Categories > Books > Stephen King > The Secrets Within
Chapter Five: Revealed Secret
After the final school bell rang, Orion waited for his dad to pick him up. After a few minutes, his red Jetta pulled up. Orion got in as his dad drove towards home, dropped him off, and then left for work.
Orion stepped into his house just as the smell of his mother's cooking reached his nose. He walked into the kitchen to get some food.
"Hello, Orion. How was your day?" Lauren, his mother, asked as she looked up to see him come in.
"Pretty good," he replied, helping himself to a piece of peach pie. "By the way, Matt's coming soon. He wanted some help with homework."
"Matt? What's his last name? How old is he?"
"Matt Regal. He's a junior. A year older than me."
"Matt Regal? Bobby's son? That's strange. I used to work with Bobby. I don't recall him having a son."
"You used to work with his dad? Where?"
Lauren opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again. Orion wasn't supposed to know. She couldn't tell him. Lucky for her, the doorbell rang just then. She sighed a breath of relief.
"I'll get it," Orion said, finishing off his pie and getting up. "It's probably Matt." He walked to the door and opened it to find a grinning Matt standing in front of him.
Matt walked inside of the house and looked around. "Nice house," he said.
Lauren walked into the living room, where Matt and Orion were. Her eyes fell upon Matt and froze there for a few seconds, almost as if she'd seen him before but was trying to remember where. She finally snapped out of her daze and smiled. "Hello, Matt. I have some peach pie in the kitchen if you two want a bit. You two have fun here," she said before grabbing her purse and practically sprinting out the door.
"Thanks, Mrs. Williams," Matt said before she left. He turned back to Orion. "So where's your room?"
"Upstairs. Follow me," Orion said, leading him up the stairs, into his room. "Ignore the mess. I hate cleaning my room."
"Name one person who does," Matt said jokingly. "So, anyways. Calc homework. I don't get it." He took out his homework.
"Yeah, hold on. I think I left my calculator in my parents' room," he said, going over to the room across from his. "You can come too."
They walked into the spotless room. Orion couldn't see his calculator around so he figured it would be in the desk drawers. Walking over to the desk, he opened the drawer and started rummaging through the papers. As he was looking for the calculator, something caught his eye. It was an envelope with a letter inside, but that's not what was so interesting. The return address was that of the Henderson Mansion, and the sender's name was Jakob Henderson. It was for his mother.
"Check this out," Orion said as he took out the envelope. "What would a Henderson want with my mother?"
"No idea," Matt replied, inspecting the outside of the envelope. "Open it and find out."
Orion took a deep breath and hesitantly began taking the letter out and unfolding it. A handwritten letter read:
Dear Mrs. Williams,
I am sorry to inform you that we no longer are in need of your services here at the mansion. We thank you for all you've done for us.
Sincerely,
Jakob Henderson
Orion stood there, transfixed by the letter, still trying to take it all in.
"Your mom used to work for the Hendersons as the mansion?" Matt asked. He had read the letter over Orion's shoulder.
"I guess so..." Orion said, still frozen. Then he thought of something his mom had said earlier, which made him a little more aware. "So did your dad! My mom told me today that her and your dad used to work at the same place, but she couldn't tell me where."
Matt gaped at what Orion said. "No way! Is there a date on that thing?"
"Let me check," Orion replied, flipping the envelope over in his hand. "November 23, 1990."
Matt's eyes widened. "That's my birthday! I was turning two years old when your mother got fired. That's pretty weird. I wonder if my dad got fired as well. Do you think he would still have his letter?"
"He might. Do you want to go check?" he asked, a bit of excitement in his voice.
"Let's go now!" Matt said, running out of the room, into Orion's, and started putting his homework away. "I don't know if my dad's home or not, but that's fine. He'll probably be too into watching TV in the living room, he won't even notice we're there."
Orion just shrugged, stuffing the letter into his pocket as he followed Matt down the stairs, out of the door, and into Matt's Mustang. Matt started up his car and drove off towards his house. They were a few houses away from Matt's when Matt noticed an unfamiliar white Sudan parked in his driveway. "I guess dad has guests over."
Orion just stared at the car, unable to speak. Finally, after finding his voice, he managed to get words out. "That's my mother's car."
Matt slammed down on the brakes and stared from the car to Orion, his mouth open.
After the final school bell rang, Orion waited for his dad to pick him up. After a few minutes, his red Jetta pulled up. Orion got in as his dad drove towards home, dropped him off, and then left for work.
Orion stepped into his house just as the smell of his mother's cooking reached his nose. He walked into the kitchen to get some food.
"Hello, Orion. How was your day?" Lauren, his mother, asked as she looked up to see him come in.
"Pretty good," he replied, helping himself to a piece of peach pie. "By the way, Matt's coming soon. He wanted some help with homework."
"Matt? What's his last name? How old is he?"
"Matt Regal. He's a junior. A year older than me."
"Matt Regal? Bobby's son? That's strange. I used to work with Bobby. I don't recall him having a son."
"You used to work with his dad? Where?"
Lauren opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again. Orion wasn't supposed to know. She couldn't tell him. Lucky for her, the doorbell rang just then. She sighed a breath of relief.
"I'll get it," Orion said, finishing off his pie and getting up. "It's probably Matt." He walked to the door and opened it to find a grinning Matt standing in front of him.
Matt walked inside of the house and looked around. "Nice house," he said.
Lauren walked into the living room, where Matt and Orion were. Her eyes fell upon Matt and froze there for a few seconds, almost as if she'd seen him before but was trying to remember where. She finally snapped out of her daze and smiled. "Hello, Matt. I have some peach pie in the kitchen if you two want a bit. You two have fun here," she said before grabbing her purse and practically sprinting out the door.
"Thanks, Mrs. Williams," Matt said before she left. He turned back to Orion. "So where's your room?"
"Upstairs. Follow me," Orion said, leading him up the stairs, into his room. "Ignore the mess. I hate cleaning my room."
"Name one person who does," Matt said jokingly. "So, anyways. Calc homework. I don't get it." He took out his homework.
"Yeah, hold on. I think I left my calculator in my parents' room," he said, going over to the room across from his. "You can come too."
They walked into the spotless room. Orion couldn't see his calculator around so he figured it would be in the desk drawers. Walking over to the desk, he opened the drawer and started rummaging through the papers. As he was looking for the calculator, something caught his eye. It was an envelope with a letter inside, but that's not what was so interesting. The return address was that of the Henderson Mansion, and the sender's name was Jakob Henderson. It was for his mother.
"Check this out," Orion said as he took out the envelope. "What would a Henderson want with my mother?"
"No idea," Matt replied, inspecting the outside of the envelope. "Open it and find out."
Orion took a deep breath and hesitantly began taking the letter out and unfolding it. A handwritten letter read:
Dear Mrs. Williams,
I am sorry to inform you that we no longer are in need of your services here at the mansion. We thank you for all you've done for us.
Sincerely,
Jakob Henderson
Orion stood there, transfixed by the letter, still trying to take it all in.
"Your mom used to work for the Hendersons as the mansion?" Matt asked. He had read the letter over Orion's shoulder.
"I guess so..." Orion said, still frozen. Then he thought of something his mom had said earlier, which made him a little more aware. "So did your dad! My mom told me today that her and your dad used to work at the same place, but she couldn't tell me where."
Matt gaped at what Orion said. "No way! Is there a date on that thing?"
"Let me check," Orion replied, flipping the envelope over in his hand. "November 23, 1990."
Matt's eyes widened. "That's my birthday! I was turning two years old when your mother got fired. That's pretty weird. I wonder if my dad got fired as well. Do you think he would still have his letter?"
"He might. Do you want to go check?" he asked, a bit of excitement in his voice.
"Let's go now!" Matt said, running out of the room, into Orion's, and started putting his homework away. "I don't know if my dad's home or not, but that's fine. He'll probably be too into watching TV in the living room, he won't even notice we're there."
Orion just shrugged, stuffing the letter into his pocket as he followed Matt down the stairs, out of the door, and into Matt's Mustang. Matt started up his car and drove off towards his house. They were a few houses away from Matt's when Matt noticed an unfamiliar white Sudan parked in his driveway. "I guess dad has guests over."
Orion just stared at the car, unable to speak. Finally, after finding his voice, he managed to get words out. "That's my mother's car."
Matt slammed down on the brakes and stared from the car to Orion, his mouth open.
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