4Ever & a Day : The Next Generation of R5

Montague's Book of Secrets

Victoria

I hated Saturday. It was time to wash everyone's bedding. I went room by room collecting everyone's sheets and blankets. Everyone except Montague washed their own clothes but I washed bedding every Saturday while everyone was out of the house. I swear these kids always had some weird stuff in their beds.

I went room to room collecting sheets in my hamper. The last room I went to was Montague's. His room was always a mess. I had given up a long time ago on trying to keep it clean or yelling at him to clean it. It never got done. I picked up the pillow to take off the pillow case and a book fell out of it. It landed on the floor and I glanced down.

It was open to a page about Savannah, Hailey, and a friend smoking Ross' marijuana stash. I sat on the bed and stared at the page. Not only was Ross lying to me about quitting, our daughter and niece were smoking it too. I was furious. I looked through the other pages in the book and he had something on just about everyone.

I took the book and left his room without removing his bedding. I went to my room and called Montague telling him to get home now and I went downstairs with the book. I sat on the couch and waited for him. It wouldn't take him long to get home from Tatianna's.

I heard the door open and shut and Montague walked into the living room. He made eye contact with me and then glanced down to my lap. He looked back up and said, "Oh shit!"

"I would watch my mouth if I were you. You're already in enough trouble mister," I said sternly.

He just stood there and glared at me. I fought the urge to lose my temper and slap the look off his face. I didn't know where to begin.

"SIT," I said pointing to the couch beside me.

He came over and sat down next to me. He focused his eyes on the floor. I wondered when he became this way. Why did he think spying on everyone was okay?

"Why would you do this?" I asked.

"Because it's fun knowing everyone's secrets," he said as he shrugged.

"Is all of this true?" I questioned him.

"Yeah, for some of it I even have videos," he confessed.

"Like what?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I have one of Cameron and Embry at the hotel in Nashville," he said.

"So you posted it online?"

"Who else did you think JustcallmeM was?"

I sighed. This was bad. I wondered if I should share these secrets with everyone else. There were some things they needed to know in this book but some of the things were not my place to tell. It was a double edged sword.

"I also have a video of Emerson and Caroline kissing on the cruise ship, Ryssa and Liam on the tour bus, and I caught the whole thing between Cameron and Embry on the video surveillance I set up in the attic," he admitted.

"Let me get this straight. You recorded your brother and his boyfriend having sex?"

I was appalled. Who was this little boy sitting beside me? He was not the sweet innocent child I thought he was at all. Why would he do these things? There had to be more to it than it was fun. Was this a cry for attention? Had I been neglecting him somehow?

"Yeah, but I didn't know when I put up the camera I would catch that. I promise. It was just so many things seemed to happen in the attic I didn't want to miss anything. It was gross!"

"You watched it?" I asked.

"Yeah, trust me I wish I could unsee it. I turned it off before the actual sex part but they were naked and touching each other and moaning each other's names," he rambled.

"Montague please stop," I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I knew they were having sex but I don't need a mental image."

"Go to your room. We'll discuss punishment when I talk to your dad. For now though hand over your phone," I said.

He took his phone from his pocket and handed it to me. Then he hung his head in defeat as he walked up the stairs. I knew it was an act. I wondered if he had any remorse for spying on people. I did know though it stopped now. Today was the last day he would ever spy on anyone.

Ross came home a few hours later and found me on the couch with the book in my lap. I didn't even look up when he came into the room. I couldn't look at him. All I could think about was what else he was lying to me about. Was he hiding anything else from me? The spying ways of my nine year old son had made me doubt my husband of over twenty years. I had never doubted him before.

"Victoria what's wrong?" he spoke as he sat on the couch beside me.

I looked at him with tears in my eyes. "You said you quit," came from my mouth before anything else.

"What are you talking about?" he asked with a confused look on his face.

"Page three and page nine," I said handing him the book.

He took the book and looked at the pages I indicated. I could tell he was confused about the book and I needed to explain. I just couldn't form words as I watched him stare at the pages. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He knew he had been caught in a lie.

"Wait where did you get this book?" Ross asked.

"Montague's room," I answered. "He's been spying on everyone."

"Where is he now?" Ross asked about to get up.

"Wait there's more turn to page eleven," I told him.

He flipped to page eleven and his eyes got really big. "We have to let them know."

"Yeah, they might need help. I want it out of the house today! I never want it in this house again. You'll have to earn back my trust for this too," I said angrily.

He sighed. "Baby I'm sorry."

"No don't do that. Baby I'm sorry is not going to cover it this time."

I looked up at him and he had tears in his eyes.

"So what do we do about Montague?" I asked. "I already took his cell phone."

"We ground him for two months. Take all his electronics away from him. No phone, no computer, and any others he may be hiding. We go through his room with a fine tooth comb and take it all," Ross suggested.

"Agreed," I said.

"Now I'm gonna go call everyone over. We have to let them know he was spying on them at least. That way if they want to see what he had on them they can," Ross left the room.

f