The Secrets Within by S & K (interesting books to read for teens .txt) 📖

"Ariana!" yelled Adrielle. “We are going to be late!! It’s our graduation day!" Ariana seemed to be flying as she ran excitedly out her front door and hopped into the red convertible.


"Hey," she said as she gasped for breath. She looked into her compact mirror with a worried expression. "My hair..." she started to say. Adrielle rolled her eyes, and grinned.


"Looks amazing," finished Adrielle. “Now put on a smile cause we are finally out of that dump called Mount Ridgeview High School!!" Ariana couldn't help but to smile at the thought of that.. After all, this was the day they have been waiting for their entire lives. They spent 12 years of their lives pining to be the best and to finally make it to college, where they would get freedom. The two girls had been best friends since birth, literally. Adrielle and Ariana were conjoined at the hip. They did practically everything together, many people mistook them for sisters. Both were stunningly beautiful, resembling Barbie dolls.


"You look great too!" complimented Ariana. Adrielle nodded agreeably and turned up the music loud enough for anyone within a twenty mile radius to hear.


When they got to school they were rushed into the auditorium by Ms. Brinkley. Everyone was glad to be getting rid of her. Excited chatter was heard everywhere, along with tears being shed from knowing that they must part ways with some of their closest friends. Adrielle scanned the room for the last time. As much as she hated high school, she was going to miss this place.


"Now, I know you guys are excited about leaving this place but you need to be on your best behavior." She looked directly at Adrielle, Ariana, Michelle, Matt, Nate and Joe. They all looked down casually at their hands, pretending not to realize that the comment was directed at the six of them. They had planned on an extravagant prank at the end of the ceremony, and they knew that Mrs. Brinkley was going to kill them when it happened. Everyone lined up in their places as the music began to play. Smiles were stretched from ear to ear, and laughter exploded when Mrs. Brinkley almost had a panic attack. "Oh that’s your key! Go! Stand up straight!" She shook her head as the students strolled past her, and wiped a single, crystal tear away.


"Geez," Ariana said, "She seems so tense. She really needs to loosen up and have a little fun. It’s graduation day for crying out loud. She should be as happy as a freaking clam."


"Tell me about it." Agreed Adrielle. "Where did our parents say they were going to sit?" said Adrielle as she scanned the auditorium, trying to find the four of them. Her heart sunk a little when she didn’t see her parents anywhere.


"I don’t know." answered Ariana. She too, was searching for her parents. Her insides filled with worry as she thought about her parent’s missing one of the biggest moments of her life. "They said they would meet up at your place, and then come directly here. Maybe they are just late." She knew on the inside that her parents wouldn’t miss this for the world.


The entire ceremony was over, and by the end of it Adrielle and Ariana were a mixture of worry and anger stricken. Neither of their parents had bothered to show up. Ariana’s eyes filled with tears as she walked out of the building. Adrielle chased after her, anxiously. Adrielle panted as she caught up to her. Ariana just merely looked at Adrielle silently, she didn’t want to talk. Knowing this, Adrielle made her way to the driver’s seat and started the engine.


“Ariana! Adrielle!! “ A short redhead called after them. The two girls turned to see Gemma running after them to say goodbye. Frankly, neither of them really liked her and they just wanted to leave. When Gemma caught up to them, she began to give a big long trail of words that seemed to mean nothing at the time. Ariana just nodded and told her that she would miss her. Adrielle sneered at Ariana’s fake display of emotions towards Gemma. They parted their ways and drove of as fast as they could, leaving Gemma in the dust.


“Why do you think they didn’t come?” Ariana finally asked, round diamond-like tears were streaming down her face. Adrielle, however, didn’t cry. Her sea-green eyes filled with anger and sorrow all at once. She just watched Ariana, not knowing what to say. After what seemed like the longest fifteen minutes of their lives, they finally reached Ariana’s place. Ariana wiped her tears away gently, and brush her long thick black hair back. She got out of the car quickly and ran up the steps as Adrielle followed slowly behind her. Emotionless. Both girls had made sure this day would be perfect. They curled their dark hair to perfection, bought flawless dresses, and had gotten the scholarships that would make any parent proud. Everything was supposed to be flawless, but surely didn’t come out to be picture-perfect as their own parents didn’t come to their graduation.


"Let’s go inside." Adrielle muttered fiercely, as she turned the doorknob "Look, your parent's car is here, but there’s nobody inside." said Ariana peeking into the window. Adrielle ignored her and just walked in. Her face immediately looked revolted; the stench inside the house was unbearable. It smelled of death, rotting flesh, and worst of all, blood. Adrielle walked further inside, not knowing what to expect. Her eyes opened wide with shock. Her lips trembled when she saw the revoltingly gruesome scene that had occurred in Ariana’s, once beautiful, living room. Body parts were thrown everywhere. Blood covered their parents’ bodies. Everything was stained with red. EVERYTHING. Adrielle began to shake. She gasped and tried to say something, but choked on her own words. Fear was filling her insides, and pained seemed to creep in on her.


"What..." Ariana started to ask, and then stopped abruptly when she walked into the living room. She immediately burst into hysterical sobs. Both of the girls had tears streaming down their coffee toned faces. All at once, Adrielle heard voices from downstairs. Feet were climbing the wooden steps loudly. Adrielle frantically covered Ariana’s mouth and pulled her in the coat closet. Ariana glanced up at Adrielle questionably. Adrielle mouthed that she heard footsteps. After what seemed like years, they heard the culprits’ hostile voices. Ariana’s fingernails dug into the soft carpet as she used all her strength not to scream like a girl from a horror movie.


"Are you crazy?!” said the first voice. It was a woman, she sounded ageless, demeaning, and heartless. "You killed them asshole! How are we supposed to find out the information we need to know now?! Let’s leave before the girls come back. This isn’t how the plan was supposed to turn out."


"Sorry. Can we just wait for them to come back?" said the second voice. It was a rough, deep voice of a man. He sounded nervous and scared of the woman. "We can just kill whoever comes in our way. Besides, the hunger is killing me."


"We didn’t come here to kill everyone! We only came here to kill the girls you dimwit! For your information, their parents missed their damn graduation, what on earth makes you think they will be rushing to come home? They are probably out partying with their friends as a sorry act of rebellion." shouted the woman; iciness was seething in her voice "Let’s go!" Her voice got deeper and fierce as she ordered the man to leave. Adrielle and Ariana were paralyzed with fear. They listened as the sounds of the culprit’s footsteps trailed off. They didn’t know why they were wanted and who these people even were. But because of them, their family was dead, gone, and never going to come back. Two long hours dragged on. Finally, Adrielle decided that she needed to get the phone to call the cops. Ariana started to get up to go with her, but Adrielle sat her back down. Adrielle forced Ariana to stay where she was and ran out to grab the phone to call the cops.


The cops were horror stricken, and most of all confused. They imagined whoever had done this was a crazed serial killer. They examined the scene carefully. Yellow crime scene tape was placed all around the house, leaving all the neighbors to gather around and gossip carelessly. Ariana and Adrielle were taken to a hotel nearby, by the cops. They questioned both of them, without even considering the fact that they had just witnessed the most terrible thing in their lives. Ariana told the officer about the voices that they had heard from the closet. The chief executive then decided rapidly that Adrielle and Ariana would have to be put into the witness protection program. As much as the cops empathized for the girls, they needed to be protected, even if it meant taking them away from their homes and everything they’ve worked for their whole lives.


Ariana and Adrielle were a blubbery mess. Silence crept through the hallways as they packed their things. On the morning of their departure from their so-called lives, Officer Brown finally told them where they were going to be staying. "We are going to take you to a small town in Minnesota. You will be living in an apartment in Stillwater. You are not; I repeat, not, allowed to give out any information about your past.” The girls just glared at him angrily and thoughtfully.


“Okay, so what about jobs and other shit?" questioned Adrielle, unsure of what the response would be. She didn’t care that she had just cursed in front of a cop, or that she was being terribly rude to him.


"You both will be working at a local coffee shop.” Officer Brown seemed to ignore her remark. He shoved his fat fingers into his coat pocket to pull out two fake ids. If anyone asks what you are doing in Stillwater, say that you are there to attend college, and just want a steady job for the summer. Your families…uhm….stopped talking to you both and you all have been on your own since." He was firm and spoke with authority. There was no sign of emotion in him. Ariana looked at Adrielle and both knew what each other was thinking. They life was going to change forever. Officer Brown left without saying goodbye. He was awkward, and uncomfortable with the situation. The thought of two teenage girls losing themselves completely, had never even crossed his mind.