Page 21 of Ordinary Secrets (Secrets Trilogy #1)

21

TREY

I wake up to my phone buzzing on my nightstand. The name on the screen makes me groan.

When I tell Victor why I haven’t seen Arella for five days, the truth isn’t acceptable. Apparently, I need to drop everything in my life, including my “dead-end career,” and dedicate myself to this mission until it’s finished. He’s delusional if he thinks I’m gonna do that. Finishing my parents’ mission is important, but my band is important too. I can’t just drop them.

“Tell me you have something of value.” Victor growls into my ear. “Something that can give us a direction.”

“Not yet,” I lie.

“Wow, you really are useless.” Click.

Victor can call me whatever he wants, but without a clear answer as to why or how Arella’s parents died the same night mine did, I’m not telling him about it. The last thing I need is another reason for him to hound me, when besides that, all I know is what Victor told me when he assigned me this mission.

“Before your parents were killed,” he said, “they were working on discovering how some rare Ordinaries could be immune to Zordi powers. They pretended to be part of the government and told the research subjects they were needed for a top-secret medical study.

“Every week, the subjects would come to Shadow Ridge to be analyzed, and ZIRDA paid them well for their time—until one day, the Royals found out about the Immunes project and tried to take it over.

“They stormed my house, demanding that I take them to ZIRDA California’s hideout. And when I refused, they sliced my throat and left me for dead.”

Since missions aren’t to be spoken about between agents, Victor doesn’t know anything else beyond that. At least, that’s what he said. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s keeping vital information from me.

Either way, I’ve come up with my own theory. My explanation for Arella and her parents being near Shadow Ridge that night is that three-year-old Arella—I mean Hannah —was one of my parents’ research subjects. Maybe my parents were about to meet with them to take them to the base when Arella’s parents got attacked by the Royals. I’d bet anything the Royals killed the Calders so they could take Hannah for themselves. Then somehow, my parents were able to save Hannah and get her somewhere safe.

I have a feeling that the same Royals who sliced Victor’s throat are the ones who came crashing into my home, probably looking for Hannah. That would also explain how my mom’s lip and my dad’s face got slashed so badly—a sight I have yet to forget.

While this is a possible theory, I’m missing significant pieces to the puzzle. Like, how did the Royals find out about the Immunes project? Were there moles back then like the ones Victor discovered recently? Is that how they knew Victor was a ZIRDA agent and where he lived? Is that how they knew where my parents lived, too?

Also, how did my parents know where and when the Royals were attacking Arella’s parents? And if Arella was one of my parents’ research subjects, does Victor know that the little girl back then is the same one he found and assigned me to? If so, why wouldn’t he tell me that? Most importantly, why would my parents leave the house that night feeling anxious if they thought they were simply meeting with Arella’s parents for another research session?

There’s too much here that doesn’t add up, and sadly, the person this entire thing revolves around seems to know the least. Based on the way she talks about it, Arella thinks her parents’ car accident was exactly that—a car accident. She has no reason to think otherwise.

Do her grandparents know the truth? If my theory is correct, the ZIRDA agent who delivered Arella to her grandparents probably said nothing more than “Her parents were found in a car wreck at the bottom of a cliff, but this little girl survived.” If that’s the case, why is Hannah’s name now Arella? And why would her grandparents move her around California annually if it wasn’t to make her harder to find?

Her grandparents have to know something, which is why the next phase of my mission is to get Arella to introduce me to them. Maybe the more I know about them, the more answers I’ll have.

It’s just past noon when my phone buzzes again. I haven’t eaten or done much beyond lie on my couch, trying to decipher my thoughts. My phone flashes with a picture of Jess. I almost let it go to voicemail but don’t because I don’t want her to take my silence as an invitation to show up.

“Happy Fourth!” Jess says. “You wanna get lunch?”

“Can’t. Busy.”

She snorts. “Doin’ what?”

“Workin’ on stuff.” I’m playing with a little stress ball, throwing it into the air and catching it with my telekinesis before it lands on my face. The goal is to stop the ball as close to my nose as possible without the ball actually touching me. Real important stuff.

“Take a break.”

“Can’t. I’ve got a lot of work to do.” I throw the ball up and stop it with my Kinetic power about a fingertip from my nose. Eh. I can do better.

“You really can’t take off, like, a half hour? Not even for me?”

I know what that means, and I’m not interested. I’m not dating Arella for real, but having another woman over just to fuck still feels weird. Besides, I’m in the middle of trying to figure out a gift to get for Arella.

Earlier, Victor suggested that, to speed things up, I should shower Arella with gifts. The only problem is that I don’t think she’s easily impressed by material things. If I’m gonna get her something, which I fully intend to, it has to be something meaningful to her. I just don’t know what that would be.

Jess isn’t used to hearing no from me. After I keep denying her, she calls me nasty names and hangs up. I think about texting her that I’m sorry, but it’d be a lie. She’s not my priority right now. Arella is.

The rest of the afternoon drags on. By the time I’ve thrown the stress ball into the air another hundred times, I still don’t know what Arella’s perfect gift is. I think about asking Liz for advice, then realize it’s a dumb idea.

If Arella was a Zordi, Liz would probably have the perfect suggestion. Because Arella’s an Ordinary, the only advice Liz’ll give me is that I need to quit before Arella gets hurt. Little does Liz know, I don’t plan on hurting this woman. When the time comes, I’ll get her to break up with me . Problem solved.

I’m still thinking about a gift idea as I pull up to Arella’s apartment. When she steps out of her home, I hop out of my car to greet her properly. Before she can say anything, I scoop her up, press her back against my car, and plant a heavy kiss over her lips. It’s a full minute before I release her.

“Your kisses are getting addicting,” I pant.

She’s got a dazed expression as she responds with a breathy “Yours are too.”

“You didn’t stiffen up when I lifted you.”

Her brows crumple together as she thinks. A second later, she leans back, and her eyes light up. “Wow. I didn’t.”

Gently, I pull her in for a hug. “You’re so strong; you know that?”

Besides Liz, Arella is the strongest woman I know. For three years, a weak man stole that strength from her. It took a lot of courage for her to walk away, and not only did she do that, but she was brave enough to fight back.

On the night I kicked her ex’s ass, she told me she used to always fight back until doing so only made him hit her harder. Eventually, she learned that taking it resulted in less bruises. I’m glad that she’s finally done with his shit. Now she can live her life the way she wants. If only I could find the strength to fight my battles the way she has.

Beautiful waves of red and orange paint the sky as Arella and I arrive at the park. Vehicles of all colors and sizes are scattered around the lot. We find a parking spot toward the back; then I cut the engine.

“Babe...” I say, placing a hand over her knee. She doesn’t flinch, and it makes my insides throw confetti into the air. “I’d like to leave before the fireworks start. Is that okay?”

“What? Aren’t fireworks, like, the main part of a July Fourth party?”

I swallow hard and turn toward my window. “I guess.”

“You don’t like fireworks?”

It’s not that I don’t like them. I think they look cool. It’s the bomb-like noises they make that I don’t like.

“How ’bout I come back to pick you up after the fireworks?” I say to the steering wheel. “That way, you can still see ’em.”

Arella’s tender hand cups my face. She trails light fingertips along my stubble before turning me to look at her. I go willingly. Her calming eyes and tender smile send a wave of comfort through me. It’s as if she has her own body power of easing my anxiety and it works by touching my face.

“I’ll be happy to leave with you, Trey.”

I place my hand over hers, pressing it harder against my cheek. I’m grateful that she didn’t ask for an explanation, because I’m not ready to give her one.

With Arella’s arm looped through mine, we join the party. Looming trees surround the park. A sand volleyball court already has a team on each side, with a ball in the air. Kids scream at the top of their lungs as they race around the playground. Most of the people are gathered at the pavilion where all the food is. More are down by the small pond, singing around a fire with Kevin on a guitar and Marcus on a box drum. The upbeat energy emitting from everyone lifts my spirits.

Arella and I head toward the pavilion where a couple of teenage boys are going through the buffet line. They pile food onto their plates as if they haven’t eaten in days.

I grab a beer from a cooler and hold it out to Arella. “Want one?”

“No, thanks.”

“How ’bout a hard lemonade?”

Between her fingers, she twists the ends of her hair. “I’ll just have a soda.”

I’m about to tell her that she should let loose and have fun when it hits me that I’ve never seen her drink alcohol. Not once during those four weeks I studied her. Not during these last few weeks since we’ve met, either.

I place the beer back into the cooler, then take her hand and give it a squeeze. “You don’t drink, do you?”

She doesn’t pull her hand away. She doesn’t squeeze my hand back either. “Not really.”

“Sorry, babe. I didn’t know.” Which is stupid, because I’m supposed to know everything about this woman. How could I have missed this? What other details have I missed?

“That’s okay. I never told you.”

“Can I ask why you don’t drink?” Maybe this has something to do with her immunity...

She keeps her eyes anywhere but on me as she, aggressively now, rubs more hair between her fingers. The distress on her face tells me all I need to know.

Instinctively, I pull her close and whisper into her ear, “I won’t let him hurt you ever again.”

She melts into me, circling her arms around my back. “He was always worse when he was drunk. Everything about it reminds me of him. Seeing it, tasting it, smelling it. Everything.”

I know all about avoiding things that bring up bad memories. Alcohol to her is like fireworks to me.

After shutting the beer cooler, I open the one labeled nonalcoholic , all while keeping Arella’s fingers intertwined with mine. She plucks a Sprite off the top, and I grab one for myself too.

“Trey, you don’t have to drink soda just because I am.”

“Didn’t you just say that the smell of alcohol makes you think of Pencil Dick?”

She nods slightly.

“Are you gonna make out with me later if I smell like beer?”

“Probably not, but?—”

“Hey, if my choices are to taste you or some stupid beer, I’d rather have you.”

I don’t see it coming. She throws herself at me, kissing me like she’s never kissed me before. Urgent, passionate, and needy. The Sprite slips from my hands. It falls, pops, and sprays everywhere, but I don’t care. I need my hands free to take in as much of this woman as possible. Even with her breasts pressed up against my chest and my hands all over her back, she still isn’t close enough.

Something hard hits my back, then thumps to the ground and rolls away. I don’t let it stop me, because tonight is proof that I’m making progress. Arella initiated this kiss, and that’s a huge step for her. I’m not planning to release her until she pulls back first.

My powers tell me that two people are approaching us from behind—probably the same people who just threw something at me. When the two stop at my heels, one of them clears their throat.

Only then does Arella draw back, and it takes a lot of willpower for me to let her. When I open my eyes, I find that hers have that dazed look again. Her flushed cheeks and plump lips are already begging for me to come back. I will, baby. Later.

Without looking, I already know who’s behind me. No other two people would ever throw shit at me. I flip around to greet Liz and Emmy with a scowl.

“There are children here,” Liz says, returning my scowl. Her dirty look has nothing to do with the kids. After her warning about getting caught with an Ordinary and how it could affect the band, it’s probably not the smartest idea to kiss one in public. The Enforcers won’t accept “This is all part of my top-secret ZIRDA mission” as a reason not to send me to z-prison. I’m fine though. Everyone in our crew is an Ordinary.

Emmy laughs, picking up a partly eaten apple off the ground. “Even my apple didn’t stop him.”

“Do you mind if we steal Ari from you, T?”

“Of course not.” I need to show my face around the party before I dip out early, anyway. Having Arella at my side will force me to introduce her to everyone, and I’m pretty sure she would hate that. “Just make sure you feed her before you convert her to the dark side.”

“We won’t convert her into anything,” Emmy says. “We’re just gonna tell her all of your dirty little secrets.”

I play along with her joke. With two fingers, I point at my eyes, then at my friends. “I’m watching you. If I catch my girl running outta here screaming, I’ll?—”

“Your girl?” Liz says, arching her eyebrows.

Arella gapes up at me with the same wide-eyed expression.

“What?” I feign innocence.

“Ari’s your girl now?” Liz asks.

I nod confidently. “Yes, she is.”

“I am?” Arella says, jerking her head back. Not the reaction I was hoping for.

Emmy chuckles, shoving me in the shoulder. “Most men ask the lady before they start telling people. Ya know, in case she declines.”

I gaze into Arella’s eyes. “What do you say, babe? You wanna be my girlfriend?”

Her cheeks fade to a light pink. “Um, I... I’ll think about it.”

My mouth drops. In my head, I shout some F-words to the sky. I thought for sure that if I asked her in front of Liz, she’d not only say yes but it’d help her feel better about Liz being my best friend. Guess I was wrong.

Arella’s lips curve upward into a smile that she was holding back. “It’s way too easy to mess with you.”

I slap a hand over my chest, letting out a breath of relief. “Don’t do that to me.”

The women laugh, and it eases my tension.

“So, is that a yes?” I ask, because I need verbal confirmation.

Arella pretends to think for a second before grinning up at me. “Yeah. I’d love to be your girl .”

Disappointment slams into my gut from Liz’s direction. In the corner of my eye, she huffs out a frustrated breath and shakes her head slightly. Maybe one day, I’ll be able to explain to her why I’m doing this. Why I’m risking going to z-prison. Why, one day, hopefully soon, I’ll be able to stop the Royals from hurting more people like me.