The Secret

Chapter 15

His eyes were closed. The dream he'd had- he couldn't remember. Something bad had happened. He felt sad. No, sad wasn't the right word.

He opened his eyes to see light flowing over a white ceiling. White walls around him. He pushed his hand down the surface beside him to feel smooth sheets. He was in a bed, his bed. Of course. Where else would he be? He pulled himself up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He could hear talk coming from beyond the bedroom door, his bedroom door.

He pushed the sheets off of his legs and stood up uncertainly. He looked down to himself. Jeans, a t-shirt. He looked around his room for a minute. He couldn't find.... What was he looking for? He went to the closet and pulled the door open. Off a hanger fell, into his hand, a dark blue jacket. He stared at it for a moment. Something seemed off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He shook his head and pushed his arms through the sleeves.

Outside the room was a walkway that lead to a few more rooms, going around a stairwell. He followed the steps down to the front hall. He quickly found his way to the kitchen where he found three others. Two sat at the counter and one stood at the stove.

New York walked in and New Jersey turned to him with a wide grin. "And look who's finally awake!"

"Just in time, too." Dakota came over and placed a plate in front of New Jersey and Massachusetts each. "Over easy for Aaron and scrambled for Alex, just like his brains this morning."

"Not my problem if I'm the only one who sees it," New Jersey said.

"What would you like, Jackson?"

New York looked to New Hampshire. Her hair pulled back with only a few bangs framing her face, a smile on her lips.

"Uh..." He couldn't speak for a moment. Breakfast. "Just a couple eggs," he said hesitantly.

"Alright." She turned back to the stove. New York heard the crack of two eggs before a long sizzling. When she came back, she had a plate and fork in her hand that she set down in front of him.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

He picked up his fork and cut up the eggs, the golden yolk running over the ceramic plate. He lifted the utensil to his lips and lowered it, a piece of egg in his mouth when he saw Dakota step closer to him.

His body froze for a moment when he felt something warm on his cheek. He tried to rethink it quickly, but his mind immediately went to the easiest and quickest solution that he somehow already knew. He looked to Dakota to see her smiling face. He smiled back, though he still felt confused. When had this become a thing? Wait, no. It always been this way. What was he thinking? What was wrong with him today?

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "I'm fine."

"I think sleeping beauty isn't really awake yet," Alex teased.

"Shut it."

"Maybe another kiss will wake him up," Aaron suggested.

Jackson glared at the two friends he had grown up with.

"Well, I've got to go meet Adelynn," Dakota said.

"You're leaving me with these two?"

She smirked. "You'll survive." Jackson watched her leave before turning back to his breakfast.

-

"Everything is going smoothly."

"Excellent. The plan worked."

"Well, there seems there may have been one catch," Valdise said.

"And what's that?" Luciano asked.

"No one will remover anything, but the people at ground zero. They won't exactly remember per say, but we may want to watch them."

"And that would be?" Luciano said, quickly loosing his patience.

"Besides those of us who were involved, Alan, Viktor, their two states: Michael and Adelynn, Vladimir, Ludwig, Kiku, Matthew, Alfred, Ivan and their two states: Jackson and Dakota."

"Then, we'll keep an eye on them. We can't allow them to ruin all of this."

-

She couldn't quite ID it. There was something off about this whole day, about everything. Not on the way Alex had been talking, but how Jackson had been acting, how she felt. She couldn't understand what was bothering her.

Dakota met Adelynn at the usual place; Concord. She walked up the steps of the capital building and went inside. In the office they always met at, Dakota closed the door behind her and saw Adelynn sitting at the desk.

This was the first- no. This wasn't the first meeting they'd had. Then why did it feel that way?

Adelynn stood and walked to Dakota. She extended her hand and they both shook each other's hand in greeting, as was custom. She offered Dakota a seat and they both sat down.

She kept trying to ignore it, but she couldn't. Something felt off. This whole meeting, the two of them being here. She looked to the front of the room. On either side stood a a flag pole, each carrying a flag that trailed just over the floor. One was a dark blue, the center holding the state seal surrounded by the laurel leaves and nine stars. The opposite flag was made of stars and stripes. Thirteen red and white stripes, and forty-nine stars.

Dakota told this to herself in her head. She stopped once she got to the stars. Forty-nine. That was the right number. Then why did it seem wrong?