The Summer Of Secrets

The last place sixteen-year-old Jade Harper wanted to spend her summer was Red Mesa, Arizona. The desert town sat in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by endless stretches of orange sand, jagged cliffs, and stubborn cactus plants that seemed determined to survive despite the scorching heat. There was no shopping mall. No movie theater. Barely any cell service. And now, thanks to her parents, Jade would be spending the next six weeks there. "It's going to be fun," her mother said for what felt like the hundredth time. Jade stared out the car window. "Being trapped in a ghost town isn't my idea of fun." Her father laughed from the driver's seat. "Red Mesa isn't a ghost town." "It has one gas station." "Two gas stations." "That doesn't help your argument." The highway stretched endlessly before them. Jade sighed dramatically and slid her headphones over her ears. This was supposed to have been her summer. The summer she spent with friends. The summer she got her driver's permit. The summer she finally convinced her parents to let her go on a beach trip. Instead, her father had announced that they would be taking an extended vacation to visit an old family friend. A family friend Jade had never heard of. His name was Elias Blackwood. And apparently he lived in Red Mesa. The mystery surrounding him only made Jade more annoyed. Every time she asked who he was, her parents exchanged strange glances. "An old friend." "Someone important." "We haven't seen him in years." None of their answers actually explained anything. Three hours later they arrived in town. Red Mesa looked exactly how Jade imagined. Dusty roads. Old buildings. Faded signs. Heat waves dancing above the pavement. The town looked frozen in time. A rusty welcome sign stood near the entrance. WELCOME TO RED MESA POPULATION: 1,842 Jade groaned. "This place has fewer people than my school." Her father parked beside a small café. "We're meeting Elias here." Jade stepped outside. The heat hit her instantly. It felt like opening an oven door. "How do people survive here?" "Lots of water." A voice behind her answered. Jade turned. The speaker wasn't who she'd expected. For some reason she'd imagined an elderly man. Instead she found herself staring at someone who looked barely twenty-five. Tall. Dark-haired. Amber eyes. A faded black jacket despite the heat. And a smile that seemed to know more than it should. "You must be Jade." Her parents immediately smiled. "Elias!" The stranger hugged both of them. Jade blinked. "Wait. You're Elias?" "Disappointed?" "Confused." His laugh was warm. "Most people are." There was something strange about him. Not scary. Not threatening. Just... unusual. As if he didn't quite belong. His amber eyes lingered on Jade for a moment. Then something flickered across his expression. Surprise. Concern. Recognition. It vanished almost immediately. But Jade noticed. And suddenly she wasn't quite as bored as before. The Blackwood house sat on the edge of town. Calling it a house felt inaccurate. It looked more like a mansion. An enormous stone structure overlooked the desert from atop a rocky hill. The building seemed centuries older than everything around it. Jade stared through the car window. "You live here?" Elias nodded. "Mostly." "Mostly?" "You'll understand eventually." That answer somehow created more questions. Inside, the mansion was even stranger. Ancient photographs lined the walls. Old maps. Paintings. Artifacts. The entire place felt like a museum. Jade wandered through the entrance hall. One framed photograph caught her attention. It showed a group of people standing in front of the mansion. The picture looked ancient. At least a hundred years old. But one person looked familiar. Very familiar. Jade froze. It was Elias. Same face. Same eyes. Same smile. The exact same person. Her heart skipped. "Elias?" He appeared beside her. "Yes?" She pointed at the photograph. "Why are you in this picture?" His expression darkened. For the first time, he looked uncomfortable. "Interesting question." "That's not an answer." "No." "Then answer it." He stared at the photograph. For several seconds neither spoke. Finally he sighed. "Some secrets take time." Jade crossed her arms. "I hate mysterious answers." "I know." "You know?" "You've always hated them." Jade frowned. "What does that mean?" But Elias simply walked away. Leaving her alone with a hundred new questions. The next morning Jade escaped the mansion before sunrise. She needed fresh air. And space. The desert surprised her. Without the brutal afternoon heat, it was beautiful. Golden sunlight spread across the distant cliffs. Birds called from hidden places. The air smelled clean. For the first time since arriving, she understood why someone might love this place. "You couldn't sleep either?" Jade nearly jumped. A boy sat atop a nearby boulder. He looked around her age. Seventeen maybe. Dark curls. Sun-tanned skin. Green eyes. A mischievous smile. Jade felt her heartbeat stumble slightly. Embarrassing. Very embarrassing. "I didn't see you there." "I get that a lot." He hopped down. "I'm Rowan." "Jade." "You're the new girl." "Unfortunately." Rowan laughed. "You'll survive." "That's what everyone keeps saying." They walked together along a rocky path. Conversation came surprisingly easily. Within minutes Jade found herself smiling. Within half an hour she was laughing. By the time they reached an overlook above the desert valley, she realized something. She genuinely liked him. Which was inconvenient. Because she had only known him for an hour. Rowan sat beside her. "So what brings you to Red Mesa?" "My parents." "Ah. Forced vacation." "You understand." "My condolences." Jade laughed. "Finally. Someone gets it." Rowan hesitated. Then his expression became serious. "Can I ask something?" "Sure." "What do you know about Elias Blackwood?" The question surprised her. "Not much." "Be careful around him." Her smile faded. "What?" Rowan looked toward the distant mansion. "People in town tell stories." "What kind of stories?" "The kind that sound ridiculous until they stop sounding ridiculous." A chill ran through her. "You're being cryptic." "Sorry." He stood. "But seriously. Be careful." Before Jade could ask more questions, he walked away. Leaving her staring after him. And wondering why everyone in Red Mesa seemed determined to speak in riddles. Three days later Jade discovered the underground room. It happened entirely by accident. She was exploring the mansion while her parents were in town. A loose bookshelf shifted unexpectedly. A hidden door opened. And behind it lay a staircase descending into darkness. Every horror movie she'd ever seen screamed at her not to go down there. Naturally, she went down there. The staircase ended at a massive underground chamber. Dust covered everything. Ancient books lined stone shelves. Maps covered the walls. And in the center stood a glass case. Inside rested an old journal. Jade opened it carefully. The handwriting was elegant. The first page contained a date. June 12, 1887. Her eyes widened. The journal belonged to someone named Nathaniel Blackwood. Page after page described strange discoveries. Ancient ruins. Hidden tunnels beneath the desert. Legends of a forgotten civilization. Then she reached a page that made her blood run cold. A photograph had been attached beside the entry. The picture showed Nathaniel Blackwood. Standing beside Elias. The exact same Elias. Not younger. Not older. The same. Jade dropped the journal. "No..." Footsteps echoed behind her. She spun around. Elias stood at the bottom of the stairs. His expression was unreadable. For a long moment neither spoke. Then Jade whispered: "Who are you?" Silence. The air felt heavy. Ancient. Dangerous. Finally Elias answered. "I was hoping to tell you later." Jade stared. The journal trembled in her hands. "Tell me what?" His amber eyes reflected the dim light. "The truth." "And what's that?" He took a slow breath. Then said the impossible. "I am one hundred and sixty-eight years old." The room went silent. Jade laughed nervously. "That's not funny." "I'm not joking." "No." Her voice shook. "No, that's impossible." "I know." The look in his eyes told her he believed every word. And somehow that terrified her more than if he had been lying. Because deep down... She was starting to believe him too. And that was only the beginning. Far beneath Red Mesa, buried under centuries of sand and stone, something ancient had begun to awaken. Something connected to Elias. Something connected to Jade. Something that had been waiting for her arrival all along.