Chapter 6: Riley's Fear

POV: Riley Chen (16)

The black car pulled up outside our house for the third time today.

I pressed my face against my bedroom window and watched two men in dark suits get out. They didn't knock on our door. They just stood there, looking at our house like wolves watching sheep.

My hands shook as I reached for my phone. I wanted to call someone for help, but who? The cops worked for Eleanor. My teachers were scared of her. Even my foster parents, Mom and Dad Henderson, whispered Eleanor's name like she was a monster that might appear if they spoke too loud.

The men got back in their car and drove away. But I knew they'd be back.

They'd been watching our house ever since the new detective lady came to town. Maya Chen. My real aunt, though she didn't know it yet.

I knew exactly who Maya was the moment I saw her picture in the newspaper. She looked just like my real mom, Lisa. The same dark hair, the same determined eyes, the same stubborn chin that meant trouble for anyone who got in her way.

Mom Henderson called from downstairs. "Riley, honey, can you come down here?"

I grabbed my bag and shoved clothes inside as fast as I could. Something bad was about to happen. I could feel it in the air like lightning before a storm.

Downstairs, Mom and Dad Henderson sat at the kitchen table looking scared and sad. Dad's hands shook as he poured coffee. Mom's eyes were red like she'd been crying.

"Sweetie, we need to talk," Mom said.

I sat down but kept my backpack on my lap. "It's about Maya Chen, isn't it?"

Dad nearly dropped his coffee cup. "How do you know that name?"

"Because she's my aunt. My birth mom's sister. And Eleanor Blackwood is going to hurt her because of me."

Mom started crying again. "Oh honey, we never wanted you to find out this way."

"Find out what? That Eleanor killed my real mom? That she's been watching me my whole life like I'm some kind of prisoner? That everyone in this town is too scared to tell the truth?"

Dad reached across the table and took my hand. "Riley, we love you like our own daughter. When Eleanor planned your adoption, she said it was to protect you. To give you a safe home after your mother died."

"But it wasn't true, was it?" I pulled my hand away. "Eleanor didn't adopt me to protect me. She adopted me to control me."

Mom and Dad looked at each other with that look adults get when they're sharing secrets kids aren't meant to know.

"Tell me," I said. "I'm sixteen years old. I'm not a little kid anymore. Tell me the truth."

Dad sighed deeply. "Two years ago, your real mother came to Millbrook Bay looking for you. She'd been tracking down the adoption records. Eleanor told us Lisa was a drug user who wanted to take you away and sell you for money."

My heart felt like it was breaking. "But that wasn't true."

"No," Mom whispered. "We found out later that Lisa was a good person. She just wanted to meet you. To make sure you were happy and safe." "And Eleanor killed her for it."

Dad's voice cracked. "We can't prove that, honey. But three days after Lisa left town, we heard about the car crash in San Francisco."

I stood up so fast my chair fell over. "So you've known this whole time that Eleanor murdered my birth mom, and you said nothing?"

"Riley, please understand," Mom said. "Eleanor rules everything in this town. If we spoke up, she would have taken you away from us. Or worse."

"Worse how?"

Dad and Mom looked at each other again.

"Tell me!"

"Other families who crossed Eleanor," Dad said quietly. "Their children had crashes. Got sick. Some families moved away in the middle of the night and were never seen again."

The room felt like it was spinning. Eleanor hadn't just killed my real mom. She'd been threatening my foster family for two years to keep them quiet.

"That's why those men are watching our house," I said. "Eleanor knows Maya is here asking questions."

Mom nodded. "Eleanor called this morning. She said Maya was dangerous and that we needed to keep you away from her."

"What else did she say?"

Dad's face went white. "She said if Maya gets too close to the truth, there might be another accident. This time involving our whole family." I felt like I was going to throw up. Eleanor was going to kill Mom and Dad Henderson because of me. Because Maya was trying to find me.

"I have to go," I said.

"Go where?" Mom asked.

"Away. If I'm not here, Eleanor can't use me to hurt you. And she can't use you to hurt Maya."

"Absolutely not," Dad said. "Riley, you're sixteen years old. You can't just run away."

"I'm not running away. I'm protecting the people I love."

I headed for the door, but Mom blocked my way.

"Honey, Eleanor will find you no matter where you go. She has people everywhere. The only safe thing to do is exactly what she says."

"What she says is let Maya die!" I shouted. "Just like she let my birth mom die. I won't do it. I won't let another person get hurt because of me."

Dad stood up. "Riley, think about this. If something happens to you, what will that do to Maya? She just found out you exist. If she loses you too..."

He was right. Maya had already lost her sister. If something happened to me, it would destroy her.

But if I stayed, Eleanor would kill all of us.

I looked at Mom and Dad Henderson, the only parents I'd ever really known. They loved me. They'd protected me as much as they could. But they couldn't protect me from Eleanor.

Nobody could.

"I love you both," I said. "But I have to go."

I pushed past Mom and ran for the door.

"Riley, wait!"

I turned around one last time. "Tell Maya I'm sorry. Tell her I tried to protect everyone."

I opened the door and stopped dead.

Eleanor Blackwood stood on our front door, smiling like a shark.

"Hello, Riley," she said sweetly. "Going somewhere?"