The Secret Keeper

By Angela Carling

When Seventeen year old Winter Merrill made a bargain with the mysterious Secret Keeper, she knew there were rules. The most important one, the next time you have a secret, you will not be able to tell it....even if you try. What she didn’t know is that her next secret if not told, would destroy her life and the life of Liam, the only boy she ever loved. Can Winter find a way out of the dark bargain that binds her tongue or will her deal with the Secret Keeper bring devastating consequences unimaginable even to her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Angela Carling
• Release date: Aug 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9780996893428

Angela Carling

Angela Carling was raised in Palm Springs California, but lives Arizona with her husband, three kids and five felines. After years of denial she finally admitted that she is a hopeless romantic which led her to write her first Young Adult book Unbreakable Love. Since then she’s published three more books, Shackled, Becoming Bryn and The Secret Keeper. Shackled won the silver IPGA award in 2012 and has been optioned as a screenplay. She always eats the frosting off her cake and leaves the rest, and can be caught singing in public bathrooms just for the acoustics. When she’s not writing YA novels, she’s mentoring teen writers, making pizza with her family or dreaming of taking a nap, not necessarily in that order

Book preview

Chapter 1 - Winter

That, my dear, is what makes a character interesting, their secrets.

-- Kate Morton, The Forgotten Garden

Behind the closed door of my bedroom, I stared at my shimmering prom dress in the mirror. As happened often, my thoughts went back to that terrible day, and I found myself asking the question that haunted me most. If I had gone with Evan, would he be alive today?

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I could see the scene clearly. The water looked black, thick black, like tar, encapsulating my brother's dead body. We'd been at Black Canyon Lake over ten hours. He'd been dead for at least eight of those. One minute the sun shone brightly and all of our friends were laughing. Evan begged me to go out in the kayak, but I couldn't be bothered. Within an hour, somewhere in the middle of the lake, he'd slipped into the water and was gone forever. We'd desperately searched, all fifteen of us, ducking under, staying beneath the water until our lungs burned and our eyes grew impossibly fuzzy with exhaustion. More people descended on the lake, like a Hollywood version of a tragedy, with flashlights and hushed voices. There were so many emergency vehicles that the night sky seemed to shift from red to blue and then back to red casting sickly shadows on our already drawn faces. Anyone who could swim arrived from Heber as soon as they'd heard. We'd all looked, searching the water, combing the shore. My older brother was inexplicably gone and he had asked me to go with him. That night, for the first time in my life, with painful and immediate clarity, I understood the crushing pain of true remorse.

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My reflections came full circle and I finally answered my own question. Maybe, I said aloud in my room to nothing but the quiet. My mind was jarred back to the present by a soft knock on the door. Come in.

My father opened the door but didn't come through. From the doorway, the delighted surprise showed in his eyes as he saw me in my formal for the first time. He tilted his head to the side. His blue eyes lovingly rested on me.

You look beautiful, he said, and I heard the raw honesty in his voice.

My sad thoughts of the lake and my brother were pushed back into a part of my brain that kept the memories tucked away so that they didn't take over my life completely.

For a moment, my dad grabbed the wood doorframe. I wondered if he felt alright, if he needed support somehow. He opened his mouth to speak but didn't. Finally, just before he turned to leave he said, Evan would think so too, and he would want you to have fun tonight.

Before either of us could build the tears that still came sometimes, he stepped away. He's a gentle man, always has been and I heard his cautious footsteps going down the creaky wood stairs, only to be stopped by the ringing of the front doorbell.

My best friend since birth was here. I sat on my rumpled bedding with my hands resting in my lap.

Alisha's laughter at the bottom of the stairs sounded almost melodic. She was the happiest person I knew, not to mention a little theatrical about everything.

Come on up Alleycat, I yelled, without bothering to get up off the bed.

She knew her way to my room. We spent so much time at each other's houses; she could probably walk around my place blind and not bump into anything.

She burst through the bedroom door, already wearing her repulsively over-fluffed pink prom dress. Ta da, she announced as she made it to the bed in three steps and flopped next to me. Pink lace flew up and then settled swallowing her petite five foot two inch frame, but somewhere amidst all that fabric, there was a grin on her full lips.

It's only prom, I responded trying to remain the calm one. It seemed I was always the one that brought Ally back down to earth.

Where're the shoes we picked out? Ally asked with a wrinkled-up nose. Apparently not already having them on was a crime in Ally-land.

I put one finger to my lips and smiled beneath them. With my head, I nodded in the direction of the closet. Either her enthusiasm was contagious or I was finally getting excited about prom night.

Ally grabbed the entirely too tall pair of red high heels from the closet and brought them to me. We'd driven all the way down to Mesa and spent the whole day shopping for them. They were the most expensive thing I'd ever owned, not to mention the raciest.

Ally held them out to me. Put them on, girl, she demanded.

While she fussed over her makeup in the bathroom, I slipped on the shoes. Feeling a little unsteady in such high heels, I hobbled over to my jewelry box and put on the shimmering gold earrings that were so long they almost touched my shoulders. Finally, I stood back and studied my image in the long mirror that rested against the wall next to my bed. The shimmering black material of my formal hugged every curve and where I normally wore a simple T-shirt over my shoulders, nothing but thin black straps held up the rest of the dress. I felt beautiful and yet somehow, vulnerable at the same time.

Ally came out of the bathroom brushing her teeth. For a long second, she stared at my reflection and then her lips curled up in a lopsided grin around the dangling toothbrush.

Whew! She blew out a faint whistle, spitting little bits of toothpaste as she did. Girl, in that dress, you're going to make that boyfriend of yours forget he's a good boy tonight.

Right away, the warmth began to rise in my cheeks. I turned away from the mirror and walked to the small white jewelry box that sat on my dresser. Rifling through my bracelets did nothing to hide my obvious self-consciousness.

Ally came to me, wrapped her arms around my bare shoulders and gave a quick squeeze. Don't worry, she said, I know you guys won't do anything. He's too much of a gentleman."

She was right. Even though he and I had only officially been dating a few weeks, nothing would happen tonight. We hadn't even shared our first real kiss yet. Sure, he'd given me a peck on the lips, but we'd never ventured into the kind of kiss that makes your knees go weak. That's what I wanted tonight - a memorable kiss, the kind that would really let me fall for him.

Before I could respond to Ally, the doorbell chimed again, reverberating through the upstairs hall. I heard the cheery exchange of deep male voices in the entryway and knew our dates had arrived.

You ready, Alleycat? I asked. Almost before I finished my question, Ally let out a little squeal, grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the bedroom door. Stumbling along behind her like I always did, I followed, trying to ignore the eruption of butterflies in my stomach.

Chapter 2 - Winter

Liam was facing away from me, chatting with my dad when we first stepped out on the stairs. I heard snippets of sports talk, how someone's passing game was taking off and what position they'd play next year.

Ally's boyfriend Hayden, who stood next to them, turned and took a sharp breath when he saw us descending. Ally and Hayden had been together off and on through most of high school. Everyone assumed they'd marry someday. Even as long as they'd been together, I wasn't surprised by his awestruck reaction. Ally was classically beautiful with stunning dark features and a delicate frame and tonight she looked like something out of a fairytale.

Ally walked ahead, twirling in the entryway to show off her flowing skirt and matching pink shoes. Liam turned, following the course of the stairs with his eyes until he connected with me. His animated expression slipped away, leaving his jaw slack and his eyes wide. My stomach flip-flopped again, making me feel silly that I was so nervous.

Liam looked a little anxious himself. He'd tamed his normally dark wavy hair and his hands were clasped together in front of him like he wasn't sure what to do with them while I bridged the distance between us.

You look beautiful, he said taking me by the hand.

Feeling shy, I let my gaze fall. Since this was only our fourth date, it still felt a little awkward, especially with his olive green eyes locked intently on me.

Picture time, Ally called out. They'd already found their way into the living room. Ally fidgeted with her silky gloves like she wasn't sure what to do with her nervous energy. Hayden stood beside her with his hair freshly cut and his tux flawlessly fitted, ready to play the part of the perfect date.

With Liam's hand in mine, we took our place next to Ally and Hayden. I'd known there were other people in the house, my dad and mom watching my every move but for a brief moment, I'd felt like Liam and I were all alone, lost together. That spark, the one missing so far, flickered with dazzling potential, and then with Ally's insistent voice, it was gone again.

We stood against the wall, taking a dozen pictures more than we needed. My dad held the camera and my mom called out things like, Let's get one of them individually. Now how about one in front of the fireplace? With plastered smiles, and Liam's hand gently on my back, we got through the parent portion of the night and were soon on our way to the High School.

Chapter 3 - Winter

We drove through the streets of Heber, Arizona. Like every other night, lights from homes and cabins peeked through the towering pines, giving some hint that there was a small town tucked in the middle of a forest. As we passed Lejo Street, the car grew quiet. We were all probably thinking about the stories floating around school about Lejo Street. One girl claimed her car died the second she turned down the road and wouldn't start up until she decided to leave. Another that there was a toxic stench that settled on the neighborhood and someone was cooking up drugs in their house. The worst was the woman at the grocery store, who swore up and down that something evil was driving the other neighbors away, and that was why the street was all but abandoned. It was hard to take her seriously, though. She'd also claimed to have been abducted by aliens in the sixties.

Liam reached over and took my hand, as if to drive away his own uneasiness. A chill ran down my spine and I squeezed his fingers to chase it away.

As soon as we passed, Ally broke the tense silence. "I wonder how the gym turned out. Either this creepy part of town didn't bother her, or, as usual, she was lost in her own blissful world.

At the school, the gym was lit up both inside and out, and even from a distance we could hear the music thumping, beckoning us to come and dance. Liam came around the car and opened my door. I lifted my long fitted dress mid-calf to climb out. Liam's hand was there to balance me when I landed on my three inch spikes. With his arm resting lightly around my shoulders, we moved through the parking lot and made our way inside.

I'd seen the gym decorated earlier that day. I'd even helped string some of the thousands of tiny white lights, but when Liam opened the door for me and I stepped inside, our simple gym had been transformed into a starry night, and I was swept up into the magic. With a contented smile, I tucked a stray piece of auburn hair behind my ear, took Liam's hand and led him to the center of the gym that now doubled as our dance floor.

Somewhere behind us, Ally and Hayden followed, but I wasn't focused on them. Tonight, it was all about my time with Liam, and I wanted to soak up every minute. A heavy beat filled the gym and we squeezed into the crowd, sometimes accidentally bumping against our classmates as we danced. No one seemed to mind the tight quarters. This was prom night and we were happy to be together.

On the stage, the DJ made a change sending a much softer rhythm out into the room. Above us, overhead lights dimmed making it feel like we each stood in our own intimate space. Liam pulled me close with both hands pressed against my back. Near us, voices hushed and couples paired up becoming one in the dark. Through the thin fabric of my dress, I felt his fingertips guiding me, embracing me, making me want to reach up and press my lips against his, fiercely and with no restraint. We were close enough that I could hear his breathing quicken as he felt my body press tight against his. His simple reaction made my heart flutter in response, except this time I let the nervousness evolve into wanting.

Liam and I had known each other our whole lives, and when he'd asked me out for the first time a few weeks earlier, I'd worried that there would be no chemistry between us.

I wasn't worried about that now.

Liam leaned into me and let his head lay against my hair. Are you happy? he whispered.

My chin rested against his shoulder. He smelled of soap and musky cologne and I breathed him in. I didn't answer right away. Instead, I pulled back just far enough to see his eyes. I couldn't see the green in the dark, but the anticipation still came through. My lips curled up and I stretched up on my toes reaching for him, for his mouth.

He leaned in to meet me, his face eager like mine. Our lips were so close that I could smell the mint on his breath, and then I heard Ally yell, You jerk; now you tell me this!

Along with the rest of the school, my attention was pulled to the far side of the room. Set off a little way from the dance floor, stood Hayden and Ally. They faced each other as stiff as cardboard cutouts. I turned in time to see Hayden trying to hold onto Ally's arm. Defiantly, she threw her arm down, forcing him to let go, and stormed in my direction.

Not tonight, I thought. Please not tonight.

Before she reached us, I met Liam's eyes again. He was already watching me, waiting to see what I would do.

I'm sorry. I stood on my toes and whispered into his ear. Whether or not I wanted to admit it to Liam, I knew that Ally and Hayden's fight would change prom for all of us. I better check on her.

She blew past us, her face pinched and red. Tears were coming. Lots of them. Our classmates parted for her, and then in her wake gathered to watch her, as with one great heave, she pushed open the gym door and burst out into the black night.