Secrets

Daniel Jones had always been a patient person. He didn't know a lot of people, and he liked it that way. He had a wife and a daughter, and that was all he needed. Everything else, all the things in his past, they didn't matter. It was a cool fall day. The Appalachian Mountains were painted different shades of orange, yellow and red that blended into a fiery picture. Daniel was sitting on the porch steps, watching his wife and daughter play in the leaves. He loved them so much. His wife, Sky had known them since they were teens. He would never have imagined back then that he'd be here. Especially with her. They'd become best friends in sophomore year, and had only been separated once. But that was a memory he didn't want to think about. There were many moments like those that he pushed away, shoving them deep down and refusing to let them enter his brain. They were still too painful. His daughter, Night, ran up to him holding a leave that was a beautiful gold color. She smiled at him happily handing it to him. "Oh!" He accepted it, smiling. "Its beautiful baby" She bounced on her feet a little, then ran back to Sky. He didn't expect her to speak to him. She was mute, and her sign language wasn't the best at the moment. She didn't like to use sign, but using her powers made her tired after a while. Daniel remembered the first time he found out that super-powers were real. Of course, they weren't really super powers. Sky had been experimented on as a small child, giving her the power to see peoples past when she touched them. There were fifteen other kids like her who'd gone through this, but only three still lived. They hadn't expected Night to have a special ability, but she did. She could speak in peoples minds when she touched them. It was pretty useful, but made her more reluctant to use normal ways of communicating without a voice. Daniel hoped she'd start using it more, since her reluctance to do so was affecting her social life. She didn't have many friends at school, and it worried him. When he'd been in school he had lots of friends, and he knew that being different brought down a lot of bullying. Unfortunately, he'd felt both sides of that before. Sky said she'd be OK, but he couldn't help stress about it. He was beginning to understand how his father felt when he was young. He was taken out of his thoughts by a leaf landing on his head. He looked out at the mountains, the feeling of joy in his heart almost containable. He loved it here. He'd never understood the beauty of the mountains till he'd moved here, and now he never wanted to leave. It was a place where his soul could soar across the skies and never be stopped. It was home

Eventually it got too cold to stay outside, and the family went inside. Daniel started heating up some water for hot-cocoa while Sky brushed leaves out of Night's hair. Her hair had caused them problems when she was little, since neither of them had hair like hers. Her curly and coarse hair needed a lot more work to keep tidy then theirs. It was one of the small reminders that no matter how much Daniel acted like it, he wasn't her biological father. Not that the fact changed anything. He'd always love her like he was. He turned the kettle off when the water was just hot enough to steam without being too hot. He made three mugs of hot chocolate and sat them down gently. "Thanks" Sky said, smiling. Night hesitated, then repeated Sky's words in sign. "Good job!"Daniel told her, proud of her for trying to use sign willingly. Just as Daniel was sitting down his phone starting to go off. He got up quickly, looking at the phone. It was his sister, Holly. "I'll be right back, I have to take this" He told them, leaving the room. He put the phone to his ear. "Hello?" Her voice was odd, sounding a bit scared. "Are you OK?"he asked. Her answer was delayed, which worried him more. "Yes, I'm fine. Can you come to my house?" She asked. "Of course" He said, then hesitated. "Are you in danger?" He lowered his voice a little. There was a pause, then she said "Yes. I have to go" He tried to speak more but was hung up on. He went back to the kitchen, trying to stop his hands from shaking. He felt the fear almost choking him. This situation was bringing back memories. Memories he never wanted to think of. "Sky" He murmured. She looked up. "Are you okay?" He nodded, the held out his hand for her, knowing that it'd be better to let her see the phone-call instead of freaking out Night. She took his hand and closed her eyes. He watched her face anxiously as she reacted to the call silently. She soon let go, opening her eyes. "I'll get my brother to babysit Night," She said. He sighed in slight relief, wondering what he'd have to do if Sky had told him not to go. "Go get what we need."

Daniel closed the door of the car shut, trying to push away the fear twisting in his gut so he didn't throw up. Sky slipped her hand into his. "It's going to be OK" She said, starting the cars engine. "What if its him?" He asked, shivering slightly. Her silence made him uncomfortable. "Then we'll kick his ass."

When they arrived at Holly's house the sun had all but set, making the skyline a scarlet red. It was an omen that Daniel did not appreciate. He got out, gripping the shotgun in his hands. His fingers were shaking and his heart was beating so fast he feared that he'd have a heart attack before he got inside. Sky slipped her gun into the holster, giving him a side-glance before heading to the house. He followed her, lowering the gun to his waist but not putting it away. When they got inside they were hit by a rather unpleasant sight. The floor in front of the door had splashes of blood on it. He felt his stomach flip upside down and gagged. Sky grabbed his arm, pulling him along to save them both from something worse to throw up at. They soon found themselves in the living room, where Holly was laying on the floor, unconscious. Daniel ran to her side, dropping to his knees next to her. He pressed his fingers to her neck, relief filling him when he felt a pulse under them. "Daniel-" Sky's voice made him turn his head to see someone holding a knife to her neck. His breath caught in his throat. It was the one person he never wanted to see again. Rylee Duke.

Images flashed through his head. Fire. Gunshots. The hand of the person he loved most reaching out for his... and then being torn away. The feeling of hands around his throat, stopping the air from filling his lungs.

He pointed his gun at Rylee, hands shaking. "Let. Her. Go." His voice cracked slightly. Instead of doing what he asked Rylee pressed the knife down harder. "Put down the gun." Daniel hesitated, staring at him for a long moment, trying to figure out what to do. "Don't do it" Sky said, locking eyes with him. "Night needs at least one person to take care of her you can't-" Sky's words were cut off by Rylee shoving her a little. "Shut up." Daniel dropped the gun. "Let her go, please.." He murmured, his stomach twisting itself in knots. "I actually don't think I will." Rylee smiled slightly, staring into Daniel's eyes. His were dark, with a psychotic light to them. "I'm gonna kill her, then everyone else you love" He said, his smile growing. "And then after you watch it all then I'll kill you." Shivers ran down Daniel's back, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "Rylee please.." he choked. "You're better than this.."

To be continued...