Free The Secret by Taryn A. Taylor Page B

never sure how long she would be lucid.
    Squinting at me, Mom asked, “Is he your friend, Lanie?”
    There was an intimacy to her question, the kind that was only shared between mothers and daughters. I squeezed her hand, wishing I could pour my heart out to my mom like I used to.  But I gave her the simple answer. “Yep—he’s my friend.”
    Mom nodded.
    Rob sighed and I noticed how tired he looked as he spoke. “Mom, we need some information. Remember how you told us that Dad told you everything about The Foundation? Remember the book? Who has the book?”
    She frowned, looking like a child accused of doing something wrong. Her eyes darted to Jake.
    Of course. She’d been trained not to share information either. “Mom.” I hunched down. “Mom, you can talk in front of Jake. He…he’s one of us.”
    Rob cleared his throat. “He is, Mom. He…he went to The Foundation.”
    Reaching her hand out, she motioned Jake forward. “Let me see behind your ear.”
    Jake froze. Finally, he turned to the side, hunching down and pulling his ear forward so she could easily see the silver arch behind his ear.
    Mom let out an exasperated breath, but gently traced the line of the tattoo. “They thought they were so clever, giving you all the Arche —it’s a Greek word.”
    Jake took a deep breath.
    She pulled her hand back. “It symbolizes the beginning of all things that last.”
    My heart raced. I had never known what the symbol meant.
    She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and focused on Jake. “You were sent to that horrible place?”
    Jake nodded. His voice was gentle. “It wasn’t a horrible place for me. Well...not until later. But my friends and I lost our powers and…” He broke off glancing up at me. “And we need to get them back.”
    Karen’s sketch of the Flatiron rock formation flashed into my mind and I thought of their names by the figures lying next to the fire. Yes, they needed them back.
    Mom frowned. She was clearly unconvinced that she should help him. “Who were your parents?”
    Jake licked his lips. “Um…my mom was Ruth…Ruth Curtis.”
    Instantly, her face softened. “Ruthie?”
    Emotion crept onto Jake’s face. “Yeah. That was her. I haven’t heard anyone say Ruthie since…well, it’s been a long time.”
    Mom frowned. “What happened to Ruthie?”
    Jake inhaled deeply and then slowly released his breath. “She was killed a little over a year ago.”
    Mom closed her eyes. “No.” She shook her head. “Terrible things have happened. I always told Thomas I wished they could take back that night. There’s never been anything good from that night.” Her whole body started shaking. “Where’s Thomas? Where did he go?”
    She looked up, her eyes piercing into mine.
    Jagged pain ripped through me.
    Rob took both of her hands into his. “He’s dead, Mom. Remember? We told you he died—in an accident.” He didn’t break eye contact with her.
    Mom calmed down, putting her shaking hands into her lap and blinking her eyes rapidly. “That’s right.”
    I nodded, squeezing her hand. “It’s okay.”
    Focusing on Jake, she drew in a breath. “All of these secrets for so many years, it just wasn’t right. They swore us all to secrecy, saying they would protect you. I knew they couldn’t—that’s why my kids didn’t go there until…until I couldn’t stop it anymore.” 
    Hesitating, she looked hard at Jake before finally continuing.
    “It was a fluke,” she said. “They were a bunch of philosophy students on a trip. I remember when Thomas came back from that trip. We were newly married and he was so excited. He told me about that night. He told me every inch of that night.” Her eyes got hazy. “They were always talking about free will, arguing the merits of being agents to act…or, if our lives were already pre-determined, and we are just acted upon. Did we have choice—true choice—to govern our actions? You know their motto: the stars incline us,