Lakewood: The Next Chapter

Secrets don't stay secret

After everything that happened, it sticks me with an injured leg, which sucks. Did you ever wear a cast?  It sucks because it itches a lot. The doctor thought it would be better if I wore one to let my leg heal. I disagree.

"Malia.  Stop itching," Luka ordered me as he took the pencil from my hand.  He got up from the couch and put the pencil on the table. I grabbed a pen. "Malia!"

"It itches!"  I exclaimed. Luka snatched the pen out of my hand as I pouted.

"Tough nuggies," Luka told me.

"Did you say tough nuggies?"  I asked.

"Yes, I did," Luka answered as he smirked.

I pursued my lips and looked at him, annoyed.

"Is Malia pouting again?"  Dad asked, entering the living room. I was sitting on the couch with my leg propped on a pillow with my arms crossed.

"Yep," Luka answered as Dad chuckled. Luka lifted my legs before sitting down, then placing my legs on his lap.

"You have four weeks to go in your cast. The doctor said if you heal, then he will remove it," Dad told me.

"It's so unfair. Some deranged guy stabs me, and I get to suffer. That makes me distrustful of any guy," I said emphatically. Luka gave me a look. "Besides you," I added.

"Nice save," Luka retorted while rolling his eyes.

"You'll be fine," Dad assured me as he went into the kitchen. I pouted. All I wanted was this stupid cast off. Is that too much to ask?

I looked at Luka as he sat there. We hadn't discussed his mom, and I didn't want to ask. Okay, that's not true. I was dying to ask, but I didn't know how he would feel about it.

"You want to know, don't you?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Know what?" I asked, playing dumb.

Luka looked at me with that look that says, don't play dumb and ask.

"Okay, I want to know," I said. "You didn't talk about it except for the day they released me from the hospital."

"What's to talk about with it? My mom was crazy and a serial killer. She's dead, and the murders stopped." He shrugged.

"Are you okay?" I asked with concern.

"I'm okay. It doesn't mean I will turn out like my mom, and it's a relief to know the truth," Luka told me.

"That's the problem with secrets. They never stay secret," I mentioned as Luka nodded in agreement.

The problem is while we thought the killings were over with, that was just the beginning. The identity of the killer hid, and they're still alive. The person stopped, giving us false hope and security. It was a matter of time before they started again.

******
While Luka was busy keeping from scratching, Damon was dealing with issues of his own; he's developing feelings for Niko.

"Why don't you admit that you care about him?"  Abby asked Damon.

"I don't want a label," Damon told her as he lit a cigarette.

"Ew, gross," Abby said as she snatched the cigarette from his mouth and extinguished it. "Dad will hurt you if he finds out you're still smoking, plus it's gross."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Stop worrying about my habits and focus," Damon ordered her.

"Okay, quit smoking and declare your undying love for your best friend. No one says you need labeling as anything depending on who you love. That's the problem," Abby reminded him.

Damon looked at her and thought about it.

"People are too quick to label others to justify their clarification. If you love particular sex, you're this or that.  That's bullshit," Abby reasoned.

"Let's not forget Niko slept with you," he reminded her.

"That doesn't mean anything. It was the heat of the moment, and you denied your feelings. Stop shifting the focus on me and throw it back on you. Now, I think you should tell Niko," Abby declared.

"I think you're nuts," Damon remarked.

"I'm not nuts. I'm very sane, and I think you're in denial. You either shit or get off the pot, but stop denying your feelings," Abby ordered him.

Damon looked at her unamused.  This conversation isn't what he wanted but knew his sister is right. He had to make a decision or deal with misery. That's easier said than done. Have you met Damon and Niko?

Niko has no issue declaring his feelings, and Damon has every problem with them. My friends were the most confusing people out there, although it's not like we all don't have our issues.

Luka and I both have OCD, which makes for a fun time together. It catches Jasmine in a fake relationship with Damon. Abby plays a mediator. Then you have Niko, who, despite everything his dad put him through, is a happy-go-lucky guy who's in love with Damon, but Damon's in denial.

Did I forget we also have a serial killer who is about to rear their ugly head soon?  Life is going to interesting quickly for all of us.

What was coming, someone would die and putting the rest of us in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the Lakewood Serial Killer.

It's back, and the serial killer is still loose. Our group will deal with the killer while navigating their issues. Everyone will play a game of cat and mouse as they go head to head with The Lakewood Serial killer.

As they say, secrets don't stay secret long in a small town, and all small cities carry a secret of their own. Get ready because things are going to get bumpy.