Stella's Secrets

by Menaka Ravikumar

  I recognized the younger me sitting on a man’s lap, both of them grinning at the camera. I looked at least four years old. I picked the picture up and turned it around. On the back, I recognized my mom’s handwriting-again:

  ’Stella and Ben Madison, Spain.’

  Who is Ben Madison? And why don’t I remember him?

  Chapter Five

  The address

  “Stella! Dinner’s ready!” Dad called from downstairs. It was past seven, hours after I had opened the chest. I was supposed to be doing Algebra homework, but my mind kept wondering to my discovery. After I had failed to recognise the man in the picture with me, I had gone through the rest of the chest and found a note with an address on it, and a bunch of letters in envelopes. My eyes moved from my Algebra notebook to the bunch of envelopes hiding under my pillow.

  Curiosity got the best of me and I flopped onto my bed, pulling out the first envelope. I had managed to take only three, all of which seemed to be dated far back. My hand skimmed over the envelope, touching the aged corners. Then I gently opened the envelope and slid the neatly folded piece of paper out of it.

  With one quick movement I opened the letter and let my eyes skim over the untidy handwriting. Various words caught my eyes, but I didn’t really bother to read the whole sentence. Dad. Affair. Maria Winters… There was a signature at the end of the letter, at the very bottom of the page: Your uncle, Ben Madison.

  Ok, now I know who Ben Madison was-is. I thought. So who’s Maria Winters? As I thought the words I felt my phone vibrate in it’s place in my front jeans pocket. My heart beat quickened when I realized I had a text from the blocked number:

  ‘Poor, poor Stella Johnson.

  You didn’t think your mother’s

  secret child was the only

  secret they kept from you,

  do you? This is just the

  beginning ‘Stel Bel’. You’re

  in for some big surprises.

  -Anonymous’

  How was a number that I’ve blocked texting me? The sudden knocking coming from outside startled me, and I dropped both my phone and the letter. I shoved the letter under my pillow and locked my phone before walking to my balcony doors. Usually when I was feeling upset about something I would invite Ev over and we would stand on the balcony and watch the stars. But when I pulled my curtains back it wasn’t Ev standing outside.

  It was Max. And he was holding a bouquet of flowers and waving at me. How romantic. My eight year old self was bouncing up and down as I waved back, then reached for the lock on the door. “Hey.” I said when he walked into my room.

  “Hi.” His smile turned into a cocky smirk and his eyes looked over me, then his eyes stopped right at my legs, which were almost completely bare due to my short shorts. Boys.

  He bit his lip and reluctantly tore his eyes to look at me, then down at the bouquet of flowers in his arms. He. Brought. Sunflowers. A goofy smile spread on my face as Max handed me the bouquet. I took it from him and buried my face into it.

  “Thank you. They’re beautiful, Max.” I whispered, and Max smiled.

  “Glad you like them. Here, I’ll put them in water.” He took the flowers from me and headed to my en-suite bathroom.

  I took the chance to take the envelopes and hide them in my closet, under a pile of my clothes. Then I sat down on my bed, and Max came back out, holding the sunflowers in a vase from the bathroom.

  “So, are you gonna tell me why you’re here?” I raised an eyebrow at Max, watching as he placed the vase on my desk and sat down next to me.

  “I was worried about you.” Max replied. He cupped my face in his hands. ”You seemed distracted today. I wanted to know if something was up.”

  I would’ve told him that he could’ve just called my phone but he looked so concerned, and I didn’t want to spoil the moment.

  “I’m fine, Max. You really should stop worrying about me.” I told him, and he shook his head.

  “I can’t. It’s natural instinct to worry about my girl.” And then he kissed me, and my fingers reaching up to tangle themselves in his honey blonde hair. But of course, someone had to spoil the moment.

  “Stella! Dinner!” Dad shouted again, making both of us jump apart.

  “Coming!” I shouted back. Then I looked at Max. “We should make plans. Will you call me? Or should I call you?”

  Max nodded. “Yeah. Sure. I’ll call you.” I gave him another quick kiss and got off his lap. He went to my balcony door, and turned to look at me as he stepped out.

  “Lock the door, ok?” I nodded. ”Yes captain.” I watched as he climbed down the tree, and after he walked out through the back gate I went back inside and made my way downstairs for dinner.

  X-X-X-X-X

  The next day I had gone shopping with the girls, and after I came back I read the letter from Ben Madison. I hadn’t taken an interest in the paper with the address on it, but when I read it properly I realized I knew where it was.

  ‘2nd Floor,

  9/3, Listron Street

  Glenville, CA 90012’

  I had been to Listron Street before. On December 28th, we celebrated Caitlin’s first birthday at Mr L’s apartment on Listron Street. The Leary’s residence had been going through renovation, so Mr and Mrs Leary had decided to have the party at their extra apartment. The address was the address for Mr L’s apartment. I was sure of it. So I picked up my Louis Vuitton bag, stuffed the note and the journal inside, and went downstairs.

  It was almost twelve, so I had a feeling that my parents were at the boutique. But just as I slipped my feet into my Clarks a familiar voice spoke very sleepily. “Honey, where are you going?” I didn’t have to turn around to know that it was my mom. “Max’s house. I’ll be back soon.” I lied, turning around as I spoke. My mom was in her work clothes - Van Heusen jacket and skirt over a crisp-now wrinkled shirt.

  “Ok. See you.” Mom smiled, and I forced a smile back.

  Then I left. But just as I got into my car I realized one important fact - I didn’t have the key to the apartment. I am such an idiot. I thought bitterly. Oh well. I guess I will be going to Max’s house after all. I decided to take my bike instead of my car. It was easier to park, and I hadn’t used it in a while. My bike was pretty. It was one-of-a-kind, decorated with different coloured surf boards on a blue background. It even had a cute basket in the front, so I put my bag in it and rode to Max’s house.

  It was very cold out, and Max’s huge house was covered in snow, making it look like a winter palace. Caitlin, Max’s seven year old sister, was playing with her friends right in front of the house. “Hey Stella!” She greeted me, waving a mittened hand. I smiled and waved back.

  “Hi Cait! Is Max home?” She nodded in reply. I went to the front door and rang the doorbell. “Hi Stel. Come in.” Mrs Leary greeted.

  I removed my coat and placed it on the coat rack, along with my beanie hat, gloves and scarf before following Mrs Leary to the kitchen. There was a man sitting at the table and he smiled at me as I walked in. “Who is this young lady Emily?” He asked. The small smile on his face grew bigger.

  “This is Stella. Stella, this is Ben Madison, a close friend of mine.”

  Chapter Six

  Lies and dreams

  I totally didn’t expect him to be there. Especially since he was right in front of me, and he was smiling warmly. He never mentioned that he was friends with Mrs L in his letter. And I think he recognised me, but he didn’t show it. In his letter he told me that my parents used to be very close friends with him, but after my ‘accident’, they fought, and they never spoke again. I gave him a fake smile, not showing that I was freaking out. I had so many questions to ask him. Just then I got a text:

  ‘How pathetic. Did you seriously

  think he was telling the truth?

  And maybe you should ask him


  about your ‘accident.’ He knows

  more than you think.

  -Anonymous’

  I slipped my phone back into my pocket just as a familiar voice said: “Stella? What are you doing here?” I looked up at Max, who was standing on the staircase, halfway, leaning over the banister. “I was bored, so I decided to come over. I’m sorry for not giving you a call. Are you busy?” Max shook his head, then gestured towards the direction of his room.

  “Nah. Come on. Let’s go upstairs.” I nodded, then gave a small wave to Mrs L before following Max upstairs.

  Max’s room was right at the end of the corridor, with Caitlin’s opposite. And his mom’s room was next to his-that was my destination. The only problem was that Max would question me if I went in there without a reason. Fortunately Mrs L’s room was the only one with a connected bathroom, so I told Max I would go to the bathroom, and went into the room.

  I hadn’t been in there in a long time. When Mr L was alive and I would come over for sleepovers and Max and I would sit on the bed while Mr Leary read bed time stories to us. It was a bit different from when I last saw it-the study desk that Mr L used was in the corner of the room, but it used to be right in front of the king sized bed. The bed was messed up on the left side of the bed, while the right side was made up to perfection.

  That’s because he used to sleep there. I thought, thinking of Mr L. I took a small step back, about to turn, when my elbow knocked against the photo frame on the nightstand and it toppled towards the ground, but I managed to catch it before it could break into a million pieces. I grimaced, hoping it didn’t make any noise, then went to Mr L’s desk. The left side drawer was locked, but the right side drawer had a small diary in it.

  It was the same diary that Savannah had, with a silver star on it. How many of these did he have? I wondered, opening the diary and flipping through the pages. There were all sorts of calculations in it, and then the part I didn’t understand- at some point the calculations stopped and there were names. Then, after almost three full pages of names, three words, written in dark block letters, that were really puzzling: ’THE FORGOTTEN ANGELS.’ First The ANGELS, and now THE FORGOTTEN ANGELS?

  I was about to flip through a few more pages when I heard voices. I knew my snooping time was up then. I had to get out of here, otherwise someone would find me and I wouldn’t be able to explain myself. So I silently crept out of the room and made it back to the safety of Max’s room.

  “Hey, what took you so long?” Max was sitting on his bed, a smile on his face. I raised an eyebrow at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know. Didn’t know you would be interested in the details of me in the bathroom.” I said teasingly. My boyfriend blushed and poked his tongue out at me. “Please shut up. You know that’s not what I meant!”.

  “Hmm. Ok, whatever you say.” I appease him and he rolled his eyes playfully and patted a space on the bed next to him and I walked over and sat down, letting him be all adorable and pull me against him so I could bury my face in his chest.

  “Hey Max?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Does your mom use your dad’s desk anymore?” Max’s grip tightened around my waist and he removed his face from my neck.

  He’d always been sensitive about anything related to his dad, but at that moment his expression was unreadable.

  “No, why?” A frown had appeared on his face. I played with a button on his shirt and avoided his eyes.

  “Just curious. It looked weirdly neat. Is it always like that?” Max opened his mouth to answer just as my phone started ringing.

  “Sorry.” I sighed and pulled it out. ‘I hope you dance by Lee Ann Womack - my mom’s ringtone, was playing.

  I really didn’t feel like talking to her. She had kept a big secret from me-so had dad. When I slipped my phone back into my pocket Max gave me a sceptical look. “You’re not going to answer that?” I shook my head and stood up.

  “I have to go. See you later.” I got up to leave when Max grabbed my arm.

  “So soon? But Stel, you just got here!” I shrugged.

  “I know. I’m gonna see you in school anyway. And my mom will just keep calling me unless I go home.” Then I hastily exited the room without waiting for Max to reply and made my way downstairs. After waving bye to both Caitlin and Mrs Leary, I sped off on my bike.

  X-X-X-X-X

  As soon as I got home I went up to my room and threw myself onto my bed. I buried my face in my pillow and let out a annoyed scream. Everything was so confusing right now. My phone chimed a few seconds later:

  ‘See how frustrating it is when

  you’re clueless? Now you

  know how much it sucks.

  -Anonymous’

  I let out an agitated groan and threw my phone across my bed. It hit the door with a hard thud, but I didn’t bother looking up. I buried my face in my pillow and slowly drifted off.

  “Stellaa… Stellaa… You can’t hide from me. I’ll find you eventually.”

  I was running again, but this time I was in a house, and I was running up a spiral staircase that lead upstairs. One moment I was running up the stairs, away from the voice calling me, and within seconds I was standing in a room.

  I looked around frantically for a door, but I failed to find one, which made me start freaking out. I needed to get out of this place. Think, Stel. Think of a way out. The room was white. When I turned around, the wall was splattered with red, one word scrawled in what looked like blood: ‘REVENGE.’

  I stared at it, and I realized that I could hear my heartbeat, thumping loudly. I repressed the sudden urge to try to get the blood off the walls.

  “Stella.” I whipped around, and my eyes widened when I saw who was standing in front of me.

  “Savannah… You’re supposed to be dead.”

  I spoke the words quietly. Savannah looked like she had aged. Her dark blue eyes had lost their sparkle, instead filled with something else-Grief? Remorse? Pain? I couldn’t identify it. She was wearing the clothes she had worn to Ashley’s party, but her face looked expressionless.

  “I am dead.” Was all she said, her face suddenly moving closer. She was leaning too close. I noticed the scratches on her hands. Was that from the struggle? I reached out and took her hands in mine, my fingers rubbing over the scratches on her palm.

  “How did you get these?” Both of us knew that I knew the answer, though.

  “I need to show you something.” Savannah told me, ignoring my question. Then she took my face in her hands, pressing on my cheeks. Images flashed before my eyes. Memories of Savannah growing up. They flashed before me like a movie in fast forward. Then everything slowed down.

  I was standing in Ashley’s garden, at night. I was being choked by a hooded figure. I tried screaming, but the figure only choked me harder. The last thing I saw was the silver star on the front of the hoodie. And then I was standing in front of Savannah again, and she removed her suddenly cold hands from my face.

  “Find him, Stella. Find them.”

  And then I woke up.

  Chapter Seven

  Shh…

  It took me about five seconds to realize that I was awake before I jumped out of bed. I quickly locked my door and took out all the clues - The letter from Ben Madison, the key, the letter from Mr L, and the journal. I placed all of them on the bed. Savannah had said “Find him. Find them.” Who did she mean? Was her killer a single person? Or was she talking about her stalker? And who was ‘them’? I picked up the newspaper, and looked closer.

  I hadn’t noticed a few underlined words. Before I could read them there was a knock on the door. “Stella? I need to give you something. Can you open up?” Mom called. I sighed, pushing the clues in my shoulder bag before throwing it under my bed. Then I unlocked my door and mom came in.

  “You didn’t answer your phone. I called you three times!” Her ton
e was accusing. And loud. That’s when I remembered throwing my phone at the door before I fell asleep. Oops.

  My eyes searched the room and finally rested on my phone, lying in the corner near the dustbin. I frowned. I was going to step forward but mom stopped me.

  “Stella? Did you hear me? I want an explanation.”

  I sighed. “I was at Max’s house and my phone was in silent mode, ok? I’m sorry I didn’t answer. What’s so important?”

  Mom took out a neatly folded envelope and handed it to me. “This came for you in the mail. I just wanted to give it to you.” Then she added. “I’m sorry for going off on you like that. I’m just worried.”

  She placed a kiss on my forehead before leaving. Right after mom left I bolted my door again and looked at the envelope in my hand. It felt heavy. I sat on my desk chair and opened the envelope, sliding out the contents into my hand.

  “Oh my God.” Savannah’s necklace. It had a beautiful heart shaped silver pendant attached. I had given it to her for her fourteenth birthday.

  November 27th 2011

  “It’s time for presents!” Savannah grinned. It was after midnight, but I had been invited to stay over, and since everyone had gone home, Savannah and me were in her room and she was unwrapping her presents.

  “I’m opening yours first, ok?” I nodded before I handed her the present. She grinned and pulled off the wrapping before taking the necklace out.

  “Wow. It’s beautiful. Thanks, Stel.”

  “You’re welcome.” I replied. She opened the locket, gazing at it for a moment. Then she got up and a few minutes later she came back with a cut up photo in one hand.