The Truth About Us

by Tia Souders

  “Finally,” Kaden muttered, then moved in front of her and covered her with the pink blanket, being careful not to wake her.

  “Should we go somewhere else, so we don’t wake her?” Abby whispered.

  Kaden shifted his gaze to the kitchen, only feet away, then toward the hall. “Yeah, maybe. We can go to my room. It’s not very big, but—”

  “Your room’s great,” Abby said, already headed for the hallway. Part of her desperately wanted to see the intimate space, to get a glimpse of the boy she still had so much to learn about.

  “It’s the first one here.” He pointed to the first doorway.

  Abby entered, taking it in. The small space held a dresser, bed, and desk, which looked slightly outdated. Everything about it was practical, from the furnishings to the tidy blue bedspread and cream-colored walls.

  “I’m not surprised it’s so clean. Everything in order. In its right place.” She moved to the tall dresser, peering at a framed image. In the photo, a younger Kaden stood in front of a woman she assumed was his mother, her sandy hair blown back from her face as she beamed at the camera with her hands on the boy in front of her Abby guessed to be about Sophie’s age now. In the picture Kaden smiled, his familiar brown eyes sparkling above chubby cheeks.

  “My mom,” Kaden said, confirming her assumption.

  “She’s beautiful.”

  Kaden nodded, saying nothing, then sat down on the edge of his bed.

  Unsure of what to do with herself, Abby pulled his desk chair over to where he sat and placed it in front of him, taking a seat.

  “I know it’s not much.” Kaden gestured around the room. “But it—”

  “Stop.” Her voice sounded harsher than she intended. “Stop doing that.”

  “What?”

  “That.” Abigail waved a hand toward him. “Apologizing and looking embarrassed about where you live. It makes me feel like you think I care how big your house is or what your bedroom looks like.”

  Oh my gosh, did she just tell him how she felt?

  Kaden scratched his arm. “I’m sorry. I guess I...”

  “Do you really think that matters to me?”

  Kaden shrugged, refusing to meet her eye. “I don’t know. Does it? I mean, you can’t blame me for wondering. You have this monstrous house. Your family drives beamers and Mercedes—”

  “That’s so unfair. You know what? Never mind,” she said, then stood to leave.

  Behind her, she heard the squeak of bedsprings, followed by the thud of Kaden’s footsteps before a hand curled around her wrist.

  “Abigail, wait.”

  She whirled on him, poking a finger into his chest. “Yeah, I live in a nice, really big house. I have my own cell phone and laptop and a swimming pool in my backyard,” she said between clenched teeth. “But that doesn’t make me who I am. Those are just things.” She poked him again, making him take a step back. “I know, in reality, we haven’t known each other long. But if you honestly think I care about how nice your house is or where you live or what you don’t have versus what you do, then you don’t know me at all. And maybe you’re not the kind of person I thought you were. Maybe all that talk about liking me ever since I read that poem was all a load of bull.”

  Her throat ached until the burning moved to her eyes, having no idea why it bothered her so much. Kaden grabbed the fingers pointed at his chest and held them there, over his heart, until she felt the hammering against his ribs.

  His eyes softened. “Do you wanna know the real reason I don’t have a cell phone or the internet? It’s because after my mom died, we had a bill a mile long, and not just from the hospital but a second mortgage and credit cards. From all her treatments, all the experimental therapies insurance didn’t cover, and then her funeral. Dad sunk every dime he had into keeping her alive.”

  Kaden’s adam’s apple bobbed. Abby gazed at him warily as he continued, “I saw the bill once. It’s more than an ivy league college education. And he won’t let me work to help out. It’s why he couldn’t miss his shift today. It’s why I sneak odd jobs to save extra cash for school.”

  He paused, taking a step closer to her until only a breath’s space stood between them. “I don’t think you care about any of that. I’m sorry. It’s me. I get...”

  He squeezed his eyes closed, allowing her the opportunity to take him in up-close while he wasn’t looking. She noted the constellation of freckles on his nose and the delicate sound his breathing made when he was upset. She took in the hard line of his jaw, the bit of stubble forming on his chin, and the way his skin smelled of oranges and soap.

  When he opened his eyes, his gaze fell to her mouth. “I get insecure about it.”

  His honesty sent Abigail’s heart into a tailspin.

  He interlaced her fingers in his. “Everything about you... You’re so amazing, and I’m...I’m...”

  Abigail pressed her mouth to his before he could finish, and he froze.

  The moment stretched on, neither of them moving. Time stood still for this very moment until Kaden snapped into action.

  He cupped the side of her face and tipped her head, deepening their kiss. All of her melted into him as he transformed her rash decision into something far more purposeful. The warmth of his lips enveloped hers, taking his time as he parted her mouth further.

  It was her first kiss—the kind you read about in books, the stuff of Sophie’s Disney fairytales—and as his tongue brushed hers, her limbs turned to liquid.

  Somehow knowing this, he brought his hands around to her waist, pressing his fingertips into her back, each one pinpoints of electricity, lighting her body on fire.

  At that moment, nothing existed—no grief or secrets. It was just the two of them, fused together by breath and lips and stolen sighs. Nothing could be better. No drug more potent. No high more thrilling.

  She gripped the front of his shirt with her hands, pulling him closer at the same time her heart tripled its beat, and she knew she was ruined forever because she had given her whole heart without her realizing it.

  And now she may never get it back, nor did she want to.

  SHE WAS SCREWED. ABSOLUTELY screwed.

  Abby stared down at the calculus quiz like it was a bomb, and it may as well have been because her grade was already exploding. The paper in front of her was the hand grenade set to detonate the second she turned it in. The high B she had in the class before her grandmother’s death had obliterated, and the shrapnel from this would lower it to a D.

  With a sigh, she began to work the problems. One way or another, she would get through this, she told herself. She’d keep her acceptance to George Mason. She had to.

  She stared down at the paper, her thoughts a giant question mark as she examined the problems. With a grunt, she filled in some work and said a little prayer that maybe she’d gain a couple of points somewhere.

  As if her grandmother’s secret wasn’t enough to steal her focus from school, her kiss with Kaden had kept her awake half the night: replaying it in her head, examining it from every perfect angle. If she could a relive one night, hands down, last night would be her choice. A thousand times over.

  Her gaze flicked from her quiz to Kaden, who sat, head hunched over his paper, a tiny crease between his brow as his pencil moved furiously over his exam.

  What did he think about the kiss? She had no idea, and the not knowing killed her. He certainly had no problem concentrating today.

  Had his father not come home on his break to check on Sophie and interrupted them, she would’ve had time to see for herself how it affected him. Instead, she had to sneak out his bedroom window or face Mr. Oliver’s wrath. She still had no idea if he noticed her car on the other side of the road, and she was almost afraid to ask. The last thing she wanted to do was get Kaden in trouble yet again.

  It’s not like she could call him to check or clear the air.

  Frowning, she brought her focus back to her quiz. At least one of them would pass, she mused. And bette
r him than her because she had been the one to drag him into this mess in the first place. The last thing she wanted to do was disrupt his life any further than she already had.

  When the bell rang, Abby gritted her teeth and turned her paper in, hoping for the best but not expecting much since she was pretty sure miracles in the mathematics department were in short supply.

  She exited into the hall, stopping short at the sight of Kaden leaning against a set of lockers across from her. “Hey,” he said, pushing off them.

  “Hey.” She swallowed and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. When did she become self-conscious? “Um, how’s Sophie?” she asked.

  “Doing better.”

  He grinned as his gaze flickered to her mouth, filling her with hope. “I had to swear her to secrecy, so she didn’t blab to my dad.” He snorted.

  “So, he didn’t notice my car, then?”

  Kaden shrugged. “If he did, he didn’t say anything. I’m thinking he was too exhausted from the weekend to notice it across the street. Sophie was bummed you left though.”

  “Well, I’m not exactly the person your dad wants to see just yet. Unless you want him adding bars to your windows.”

  He paused and reached out, cupping his hand at the nape of her neck. “It’d be worth it,” he murmured. “Abigail...”

  Her knees turned to liquid as her name lingered on his lips, and he pulled her closer, leaning down and brushing his mouth over hers in one soft sweep. Enough to send a warm flush through her body, turning her knees to jelly.

  When they parted, he searched her eyes, as if the kiss were a test he could find answers to. Behind them, someone whistled as they strode by, but Abby barely heard it through the pounding of her heart.

  “I just needed to make sure last night was real. I thought maybe I’d imagined it,” Kaden whispered.

  “You definitely didn’t imagine it.” Because she had been replaying it in her head all night.

  “I told you you’d kiss me.”

  She rolled her eyes at his smug smile. “Yeah, well, may as well get as many of those in as possible.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because once my parents get a call about my fledgling grades, I’ll be grounded the rest of the semester.”

  “Your grades?”

  Abby sighed, wishing they could go back to kissing. Kaden’s lips were much more interesting than her plummeting GPA.

  “Mr. Delgado has already pulled me aside a couple times in the last two weeks. It’s only a matter of time before he calls home, along with a couple other teachers. I have a feeling my totally bombing the test we just took may be the nail in the coffin.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were having trouble? I can help you, if you—”

  “No.” She placed a hand on his chest, then softened her voice. “It’s not so much that I can’t learn the information, or that I’m struggling with it, as it is that I can’t even focus long enough to do the work. All I can think about is my grandmother’s letters. This stupid secret is eating away at my brain. All the information we’ve uncovered in the last few days just keeps percolating, along with how much we have left to learn.”

  Kaden pursed his lips. “I get it. Even I had a rough time concentrating today. Though it had less to do with the secret and more to do with something else.” He grinned, then pulled her down the hall toward the cafeteria. “But I was thinking about it. You need to figure this out. And you need to do it now. Let’s crack this thing, so you can get back to your life. As long as you’re trying to uncover whatever this secret is, it’s like you’re in limbo.” He gripped her hand in his, giving it a quick squeeze. “It doesn’t matter why your grandmother put this on you or how unfair it is. The fact is that she did, and we can’t change that, and you’re never going to be able to forget this and focus until it’s over. So, let’s figure this out now, so you can get your life back.”

  Or start one, Abby thought.

  “Are you sure about this? So far, I’ve done nothing but cause you problems.”

  Kaden nodded. “I don’t care what my dad thinks. I can handle school and this. I have nothing all weekend. I know it sucks to wait, but on Saturday, we’re going to Newberry, and we’re going to find something. We’re going to get some answers.”

  “I thought driving around all day was a lost cause.”

  Kaden shrugged. “We’ll ask around if we have to. Now that we know your grandfather was there, and we’re pretty sure Lawson found something, we know there are answers waiting. We just need to find them, and we’ll do whatever it takes. We’ll call Anna Gutman. We’ll find out what happened with her and your grandmother. In the meantime, we’ll keep calling Kenneth Levine at the Department of Justice until we get answers. We’ll figure this thing out. We’ll do this for your grandmother. Because you loved her and because, fair or not, she wanted this from you. I get that you can’t find closure until it’s over. We’ll close this part of her life, of yours, and you can know you did this one last thing.”

  Abigail stopped him and sunk into his arms, wondering how he could understand so perfectly. “Thank you.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut as she rested her head against his chest, grateful for his presence in her life.

  He ran a hand down the length of her hair. “Let’s put this investigation to rest.”

  JUNE 25, 1944

  A group of leaders have been formed.

  Jozef Deresinski, Zalman Gradowski, Jankiel Handelsman, Ajzyk Kalniak, Lajb Langfus, Zalman Lewental, Lajb Panusz, and Jozef Warszawski. These names go down in infamy either way, and I am honored to be a part of their uprising. I have helped them in any way I can. I have smuggled notes into a secret hiding place, which have reached the women at the munitions plant.

  Our defenses may be limited, but we are hiding and smuggling as much as we can with so many eyes on us. We are no longer sitting ducks, waiting to be culled.

  Word is they are going to liquidate us soon—the Sonderkommando. So we are preparing, readying for a fight. We will free ourselves and as many as we can manage. We will spring the camp into chaos. We will bide our time, and we will strike when given the call. We will kill as we have been killed. We will fight with all that we have because our lives are no longer ours.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Apparently, small towns breed suspicion when two teenagers coast through, stopping at every diner, waffle, and pancake house within a twenty-mile radius, asking questions about a murdered private investigator and an old man.

  No one recognized her grandfather’s picture, but they remembered Lawson, said he met with someone at the diner just outside of town, off the highway. That’s all they knew. It was nothing to go on.

  Waiting the entire week had been excruciating, so to come all this way and find nothing was more than disappointing.

  She drove around the tiny expanse of downtown Newberry, then exited back onto the interstate, having no idea where else to go. Her frustration mounted with the passing miles as they had no leads, no clues whatsoever to guide them.

  “You were right the first time,” she said. “This is ridiculous. We have no idea what we’re searching for. None! It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.” Abby scowled.

  “There has to be some clue here, something to point us in the right direction.”

  Though he was trying to be optimistic, his flat tone indicated even he was losing hope.

  “Ugh.” Abigail made a sharp right and pulled into the parking lot of a dilapidated brick building that appeared to be an old car shop. “I’m calling Anna Gutman again. She must know something. If she’d ever pick up.”

  She redialed Ms. Gutman’s number and waited. When the phone clicked, hope soared in her chest like it had the other dozen times but was quickly replaced with a wash of disappointment as the standard voicemail message clicked on.

  “Voicemail,” she mouthed to Kaden, then inhaled at the beep and left a message. “Hi, Ms. Gutman, my name is Abby, and my grandmother was
Gloria Gutman. I believe you may have had contact with her some time ago. I was calling because I needed to talk to you. Please call me back as soon as you get this. My life depends on it,” she said, then pressed the end button.

  “Your life depends on it?” Kaden lifted a brow. “A little dramatic, aren’t we?”

  She chucked her phone on the seat and shrugged. “Hey, right now, it totally feels like it. And we need her to call me back.”

  She covered her face with her hands. “Oh my gosh. I feel like I’m going nuts. Maybe Mr. Klein was right, and as much as I love GG, this was unfair of her. I mean, she’s no longer here.”

  “Hey, it’s okay.” He reached out and pried her hands from her face, then squeezed her hand.

  “No, it’s not okay. She’s dead, and there’s nothing I can do to bring her back. Not by following her clues or discovering her secret or...” Abby trailed off, mortified as her eyes filled with tears. Blinking them back, she rambled, mumbling about how much a lost cause this was when she noticed Kaden’s gaze lock on something outside her window.

  His mouth parted, and his eyes widened. Leaning forward in his seat, he squinted, straining to see.

  “What? What is it?” she asked.

  Abby craned her neck. The ache in the back of her throat subsided as her eyes scanned the parking lot and the road in front of them but found nothing.

  “Would you please tell me what you see?” She turned back to him and noted his gaze shifted upward, toward the horizon. She followed the direction of his line of sight one more time.

  “The only thing I see is a billboard? For what? Newberry Safekeep Storage Units,” she read out loud. “What does—”

  “Abby,” Kaden said, slowly. “What was the writing on the top of the key again?”

  “What?” Abby scrunched her nose, confused.

  “When we found the key in your grandma’s backyard, I looked it over, and there was writing on it.” He turned and caught her gaze. “It said something, and I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure the word ‘Safekeep’ was written on the top of that key.”