THE LAST SECRET KEEPER Secret Keeper series books 1-4

CHAPTER 20

The mosquitoes were so fat they looked as though they were drifting in the air and were nearly as large as silver dollars by Lanecea's estimation. Already welts covered Deklan's cheeks and neck, the blood-suckers oblivious to bug spray, it would seem.

"I'm so sorry," Lanecea apologized for the umpteenth time as she clutched Deklan's hand, not fairing any better, the two a blood buffet for the insects. "Just imagine what it must have been like for the Loyalists when they first arrived before they could build houses. They would have traveled through this forest with their babies..."

It wasn't helping matters, but the impromptu history lesson was a slight distraction until they reached the middle of the wooden bridge, but the wood planks had rotted long ago.

"I'm afraid," Lanecea stated the obvious as she attempted to keep her balance on the lopsided bridge, a marsh on either side. "We can't go forward and Google Maps didn't mention the bridge doesn't exist anymore..."

"We'll have to swim," Deklan was already holding his stuffed toy above his head, preparing to take the plunge into the murky water.

"No way - I'll wreck my laptop. I don't think we have a choice - we have to go back. I need to get a wifi signal and then we can re-strategize. Besides, your face looks painful."

"Do we have to go home?"

"No...I have a plan."

Lanecea's great plan wasn't so bad as mother and son approached the play center. Jorken avoided the place like the plague, unable to tolerate the sound of children playing, and they had WiFi. Hand in hand, they waited for the pedestrian light to change directly across the street from their favorite place to hide. In front of the play center was a plaza that included a pizza store and an Irish pub along with a butcher's shop.

"Oooh...Kirkpatrick's Irish Pub. That's interesting. Can you imagine if that pub is actually the headquarters of the Irish mafia? I saw in a documentary a long time ago that the Irish mafia always took care of their own. Can you just imagine if the Irish mafia ruled our city?! They would make the vampires run for the hills AND would keep an eye out for us because we are Irish too." Lanecea's eyes sparkled as she grew dreamy at the thought, "I would feel so safe."

They didn't notice the light change as Deklan gave his mother an extra-long hug at the intersection.

"I could have a headquarters for kids at the Play Place. You know those tall things I like to climb up that kind of look like a box with a peekie-hole? That's where the kids and I will meet and I will be their leader, of course. No one ever suspects kids, so it would be perfect."

"I love that idea! You know...I think it would be perfect for my new book. I'm going to write about cousins that are a part of the Irish mafia and they hate vampires. They are good men who look out for Irish people in their city, so they keep us safe. The pub is their headquarters, that is why it is called the Kirkpatrick Irish Pub - that's their last name. The butcher shop is owned by Italians and they work together with the Irish cousins. It would be pretty easy for an Italian butcher to make vampires disappear I think... You know..."

"The light changed, Mom."

"Thanks."

Lanecea never breathed a word to anyone about the abuse she endured, having learned the hard way before Deklan's birth, with the exception of Dad - the one person she knew she could trust. The staff at the play center didn't take long to figure out that something was wrong when Lanecea and Deklan stayed from opening to close and Lani jumped out of her skin the few times Jorken had showed up, knocking on the glass panel that looked out over the parking lot. They, thankfully, promised not to breathe a word to anyone, giving Lanecea a place to hide and their support. 

"What are you guys up to?" Meaghan smiled as she washed a nearby table.

"We're making a map and Mom's working on writing her book," Deklan looked up, not interested in playing until their map was complete. "We were going to try to walk to Quebec today but the bridge disappeared so we had to come back. I think we are going to try again..."

Meaghan stepped closer to look at the map Lanecea was drawing over her shoulder. 

"I was thinking of your books, Lani, and how you are struggling to market them. I know you don't like to be pushy, but have you thought of using hashtags when you post about them on social media? It's a thing and I think you'll find it helpful. At least more people will learn about your books and it won't cost a lot. It's just a thought."

"Thank you, Meaghan. I really appreciate it and will give it a shot."

"You might want to post a few chapters on this other website too. It's for artists but writing is an art form. The stuff that comes out of your head is so wild that it would definitely be considered art, I'm sure. I know people will be reading it for free but you might get word of mouth and feedback will be nice. If you can build a fanbase for your novels. I mean, I know I love them. I'm sure there are others out there with good taste," Meaghan winked before resuming scrubbing tables. "I'll write down the website as soon as I'm finished. There is no harm in trying and god knows you need help."

That was an understatement.

"I really appreciate it, Meaghan," Lanecea smiled although she sounded like a broken record. There really weren't enough ways to vocalize her gratitude. 

Lanecea's map was drawn and Deklan had run off to play when Lanecea decided to explore the world of hashtags, starting with the only word that came to her mind: Freedom.

That moment changed her life.

"Deklan! You've gotta see this!"

The hybrid was breathless when he came to an abrupt halt before peering over his mother's shoulder.

"There are more like me and they are going to Ottawa this weekend for a rally. Look! This is our way out! We'll go to Ottawa and represent our ancestors and then...and then we will never come back!"

The leader messaged Lanecea at that exact moment, "Paul would be more than happy to take you both to Ottawa. He'll pick you up at 7 am. We'll be meeting on Parliament Hill."

"This is it!!!!" Lanecea and Deklan hugged so tight that they knocked the air out of each other's lungs.