoving her pillows up behind her back so she could lean on them and pulling her legs up to make room for him to sit.

  "You think there are people my age there?" At Kelly's confused expression, he added, "at the Shades and Lights group?"

  "I don't know, Wayne. I told you, it's not always the same people that go. There are a couple of girls that might still be in high school, they look younger than me, but what does it matter? There are a few in college, or that age, anyway. You're a senior. Isn't that close enough?"

  "Oh, it's not that. I'm not worried about being younger, I'm just wondering if I would know anyone—like, if I would have run into them at a game or something." He ran his hands through his hair, considering his reflection in the mirror over her dresser. "I need a haircut."

  Kelly looked at his reflection, then back at his face at the other end of her bed. "If you were a Shade, what would you want to be?" She'd been thinking about the question a lot. David's friends had been werepecans, something in the weasel or badger family. They were great climbers. Samantha was a werecoyote, animals known for being adaptable and intelligent. Not that other Shades weren't intelligent, she quickly reminded herself.

  "A bear." Wayne's response was quick and decisive.

  Kelly cocked her head, intrigued. "Why a bear?"

  "Can you imagine how awesome that would be? They're huge! I would get on the football team, and I would sack Mark Monahan every chance I got." His voice held a venom and heat Kelly hadn't heard since they'd figured out who had vandalized his car the night Sam was bitten.

  "Why? What's Mark Monahan done to you?"

  Wayne was quiet. He picked at his thumbnail, his jaw clenching mulishly. Kelly waited, watchful.

  "I saw Rachel talking with him yesterday afternoon." His lips compressed as he ground his teeth. "I was in the shop. Mom asked me to bring her a salad, she'd worked through lunch or something. Rachel didn't know I was uptown. I saw her go into the CVS. I was actually going to go in and surprise her, and she comes out walking with him." He clenched his hands into fists on top of his knees. "She was laughing and touching his arm, and he was all jacked up and laughing, and then he ran his hand up her arm and touches her face—just like freaking Edward in your stupid Twilight movies! I mean, they were totally flirting with each other!"

  Kelly frowned. "Aww, Wayne, I'm sorry. Did you talk to Rachel about it?"

  Wayne scowled. "Yeah, I asked her to meet me in the parking lot before school. I asked her what was up with her and Mark. She acted like she didn't know what I was talking abo
ut, so I told her what I saw, just like I told you. She started crying, saying she didn't know what to do. She said she started to have feelings for him around Christmas." His voice shook a little, and he swallowed.

  "What are you going to do?" Kelly knew what she would do, but sometimes Wayne was nicer than she was.

  He shrugged. He took a moment to answer. "I told her to see if he wants to go to the dance this weekend with her. And I asked her to return my sweatshirt and my jacket when she has washed them."

  Kelly's heart ached for him. She crawled down to the foot of the bed to sit next to him and squeezed him in a one-armed hug. "I'm sorry. She doesn't deserve you, anyway."

  Wayne smirked, pushing his melancholy aside in typical Wayne fashion. "Well, come on. I mean, I'm a pretty spectacular guy. It's going to be hard to find a girl who does deserve me!"

  Kelly shoved him gently, laughing. She knew he was hurting. She also knew he wasn't going to let her see it.

  "So, when is the next meeting? Did he text you back?"

  Kelly shook her head, but pulled her phone off the bedside table to check again. "Not everyone is attached to their phones like you are. He'll text. I can ask Janet, too, she might know." She swiped the screen on her phone and smiled. Tyler had sent her a text.

  Wayne was watching her. "No?"

  She shook her head. She opened the text, a meme of an iceburg showing only the top visible out of water, likened to a movie, and the vast majority of ice under the water, likened to the book. She grinned and sent a thumbs up emoji. They had made arrangements to go to the movie opening night. Kelly was a little nervous—it was going to be the first time she'd spent any time with Tyler alone.