Fade To White - Sequel to Fade To Black

Secrets Piled Up High

"Please! Tell me more!" Wesley begged, too curious for his own good. Sara refused, keeping her mouth shut,wishing she hadn't said anything at all. Her frustration had gotten the best of her and now she was beginning to realize the problem she had created. "Please!" He whined again, pulling on her wrist. She stopped and looked at him, growing irritated. 

"Wesley! That hurt! Please, just forget i said anything at all." He let go of her wrist.

"Sorry... It's just. It sounds so... unbelievable." 

"Well, it's true. But i wasn't supposed to tell you. Your father-"

"My father? My father, what?" Wesley cut his eyes at her, seeing now that Sara was an open book. Sara covered her mouth , walking ahead again, knowing she had really messed up. 

"Wesley, i'm tired, okay? Its almost the afternoon now, I don't know if your sister or Jackson are okay, and i'm sure you're hungry. I'll tell you another time, i promise. But for now, lets go back." Wesley obeyed, but didn't give up. He had no intention of forgetting Sara's story. Instead he would, for now, let it go, ponder it, think of some things to ask her as they walked back.

When they returned they had found Jackson holding Annabelle tightly, her head hidden in the crook of his shoulder. "Is everything alright?  What happened? " Wes asked Jackson, looking at him oddly. He knew Jackson felt protective over him and his sister but looking at them embracing felt strange. Growing up, Jackson was like their older brother. Now he looked like something much more for Annabelle.  Sara felt this way as well. Even though she didn't know him,  she had liked his advances. She had noticed him staring at her from the corner of her eye. She didn't know how to feel now, looking at the two kids who sat, looking melancholic,  before her.

"Everything is fine. She just got scared." Jackson explained. He sounded as if he wasn't telling the whole story. In the time that had gone by with Wesley and Sara in the swamp, Jackson took it upon himself to nail the boards back up on the door. It didn't look the same as it had but it was good enough to hide what was inside. 

"Well, should i make something up? Are you all hungry?" Sara asked, changing the mood. 

"I'm starving!" Jackson shouted, jumping up and patting his stomach, leading the way back into the house. Wes followed after. Sara stood there looking at Anna who was still sulking. 

"Are you all right? I know Jackson said you were fine but... are you?"

"Yeah! I'm fine!" She came off rude. "You don't have to take care of me. I know what you're trying to do and i wish you would just leave. You're not helping us! I just wish my father was back." She stormed inside and Sara stood there, wondering what she had done wrong. She thought about whether this was any better than running in the forest. Who knows where she could be right now if she had kept on running? Maybe she would of made it to the North. Or maybe she would've have been dead. 

All four of them ate a meager meal and went up to bed, the house dimming, only the corners lit with shorted candles, dripping their wax on the faded wooden floors. Sara had retired in Jackson's room, laying in the cold bed, feeling alone, confused, and ultimately like she had betrayed Jackson. She knew better but she did it anyway- she revealed a truth that had been kept secret from these children and it wasn't her place at all. 

Jackson was in Wes' room, sleeping on the floor with a few pillows. He could hear whimpers through the thin wall. He looked over to check and see if Wes was asleep. He was snoring away. Jackson snuck out of the room then as quiet as he could, slipping into Annabelle's room and closing the door behind him. "Jackson?" Annabelle asked softly.

"Yeah. It's me. I could hear you in the next room. Is everything alright?" 

"I'm not really sure. I was trying to sleep but i couldn't get it out of my head."