Secrets of the Past

Chapter 11

Carissa POV

Carissa let out a cry of defeat as she sank onto her baby blue flower petal carpet. They had lost again! When were her mother and father planning to tell her the truth about their lives!

Jett placed a hand on her shoulder and Carissa flinched at the touch. Everyone was kneeling around her and staring at the carpet.

Jett cleared his throat, "You know, we did collect a bit of information, it wasn't a total loss." He was right, they had found out their parents were definitely part of the Black Swan, but... that was more like confirmation to their suspicion.

He removed his hand and a faint whimper escaped from someone's lips. It was Lily! And a tear, against her will, had fallen onto the sleeve of her tunic. She quickly swiped at her cheeks.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Willow said as she scooted closer to her weeping friend.

"I.." She said in between sobs, "I've been lied to my whole life!..I had no clue that my parents were a part of this group...and they've kept it hidden from me all these years!"

Lily burst into another fit of tears, no longer trying to hold them in. Carissa and Willow wrapped their arms around their crying, shaking, friend, who had no idea that her parents were a part of this! Her whole world had just been tipped upside down, no wonder she was upset!

"We'll find out the whole truth Lil, there will be no more hiding between our parents and us." Carissa promised to her herself. Then she silently added, "I hope..."

A few minutes later, Lily had composed herself and her eyes had dried, "Well, if we're going to find out the truth, we're going to have to go at this a different way..." Lily stood up and everyone copied her.

"What do you mean?" Jett asked, his eyebrows forming a crease on his forehead.

"What I mean is that, Carissa has been approaching her parents head on and it isn't working, so why don't we try to figure it out ourselves." Lily put out simply, folding her hands in front of her and patiently waiting for someone's response.

Then Carissa spoke, "I think that's brilliant Lily!"

"Ha! Of course you do!" She smirked, "Because I'm a genius." She flipped her hair at that remark.

Carissa rolled her eyes, "The only flaw is how are we going to find out more about this group?" Lily's confidence slowly deflated and the confident spark in everyone else's eyes slowly diffused also, but Lily's confidence quickly returned with even more determination than before.

"Since we're confused about what place to go to on the note to get the information, why don't we think back to where we found the note..."

Carissa's memory clicked, "The attic!"

"Exactly." Lily flipped her hair again to emphasize her point that she was, in fact, a genius.

"Well then, where should we go to get to this attic of yours." Jett inquired.

"Go up the flight of stairs when you open the door and it's on the left." Carissa instructed him. 

She really hoped that their attic didn't just hold old Foxfire uniforms and wedding decorations, but the secrets they were searching for.

Jett went first with Willow close behind, then Lily. But just as soon as Carissa was going to fall into step behind Lily, an invisible, cold, huge, hand clasped over her mouth.

Carissa started to thrash her legs and tug on the arm, trying to break free from the strong hold and warn her friends, but someone had closed and locked the door, just as soon as Lily's footsteps had retreated out of her room.

What was happening? Carissa's thoughts were racing, but she didn't have enough time to think about what to try next because a minute later a cloth was smoothed out over her nose and a masculine voice was coaxing her,

"That's it..take a deep sniff."

She held her breath, trying to do the exact opposite of what he was instructing her to do, but since her mouth was still covered with his hand she couldn't breathe through it! She knew she would regret sniffing, but it was the only way for her to breathe. So she sniffed and the aroma of something sweet and dreamy snatched the life away from her.

All the colors in her room had started to dull to a thick, murky, black, and she felt herself sinking helplessly into a pit of darkness.