When Truth Surface (Book #2 of "When Secrets Surface")

Chapter 9

Dorothy's POV

Sophie has been acting up anytime we see Theo.

She just runs away or finds a place to hide.

"Sophie you can't keep living your life as if you robbed from the bank and you're on the run now," I said.

"What?" Sophie raised an eyebrow at me.

"You've been hiding from Theo. You can't live like that," I told her.

"I'm fine," She said.

No, you are not.

She hasn't been since she hit her head.

Sophie's POV

The city of Los Angeles was draped in a shroud of twilight when I finally sat down in the dim light of my room, the hum of the city outside barely cutting through the thick silence.

I can't sleep after seeing Theo.

Will he try to kill me again?

I rubbed my eyes and glanced at the clock—2:17 AM.

Another night wasted.

Dorothy burst in without knocking, "Sophie, you won't believe what just happened!"

"Is it another one of your wild parties?"I groaned, sinking deeper into the fortress of my blankets.

Dorothy has been going to loads of parties lately. At least she is happy.

"No, no! I heard them talking about Naylene!"

My heart dropped. Naylene was still missing.

It's been five days and I am becoming more and more guilty.

"Why were they talking about her?" I asked

"Maybe it's because all of the posters everywhere!" Dorothy exclaimed, her voice rising in urgency. "Nichole found a note in her room. It was, cryptic. She thought it could help."

I shot up, adrenaline cutting through my fatigue. "A note? What did it say?"

Dorothy rummaged through her bag and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "Here! It's—well, it's weird."

I took it from her and unfolded it. The handwriting was messy, almost frantic.

"The truth hides in the shadows. Only in the light will you know."

"Sounds like a riddle," Dorothy said, pacing back and forth, her long hair swinging all over the place, "What does it mean?"

"Maybe it's a clue?"I suggested, my mind racing,"I'll call Nichole".

"We need to talk to Nichole," Dorothy said.

I nodded, her eyes wide with excitement and fear. "We need to find out what's really going on."

We arrived at Naylene's luxurious house, a chill swept over me.

The familiar space felt foreign as if an unseen force had tainted it.

Dorothy knocked on the door, her knuckles rapping against the polished wood." Nichole! It's us!"

No answer.

"Maybe she's in the shower?"Dorothy suggested but her voice faltered.

I pushed the door open, the creak echoing in the empty hallway. The living room was untouched, the scent of lavender still lingering in the air. I stepped inside, my heart pounding against my ribs, "Nichole?"

Nothing.

Just silence.

"What are you guys doing here?"a groggy Nichole said.

We showed her the note.

She said ooo under her breath .

Nichole led us down the hallway toward Naylene's bedroom.

The door was slightly ajar, and I pushed it open to reveal a room that seemed frozen in time. The bed was unmade, clothes strewn across the floor like the remnants of a hastily abandoned life.

Nichole picked up a purple laptop.
"I want you to have this for now... maybe it will help," She handed it over to me.

I opened it. It was still logged into her account.

Nichole flicked the lights on.

"She must have been using it before..." I trailed off, the implication hanging heavy in the air.

Dorothy picked it up, her eyes gleaming with mischief." Let's see what secret Naylene has been hiding."

Dorothy leaned over my shoulder, trying to crash the wave of anxiety welling up inside me."Do you know her password?"

I let out a laugh, a sound that felt wrong in the heavy atmosphere. "Of course not! But I've seen her type it before... I think it was something like
'NayNay' or I don't know.

Dorothy cringed, "That's so cliché."

"Cliché or not, it's worth a shot"
I typed in a few variations, each attempt met with an unforgiving *beep*.

"This isn't working, Sophie," Dorothy said, pacing the room, "What if we're wasting time?"

"Time is exactly what we don't have!" I replied, my voice rising. "Let me try one more time."

I closed my eyes, trying to focus as I typed again, the *beep* ringing in my ears like an ominous warning.

Then it happened. The screen blinked, and a message appeared: "Access denied. Too many attempts."

"Great," Dorothy muttered, running a hand through my hair. "Now we're
locked out."

Dorothy groaned, slamming the laptop shut. "What do we do now?"

"Maybe we should check the rest of her room," I suggested, the thought of rifling through her belongings making me uneasy. But the urgency of the situation overshadowed my hesitation.

We searched through her drawers, flipping through clothes and trinkets that once seemed insignificant. The air was thick with desperation, each item a reminder of her absence. I caught a glimpse of something beneath her bed—a small, dusty box.

"Dorothy, come here!" I called, pulling it out.

She knelt beside me as I opened it. Inside was a collection of old photographs, letters, and... a journal.

"Is this hers?" she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

I found another note.

'Talk to A'

"A. Who's A?" I muterred under my breath.

"We have to search for answers like we always do," Dorothy said.

As we left the house, the darkness of the night seemed to thicken around us. I could feel the weight of Naylene's absence pressing down on my chest, an eerie reminder that truth can often be hidden in the shadows. And as we stepped into the unknown, I knew one thing for certain—we wouldn't stop until we found her.