“I’m not hiding anything. I’m just not telling.”
“That makes you look sketchy,” Carl said, in a disapproving tone.
“No more sketchy than you,” I countered.
“Do you know his secret?” an irritated Carl asked Kenzie.
She looked around at everyone’s expectant faces and then squeaked and buried her head in her hands. “I’m not answering that,” she said through her hands.
“Wait, you told Kenzie your secret and not me?” Dale whined. “Really?”
“It’s not a secret,” I complained. This was not going as I’d hoped.
“You want us to trust you in this game, but you lie,” Carl said, actually sounding hurt. What the hell was his problem? Geez, what a colossal wuss!
“I agree,” Bobby said, no doubt trying to cash in on the friction. “Clearly there are those in the know and those on the outside.”
Marsha added. “And to think I told you why I don’t wear a bra, and this is how you repay me! So disappointing.”
“Seriously?” I laughed, but one look around told me no one else found it as ridiculous as I did. In fact, they all seemed genuinely pissed. Why hadn’t I come up with a goddamn lie? I glanced at the disenchantment on Dale’s face. Oh no, not the Cosby look again. “Okay, fine. Jake McKallister is my brother! Are you all happy now?”
TV Confessional
“I hardly think my admission is more stunning than Marsha’s shocking revelation.”
—Kyle
24
Kenzie: Bonds That Tie
Well, people were certainly happy. Kyle’s admission had quite an affect on the tribe. I’d never seen a conversation turn as quickly. The others were getting their pitchforks ready to skewer him for keeping secrets when his revelation spun the discussion on its head. All animosity was forgotten as Kyle was peppered with questions about his famous brother. I now totally got why he kept his last name to himself. It had to be hard to reveal something as innocent as who your brother was and then be bombarded with a hundred questions. I watched Kyle’s face for reactions. He seemed okay when the questions about Jake were superficial, but when they turned personal, there was a clear line drawn, and Kyle’s demeanor changed from patient to defensive.
“Wait,” Bobby started. “Were you the one with him when he was taken?”
After a moment of silence, he answered, “Yes.”
I gaped at him. I knew there was more to him than met the eye, but never could I have predicted such a difficult past. Kyle shifted on his log, suddenly appearing ready to bolt. I wanted to grab his hand and pull him away from the inquisition, but after our newfound awkwardness, I wasn’t sure if he’d welcome that.
“Damn, so you know what went down, then?” Bobby asked, in a mixture of awe and excitement, as if he really believed he was about to get the inside scoop.
Kyle nodded his response. I could only imagine the story he had to tell.
“And you know how he got away?”
Dale intervened. “That’s private, Bobby.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, Dale,” Bobby replied condescendingly, before turning to Kyle and saying, “I just want to know how he escaped… how he got the knife.”
Kyle was struggling to keep it together. With a clenched jaw, he said, “Like I’d talk to you about that.”
“Why not me?” Bobby asked, as if he and Kyle hadn’t been adversaries from the very beginning.
“Drop it!”
There was a warning in Kyle’s demand that halted the conversation completely. A collective silence commenced before Marsha, in her infinite wisdom, broke it with another fact. “Congress made kidnapping a federal crime after the Lindbergh baby was found dead.”
“Marsha, not right now,” Dale answered.
