No One Will Ever Find Out

By EA Young

Anxious for school to end and summer to begin, Justine Collins dreams the warm days of freedom away from the classroom, away from the teachers, away from the exams; splashing at the beach, enjoying barbecues on picnics, screaming on roller coasters, and relishing special moments with her family.
But doubt lingers as the fear of secrets buried away turn her world upside down when that one night comes to crush her dreams before her summer even begins, and sends her spiraling down a path she could not avoid, no matter how hard she had tried to ignore it.
Only when she owns up to her fears does she discover that she is not alone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: EA Young
• Release date: May 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310888373

EA Young

I graduated from Hollins University, VA with a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art, concentrating on Illustration, Animation, and Landscaping after graduating from CUNY with an Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts. Throughout it all, I have spent over 40 years on independent writing keeping 7 journals—3 illustrated, 4 written, and a separate journal for collecting dreams which I later turn into stories. In December of 2000, I completed my third-level personal writing course with The Institute of Children’s Literature, learning how to dig words out of my mind in a more constructive way.

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No One Will Ever Find Out

By E.A. Young

Published by E.A. Young at Smashwords

Copyright 2001 E.A. Young

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Chapter 1

Can’t you wait till I get my finger out before you put the tape on? Tyrone snapped.

Sorry, Kriston said.

Thank you.

My brothers and I huddled in our dimly lit basement and tried to wrap presents for Mother’s and Father’s Days. Hold the tape up, Tyrone said, folding the crumpled blue wrapping paper at one corner.

Kriston peeled off a slip of tape and pressed it against the wrinkled edge.

I still don’t see why we have to do this in the basement when there’s more light up in the attic, I said, rolling up the rest of the tissue paper.

Terence shook his head and said, I told you, we’d look too suspicious going upstairs first thing in the morning. What if they heard us?

So we had agreed to sneak down into the dark dreary pit. They figured that by us hiding in the basement, our parents would not find out about their gifts ahead of time.

A draft of air swirled past my neck and I watched a spider web float across the corner of the room. I shivered.

I wished Tyrone would hurry up and finish wrapping the presents. What if there was something living between that monster of a furnace and the dusty brick walls? This old basement could have been hiding a lot of secrets or traps or something worse.

You don’t want to blow this like you did the last time, do you Justine? Tyrone asked sarcastically.

I stared at him, my grimace showing eight years of torment. What did I blow?

He belched and pulled off another long strip of tape.

You could have warned us, you know! Nine-year-old Terence said, fanning the wrapping paper in the air.

Shhh! Kriston, aged seven, whispered, keeping close watch of the staircase.

I leaned toward Tyrone. What did I blow?

The birthday surprise we planned for Mom, he explained. We had the cake all ready; the ice cream was set; the balloons were coming . . . .

The cake was half-cooked, I interrupted. You mixed all the different ice cream flavors together. If anybody ate anything they would’ve gotten sick. And you totally destroyed Mom’s kitchen. I reminded him. You think she would’ve enjoyed seeing that?

It was your job to clean it up before she got home, Terence explained. We can’t depend on you when you cut us short like that, Justine.

Tyrone rocked his head. She can’t take the pressure.

I stared at him. What do you mean ‘I can’t take the pressure’?

You were supposed to have everything straightened up before she got home. But, what happens? Mom walks in there and screams. He pointed a strip of tape at me. It was your responsibility to get rid of all that junk before she saw it. You blew it. He leaned closer and whispered, You can’t take the pressure.

I glared at my reflection in his brown eyes. I couldn’t think of anything to say. They totally destroy the kitchen, but it’s my fault?

Terell, who was five years old, curled the ribbon around his forefinger. Admit it Justine, you blew it for all of us. But that’s okay, we still love you.

Reaching for the storage box, I accidentally knocked the spool of tape out of Kriston’s hand. It rolled across the concrete floor and into a dark corner.

Now, see what you did? Kriston scolded. Go bring it back.

Sulking, I got up and walked around him.

Then I froze. It was dark behind the large boxes that were stacked beside the washing machine and on top of the dryer. I couldn’t see where the tape had rolled. I moved one foot forward, pointing it toward the dark corner, when I heard a scratch from the pipes and strands of electrical wires roped across the ceiling.

My skin felt as if invisible needles were pricking through it. I squatted back down in the circle my brothers had formed while wrapping the presents. I couldn’t find it.

This will do, Tyrone announced, holding the box up. He began to peel off more red ribbon to cut.

I glimpsed up at the small square window at the top of the brick wall, where our three huskies were sniffing at the windowsill. With deep thick chests, smoke-gray fur down their backs, and long, white, woolly undercoats, Precious, Princess, and King kept their heads low and watched our every move.

King! Kriston called out, waving his hand. Stop scratching the window frame.

Shhh! Terence protested. Not so loud. He walked over to the window and tapped a dusty old broomstick against the glass.

King pressed his thick paws against the other side of the pane and wagged his furry tail, waiting for someone to let him in.

I sighed with relief when I realized that the sound I had heard was only King scratching at the window. We didn’t play with the huskies much. They always slobbered kisses over everyone they knew, except for Clarence, Tyrone’s best friend. They never kissed him.

We used to own Dobermans for protection, and they never bothered Clarence either. Our protectors ran away a long time ago. Pop still believed Clarence had something to do with them leaving.

I glanced again around the basement. Our huge moving shadows created from the high ceiling light, clouded the walls. When I felt something brush against my shoulder, I looked, but nothing was behind me.

Shivering, I turned to face my brothers and concentrated on putting the tissue paper back into the storage box. At least the huskies would protect me, I thought to myself, in case something did jump out from the dark.

Are you done yet? Terell asked Tyrone. Hurry up before Mom wakes up.

The ceiling light shone weak spotlights on top of their brown foreheads, on the edge of their noses, and the bottom of their chins. They didn’t pay any attention to the dark silence surrounding the outside of our circle, or what might have been lurking there. Wrapping presents was their only concern.

I held the storage box closer and watched Tyrone loop the ribbon into a bow and tape it in the middle of the present.

That’s not how you do it, Kriston explained and plucked the bow off.

I looked again out the basement window at a crack of blue sky and streaks of white clouds drifting beyond the tall, thin blades of grass growing alongside the windowsill. A bumblebee landed on top of a blooming dandelion.

I stopped shivering and felt a tingle run up my back.

Soon, after being stuck behind fifth-grade desks all day waiting for the bell to ring, my friends and I would be free to run under that blue sky and into the warm spring air.

Mother’s Day meant that summer had almost arrived and the rain would stop. Days would start to get warmer, and we could spend more time outdoors before the sun went down.

Suddenly, the bumblebee flew off the dandelion and up into the sky.

I knew that, just like the flowers that were coming out from where they had been hiding all winter, all of my summer plans would soon be in full bloom.

I always saw the best show of flowers in mid-May. The warm weather made everything open up, and when wearing lighter clothes, I could start to feel the wind against my skin.

Okay, now where do we hide Pop’s? Terell asked, sitting on a 20-pound bag of dog food.

Mom’s present was ready. It was an optic fiber flower lamp that glowed pretty colors. Pop’s present was what Tyrone considered the perfect Father’s Day gift: a psychedelic colored T-shirt. I thought I had missed some private talk among them because I couldn’t figure out where Tyrone would get an idea like that for a present. Every time I decided on a gift, they would always tell me how wimpy it was and then go pick out something else. This time they decided without me.

We always saved enough money to buy both Mother’s and Father’s Day presents at the same time. That way we wouldn’t let Pop down in case we became short on cash when his holiday arrived.

Hide his in Terence and Tyrone’s room, I replied, getting up. Just put it anywhere, he’ll never find it.

Glad to leave that spooky place, I clicked off the basement light.

We went up the stairs to look for Mom. She was still pregnant. Somebody must have miscalculated because 10 months had passed and still nothing had happened. She had been back and forth to the hospital, and the doctor said the baby could be born at any time.

We were still waiting.

Let Austin hold it, Terence directed Kriston after we placed the storage boxes inside the hall closet.

Kriston gave the present to Austin.

Don’t swing it, Terence instructed Austin. Hold it up in front of you.

Austin, the youngest at three, hugged the large present with both arms as Kriston, using his knees, gently butted him up the stairs.

It’ll be the greatest Mother’s Day gift she ever got, Tyrone exclaimed. Man, I’m good. He patted himself on the back.

You wouldn’t have picked this if they weren’t sold out of soap on a rope, Kriston criticized.

Tyrone took a swipe at Kriston and missed.

Not so loud, I told them.

When we reached the top of the stairs, I could hear water splashing in the bathroom sink. The fresh scent of soap drifted down the hallway.

I was used to the sound of water splashing because I had been hearing rain hitting the roof and windows for weeks. But soon the rain will stop and we won’t be stuck indoors all day waiting for the sun to come out. Soon we will put the raincoats away and be free like that bumblebee to go wherever we wanted, to the park or zoo. We will have weekend barbecues in our backyard, stay overnight at Grandma’s because we didn’t have to get up for school the next day, visit the carnivals when they come to town, take cold snacks with us to the playground on the hottest days, go for car rides. I could skate up and down the sidewalk.

What are you smiling at? Terence asked me as we headed toward our parents’ room.

I didn’t answer him. I just let my secret thoughts carry me away down the hall.

We’d start going to the beach and amusement parks again. Ducking under gigantic waves, we’d ride the flumes and get splashed: that was what summer was all about.

Wait up a second, Kriston called and tossed Pop’s gift into the older boys’ room. The present landed on top of the clothes and toys piled on their floor. Okay, let’s go.

We snuck down the hall and into our parents’ bedroom.

Mom was buried under the bed-sheet, her huge belly rising each time she breathed. I wondered if the baby could feel her breathing. The mattress sagged under Mom’s back. How could she hold all that weight? How could the bed hold all that weight?

Terell leaned over Mom’s face.

She still ‘sleep? Kriston asked him.

Terell was studying her hard. Yep, he said.

I lifted Austin, still holding the present, and handed him to Terence. He placed him beside Mom, and then I tickled her feet.

She moaned and after a few more tickles, pushed the sheet back and saw us surrounding her.

Happy Mother’s Day! we cheerily greeted her.

Ooh! she cried, trying to sit up. I forgot all about Mother’s Day. She plucked a tissue off the nightstand and rubbed it against her nose.

How could she forget about Mother’s Day after having six kids and with another on the way?

Austin gave her the present. She peeled the wrapping paper off, lifted the box flap, and pulled out the glass vase.

A heavy sigh. This is beautiful, she whispered, turning the vase to fully view the flower arrangement inside.

Plug it in, Terence beckoned.

Tyrone straightened the cord and searched for an outlet behind the bed.

I switched on the vase and tiny square dotted lights blinked along the edge of the flowers.

Where in the world did you find this? she asked.

We saw it at the mall, Kriston said.

Mom watched the colored lights blinking. My babies, she cried and hugged everybody.

Celeste, did you see wh- Pop froze right at their bedroom door. He stared at the present and then his eyes bulged and the skin above his nose crinkled, almost as if he were getting ready to cry.

I think we should go, I whispered, remembering all the poor choice of gifts Pop had to receive in the past. I felt terrible that my brothers and I could never agree on a special gift for Pop.

Ah, yeah, Ma, Terence said, giving Mom a quick kiss.

We all kissed her and rushed out fast as Pop’s bulging eyes swung from the present, to Mom, and then back to us.

After we left their bedroom, Terence whispered, His face was acting funny again.

It’s not our fault Mother’s Day comes first, Kriston exclaimed, while galloping down the hall.

Shhh! we told him, in case they had been able to hear us.

See? I whispered to Tyrone. If you’d let me pick something out once in a while, he wouldn’t be this upset. I elbowed him in the rib. I could pick out something nice instead of all that junky mess you keep getting him.

Tch! Tyrone responded. Yeah, right. He knocked the basketball out from under the hall table and kicked it at Kriston. It