Authors: Kate Benson
The Secret
The Secret
By
Kate Benson
Copyright © 2014 by Kate Benson
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission or the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Editing and formatting by Chasing Sophie
Publications
©
For
Momma
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
~Buddha
One
Sophie
As shards of light make their way through my heavy eyelids, I squeeze them shut again as quickly as I can. My head is pounding and I’m
completely disoriented. I have no idea what’s going on, what happened.
All I can remember is that dream.
Recalling Jack walking across the grass towards where Chase and I were standing, it seems so real. I’d dreamt of them both countless times, Jack especially, but vivid as those dreams had been, none of them compared to this.
I could feel him…
taste him.
I could see
the differences in his features due to time passed, but I couldn’t escape the familiarity either. I’ve never had that happen before in a dream. Not to mention, I’ve rarely dreamed of Jack and Chase at the same time.
Strange.
Sitting up slowly, I take in my surroundings and wonder silently how I got inside and into JT’s bed. Gripping my head when the pulse returns to my temples, I hear movement in the living room and hushed voices. Then, I hear someone closer, shuffling beyond the doorway.
“Honey, she needs to rest,” I hear my Aunt Deb say quietly to someone.
“I know,” I hear Chase whisper in a strained voice. His voice sounds so sad… not like himself at all. “I’m just worried about her. I just want to check on her, make sure she’s okay. She hit her head really hard when she passed out.”
W
ell, that explains the massive headache, but when did I pass out?
“I’ll go in and check
on her, make sure she’s alright,” she offers, her voice still hushed. “When she wakes up, we have no idea how she’s going to react to all of this. We need to tread lightly here.”
“Deb,” Chase starts
, concern and irritation staining his deep voice. “What do you think I’m going to do? Sneak her out the window and never tell her?”
“No,” she answers immediately. “No, Honey. I know
how much you love her. I know that, but this is delicate. I’m trying to protect everyone here, not just Sophie.”
What the hell is going on out there?
Slowly sitting up the rest of the way, I begin to swing my legs from the bed to investigate the situation when the dizziness hits me full force. The sensation is so intense that it causes me to lose my balance and I fall
hard onto the wood floor.
Before I can
even fully process what’s happened, the bedroom door swings open and Chase rushes over to me.
“Baby?
” he starts, his voice panicked. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah
,” I manage as I meet his eyes.
The blue eyes I love so deeply are sweeping over me, searching for any sign
of injury until they meet mine. The anguish there matches his melancholy voice and rips at my heart.
“Sophie,” he breathes as he pulls me to his chest and presses his lips to my forehead gently. “You scared me.”
His voice is cracking with emotion and the ocean blue orbs that are staring into my soul aren’t right. The typical sparkle that dances behind them is dull with worry, anxiety, fear.
“
I’m fine, I just got a little lightheaded,” I whisper, attempting a small smile as I brush my fingers over his chiseled jaw before resting it against the light layer of scruff. “Are you okay, Lovebug? I heard you talking to my aunt. I passed out?”
“
Yeah,” he nods. I can tell he’s trying to conceal it, but a combination of fear and sadness continues to bleed into his handsome features. “You don’t remember?”
“No
t really,” I admit. “The last thing I remember was Ana coming inside to get her phone. Did Matty ever call anyone? Is he okay?”
“He’s okay,” he whispers, pushing the hair away from my face
, taking me in as his expression softens. “He was here, but he took JT to see his parents so you could rest. Come on, Baby. Let’s get you back in bed.”
Lifting me from the floor bridal style, Chase gently lays me back onto JT’s bed and watches me thoughtfully as I settle. The moment passes quickly, though, much to his displeasure,
as I attempt to sit back up almost immediately.
“Baby…”
“I think I’m okay now. I’m really thirsty, though,” I say quietly as I slowly come back to my feet. “I’m going to go and get a glass of water.”
“I’ll get i
t for you, Sweetheart. Please don’t get up yet, Sophie,” he whispers, his voice near pleading as he rests his strong hands on my shoulders. The look of anguish that refuses to leave his perfect face is scaring the hell out of me. “Please just rest for a little while longer, Princess.”
Something’s wrong.
“Chase, what’s going on?”
“Sophie,” he says softly, guarded
as his eyes fill with worry. “Baby…”
“I’ve brought you some water, Sweet Girl,” my Aunt Deb says
warmly from the doorway, cutting Chase’s words short. “Chase is right, you need to rest. Get your pretty little behind back in that bed and let me get a look at you.”
“Baby
,” Chase sighs into my hair before raising my chin slightly to kiss me tenderly on the lips, holding my eyes. “Sophie, I love you.”
“I love you, too
,” I answer him as I watch him reluctantly pull away from me and make his way to the doorway, pulling it shut behind him.
Something is
so
wrong.
“Aunt Deb,
” I start, pulling my eyes from the door and finding her gaze. “What’s going on?”
“Sit down,
Honey,” she instructs gently.
“You’re scaring
me,” I confess as I slowly do as I’m told and take a seat at the edge of the bed. “Please just tell me what happened. What’s wrong?”
For a long moment, the only sound in the room is the sound of my unsteady breath
ing. When she takes my hand and squeezes it gently in her own, a low whimper escapes me, causing her to squeeze harder.
“Sophie
,” she starts. “I have something I have to tell you and it’s big, Honey.”
“
What’s the matter, Aunt Deb? Are JT and Ana alright?”
“Yes, yes. Everyone is fine, it’s nothing like that, I promise. Take a deep breath.” I feel immediate relief at knowing the people I love most are safe before panic begins to creep in again. “What’s the last thing you remember before you woke up?”
“I remember Ana walking inside to get her phone. We hadn’t heard from Matt yet and we were all getting worried. Chase said he was okay, though? That he’s here?”
“He
was. He’s okay, he just took JT to see his folks,” she nods, patting my hand and holding my eyes. “You don’t remember anything else after that? You don’t remember passing out?”
“No ma’am. I remember Ana walking inside
and then I woke up. The only other thing that happened in between was this crazy dream I had about Chase and Jack,” I laugh nervously.
“What was the dream about?”
“I really wish you’d just tell me what’s going on,” I say impatiently. “The dream doesn’t matter right now, Aunt Deb.”
I don’t know what the holdup is. The way my aunt is stalling is so unlike her, it’s only making me more nervous.
“Humor me, Sophie.”
“Okay,” I say, pulling in a deep breath of frustration. “Well, I was standing next to th
e old tree outside and Chase started running towards me. He looked really scared and kept asking me what was wrong. I told him I didn’t know and Ana screamed and dropped something on the porch. When I turned to look and see what happened, Jack was standing there. He was alive and talking to us. Well, to
me
really.” I shake my head slightly, overcome with how real the dream feels even now as I retell it. The frustration leaves me as the sensations come back full force and I quickly become lost again, shaking my head in disbelief, eyes blurred with unshed tears. “I could feel him, Aunt Deb. I could see what he’d have looked like if he’d come home, if he’d never died. He looked older, different,” I whisper, the memory holding me captive. “But it was definitely him. He told me he’d come back to me, that he’d kept his promise.”
Touching my arm with her hand, my aunt pulls me from my trance and I turn to face her. The sympathetic look in her eyes catches me off guard, but I don’t think much of it. My aunt had been there for me when I lost
Jack and she’d known how hard losing him had been on me.
“Anyway,” I say, shaking my head from the memory that had consumed me. “That’s all of it. After that happened, I woke up and now I’m here talking to you. I don’t remember anything else.”
“Sophie,” she starts, holding my eyes. “There isn’t anything else, Honey.”
“Well the
n why is everyone acting weird?” I laugh nervously, starting to stand. “If the only thing that happened was my crazy dream, I don’t know what the big deal is. And why did…”
“Sophie, look at me, Honey,” she whispers, cutting me off and catching my elbow, keeping me from leaving the room.
“It wasn’t a dream.”
I try to process her words, but I can’t. Blinking a few times and holding her teary gaze.
“I don’t understand…” I eventually manage.
“It’s all real, Honey,” she says softly, taking my hand in hers again. “
Jack didn’t die, Sophie. Jack’s alive.”
Chase
It’s been eerily quiet in the house since I came out of JT’s room and
told everyone Sophie was awake. It’s only been about an hour since we took her in the room, but the combination between the emotional stress this situation would no doubt cause and the force in which she hit her head has me worried.
Ana and Jack are sitting at the kitchen table talking quietly amongst themselves. Every so often, I can feel Jack’s eyes on me, no doubt trying to get an
idea of what kind of man stepped in after him.
Debbie has been in there with her for a while now. I don’t envy her position right now by any means, but I want nothing more than to be
with Sophie. By now, she knows what’s waiting for her when she comes out that door. Not knowing how she’s going to react is killing me.
God, I don’t think I’ll survive losing her.
The couch cushion beside me dips slightly, distracting me from my thoughts.
“Hey man,” Drake says quietly, patting me on the shoulder before leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees, matching my position. “How are you holding up?”
“Fuck, I don’t know,” I answer honestly with a shrug as I rake my palms over my face. “She doesn’t remember anything, Drake. The last thing she remembers is Ana coming inside to call Matt.”
“
Damn,” he says under his breath, quiet for a moment before continuing. “Well, listen, I know…”
“Why are you lying to me?” Sophie shouts at Debbie from the other room, putting an end to everything else that’s happening a
round us. The pain in her voice is undeniable and causes a rift in my heart so deep, it cuts straight through to my soul.
Unable to stop myself, I stand instantly and begin making my way towards the doorway that separates us.
“Wait Chase,” Drake says gripping my arm to stop me.
“Did you not just hear her
? I can’t just stand here and ignore that!”
“You have to, Chase.
We all do. I know it’s hard, but it’s really what’s best for Sophie,” Ana interjects softly. “Debbie is the only person that will be able to get through to her right now.”
“Honey, I’m not lying to you,” Debbie’s muffled voice comes through the door, the tension in the room thick as we hear the panic she’s hiding there.
“Why are you doing this to me?” Sophie cries, still just beyond the closed door.
“Sophie,” Debbie
says, her voice soft. “Honey, I know this is hard to understand, but it’s true.”
“So what are you saying
?” Sophie snips sarcastically, but the pain in her voice is evident. “Are you telling me that I’m going to walk out there and Jack is just going to magically appear after nearly two
years
? Like nothing ever happened? Is that seriously what you’re telling me?”
“Honey…”
“Just stop it!” Sophie shouts, yanking the door open angrily, tears steadily streaming down her face. “I trusted you, Aunt Deb! How dare you lie to me about him!”
“Sophie, please listen to me
! Jack-”
“No!
Don’t even say his name!” she yells back, making her way out of the room and down the hallway angrily swiping her tears. “Just leave me alone!”
“Oh my God,” Ana says in a soft voice. “This isn’t going to go well.”
“Chase?” Sophie calls before looking up to find me standing in front of the couch. Pulling away from Drake’s hold on my arm, I take the last steps that separate us. The anguish in her eyes is heartbreaking as she wraps her arms around my waist tightly and begins sobbing into my chest. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I want to leave. I want to go home. Please just take me home.”
