Secrets in the Shadows

Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Her mother’s office had always had a forbidden feel to it for Sawyer. Alexandra Harper-Aspen could never be described as “open” and her warmth usually only extended to her daughter. She kept her secrets close like treasured friends and balked any time Sawyer asked her to tell stored from her childhood, or god forbid, stories about Sawyer’s father. All Sawyer knew was that her mother was from another country, though she wouldn’t say which one and she never had a word to say about her family. She knew her mother had met her father when they were just children and they fell in love despite their families’ protests. Something about the forbidden love story had always struck Sawyer as beautiful and she imagined them as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet. Less silly, but just as tragic.

Alex never spoke of Rowan but once when Sawyer was just a little girl. She’d told her he’d died in a war when she was barely more than an infant, and after his death Alex had fled with their child, convinced it wasn’t safe for them to stay. She’d gotten so sad and tearful in that retelling that even at five years old, Sawyer didn’t have the heart to ask again. Instead, she’d lay in bed every night, talking to him before she fell asleep, telling him about her day as if he was sitting right next to her, even though she knew he never would be. And as she lay her head on the pillow, imagining him saying goodnight, she tried to pretend she couldn’t hear her mother’s sobs drifting down the hall.

It wasn’t until she first saw him in her vision that Sawyer had any recollection of her father’s face or voice. But after that time in the meadow, she began drawing his face, his hands, any detail she could remember. She quit talking to him at night—she couldn’t stand to hear her mother cry—and she never asked about him again, but that didn’t stop her from trying to learn everything she could. The problem was there wasn’t anything to be found, and the not knowing drove her mad. She felt like there was a hole where both her parents should have been. Other than being raised by her mother, Sawyer had no idea where she’d come from and because of that, there was a huge part of her that felt lost.

“Where do you think we should start?” Jake asked, looking around. Every stick of furniture was dark wood and thick, heavy tombs lined the far wall. Sawyer knew from experience that all of her mother’s things would be in impeccable order, but she also knew the answers they were looking for would not so easily be found.

“Start in that filing cabinet over there, then start searching the bookshelves,” Sawyer decided. “You never know where she’d hide things. For all we know, she could keep things inside the books.”

“You really think she’d do that?”

“You don’t know my mom.” Going over to the large, dark wood desk, she opened the long narrow drawer in front revealing a meticulously organized montage of pens, sticky notes, and office supplies. In one corner was a small round key ring with half a dozen keys. Sawyer picked it up and studied it for a moment, then set it back down. “I’ll start with the desk and those filing cabinets over there. I doubt we’ll find anything—she’s too guarded—but I have to know.”

The two of them went to work. Every drawer was straight as a pin. They shuffled through page after page of legal documents, stuff Sawyer knew she shouldn’t be looking at. Her mother was a lawyer with a prominent law firm in the city, and if they got caught, her mother would ground her for a month. There were pictures of Sawyer growing up, old letters between her mother and a friend—but too cryptic to be anything interesting—school projects from elementary school, miles of “To-Do” lists, and all sorts of typed and handwritten notes, but nothing about where she’d come from, and not one single document dated earlier than Sawyer’s second birthday.

Cursing, Sawyer shoved the last drawer of the filing cabinet closed. It was no use. Her mother was too organized and secretive to keep anything lying around for Sawyer to find. “There’s nothing here,” she declared, plopping down on the side of the desk.

Jake moved his hand along the shelf, pressing down as he went. Suddenly, a trio of books caved in, going completely horizontal. Grinning, he turned to face her. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“No way!” Rushing over, she watched over his shoulder as he searched the space beyond. His fingers glided over the seam in the bookcase, following the line in a ten by twelve square. “It looks like some kind of cabinet. Could she really be hiding a secret compartment from me?”

“It looks like there’s some kind of lock.” Leaning closer, he examined the mechanism. “You didn’t find any keys over there, did you?”

“Actually…” Sawyer dashed back to the desk and pulled the key ring out of the drawer before returning to the bookcase. “Think one of these will work?”

Taking the key ring, he whisked through them until he came to a middle size one made of brass. With a shrug, he granted her a crooked smile. “Guess we’ll find out.” Fitting the key in the lock, he turned it and heard a click. The panel slid to the side on automatic hinges, revealing an ornate wooden box inside. Jake reached in and carefully took it out, setting it in the center of the desk.

“What do you think is in there?” Sawyer asked, her hands playing over the intricate Celtic knots carved into the wood. She wanted to know what her mother was hiding—if she hadn’t been sure before, she certainly was now—but was she ready to know her secrets? Did she really want to know her own mother had been lying to her for her entire life? Was she ready to find out where they came from, how deeply enmeshed in another supernatural realm they actually were? As terrifying as it was, she knew she’d come too far to turn back now. She had to know. “Can I see those keys?” He handed them to her. Taking them from him, she began marrying key to lock, trying one after another until finally, one of them fit. Excited, Sawyer turned the key.

Nothing happened.

Sawyer stared. “I don’t understand. That should have worked.”

“Maybe there’s some other kind of seal on the box?” Jake suggested. He crouched down for a closer look.

“Maybe.” Biting her lip, Sawyer placed a hand on either end of the chest. She wasn’t sure what she was trying to do, but she hoped it would do something. Closing her eyes, she focused on her power, visualizing it the way Jake had told her. Blue sparks flickered at her fingertips. She could feel the warmth of the wood against her skin. A glowing white light covered the chest, getting brighter and hotter. Then suddenly, it deepened to a crimson red and blasted Sawyer’s palms with electricity. “Ouch!”

“Here.” Taking her hands, Jake cradled them between his own and rubbed the spots the energy touched. They were hot to the touch. “Are you all right?”

Sawyer sighed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Ugh. She must have protected it somehow.” Her eyes snapped up. “Do you think that means she has powers, too? How could I not have known about this? Jake?”

But Jake was staring past her out the window. Concern was etched across his face. “Sawyer,” he whispered. “I think there’s someone outside.”

Sawyer sobered instantly. Pressing a finger to her lips, she inched her way to the window, planning to peer outside. Yet, before she reached it, someone darted from the bushes in the dark and ran across the grass, disappearing from sight near the fence line.

“I’ll call the cops,” Jake said, pulling out his phone. But Sawyer stopped him with a touch.

“No,” she said. “There’s nothing they can do. I know who that is.” She’d know his silhouette anywhere. “Spencer.”

Jake cursed under his breath. “Maybe we can’t trust him after all.”


It was the buzzing that woke her. Blurry eyed, Sawyer squinted at Jake’s cell phone vibrating on the nightstand. She could just make out Quinn’s name in the illuminated I.D. Next to her, Jake stirred. Sawyer propped herself up as he answered the phone and glanced at her alarm clock. It was after midnight. They must have fallen asleep. The books they’d been studying were still strewn all around the still-made bed. No wonder Quinn was calling; their parents must be furious.

“Where are you?” Quinn demanded. Her voice came through tinny, but she was so loud Sawyer could hear her, even through the phone. “Mom and Dad are freaking out. I told them you must be at Spencer’s, but you need to get home now.”

Getting up, Sawyer held aside the singed curtain and glanced out the window at the empty driveway. “My mom isn’t home quite yet. If you leave now, you’ll probably be okay.”
She leaned down and picked up his sweatshirt and handed it to him—just as her mother’s car pulled into the drive.


“You have to hide,” she told him. Opening her closet, she all but pushed him inside, crushing his sweatshirt against his chest. “Quiet,” she hissed, cutting off his protests. If she finds you, we’re both dead.”

As soon as he was hidden, Sawyer rushed to her bed. Pulling back the covers, she purposely rumpled them, making sure they looked slept in, then dumped all the books on the floor. Praying Jake couldn’t see her through the crack in the closet doors, she hastily stripped off her jeans and pulled on sweats, then crawled into bed and draped one of the books over her chest. It was too late to turn off the lights now—her mother would have seen—but she hoped she bought that she’d fallen asleep reading. Really, that was the truth. Jake had just fallen asleep with her. But seeing as she didn’t want to die at seventeen, she didn’t think her mother needed to know that. She’d just laid her head down when she walked in the front door.

“Sawyer,” Alex called softly from the doorway.

Sawyer made a show of waking up. “Oh, hi Mom.” Rolling over, she looked at the clock. “Wow, you’re home late. I must have fallen asleep reading.”

Alex narrowed her eyes, her arms crossed over her chest. “Mmhmm. Well, it’s late. Time to pick them up and get to bed.” Turning to go, she glanced back over her shoulder. “Oh, and tell that boy in your closet it’s time for him to go home, too.”

The door shut behind Alex and Sawyer’s jaw dropped. How had she known?! Dumbfounded, she sat back on the bed.

Jake opened the closet door. “So, that didn’t go well. We’re definitely busted.”

“I’m going to be grounded ‘till I’m eighty,” Sawyer agreed. “I can’t believe we got busted, though. I thought for sure she would buy it.” Pointing, Jake began to laugh. She followed the line of his finger to the edge of her bed. There, in perfectly plain view, were his shoes. No wonder her mother had figured it out.

“At least we know she’s hiding something now.” He sat beside her and tugged on his shoes. “That tells us our theory about both of your moms knowing something was right.” Skeptical, she raised a brow, getting him to laugh. “It gives us a place to start.”

“I guess. Here.” She picked up the book she’d gotten from Aaron Gallagher and handed it to him. “Give this to Quinn. If I’m going to be grounded, she’s going to be checking through my things, so it’s probably better if she doesn’t find this, especially if she’s hiding something. Maybe you and Quinn will have better luck finding something relevant.”

Jake took the book and shoved it in his bag. She followed him out to the living room where Alex was waiting for them. “Goodnight Mrs. Aspen,” he said politely. “Sorry we fell asleep.”

“Does your mother know where you are?” Alex asked. Her tone was stern and slightly scary. Sawyer tried not to react. Show no fear, she reminded herself.

Jake swallowed hard. “Yes, ma’am. I spoke to my sister just before you pulled up. I’m sure she’s waiting for me now.”

“I’m sure she is.”

Nodding, Jake’s eyes met Sawyer’s for the briefest of moments, and she gave him an apologetic smile. She didn’t blame him for rushing out. She’d be right behind him if she could. “Sorry again, Mrs. Aspen,” he said and shut the front door behind him. They didn’t speak until they heard his car’s engine rev up and fade around the block.

“Mom, I…”

“I don’t want to hear it, Sawyer.” She narrowed her eyes at Sawyer, and it was all she could do not to shrink away. “You had a boy in this house past curfew when I wasn’t home. A boy you have a thing with, no less.”

“There’s nothing going on between Jake and me,” Sawyer protested through gritted teeth.

Alex ignore her. “I could have overlooked that one with just a slap on the wrist, but I noticed you’d gone through my office as well.”

Sawyer’s eyes widened. “How did you…?”

“It doesn’t matter how I know, Sawyer. It matters that you did it. You invaded my privacy, rifled through my desk drawers and confidential files. That could have compromised my job. And for what? What were you looking for?”

Sawyer said nothing.

“Fine,” Alex said, throwing her hands in the air. “Care to explain to me why your room looks like a bomb went off? I know you’re made at me for working so much lately, Sawyer, but for you to lash out that way and destroy your things—things I paid for, by the way—is irresponsible. Getting that boy to help you is even worse, and I cannot tell you how disappointed I am in you for it.”

That was just too much for Sawyer. Normally, she was an obedient daughter who held her tongue and took her punishment without complaint. But after the week she’d had and the secrets she’d uncovered, being called a disappointment was more than she could take.

“I’m a disappointment?” she exploded, taking her mom by surprise. “Me? Are you kidding? After everything you’ve been hiding from me all these years you actually have the audacity to call me irresponsible?”

All the color drained from Alex’s face, and still she remained impassive. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Right. No idea. Where are you from, Mom? How did you meet my father?”

“What does that have to do with this?”

“Everything!” Sawyer exclaimed. “It has everything to do with this. Why didn’t you tell me about the things I can do, about who I am? You’ve always known about my visions. Why would you let me feel like a freak when you knew I wasn’t even human? Tell me about the Tuathe de, Mother. Yes, I know about that. Tell me about Illyria.” Alex’s mouth opened for a response, but Sawyer barreled on. “I haven’t slept through the night in days. Did you know that? Of course you didn’t, because you’re never home. You want to know why my bedroom looks the way it does? Why I was looking for answers in your office? It’s because of this.” Thrusting her hand at her mother, she concentrated on the energy she always felt flowing over her skin now. She watched malicious satisfaction as her mother stumbled backward, catching herself against the wall. “You let me figure out I can do this all by myself. You knew who I was, who Quinn was, but you never bothered to say a word. You knew we would be in danger for the rest of our lives—however short they may be—and still, you didn’t help us be prepared. But you call me irresponsible?” Sawyer smirked. “Please.”

“We thought we were protecting you.” Alex’s voice was smaller than Sawyer had ever heard it before. Good, she thought. She should feel bad. She was probably going to be grounded for a month for everything that had happened that night, but she didn’t care. Her mother had lied to her, kept her secrets, and left her unprepared for a destiny she didn’t even want. She deserved to know how she felt about that.

“Well, you didn’t,” Sawyer said, glaring at her mother. One frustrated tear slid down her cheek. “And for that, I may never forgive you.”



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