AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I guess we should sit down instead of standing in the hallway? It’s a long story,” I say, trying to sort through my emotions and thoughts. They clearly believe me, so that’s a good thing, and so far they don’t seem mad at me. They aren’t accusing me of lying and they’re not freaking out. If anything, they seem excited. I take it as a good sign as I follow Mason and Noah down the hall, all the while Noah’s guessing names and Mason’s occasionally throwing one in. They really aren’t mad, and a weight lifts off my chest. Is it really this easy?
As Mason and Noah sit on the sofa, my phone rings. It’s Aiden.
“Hey, where are you? Class is starting and you haven’t answered my texts.”
“I’m at Mason’s house with Noah. I guess we aren’t coming to school today?” I reply, and Noah gives me a big thumbs-up with a grin, apparently on board with that plan. I’ve missed so much school since winter break ended that at this point I feel like it hardly matters, though I really should be getting back on track if I want to graduate.
“Is everything okay?” Aiden asks, and I hear his locker close in the background.
“I think so? I told them.” My words trail off as I sink into the sofa.
Aiden pauses, and when he speaks his voice is hesitant. “You told them what?”
“About me, Aiden. They know.”
He’s silent for a few beats, then, “Are you all right?”
Noah and Mason have started arguing over if I look like a Jessica or not, and a smile tugs at my lips. “Yeah. I am.”
“Good. I’ll be right there.”
When I hang up, Noah and Mason are staring at me. Noah breaks the silence first. “What the hell, not-Amelia, Aiden knew this whole time?”
I shift self-consciously. “Not the whole time, but for a while, yeah.”
“Are you going to tell us your real name?” Noah asks. “I have ten bucks on Danielle.”
The two of them are looking at me, waiting patiently for me to tell them all about myself. “Wait, so you guys believe me?”
They glance at each other. “Yeah,” they say simply.
I eye them suspiciously. “And you’re not mad at me?”
“No,” they say again, and Mason adds, “You’re not supposed to tell people you’re in witness protection. Why would we be mad at you for following the rules?”
A laugh bubbles up my throat. All this time I spent panicking about what they’d think if they found out the truth about who I am, and worrying about how I was lying to my friends, for nothing? They just understand? It seems so easy I want to cry and thank the universe for giving me friends as understanding as Mason and Noah.
My laugh turns into a sob and Mason and Noah share panicked looks.
“We broke not-Amelia!” Noah stage-whispers to Mason.
I wipe the tears away and try to regain my composure. “I’m sorry. I came here to apologize to Mason and make sure he was okay and turned it into a whole thing about me.”
Mason waves me off. “I’m fine, really. Pissed at my dad, sad for my mom, but it’s not my marriage. My mom knows now. My dad took one look at me yesterday and knew I knew, so he told her everything. He really loves your mom, I think. I don’t think it was a random affair, Amelia—er . . .”
“Thea,” I supply, and Noah swears.
“That wasn’t one of my guesses, was it?”
I ignore Noah for the moment, thinking only about sweet Natalia, and how now she knows the truth. “How did she handle it?” His other words sink in my jaw drops. “Are you saying Brian is leaving your mom for mine?” The words are a shock even as I say them. I had suspicions before, but when Mason hesitates and nods in confirmation, the rug is ripped right out from under me.
“I think that’s what’s going to happen, yeah,” he says and his jaw ticks. “Mom’s okay. She didn’t seem that surprised. My parents talked for hours last night, locked away in their room. When they were finally done, Mom came to see me. She’s going to stay with my aunt for a bit, but their marriage is over. There’s no saving it.”
“I’m—I don’t know what to say.” I really don’t. Mason’s parents’ marriage is over, and my mom is going to start a relationship with someone who has roots here, in King City. What’s going to happen if we really do get relocated? Is she willing to walk away from Brian after he ended his marriage for her?
“So, I know that this is an important thing for you guys to discuss, but is no one going to address the fact that Amelia is really Thea?” Noah exclaims, staring at me as the doorbell rings, and Mason gets up to let Aiden in.
As I fidget with the sleeve of my sweater, Noah shifts closer to me. “Is that a real beauty mark on your cheek?” When he reaches out to poke me I swat his arm away, even though I appreciate his attempt to break the tension.
“Yes, it’s real.”
“Hey,” Aiden says, putting his arm around me as he drops onto the couch beside me. I instantly feel comforted by his presence. “You okay?” He frowns and wipes a stray tear from my face.
“Yeah. Better than ever,” I reply, and it’s not a lie. I feel better now that the truth is out.
“What have you told them?” he asks.
“Not much,” Mason answers. “We kind of got sidetracked.”
“We know her name is Thea, not Amelia.” Noah grins, then it falters. “So how much do you know?”
Aiden looks at me, then back at Noah and shrugs. “Everything.”
“What! I can’t believe you knew that whole time and didn’t say anything! That’s a huge secret to keep,” Noah says, then adds, “But it’s totally one you can trust me with.”
Mason’s face pales as he regards Aiden. “At the beach house when you said I didn’t really know Amelia, you meant . . . ?” He leaves the question open for us to fill in the blanks ourselves.
We still haven’t addressed the other elephant in the room, namely Mason’s feelings for me. Maybe one thing at a time.
“What’s important is that you guys know now, and you know to keep it a secret,” Aiden says, and we all subtly look at Noah, who realizes a beat too late.
“What? I said I’d keep it a secret! This isn’t like the time Mason couldn’t make it to the bathroom and pooped his pants in class in third grade.”
“Dude!” Mason exclaims, and when the realization hits Noah, he laughs.
“That secret’s different! And if it makes you feel better, I kept that secret for, like, nine years, so I can totally keep secrets. You can trust us, Amelia—not-Amelia—Thea.”
I shake my head but a laugh still escapes me. Did I make a mistake? I’m not sure, but I feel better now that everything’s out in the open. “I’m just glad I don’t have to hide it anymore. I’ve hated all the running and hiding and lying and losing control.”
“What were you saying about a man trying to kill you?” Mason asks, concern shining in his eyes. His face is hard, serious, and reminds me so much of Aiden in that moment.
The weight of Aiden’s arm around my back is reassuring, so I take a deep breath and do the one thing I never thought I’d do, but the thing they deserve: I tell them everything.
Mason and Noah barely said a word as I told them my past: about me as Thea, as Isabella, as Hailey, and now, as Amelia. They asked a few questions, but otherwise they let me tell the story uninterrupted. When I’m done and wiping the tears from my eyes, Mason and Noah quietly sit there, processing everything I said.
“I know it’s a lot,” I say.
Noah and Mason look at each other, and as if sending a silent signal, both get up and jump on me, shoving Aiden aside in the process. We’re dog piled on the couch, and their arms come around me in a hug. I laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.
“We knew you were badass, but whoa,” Mason says from somewhere on top of me, and Noah’s sound of agreement comes from somewhere above me as well.
I shove them off me with a laugh. “Thanks, guys. Now get off me, you’re crushing me.”
They flop off me and Noah lands on the floor with a thud. “Ow!” He stands and rubs his butt, then sits back down on the couch beside me. “Are we going to set up a trap to catch him or what?”
My breath hitches. “What are you talking about?”
Mason’s nodding. He hasn’t bothered sitting back down, instead choosing to pace back and forth in front of me on the other side of the little coffee table. “Yeah. Yeah, you know, I think Noah’s actually right, for once. Let’s take the control back.”
I’m frozen to the spot, my mind reeling with what they’re saying. “We can’t do that!”
Mason frowns and stops his pacing. “Why the hell not? It’s weird Agent Dylan and friends didn’t do it in the first place. This all would’ve been over and you could’ve lived your life.”
Aiden shifts beside me. He’s been quiet this whole time, silently assessing the situation, but his body is tense. “I don’t think that’s legal, using a minor as bait,” he says.
“Well, good thing we’re not law enforcement,” Noah says, then turns to Mason. “Do you think Tony would notice if we put you in an Amelia wig and used you as bait?”
My spine straightens. “Are you guys being serious right now? Stop it. We’re not creating a trap.”
“Why not?” Mason’s still standing on the other side of the coffee table, directly in front of me. “You’re not alone now, or at least, it’s not just you and Aiden. You have me and Noah on your side now. We all have your back, and we can finish this once and for all so you can move on with your life.”
“I’m in! Let’s take him down!” Noah exclaims.
I’m too shocked to speak.
“No.” Aiden’s voice is clear and authoritative. His hand on my waist tightens. “This isn’t a game. It’s too dangerous. We’re not putting Amelia in danger.”
I find my words. “I’m not putting any of you in danger! It’s enough that you know, but to actually seek him out? No way. Plus, I don’t know if I can fully trust Agent Dylan, so I don’t want to get him involved.”
“Wait, why don’t you trust Agent Dylan?” Mason asks.
Aiden and I share a glance. Can we really tell them everything?
Noah gasps. “There’s more secrets!”
Mason sits, leaning toward us. “What aren’t you telling us?”
Aiden’s eyes search mine, and I know he’s leaving the decision up to me. I take a moment to process the revelations of the day.
Fuck it. They already know everything, might as well go all in.
“We have a theory,” I start, cautiously, “that I was placed here in King on purpose, because there’s increasing pressure to catch Tony, and while using me as bait isn’t legal, they can technically place me somewhere Tony would want to go on his own and happen to come across me.”
“Why would he want to come to King?” Noah asks.
I take a breath, gathering confidence. “Because I’m pretty sure Anna is his biological daughter.”
The room is quiet—so quiet I can hear the ticking of the clock on the wall in the kitchen all the way from here.
Noah’s jaw has dropped open, a look he’s sported multiple times today, and Mason’s wearing a similar shocked expression on his own face.
“Wow . . . his daughter.” Mason leans back on the couch and shakes his head. “Okay, so shady ethics aside, we can still end this. Ourselves. We’ve done riskier shit.”
My throat tightens. “No, Mason. I’m not putting any of you at risk.”
