Family Secrets

Skylars POV

It didn't take long for us to reach the town's big docks, Kade allowed me to tug him along wherever I went. It made me really happy and reminded me of when we were younger. He would follow me anywhere and always stayed very close behind.

"Skye! Are you fucking kidding me!" Kade curses and wobbles, he is trying to climb onto the boat, but he keeps slipping with the water dripping off the huge vessel.

"Go go go! Somebody could be coming any moment!" I whisper shout and had to slap my hands over my mouth to stop myself from laughing very loudly.

Kade just slipped and landed with a splash in the water, he came back up spluttering and muttering curses, I pulled my hand away from my mouth and put a finger to my nose, in a 'shush' motion.

I let out a snort and lean forwards, "Jesus christ you look so bad Kade!" I said still chuckling and held out my hand for him to take. It was too much of a great distance, too great for me to pull him up.

I looked back and forth between him and the boat, 'I really hope nobody is on this thing.' I think, hoping and praying nobody is on the boat as I crouch and leap myself onto the boat, just barely making it.

I notice Kade is swimming to a ladder attached to the boat and waited all the while just staring at him, my lips pulled up into a smirk I couldn't keep off my lips.

"Good job, dumbass," I muttered but enough for him to hear me.

Kade scoffs when he pulls himself up and onto the boat, "Bracehead." He retorts back.

I gasp and stare at him a split second before bursting out laughing, "Seriously, you had to bring that up?" I asked, but not really serious.

Kades arms come up, and he holds out his hands, "Not my fault. I wasn't the one blessed with headgear for braces. Bracehead." He glanced at me, already smirking from his own joke, and then he just lets out how own burst of laughter.

I lowered my gaze towards him and glowered at him, before getting the best idea I've ever had, as Kade was busy laughing, I stepped forwards and pushed with all my strength Kade out of the boat, and into the freezing water once again.

As he comes back up, I could see on his face he was going to get revenge, "Now you're freezing!" I yelled down to him and could see him laughing but glowering at me.

I waste no time running around, and into the downstairs part of the massive boat, I run and in no time I could hear Kade yelling behind me, "Skye! You better run!"

My blood was racing and my adrenaline was running high, making my heartbeat speed up and almost pound right out of my chest. I wasn't scared, instead, I was enjoying this feeling. The feeling of being okay. Being amused. Having fun. Being at ease. Being happy. I haven't felt at peace in so long, it's a relieving feeling that I was able to be capable of these things after what I've experienced.

Hearing Kades voice getting louder, I stop momentarily, suddenly very wary about going too far on this exquisite boat. The huge but nice interior reminded me of my new furniture. I was shocked when the owners of my building who I found out whose name was Frezzel's, left all their furniture to me.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Mrs. Frezzle number, as she gave it to me when she sent a letter back to me, thanking me for the money. They are an elderly couple who wanted to live out their last days of being alive in Las Vegas, where apparently they weren't getting a house, they lived in an apartment and apparently, it was too small to have all the furniture in that house.

It rang a few times before Mr. Frezzle picked up, "Yes?" He said.

"Hi Mr. Frezzle, its Skye! I just wanted to thank you both again for everything. The house is amazing and it couldn't be any more perfect."

Mr. Frezzle coughs a little and clears his throat, "Of course dear! I don't know if it's a surprise to you, but we know your family. Mrs. Frezzle and I wanted to do something nice, upon your return as well. We gave a call to a furniture company and paid a substantial amount to help you get your treehouse expanded." He explains and I get confused very fast.

"Wait, you know my family?" I ask, curious.

"Yes dear, we lived in a very small cottage in the woods, when you lived there. Your mother asked that we take care of it while you moved away. She had a feeling you would eventually want to move back. Learn more about their lives when they couldn't tell you directly." Mr. Frezzle says.

I cocked my head to the side as Kade comes flying into the room, "Aha I got yo-" He went to say but cut himself off when he realized I was on the phone.

"How did you know about them, and everything? Why would you send people to expand something that you wouldn't even know about?" I find myself almost pleading. Everything not making sense.

How did they know about my life, when I didn't even really know what was going on? Why did they want to help expand my treehouse, when they shouldn't have even known it existed. I don't understand.

The other line rustles for a moment and then, Mrs. Frezzle comes on the phone, "Oh dear! I was hoping we would hear from you again!" She says, and I can hear her voice getting softer the more she spoke.

I went to open my mouth and say something, basically ignoring Kades presence, but Mrs. Frezzle speaks up.

"Now my dear, you're probably really confused as to what's going on. So I will give you the short version. Your mother reached out to many people regarding her problems and plans for you. Your mother had things in order so you could be protected. She as well as had a plan, kept every one that she told in the loop, sending us letters whenever she could. She still does." Mrs. Frezzle says and I know she wanted to help clear some questions in my head.

But it just made more apparent, as questions fly in and out of my head.

"Your parents were a part of something huge. Your mother gave you up for adoption when you were born Skylar, in fact...Carter isn't even your real name!" Mrs. Frezzle exclaims and that had me sucking in a very deep breath.

"What?" I asked, my heart pounding hard and fast.

"I know my dear. I can't imagine what you're going through. But I need to warn you. Your biological father may have let you go for now, but he will be back. He will bring a lot of firearms and he will take you willingly or not. He wants his family." She says shakily and almost sounds as if shes affected by this.

She's elderly and could be the age to be my-no. I'm not going there.

"He will not stop until he has you again. Skylar, you need to be careful. I know you don't know Mr Frezzle and I, but we know you. We have always known you." She says warmly and the hand holding up my phone shakes.

I don't understand. Why would he come back for me if he let me go. He could have said no, threatened me, anything. But he didn't. He wasn't even awake for me to say goodbye to him, he was in his recliner snoring up a storm.

Why does she sound like he was a murderer or something? She made him sound so much more worse than I remember or know. How would she know me, my mom, and my dad if she wasn't telling the truth? A throbbing headache started forming around my head, and I groaned.

"I don't understand." I said meakly.

"I know dear. But Mr. Frezzle and I will be in touch shortly. Be cautious Skylar." With that, the phone call ended and I was left just standing in the middle of the room inside the boat, like an idiot.

Kade was silent throughout that entire conversation, "Um. Should I even ask what that was about?" His earlier humor left and here was a serious Kade.

"I don't know." I say, mostly in shock and trying to understand what was going on. I thought I had most of the pieces put together, but it seems now that I was wrong. I wasn't nearly as close to figuring everything out as I thought I was.

Kade comes closer and reaches out a hand, I shake my head and Kade growls, "Skye, you're my bestfriend." He tried to justify.

"Not after what I did. What we did. It was wrong and a terrible choice I made." I state drily.

Kade hangs his head in disappointment, "It wasn't my finest behavior, but-" Kade went to say and by that point, I had already started backward very slowly.

Going boating was a big mistake.

Everything I did seemed to be a mistake lately.

"No Kade. No buts. We made a mistake. Let it be that." I insisted.

I still couldn't wrap my head around my last name not even really being Carter, and I realized I forgot to ask. I knew there was a reason I didn't know who I was. Because I didn't.

'I'm not really a Carter?' I think sadly.

Then who am I? What was my name? And why did Mrs. Frezzle say my parents couldn't tell me? What was stopping them. Or who? And what the hell did my father do that was so bad?

"We're not friends Kade. We're strangers. We don't know each other." I say and go to turn around.

Kades hand shoots out and clamps around my wrist stopping me, "You think I stopped being your friend the whole time you were gone? I waited for you to get in touch with me. I waited for you." Kade says softly and puts emphasis on waited and you.

"What do you mean Kade?" I asked, my heart picking speed up agan.

Kade sighs exasperated, "You really don't get it do you? Skye I was in love with you." He says finally.

I yanked my hand away from his grasp, "That's impossible. What did you know of love, we didn't know what love was." I say firmly.

"Maybe so. But it was love from where I stood." Kade said.

I got mad and turned around, "Fuck you Kade. You cannot say this now." I spit out, suddenly very mad at him. How dare he say that.

"Relax, I'm not saying I love you now. I have a beautiful woman to call my fiance, I was just saying how I felt back then." Kade reassures but I wasn't so sure.

A sick feeling started rolling in my stomach, "Kade we can never be best friends again. But we can be friends. That's it."

I didn't know how we got to this conversation. The man standing before me was my former best friend and childhood crush, but we were no longer kids. It was time to put an end to the constant bickering of my inner self to think about Kade.

Kade just confessed at one point when we were little, he fell in love with me. I don't even know how that happens. But I do because I felt the same towards him.

I couldn't stop thinking about him, because I wanted him in my life again. I wanted to be his friend and try to reconnect myself to the old Skye. But now I don't even know who the old Skye is.

This was turning into a ridiculous and immature battle for a friendship that was bound to melt in flames. This is all so stupid and I suddenly wanted to be off the boat and at home.

"I'm going home, Kade." I said and turned around to leave out the door, without sparing Kade another glance. My mind was befuddled and all I could do was hate myself. For convincing myself to go boating. For staying around Kade.

"Skylar!" I hear Kade behind me, but I quicken my steps so I'm running down the docks and up the hill and all the way to my house.

I run in the backyard, not knowing if Allie Mae was inside the treehouse, but needing to be in there regardless. I ran up to the door, opened it, and ran up the spiral steps almost falling down them as my foot slipped slightly.

"Skye?!" I hear Allie Mae exclaim when she heard me stomping up the stairs.

"What happened?" She demanded as I come to a stop almost in tears and completely breathless.

"So many things Allie Mae. But for starters, I guess I'm not a Carter."