What Lay in the Dark

4. Secrets

I sat at work, rubbing my eyes. I barely got any sleep over the weekend thanks to nightmares. After finding out that demons and monsters were real, it was hard to keep them from haunting your dreams. I was fine for the night I was with Egan, but as soon as I was on my own the feeling of safety disappeared completely.  

The words on the computer screen were slightly blurry and I couldn't form sentences with my head in this state. My racing mind was drawn to the real world when I felt a presence beside me. I looked up to find Kieran seated next to me.  

"So, what's the big secret?" 

I smiled. "I don't think I should tell you that." 

"Well, are you going to tell me what you were doing in Egan's house?" 

"What were you doing in Egan's house?" I replied curtly.  

"You see," Kieran began, "That's different, because I didn't shower at his house." 

I glanced at Kieran's eyes, but didn't say a word. 

"Come on, Ailia. You showered at his house and you were wearing the same clothes that you wore the day before, which makes me think that you didn't actually go home Friday night. Then you tell us that he's not your boyfriend, and I never took Egan for the casual sex kind of guy. In fact, he's more of a 'no sex before marriage' kind of guy." 

I was taken aback at Kieran's assumptions. "I'm not having sex with Egan," I said quickly.  

"Then why were you there? What's the big secret?" 

"Wouldn't be much of a secret if I told you, would it?" 

"You know something?" Kieran said with a smirk. "You are just like the rest of them." Kieran stood up, pushed the chair he sat in under the desk and headed back to his office. 

I left the office later that night smiling at Kieran who cast me a suspicious glance. The night air was only just starting to set in so it wasn't too cold yet. Still, I pulled my jacket tighter around me as I began to walk. I let my hand brush over the roses which lined the path in the park  

Within a short distance I noticed the silence interrupted by a very soft sound. As I walked, the noise became louder and I could make out the strumming of guitar strings. Each note rang through the empty park. When I turned a corner, I was looking at Egan. He was sitting on a park bench, picking the strings with his fingers and staring off into the distance. He didn't even glance at the guitar. 

"Hey," Egan said, looking up at me. "Samuel said you'd be here." 

I raised an eyebrow. "How did Samuel know that?" 

"It's complicated," Egan frowned.  

He seemed to suddenly notice he was still playing the guitar and looked down at it as if surprised. He stopped picking as he stood up, joining me as I continued walking down the path.  

"Mikayla spoke to you about your aura yesterday, didn't she?" 

"Yeah," I nodded. "Can Samuel actually see auras?" 

"Yep. Apparently most people can if they try hard enough." 

"You've never tried?"  

"It's not really my area," Egan said softly. "But there's something you should probably know about yours. Well, Mikayla and Samuel think you should." 

"You think I shouldn't." 

"If I had my way, I wouldn't even be talking to you right now." 

"Right, because it's not safe for me to be around you."