Secrets & Lies

Chapter 12

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“Jen!” a voice hissed loudly, derailing her train of thought completely.

Jumping back in a frightened manner, Jen clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. She placed a hand over her racing heart as she discovered it was only a distressed Kelly, standing with her hands on her hips and a confused look upon her face. “What are you doing?” Kelly asked. “Aren’t we supposed to be looking for my sketchbook?”

Slowly, Jen’s heart rate returned to normal, and she reined her emotions back in. “Yeah,” she admitted grudgingly, tearing herself away from the glass door. “Let’s go.” With one final glance backwards to an ominously still yard, she followed Kelly back to the staircase, her premonitions and wandering thoughts of Courtney pushed to the back of her mind where they lingered.

Rounding the corner, they came to the base of the carpeted steps. Gazing up and down, it was apparent even in the dim light that nothing was there. No scattered shoes, no mail, no books. No sketchbooks . A quick glance to her left revealed a grim Kelly, her soft features twisted into ones of longing and worry.

The book had been placed there, she was sure of it. The memory came floating back, drifting into her mind as she contemplated different scenarios. Jen remembered how they had all trooped back in after Courtney announced she was bored, how they decided to watch movies instead. Kelly had trailed in last, with Jen as they’d stopped to drop off the sketchbook. Kelly placed it on the last step, towards the side so it wouldn’t be in the way. She’d turned back a moment later to face Jen who had been patiently waiting, asking her to remind Kelly to retrieve it.

But Jen had forgotten, along with Kelly and the others. And now they were all going to pay the price.

“Okay look,” Jen spoke softly, taking control of the situation. She fumbled for Kelly’s hand before finding it and yanking the girl next to her. Leaning in close, Jen began to whisper in a heated voice. “Listen, I saw you put your sketchbook there. Lauren and Courtney knew it was there too, though they walked ahead of us. It has to be somewhere here.”

Kelly face-palmed with a quiet groan, shaking her head. “Jen, be realistic. It’s not here. It’s gone.”

Jen fumed, her mind whirling away. “Be realistic?” she retorted in a hushed tone. “You’re the one who’s not being realistic, Kelly. You put the book down and left. Being realistic means acknowledging the fact that someone could have moved it, pushed it aside accidentally. What do you think happened?”

She snorted. “You think it grew feet and sashayed away to get coffee or something?”

Kelly rolled her eyes, annoyed that Jen wasn’t taking her seriously. “I’m serious,” she warned.

“So am I!” Jen exclaimed softly, wondering why it was taking so long for Kelly to see reality. “The book is not going to move by itself. It could have easily been brushed to the side. Let’s look for it first, okay?” If Jen had glanced at Kelly then, she would have seen the anxious, skeptical look her friend was throwing her. But Jen had other things planned besides analyzing Kelly’s frivolous thoughts. Someone moved it by mistake. No doubts about that. Jen refused to accept any other ludicrous explanation. No way, no how.

Instead, she switched on the flashlight on her iPhone, illuminating the narrow corridor.

“Turn it down!” Kelly hissed, snatching the device from Jen’s hands and covering it with a light sweater that had been hanging on the banister. The high beam softened to a bright glow, making it less likely for someone to see.