Pieces Part 1

Secrets

I woke up again.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to make sense of my thoughts. Puzzle together the dream that was still fresh in my mind.

Another memory after the fire..., I reflected. But was that really what happened? Geez, I wondered if they all regretted those words now... I knew I would've if I were in their shoes.

To think some intruder they let into their family ended up stealing what was actually their own.

I was a demon.

Ugh, I didn't have time to mull over this. I would rather forget everything that happened. The weight was too great for my shoulders to bear. And all these memories kept flooding back, even though I yearned for nothing more than for them to remain in the dark.

Seconds passed with me laying still until I questioned, "Wait...where am I?"

I blinked my eyes once.

I blinked my eyes twice. They were open, yet my surroundings were pitch dark.

I can't still be in the rug, I deduced. There's a lot more room to move around.

I started reaching around, but my hands didn't get that far before I touched something soft. And that was when I was notified I was not alone.

"Ooo, dang Moe! Is that how you greet people after waking up?" Amber mocked out of the blue.

In milliseconds, I turned into a bright red tomato. I couldn't explain my "slip of the hand" away before Amber squished up against me, suppressing my mouth with her hand.

"Shhh!" She hissed. "You've got to be quiet, or we'll be in trouble. My brother and his friend are here."

Once I nodded, she slowly freed me to speak. "What happened?" I asked. I was astonished that a family as wealthy as hers had closets that weren't swimming in designer clothes. Then again, it should've been expected that a million-dollar house had empty wardrobes.

She replied lowly, "You fell asleep. I had to drag you into this closet before we got caught."

"Do you think they saw the news?" I prodded.

"That isn't the problem, Mario already knows. He was at the crime scene."

"Huh? Was he that guy that jumped in front of you?" My mind drifted back to the passionate trespasser at the scene of my arrest. Well, as of now—and hopefully, for good—attempted arrest.

"Yeah, but fair warning—if my brother Mario gets his hands on you, he will render you unconscious in 27 different ways. Also, who is this that he brought over?!" Amber tried to lean back to peek through the closet's doors.

I pressed both of them shut. "Wait, what? Focus! What did I do to him if not because of Tina's murder?"

"You're on his bucket list because you took his jacket and got blood over it," Amber replied.

"Wait, I'm bamboozled—what do you mean?!"

Amber stayed silent for a moment, spiking my anxiety even more. "Oh, that reminds me—here, let me turn around." I was baffled by this girl's scatterbrained nonchalance.

"Don't ignore me..." I trailed off in annoyance. She ignored me regardless, shimmying so she could turn to face the other way. As she repositioned herself, I noticed how small this closet was. I could feel every turn and spin. We were too close for comfort.

"You took the wrong jacket the last time you were here. Here you left this," Amber said while handing over my trinket.

"Ah...so that was my trinket you held on to."

Bits of light snuck through the closet doors, so I could now see Amber's expression. She raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh, you noticed? I tried to return it to you before my brother jumped in the way."

"Yeah, I saw it the second time around..." I explained.

"What do you mean?"

I froze. "What did I mean?" Now that I thought about it, I didn't see her holding the trinket back when the situation happened, only during my dream.

Was that just a lucky guess?

I was starting to feel like I couldn't trust my own memories...

Flustered, I brushed the oddity off and shifted my focus to the present. "Never mind, thanks, though. It really means a lot to me." I gripped the trinket in my hand tightly. My eyes ran over my old family's picture. Then, I blurted, "Hey, Amber—let me see your phone!"

In a reluctant voice, she replied, "Ummm, sure..."

I extended my hand to take her phone. I got to use it for a few seconds, searching for something before I handed it back.

Amber tapped rapidly through her phone afterward. "So? What did you need it for?"

I kept a straight face. "Nothing really."

Amber frowned. "Oh yeah? Wow, I didn't know I let people who lie to my face borrow my stuff."

"What are you even talking about? I'm as upfront with you as I need to be." My fingers quivered slightly by my side—I quickly hid this by shoving them in my pockets.

Alas, Amber still didn't seem convinced. "Okay then, tell me why only Tina calls you by your real name." She shot randomly. "If you're really such an open book."

My face tensed. "What do you mean? My name is..."

Amber interjected before I could finish. "Moe—yes, your ID says that."

"When did you see my ID? —"

"That isn't the point—Tina, the closest person to you, calls you 'Maurice.'" The creases on Amber's forehead deepened. "What else are you hiding?"

"Are you really considering me as a suspect now?"

"No," Amber said, "but I can't help you if I don't understand you."

"Well, I never asked for your help; plus, even if I wanted to explain, I can't. It seems like everyone I confide in becomes cursed."

Amber snorted. "Cursed? Stop playing around—I want to get to know you."

I shook my head sadly. "Amber, I get it, but that space you want to dig for gold in is uncharted for a reason! You are going to find a lot more than gold there. It's a secret, and that's that. This rabbit hole is here to protect me and maybe even you."

"Fine! I'll drop it... I like the name Maurice better... alright?" Amber turned once more, so her back was facing me.

A few seconds went by.

And I thought, speaking of dreams, this reminds me of...

I lost my train of thought at the sound of Amber's gasp. She was spying on her brother and his company.

"ARE THEY?!" She suddenly shrieked, bumping into a shelf.

"Watch out!" I yelled. But my warning came too late.

BOOM!