Chapter 3: The Storm Rages

Sometimes people like Wren don’t have secrets because there are consequences to people finding out what they’re hiding. Mrs Quill was the only one who found out his secret and after making a deal with Wren she vowed to take it to her grave. It was on a late night after work that she didn’t want to cook dinner so she ate out at the diner on the way home.

When she was leaving, she heard a noise coming from the alley behind the diner and thought someone might have been up to no good so she went to check. That’s when she saw Wren digging around the rubbish bins for his dinner. He would normally wait until after closing so he would never get caught but he had to skip lunch that day and was starving.

He begged Mrs Quill to not tell anyone so she asked for his story and said she would decide from there. Wren was a runaway with nowhere to go. His parents were late from work one day and when they didn’t come home, he was worried. The next day on the news he saw a couple had died in a horrific fire in a shopping mall. The bodies were so badly burned they couldn’t be recognised. As the reporters showed footage of the fire, they accidentally showed some of the bodies without warning viewers. On the wrist of one of the victims there was half a tattoo visible. It looked like a lock with what looked like “ever” written inside. Wren would know that tattoo anywhere. It was his mother’s tattoo.

His father had the same one but the only reason they would have been at the mall so late was because Wren’s birthday was approaching. He was only 9 but he quickly learned to look after himself. He refused to tell anyone so he wouldn’t have to leave or be sent elsewhere but when people became suspicious of his parents never being around, they got police involved. Wren packed up only what he needed and a picture of his parents that he later lost and left to find somewhere he could be free.

He had moved from place to place but 200 miles and a lot of hiding later he settled in Oaken Hills. He lives in the junk-yard sleeping on abandoned building structures every night. When restaurants close, he goes looking through bins for food to get him through the next day.

Mrs Quill had promised to keep his secret on the condition he eats with her every night. A fresh home cooked meal. She lived alone since her husband died years ago and would also appreciate the company. She had a spare room but she wouldn’t pressure him into it. Any time field trips came up or parent’s evenings she would cover for Wren and forge a signature as his parents or help with excuses. Wren was eternally grateful to everything she had done for him and even considered staying with her but the junk-yard was where he felt comfortable. Being able to see the stars every night helped him keep his parent’s memory alive. 

As for Jill she was a bookworm through and through but there wasn’t a single person around who knew of her secrets. She was so gifted and smart and could easily skip grades if she wanted to but she always refused. She did part time work in her school’s library so she would have a key and could be there when no one else was.

A lot of rumours were spread that she was building something or planning something but no one really knew. Jill was as closed as a diary. There were so many secrets within but no way to open it without the key and Jill was never fond of giving anyone that key. She never participated in anything she didn’t have to and avoided friends completely. She was alone in the world and that’s exactly what she wanted.

That night the clouds quickly began to form and turn into a deep black as the rain poured down. Wren went to stay with Mrs Quill for the night since sleeping on metal in a storm was a horrible idea and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Jill was so preoccupied with whatever she was doing that she didn’t even notice the winds beginning to blow. Unfortunately for her the winds were faster and blew a small wooden box off her windowsill and outside.

She couldn’t help but panic as she grabbed her raincoat and boots and went after it. It must have been past midnight so Jill was lucky people were asleep and not about to notice her. As Cassidy, Noah, Dylan and Wren slept they all strangely had the same dream. A man in a brown trench coat begging for help and to meet him at the oak tree. They all woke up simultaneously and without questioning why they grabbed their coats and headed for the tree. The thunder boomed in the sky overhead as lightning was seen over the school. A strong wind blew Jill’s box at the tree and when she finally managed to keep up with it, she saw other people from her class already there like they were waiting for her.

As they questioned their collective dream Jill played along with worry as she went to grab the box and make sure it stayed shut but she was too late. Another boom of thunder and a blinding flash of lightning nearby and the man from their dreams came out of the box. Jill was furious but she had to keep composure and act like everyone else. 

“Please save her for me. I’m so sorry to do this but I have no choice.” The man said weakly as he held out his hand.

As everyone minus Jill reached out their hands to help him a smile creeped up on his face and Jill knowing something bad would happen and couldn’t stop it in time so she grabbed his hand as well and, in a flash, they were gone. The box itself that Jill was worried about had also disappeared and in a sudden flash of lightning the great infamous oak tree of Oaken Hills was struck.