Stella's Secrets

by Menaka Ravikumar

  Why had she lied? I wondered.

  “So do you think we can find him? Dakota said we would, right?” Samira said.

  “Yeah. But what’re we going to tell him? He doesn’t know Dakota’s dead. And what about Stella? Have you gotten close to her yet?” Tyler questioned.

  “I think so. She hasn’t told me about the stalker yet.” Samira told him.

  I was about to peek out again when a pair of hands covered my eyes.

  “Guess who?” A soft voice asked.

  I recognised it instantly.

  “Hi Ryan.” I smiled as I whispered his name. He removed his hands and I turned around.

  “What are you doing here?” He asked, still talking in a whisper.

  “I was just going to meet-” I turned and peeped out, but the table where I had seen them was empty. Samira and Tyler had disappeared. Ryan looked confused.

  “Stel, there’s no one there. Who are you talking about?”

  Then I got another text:

  ‘Now you see them,

  now you don’t.

  Ready to run? The

  race starts now.

  -Anonymous’

  Chapter Ten

  A new identity

  After the library incident I decided to forget about Samira and Tyler and go to the cafeteria for lunch.

  My friends started pestering me for information, so I told them I was studying in the library and had been searching for a book when Ry found me. They totally bought it, luckily.

  I wondered where Samira and Tyler had gone. Had they seen me spying on them? And why had Samira lied? How did they know about my stalker? Who was this girl they were looking for? And how was Savannah related to this? Was she looking for her stalker? Had she been killed by him/her?

  After school that day I went to Samira’s locker. I found her humming to herself as she packed her bag.

  “Hey.” I smiled, and she looked up and stopped humming.

  “Oh, hey. What happened? I didn’t see you at lunch. “She blinked innocently. Oh, so that’s how you’re going to do it, huh? Fine.

  I looked straight into her eyes to see if she would look away.” I had a little work in the office. By the time I got to the library you were gone.”

  For a moment I saw something flash in her dark brown eyes-Guilt? Surprise?

  But then she blinked again, and the emotions I had seen seemed to disappear.

  “Oh, sorry. Maybe we could meet out of school?” Her offer seemed friendly enough, so I shrugged.

  “Sure. See you tomorrow?” Samira nodded in reply, and I waved to her before walking away.

  As I was pulling out of the parking lot I saw a familiar looking black hoodie.

  It looked like a guy was wearing it. As I passed by the owner turned he seemed busy, in his own world and talking on the phone. My eyes widened behind my Funky Fish sunglasses. It was the same hoodie from my dream.

  On the front was a silver star-the one that Savannah’s killer had been wearing. And guess who was wearing it? None other than Tyler Jordan. time That’s the second time I’ve seen that hoodie. I thought.

  Could Tyler be involved in Savannah’s murder? Savannah had been trying to tell me something in my dream. Maybe he had killed her. My phone beeped, and I read the new message I had:

  ‘Want to know who

  was involved?

  You’re going to have

  to do what I say. Or

  else….

  -Anonymous’

  I gritted my teeth. I needed to know how Tyler was involved. How Samira was involved. Could Anonymous give me the answers? I was basically asking my enemy for help. And this person was someone who was watching every move I made.

  I typed out my answer:

  ‘Or else what?

  Are you going to

  blackmail me?’

  The reply came instantly. One single word: ‘Yes.’ I gulped, dropping my phone on my lap and concentrating on driving.

  When I stopped at a red light I replied again. I had made my decision by then. I knew I shouldn’t be dependant on the enemy, but currently I didn’t have a choice.

  ‘Fine. I’ll do what

  you say. As long

  as I don’t have

  to hurt my friends

  and family.’

  ‘No guarantees.’ I sighed and dropped my phone onto my lap again.

  Oh Stella, what have you gotten yourself into?

  X-X-X-X-X

  When I got home I went to the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee before retreating to my room. I hadn’t spoken to my parents after the blow up the previous day. My friends had noticed something was wrong, because they had continuously been keeping an eye out for me.

  Luckily no one asked questions about the bruise on my left arm from dad’s hard grip. The bruise was now an ugly shade of purple, and I had worn a leather jacket to cover it.

  I felt like crying when I looked at it. My family was falling apart. And it was all my fault.

  Instead of retreating to my room I flopped down on the sofa and turned the T.V on. I switched to the Glenville News channel and took a sip of my coffee. Just then the doorbell rang. I put my mug down and went to the door. I opened the door and came face to face with Samira.

  “Samira? What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised.

  Samira fiddled with her hands, looking at her shoes.

  “We need to talk. Can I come in?”

  I nodded and stepped aside to let her in. What could she possibly want to talk about? I led her to the living room and she sat down. I reached for the remote to put the T.V off but Samira grabbed my hand.

  “No, don’t turn it off. They’ll hear us.”

  “Huh? They?”

  “Its a long story.”

  “Um… ok, so what do you want to talk about?”

  “I lied when I told you how I met Savannah.” Her voice was soft, and she kept looking around, like someone was watching her every move.

  “Why?” I asked, running my fingers through my hair. Samira took a deep breath.

  “Someone was watching Savannah.”

  Samira had started playing with her hair. I contemplated on whether I should trust her. But before I could open my mouth she continued.

  “She came to my mom’s shop when we first met. She was looking for someone. A Ben Madison?”

  My eyes widened. How did Savannah know my uncle?

  “When was this?”

  “About a year ago, I think.” Samira sounded unsure.

  “Why are you telling me this?” Samira closed her eyes and took in a shaky breath.

  “The last time I saw her was in the summer. We had a fight and by the time I had forgiven her she had left India, and her vacation was over. I tried calling and texting her, but she never replied. I never got to say how sorry I am. And now she’s gone.”

  A single tear rolled down her cheek.

  I took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

  “What else do you remember?” Samira wiped her tears away.

  “The first time I met her, she told me her name was Dakota Carmichael.” I frowned, and Samira continued speaking.

  “Later that summer, when she confessed about her real identity, I asked why she lied, and she said she was hiding from someone.”

  She seemed to be telling the truth. I wondered who Savannah was hiding from. Had it been Tyler? And how did she know Ben Madison?

  “I need your help Stella.” Samira said, and I chewed my lip, thinking. I had to find out why she was talking to Tyler.

  “Why should I trust you? I heard you talking to Tyler that day. You said you didn’t know him. Do you have a reason for lying about that too?”

  Samira’s eyes widened. “How much did you hear?” I crossed my arms. />
  “Enough to know that I shouldn’t trust you. What address was Tyler talking about?”

  “I can’t tell you. You will find out soon enough. You are smart, Stella. Savannah was right about that.”

  Before I could speak again, she took something from the pocket of her jeans and gently placed it in my palm before pressing my fingers over it.

  “I’m sorry Stella.” And then she stood up and left.

  Chapter Eleven

  The first task

  I stared at my closed palm. I was a little scared to find out what I was holding, but I also knew that I had to look soon. So I opened my hand to reveal a small slip of paper and a key. I read the note:

  ‘Task1: This key is the one

  you’ve been looking for.

  You have less than a day.

  -Anonymous’

  I held up the key, inspecting it carefully. Tiny letters were engraved into the side and I squinted to read the words. ‘For my precious boy. Love, Amanda. L.’ Amanda? Wasn’t that Max’s grandmother’s name? So the key was Mr Leary’s. It probably opened the apartment.

  But how did Samira have it? And why would she give it to me? Also, why was she talking to Tyler? So do you think we can find her? Dakota said we would, right? Dakota. Savannah’s other name. And Samira had said something about my stalker- Anonymous. Were they the one’s stalking me? Or had they murdered Anna? I guess I would have to find out if I went to the apartment?

  X-X-X-X-X

  Later that evening I was sitting on my bed listening to my favourite Hunter Hayes song on repeat, when someone knocked on my door. “Come in.” My father walked in, mom following. I hadn’t spoken to either of them after the blow-up on Friday. I didn’t even understand why my father was so angry. After all those letters were addressed to me.

  I still hadn’t found out about the ‘accident’ I had had when I was small, though I wanted to ask my parents about it. My parents were now standing separately. My dad stood at the edge of my bed, while mom came and sat down next to me instead of standing.

  “Stella, we need to talk.” Mom stated. I mentally rolled my eyes. As if that isn’t obvious! Anger was bubbling inside me. I pulled my earplugs out of my ears and looked at my parents expectantly. “First of all, I’m sorry for the way I acted that day.” Dad spoke. I blinked in surprise.

  “Ben Madison was someone who betrayed us. He used to be our friend, but he did something horrible to you. You probably don’t remember because you were so young.”

  “Those letters are filled with lies, Stella.” Mom said, and added. “That’s why your father was angry.”

  My dad gave me an apologetic smile, and I smiled back hesitantly. “Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?” I looked between my parents. “Well, your mom and I were talking, and we think you should see someone.”

  I blinked. “What? Y-you mean a therapist? Why?” My parents exchanged a glance.

  “You’ve been through a lot, Stella. You know we’ll always be there for you, but the trauma of Anna’s death has affected you too much, maybe?” Mom said. I frowned.

  Is she serious right now? I hadn’t been that affected, had I?

  I shook my head. “I’m fine. I don’t need a therapist.” It was a total lie. Mom shook her head. “We’ve already booked a session for you. You can go tomorrow after school. Just try it out. It’ll help you.” I wanted to snap at her and say that it wasn’t fair for them to keep doing stuff without asking me, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.

  If I wanted answers I had to be on good terms with them. I sighed, giving in. “Ok, I’ll go.”

  X-X X-X-X

  “Hey.”

  I looked up from my notes. Chloe gave me a wide grin. I smiled back. It was the day after the talk with my parents. I had been sitting at my desk, copying Snowy’s English notes. I was dreading my visit to the therapist. I didn’t know what I was going to do, because there was no way for me to get out of it.

  It was the last class of the day-Math, but our teacher was absent and our substitute hadn’t given us work, so everyone was doing whatever they wanted quietly. The sound of my notebook being slammed shut made me jump. I gave Chloe a disapproving frown but she just rolled her eyes at me.

  “You can copy it later.” She told me. I shook my head and reached for my book, but Chloe slapped my hand away. “Why are you blowing us off? What’s up with you?”

  “Nothing! I just want to finish my work.” I shrugged. I couldn’t bear to look into Chloe’s piercing brown eyes.

  “Really? Because we’re all noticing a change in you. You know you can talk to us, right?”

  I smiled at my best friend. “I know. Nothing’s up. I promise.” Liar! A voice screamed in my head.

  “Ok. The girls and I are going over to Steph’s house. We want to discuss our plans for Valentine’s Day. Will you come, please?” Chloe asked in a pleading voice.

  I knew I couldn’t ditch them, so I nodded. “I’ll be there at seven. I have a double date with Ev and Ash this evening.”

  Chloe smiled, then dropped a kiss on my head. “Good to know that you’re at least alive socially.”

  X-X-X-X-X

  After school I tried looking for Samira. I needed to ask her about the note and the key, but I hadn’t seen her the whole day. I had tried her cell phone during lunch, but got voicemail. If I knew her address I could’ve just gone over, but I didn’t have it. So I gave up and drove to the therapist’s office. My mom had informed me that morning that my therapist’s name was, coincidentally, Maria Winters.

  The lady whom dad supposedly had an affair with? Yeah, that’s her. When I entered and told the receptionist my name she led me into the waiting room. After about ten minutes I was called in. As I followed the receptionist inside I replayed my parents words:

  “Ben Madison was someone who betrayed us.”

  “Those letters are filled with lies.”

  But why didn’t they get rid of the letters, then? They could of burnt them, but instead they kept them in the attic. My parents were not dumb people. They were smart, so why did they keep a bunch of letters from someone who supposedly ‘betrayed’ them? Maybe they wanted me to read the letters? Maybe someone was blackmailing them?

  What about the other stuff in the letters? Ben had written something about him knowing Mr Leary. He had also said that they were good friends before my ‘accident’. I sighed inaudibly. The receptionist led me to a huge office, and I looked around the room, taking everything in.

  The room was mostly bare except for two framed certificates on the blue walls. There was a shelf near the door having two glass sculptures-one was a ballerina, and the other a dolphin. There was also a desk, and instead of chairs there were two small single sofas.

  “Long time no see, Stella.” I turned around to face the voice. As soon as I saw her I took in her features. Her brown hair was tied up in a bun, a few strands falling onto her neck. She smiled radiantly, sticking her hand out to shake. As soon as my fingers touched hers, I realized that I had met her before.

  Chapter Twelve

  The therapist

  I blinked, confused. But then I took her hand and shook it. “Um, have we met before?” I asked, and Dr Maria Winters laughed.

  “Have a seat, Stella. You probably don’t remember. You were so young.” Her brown eyes seemed to be filled with reconciliation.

  “What do you mean?” I did as she told me, sitting on the big couch so I was facing her. She sat down on her leather chair and crossed her legs. Then she picked up a notepad from the table next to her chair.

  “Do you know why you’re here, Stella?” Maria ignored my question. I sighed.

  “My best friend Savannah was murdered, and my parents think I need to talk to someone to help with the grief.”

  “Yes. But you are also here to move on. We are going to do an exercise.” She
got up from her seat and turned her swivel chair backwards. Then she came and sat next to me.

  “Imagine Savannah sitting in my chair. If she was alive, what would you say to her?”

  I swallowed, then closed my eyes. When I opened them again Anna was sitting in front of me.

  “Hey Stella. Miss me?” Savannah was smiling in her typical mysterious way-like she knew something that I didn’t.

  “So much.” I replied. Seeing her again made a lump form in my throat.

  “I’m so sorry Stel.” Anna told me. “I didn’t mean to leave you.”

  I shook my head at her words.

  “Why didn’t you just tell me Anna? You trust me, don’t you?” She gave me an unreadable look. “I always trusted you, Stel. It was just too dangerous.”

  “I didn’t even get to say goodbye to you.” I said, not bothering to stop the tears from falling down my cheeks.

  “I love you Savannah Mason.” I whispered. “I love you too, Stella. and I’ll always be with you. In your heart.”

  She seemed to be disappearing slowly. I let out a sob. “Anna, no. I need more time.”

  “You have to let me go Stel. You have to move on.” I shook my head, but Anna only smiled sadly.

  “I can’t. Not now. Anna, don’t go.” But it was too late. The tears I had been holding back had started to fall heavily. I dropped my face in my hands.

  Then I felt two arms around me, and I buried my face into Maria’s shoulder and cried.

  X-X-X-X-X

  The rest of the session went slowly. Maria asked me about school, and we didn’t talk about Savannah. We planned to meet again the next week, because surprisingly, I felt like I could trust her. We had also exchanged phone numbers, so I could call her any time. I was relieved when the session was over, and by then it was four o’ clock, so I went home and got ready for my double date.

  Usually whenever we had double dates the two girls[i.e., me and my girl best friend] would choose a date location. But since it was Ashley and me both of us were lazy and wanted to see what the guys could come up with. We ended up going to a well known shooting range. It turned out to be amazing, and since it was our first time, Ash and I got a special lesson each from our respective boyfriends.