Free Secrets in the Shadows by T. L. Haddix

“You were in love with her, weren’t you?”
Travis snorted and sat back. Meeting her eyes, he seemed to realize that she wasn’t teasing or making fun of him. He sighed. “I was completely head over heels for Margie. I admit that after she disappeared, I fell apart a little. I got drunk and stayed that way for a week. By the time I sobered up, she was long gone, and so were her parents. Neither of her brothers who stayed here knew anything, or if they did, they weren’t telling me. After a while, I decided to just let her go. I figured if she wanted to hear from me, she’d call. It’s not like I moved away. I’ve been in Madison ever since.”
“I had no idea that’s how things were between you. She never said a word to me. Of course, she changed so much that summer… there were a lot of things she didn’t tell me,” she added bitterly.
“Yeah, I gathered. That night at the party, you seemed pretty blown away by the whole thing. It was clear you were out of your element. No offense.”
Lauren shook her head. “None taken. If you hadn’t come to our rescue, I don’t know what would have happened.”
The party they referred to had happened that fateful summer. After spending a week at Lauren’s, she and Margie had driven to Clayhole and the Vernon’s farm, where Lauren was going to spend a few days. The night after they arrived, Margie managed to get permission from her parents to go out. She guided Lauren to Travis’s secluded property, situated on a small, private lake near Madison, Indiana. Unaware of what they would be walking into, Lauren had innocently gone along.
When they arrived, the party was in full swing, with dozens of teenagers and young adults scattered throughout the small cabin. There was a full, open bar, with alcohol and even some drugs, and most of the people in attendance were well on their way to being drunk or high, if not both. As soon as they arrived, Margie disappeared with some guy. While Lauren was searching for her, she ran into Travis.
Seeing that she was near tears, he escorted her out to the small front porch to sit on the swing, running off all the other partygoers. Drawing up a stool, he sat down in front of her, handing her a clean handkerchief and a bottle of water.
“Wipe your eyes.” She complied, and then opened the bottle and took a tentative sip, fearing that it might be spiked. As she drank, she swiped at her cheeks where tears continued to fall. She was furious with her cousin, and hurt because Margie had put her in that situation.
“What’s your name?”
“Lauren, Lauren Taylor.”
“You’re not from around here. Did you come with somebody?”
“My cousin Margie.” She tensed at the anger on his face. “You know her, then. Can you find her for me? I’d like to get out of here.”
He sat quietly for a minute then nodded. Standing, he went to the screen door, stepping inside to holler for someone named Jamie. When the lanky teenager came to the door, Travis instructed him to look for Margie and bring her outside. As the boy went off to do his bidding, Travis sat back down in front of Lauren. Twisting the top off the beer he had grabbed when he hollered for Jamie, he took a long pull and set the bottle aside. Lauren eyed him nervously, hoping she hadn’t made the situation worse.
“How’d she get you out here?”
“She told me that it was just a little party, a few friends around a campfire. I didn’t think it would be like…” She trailed off, unsure of how to describe the party in the cabin without offending him. “She disappeared when we got here, and I haven’t been able to find her.”
“Jamie’ll find her,” he reassured her. “When he does, you can get out of here. Are you okay to drive, or do you need me to get someone to take you home?”
“No, I’m okay,” Lauren rushed to say. “I just… I don’t go to parties like this. No offense.”
He laughed, not appearing offended. “I’d be better off if I didn’t go to ’em,