The Secret (Book 1 of the Secret Series)

Chapter 68.

KATARA

I sat up gasping.

I scared the person beside me.

He sat up and looked at me and I looked around. I was breathing hard and sweaty. There were tears running down my face and my body was shaking. I had just had a nightmare.

The kid beside me grabbed my face and made me look at him. His name came back to me instantly as I stared at him. Nick-Nick looked at me quietly and I looked at him. His blue eyes searching every little part of my face.

"What happened?" he asked as he traced something on my cheek. I flinched, but didn't pull away. "Why are you all cut up Baby?" I shrugged and looked down. I didn't know I was cut up. I felt sick as I looked back at him. What had I done? What had happened to me? Was I ever going back to England? Tears filled my eyes. I didn't think so.

"What happened Baby?" he asked.

"I-I don't know." I whispered and buried my face in his neck as he pulled me close. There was a knock at the door and I jumped. I looked at it and Nick- Nick looked at me. He didn't say anything, so the person just came in.

And boy was I instantly scared.

I didn't know who it was, but I didn't like him as he walked in. He looked right at me and laughed. What was he laughing at? I hugged tighter to Nick-Nick and he rubbed my back. The two boys stared at each other as I buried my face in Nick-Nick's neck again. The one that had just come in was taller than the one that was holding me. The new kid was about fifteen, maybe sixteen and he looked strangely like Nick-Nick in the face, but not really. It wasn't something I could explain if I had to. He had dark hair, and was big just like Nick-Nick, but his eyes were so dark that they were nearly black. Those eyes scared me.

"Who is this?" Nick-Nick looked down at me and I curled in tighter. "Let me guess. She has dark brown hair, so it's either Sally or Carrie." I shivered. Who was he? "I'm going to guess Sally got pushed in the living room again, judging by the cut on her cheek, and she came running to you. She always does." I scowled and pulled away from Nick-Nick and looked at the new boy. How many of them were actually here?

"You aren't very nice, are you?" I said, sounding more bold than I thought I was. "I am going to have to change that." What was I saying? What was wrong with me? Was I going crazy because I couldn't remember? Or, was it what I used to do and I couldn't remember?

Whatever it was, the kid raised his brow and looked at me squarely. He wasn't scared of a little kid like me. He wasn't scared of a scraped up seven year old. I just wasn't intimidating.

"A brave one?" he laughed a little uneasily, (I think) and stepped a little closer. I didn't move. "A new kid." a sort of sadness filled his eyes and I felt a little bad for him. What had happened to him? "How old is this one?" his voice was still hard, but I was less scared of him, because he was scared to. Nick-Nick didn't answer. I don't think he knew. Was I even sure I was seven? I didn't remember anything else. I didn't remember any birthdays. My mind was blank of any memories.

"Seven." I said, deciding that was what I would stay until I remembered something else.

"What is your name?" I didn't answer. Was I even sure that Katara was my name? Was it only Baby? What was really my name? I was scared. So scared that tears filed my eyes and started to fall. I didn't know who I was and I was scared.

"Hey." Nick-Nick said and I looked at him. "You're okay. Jessie won't hurt you." I wasn't so scared of Jessie as much as I was of the fact that I couldn't remember. What was I doing here in the first place? "You won't get hurt here." I sniffed and wiped my runny noes on my sleeve. What was I going to do? "What's wrong?"