The Secrets Buried With Us | COMPLETE

1| The Reaping

Nova's POV

WHEN I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD, my parents bought me my first bike. It was cheap, the red paint dull, the wheels oddly shaped, and the rusted chains clanking loudly now and then as I rode it up and down the street. It wasn't the newest model, or anything close to it, but I didn't care.

I cherished the bike because it was solely mine and I had longed for the day I could finally ride one. The feeling of excitement had coursed through my veins and I could barely contain myself before rushing outside to try riding it. It was a hot summer day, the perfect day for my first test drive.

Jace, my older brother, was reading a book on the front deck, swinging back and forth on the creaky porch swing. His nose was always buried in a book and he didn't have an athletic bone in his body. Any sort of sudden movement and his brittle, lanky legs gave way, threatening to snap.

As soon as Jace saw me, he stood up from where he was sitting and came over, insisting that he teach me how to ride my bike. He always seemed to be getting on my nerves and telling me what to do. Jace was such a know-it-all, but I wasn't sure he was as much of an expert in bike riding as he claimed to be.

"You'll fall, Nova," he had warned me, "just let me help you a little bit."

He reached out to grab the handlebars but I moved quicker, jerking the bike away from him. At the age of five, I was naive enough to think that I was ready to do anything on my own. I didn't want anyone else's help; I was very stubborn, a trait that didn't seem to improve as I grew older.

I had this picture-perfect image of my first bike ride experience fully engraved in my mind. It was all planned out: I would look like the older kids who lived down the street, hair flowing effortlessly behind me in the wind as I sped down the road, soaring like a bird and forgetting the world around me.

My dreams were crushed within seconds.

Naturally, I fell off the moment my feet left the ground and I attempted to pedal. Within seconds, I lost my balance, the whole world slowly crashed down to the ground. There was no time to catch myself. I never thought I would feel this same feeling again, until it came unexpectedly on the day Nicholas Emerson died.

It was the day the world truly came crashing down for me. His death came so abruptly. I felt just like I did when I fell off my bike; as soon as the motion started, I couldn't stop it. Everything happened so suddenly that I couldn't believe my ears when the Leaders announced it during the weekly ceremony. Nick was the kind of person that you couldn't help but like.

He was such a perceptive boy, extremely witty, but he never bragged about it. He was compassionate and had the biggest heart I had ever known. When Nick smiled, you couldn't help but smile too; it was just that contagious. I remembered the way his boyish smile was slightly crooked, the way his warm almond-shaped eyes narrowed, even more, when his smile was as wide as it could be.

There had never been anything wrong with Nick. He was just a perfectly healthy 17-year-old boy and during the 12 long years I knew him, I couldn't even recall a time when I had seen him sick. When the news of his death arrived one summer day, my stubborn mind refused to believe it.

They're lying. This is all just a silly prank Nick is playing. He always does these types of things, I reassured myself. While this was partially true, Nick knew his boundaries. He was always careful and never acted irrationally. Faking one's death was bound to be against Newport City's laws.

Most people called Newport 'The Oasis' because it appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. It was this beautiful city, surrounded by crystal clear water, almost like a gigantic island. Tall and brightly illuminated glass skyscrapers twisted up towards the bright blue skies.The metro train curved dangerously close around them as it zipped across the city at an extraordinary speed.