What Lies Beneath Page #12

The undiscovered truth of Nicholas Anderson

• Fiction

								


"Really you don'-" 

Before he could finish, Leo came out and interrupted him. "Let me introduce you all to everyone," he said. "Guys, this is Nicholas and his sister, Anne. Now, everyone, please introduce yourselves to them."

"Me first, I'm Emmett," he says, grinning.

"I'm Wyatt, unfortunately, this idiot is my little brother," a young, green-eyed version of Emmett says.

"Hey!" Emmett says, glaring at him.

"Ignore my younger brothers; they're both idiots. I'm Emily," a girl says. She looks like Emmett, but her eyes are brown instead of green.

"I'm Evan, the birthday boy," he says with a mouth full of hamburger.

"That's my big brother for you. I'm Beatrice, but call me Betty," a girl with red hair and eyes says with a smile.

"I'm Benjamin, but most people call me Ben," a bored, older-looking Evan says.

"I'm Zack, and as you can see, because of that loser's lack of friends, we are the unfortunate souls who had to come." I'm just going to assume this guy is also one of Rick and Ray's brothers.

"You could have just sent your gift," Evan says with a sweet smile. "Your presence wasn't required."

"Well, I guess that's everyone. Please help yourselves to anything," Leo says. "If you need anything," he starts before looking at everyone, "just come find me."

"Are you saying we're unreliable?" Emily asked, glaring at him.

"You said it," was Leo's only reply.

"Did you forget it was a pool party?" Rick quietly inquired, I noticed that the guys were wearing swimming trunks, some with loose shirts or no shirt at all, while the girls wore loose summer dresses over their swimwear, including Anne.

I was the only one wearing shorts with a long-sleeved shirt. "I don't know how to swim," I whispered back honestly.

Before he could respond, a young lady approached us. She was wearing a white dress with a delicate floral pattern, and her long ginger hair was neatly tied in a ponytail. She appeared to be around Anne's age. "Hey, I like your dress. If you'd like, you can come and sit with me," she said to Anne with a big grin.

"Sure." With only that, the girl grabs her hand and pulls her along toward where Andy and the guy named Wyatt are seated.

"Please don't worry; they won't eat her," Ray reassures me, noticing my concern. "Furthermore, they are all of a similar age."

Trying to overcome my discomfort, I sat down with the guys. However, it was challenging not to feel anxious with everyone glancing at Anne, Andy, and me at every opportunity. I could sense that they had numerous questions, yet they chose to behave as if everything were normal.

"Here you go," Emmett says, handing me a plate of food. Unlike everyone else's full plates, mine had half a burger, some fries, and a bit of salad. It was the perfect amount of food.

One would assume that Emmett's personality might make him less observant, but surprisingly, he is quite perceptive.

As everyone had finished eating, Emily politely suggested that we play a game of 'Never have I ever', since it was not advisable to swim after a meal. We all agreed and ended up sitting in a circle on the grass with a bottle in the middle.

"Alright, I propose an exciting game. We'll spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on will pose a question. After everyone who has done so has taken a shot of the mushroom and pickle juice, we'll spin the bottle again," Emily suggests enthusiastically, clapping her hands.

"Are these the vomit-inducing games you like to play?" Ben asks.

"Shut up," Emily says, spinning the bottle.

We all observed as the bottle completed a full rotation before landing in front of Zack. He responded with a slight smile and straightened his posture.

"Remember, there are children here," Loe says.

"Yeah, yeah," he says, his eyes not losing their mischievous glint. "Never have I ever made out with any one here" he says clearly target someone. 

That's how five out of the thirteen people present obtained a beverage. The people in question are Wyatt, Rick, Emily, Ben, and Andy. We watched as they all firmly closed their eyes before consuming the shot, and as their expressions contorted in distaste as they swallowed the drink.

"Wait, Emily is the only girl taking a shot, and I doubt she kissed all of you, much less you, Wyatt," Zack said, looking at them all questioningly. "So, who touched my precious brother's lips?" he interrogated.

"Give it a rest, Zack. Andy isn't a baby," Betty says. "Now, spin the bottle," she commands. I could tell that Zack wasn't the only curious brother as Leo and Ray look at Andy and Rick questioningly.

Realizing he won't get any answers, Zack spins the bottle, which lands on Ray. Both guys look at each other before smirking.

"I've never kissed a guy," he says, waiting to see who has a drink. 

The entire group fell silent as we observed to see if anyone would consume alcohol. It was evident that Ben, Rick, Andy, and Wyatt were feeling uncomfortable, and as a result, no one was paying attention to me. I wondered if what he had done to me also counted, I thought as my hands began to tremble.

"I think this game has gone too far," Leo says, taking the drinks and standing up. "It's over."

"Boo! We were getting to the best part," Zack complains.

"Stop that and help me clear things up," Leo firmly says, giving no room to argue.

With that, everyone did their own thing for the rest of the time as the guys and I chilled by the pool.

Chapter 10
Third person perspective

Twelve years ago,

It was announced early in the day that a severe storm was expected to impact Phoenix, Arizona, and other regions of North America. However, none of the Collins boys anticipated the severity of the storm as they huddled together in their eldest brother's bedroom, watching the torrential downpour outside the window. As the trees in front of their house swayed frantically due to the strong winds, some even struck their grandmother's house.

However, it was not the fact that the storm was terrifying that caused the boys to still be awake past 2 am. It was the fact that their mother and little sister were out in that storm. The boys had begged her not to go out there or to at least let them accompany her. The youngest son, Andy, practically wailed in cries, politely begging his mother to take him with her, saying that he didn't want to leave her or his twin sister. But the woman rejected the idea.

As they all waited for the morning to arrive, they reminisced about their conversations with their mother.

"I assure you, my dears, that I will return," she had said in a gentle and soothing voice as she held her two-year-old son, Andy, in her arms. Beside her stood her other son, Zack, who, despite being twelve years old, often exhibited childlike behavior and yearned for his mother's love and attention.

"It's all right, Mother. I can handle it," her eldest son reassured her. However, as a mother, she could discern the uncertainty in his eyes as he stood tall, with his five-year-old brother, Ray, imitating him, as if to convey that he was all grown up. Yet, right beside him stood a silently weeping Rick, attempting to wipe away his tears and runny nose.

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