Deadly Secrets *Completed*

Chapter Ten-Rascal

Chapter Ten- Rascal

Ryder grew tense at her question. His thoughts whirled violently as he stared deeply into her eyes. He had never told anyone of his childhood. What would she think of him if he did? Would she cry for him, call him a monster and run out of the restaurant? He could not be sure, so he thought it best if he skipped the dark haunting memories and instead, told her of the few good memories he had. Though he knew it to be a terrible idea to even see her again, let alone tell her about his past; even the good memories — he could not help himself. There was just something about her that compelled him to see her one last time despite telling himself he wouldn't.

She would get him caught.

She would find out his dark secrets.

She would be the death of him.

He kept seeing her, and every time he would say it was the last time, knowing good and well he was lying to himself. In a way, she was like the hunt, she kept beckoning him back. This was too much of a risk, but she was enchanting and he couldn't deny her. He had taken the risk.

"I grew up in Pennsylvania, originally. My parents had moved to England when I was just eight years of age. At the time, my father had worked with an architect company building unique structures that still stand all around England today. The buildings held such a majestic feeling to them. Beauty was too weak a word one would use when you saw his buildings, buildings my father helped sketch out. I found myself at a young age snapping photos of every building he had sketched and watched them come to life in my photographs. That was the moment I realized photography made me feel like I could capture something special at that time and later when it was gone, I could look at the photo and remember what I felt when taking it, what the picture meant to me." He inhaled an unsteady breath. This was hard for him, sharing his feelings, his past. He exhaled slowly and continued, his eyes softening as the words fell from his lips.

"My mother thought that I needed a new hobby. "Photography is for girls, you need a manly hobby"she would say. One day, I came home from school to find a golden retriever puppy with a great red ribbon wrapped around its head in the shape of a bow, sitting on my bed. My mother was gone and my father was working. I walked up to the puppy and saw a note attached.

"Ryder, this is Rascal. He belongs to you now; he is your responsibility. This should give you a head start on a new hobby, training this dog to be a man's best friend, your best friend. All my love, Mother."

"It was a great experience--caring for the dog. He followed me everywhere I went. He was truly my best friend." A ghostly smile graced his lips as he thought back on his buddy, then he continued, his tone dropping ever-so-slightly, "But I noticed that around the neighborhood, pets kept disappearing, and I was constantly afraid Rascal would just disappear like the rest of the animals in the area. I kept him in my room and only walked him when he needed it. One day, I came home to find Rascal was not in my room where I had left him. I searched the entire house and the back yard. He had vanished, just like all the other animals."

"What happened to them all?" Layla softly slurred, her features growing more somber as he spoke of his dog.

Ryder shrugged his shoulders, "To this day, I still have no idea. The news had a segment on the mysterious disappearances of animals in the area, but no one ever found them again. My mother was furious with me, she thought I had let Rascal go on purpose just to get back at her for calling my hobby 'girlish.' What she didn't know was, I took pictures of Rascal every day. I watched the little furball grow and stretch, his hair growing thicker and golden throughout each picture. I loved that dog more than I had loved anything." Ryder smiled, the memory was only half of what really took place.