Can You Keep a Secret?

Prologue

Prologue

Six-year-old Jessica was running around the garden, looking for her twin, Jennifer. It wasn’t unusual for Jenny to be missing for hours but Jess was almost always the first to find her again – which was definitely better for Jenny, considering she wasn’t very good at keeping out of trouble. Jess had looked through all of the usual spots but Jenny was nowhere to be found. She frowned as she let her senses stretch a little further. She wasn’t very good at it yet but her father had promised things would get easier as she got older. She got a vague image of Jenny standing at the bottom of the garden, where all the trees clumped together, hiding a little alcove next to the high walls.

Jess stood behind a tree, watching her twin chattering to a boy. A commoner of all things! She fumed silently, wondering if she should run and tell her father. But she didn’t want to get Jenny in trouble; she just wanted to stop them. Then again, Jenny was a little too devil-may-care – maybe getting in trouble with their father would calm her down and make her be a little more serious.

It wasn’t the first time this boy had come around, and Jess was sure it wouldn’t be the last if someone didn’t step in. Jenny had the uncanny ability to get her own way, even with their super-strict father. And maybe she wouldn’t be in as much trouble because the boy had obviously sneaked in – there was no way he would have been allowed to talk to Jenny otherwise.

“Jess, what’re you doing?” Jenny popped around the tree with a frown creasing her brow. “You know it’s not nice to peep. You’re big enough to know better, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but you know we’re not supposed to talk to-” her voice dropped to a whisper “-outsiders. You know Daddy’s gonna be mad.”

“Daddy’s too busy to worry about me talking to someone. Come on Jess,” Jenny wheedled, putting on her most winning smile. “Don’t you think I deserve a break? I’ve been working really, really hard!”

Jess looked around, fidgeting. She wished she’d brought someone with her now, to make the decision easier. Jenny was right; she did work really hard at all of her lessons, sometimes staying well past the hour to practice what they were taught. But Jess didn’t want her to get caught and it to come out that she knew and didn’t tell anyone.

“Anyway,” Jenny continued, “it’s not like he’s going to be here anymore. He’s only here on holiday and he leaves tomorrow. Please Jess?”

“Fine,” Jess huffed, secretly glad that she didn’t have to make the horrible decision. “But if that’s the case, why talk to him anyway?”

“I don’t know, maybe because he’s not so stuck up as everyone Daddy introduces us to. Wouldn’t you like to be allowed to talk to whoever we like?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Jess said, deciding that maybe it was time to leave. “I won’t tell anyone then. I’ll see you later Jen.”

As Jess ran back across the grounds, she glanced back to see Jenny sitting on the grass talking to the boy, albeit only for a moment. Then Jenny fell out of view as the trees hid her away. Jess only hoped that Jenny knew what she was doing with this boy.