Can You Keep a Secret?

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Jenny didn’t reappear at school all that week. Adam showed up, although he seemed irritated that he had to be there when Jenny wasn’t. Lewis trudged through his lessons, day to day, wondering if he had been a little premature in his excitement to have her home. It was Tyler’s birthday that weekend and the whole family was trekking up to visit, including his uncle and aunt, although Liz was busy with something else.

When Friday arrived, Lewis was disappointed – but not surprised – when Jenny still didn’t show up. Jake invited him over, “To go over some homework,” he said, although his face hinted at something else. Lewis had felt bad when he had had to let him down, explaining that his family was arriving that night and he was expected to entertain. His father was, unfortunately, not staying with them, due to not enough space.

To Lewis’ surprise, everyone was already there when he arrived, settled into the various rooms with relative ease. They were even setting up for the party the next day, Miranda in charge of banners and sound system set up whilst Ashley was colouring in some pictures and giggling madly. It was going to be a family affair as Tyler’s friends all lived nearer to where their father did, but it was looking to be good fun.

The evening of organising merriment took Lewis’ mind far away from his worries from earlier that week, his family falling into familiar routine and habits. It didn’t take long until items were zipping around the room, bouncing from person to person. It wasn’t until dinner was served that Tyler sprung the question on Lewis.

“So, I take it you’re inviting that cutie from before, right? Jenny wasn’t it?” Tyler said eagerly, waggling his eyebrows until Miranda threw something at his head. “Hey, I don’t mean just Jenny. You can invite those other friends of yours, if you’d like. It would just be kind of cool to have some people our age hanging out.”

“Well…I can always send a text. I just haven’t seen very much of Jenny lately, so don’t be surprised if she gives it a miss,” Lewis warned, already reaching for his phone. “And if we’re inviting everyone else, we have to invite her new housemate, Adam,” Lewis added, rolling his eyes in disgust. He sent a text to both of the twins, for good measure, and Alex and Jake.

The conversation dissolved back into party-talk after that, Lewis becoming more pensive as he thought about Adam showing up to a family birthday party and Lewis having to be nice to him. He wondered, briefly, if that was even going to be an issue; Jenny hadn’t been seen all week. Would she really show up to a birthday party, just because she’d been invited? Sure, she liked Miranda and Ashley, but she had been seriously unwell last time he’d seen her, if the fainting was anything to go on.

The meal was interrupted by the arrival of Keith and Belinda, who both looked tired but happy to see so many of their nieces and nephews. Margaret even seemed to perk up a little, pulling herself out of her near-permanent déjà-vu. They kept on until they were exhausted, Tyler finally deciding he could sleep and dragging Lewis upstairs with him. They were sharing Lewis’ room, Tyler using a camp bed after he lost at rock-paper-scissors.

But Lewis was still wide awake an hour later, long after Tyler had fallen asleep and begun snoring. He could feel his younger sisters snoozing in the next room, gentle thoughts running through their heads. He crept out of his room silently, thinking that he would get some warm milk to help send himself to sleep. He was outside of the kitchen when he realised he could feel his mother and Uncle Keith just beyond the door. He hesitated, unsure of whether it was best to just creep back upstairs or interrupt them. His hesitation turned into eavesdropping when he heard Jake’s name.

“…wouldn’t be safe. There’s already been one disappearance and another ‘accident’ of strong believers. You know that Karen has always been strongly against mixing with ordinary people, and ever since I found out about this other world of ours, I’ve been set on trying to change the minds of high-up families. But now someone’s taking it on themselves to just…get rid of them. They’re starting with small families and Karen, Tom and Jake are vulnerable.”