NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: Mothers Secrets
The marsh watch black when we finally made it out there, the compass Kiara had slipped me burning a hole in my pocket. Rafe's presence beside me felt both comforting and dangerous–kind of like everything else in my life lately.
"Your mom's going to kill you if she finds out," Rafe said, breaking the silence as we navigated through the dark water. Rafe added, "Dr. Genrette is impatient with those who break the rules."I snorted. Mom had raised me with little help, working her way through medical school while keeping me fed and loved. All she had was my grandfather and father, and my father wasn't much help. She'd taught me everything about survival–including when to break the rules.
What she didn't know was that I'd overheard her late-night phone calls lately, the ones where she spoke in hushed tones about Ward Cameron and the past she'd tried to leave behind."Mom's got her secrets," I muttered. "She didn't always work at Figure Eight Medical. Before that... before she got her degree, she knew things about the island. About what Ward's been hiding."The moon disappeared behind clouds, making the marsh feel even more ominous. My phone buzzed–probably Mom, checking where I was. I ignored it, thinking about the argument I'd overheard last week.*"You can't keep this from him forever, Larissa," Ward had said, his voice carrying through Mom's office door. "He's asking questions about his father."**"You lost any right to give me parenting advice when you chose your reputation over helping us fifteen years ago," Mom had snapped back.
The compass led us deeper into the marsh, past the old hunting cabin. Everything looked different in the dark, more threatening. The water rippled with unseen movement."Your mom was childhood friends with my dad and mom, right?" Rafe asked quietly. I nodded. "But as far as I know, your dad and my mom didn't get along at all back then."A splash in the distance made us both freeze. The beam of our flashlight caught something metallic glinting beneath the surface–another compass, identical to the one in my pocket."Someone's been here before us," I whispered, reaching for it.
That's when we heard the boat engine. Powerful, getting closer."JJ!" Rafe grabbed my arm, pulling me down as a spotlight swept across the water. "That's my dad's boat."My heart hammered against my ribs. If Ward caught us here... if he knew what we'd found...Through the darkness, we could make out two figures on the boat. Ward Cameron... and Topper."Larissa's boy is getting too close," Ward's voice carried across the water. "If he finds out what happened that summer—"
"I'm handling it," Topper replied. "But Sarah's not making it easy. She still thinks she owes him something because of their history."My blood ran cold. Rafe's hand found mine under the water."Then solve it," Ward snapped. "We've worked too hard to let some kid ruin everything. Even if he is Larissa's son."The name hit me like a physical blow. My phone vibrated again. This time, I checked it:
*Mom: Jackson, please come home. We need to talk about your father. About what happened the summer Ward Cameron came to power.*
Rafe read the message over my shoulder, his face pale in the darkness." JJ," he whispered, "why is my dad so scared of you finding the truth? It can not just be about the gold."The spotlight swept back toward us. We ducked deeper into the marsh grass, holding our breath. Ward's boat passed within feet of our hiding spot."If this gets out," Topper said, "everything falls apart—the company, the cover-up, all of it."
"Then make sure it doesn't," Ward replied coldly. "Whatever it takes."As their voices faded into the night. I looked at the two compasses — one from Kiara, one from the marsh. "We need to talk to Sarah," Rafe said finally. "And... you must talk to your mom about what she knows nodded, already dreading the conversation ahead. Mom had given me everything–protected, loved, fought for me.*Sarah: Ken, we need to talk. I found something in Dad's study about your parents.*
I stared at the message until the screen went dark, feeling the weight of secrets and lies pressing in from all sides.