The People We Keep Novels & Stories

Atlantic High. A school for dickheads and whores. Only a few of those rich kids didn't have a screw or two loose from their heads. The rest were full of themselves and knowing that I was in a country like Nigeria, where they could even burn off a gay person, I had kept my secret from everyone.

Clowns. My clowns. My favorite clowns. We had made our 3rd stop for the day, after stopping by the movie theatre to see a movie and grabbing a quick lunch. We were walking 'round the place, admiring the view. It was an open field surrounded by so many beautiful different kinds of flowers that any lover of nature would turn this place to a shrine and worship it.

" We are in my private island. " Anna look at him in shock. " What?? " Harry sigh. " We'll be staying her for a couple of months until you give birth. I am not planning to go back. What if your father will find us again. I won't let that happen. So even if you like it or not. We will stay here for 1 year. " " Woah~ For real?? 1 year, Harry? " " Yeah. I am serious. Don't worry about our foods. I can contact someone to bring us grocery monthly. "

Retired judges. Men and women who had spent decades living unnoticed. Waiting. Amara looked at Miriam in disbelief. "How many are there?" Miriam smiled faintly. "I stopped counting years ago." Joseph answered instead. "Across the country?" He looked toward the arriving trains. "Nearly twelve thousand." Damian's eyes widened. "Twelve thousand?" Joseph nodded. "They call themselves..." He paused. "...the Keepers." Samuel looked across the growing crowd. "So this is what The Architect was protecting."

Emmy read my mind. She patted my shoulder with a scoff. “Some people in this world have everything—money, power, women, and more than you can dream of. “They own the privilege of dismissing everything, including their morals. They can make and have anything they want. “Don’t you find it odd they live in a community named Caged Canary?” It clicked why the neighborhood seemed off to me. The fancy rides in the neighborhood belonged to the rich and powerful. Hannah was just one of the many women kept here.

Bianca laughs at me. “We’ll come back!” she assures me. This hot bartender never shows but we have a great time chatting and enjoying our drinks. I only have the one. I learn that Rach and Jose work together at a non-for profit, and that Miranda is a pre-school teacher and a bit younger than us. Everyone is so nice and welcoming. It had been such a long time since I had spent time with a group of people that weren’t Michael’s friends or family. After a couple hours, I say good-bye to everyone promising to see him or her at the next class. I can hardly believe it myself. I actually liked kickboxing and I’ve decided to keep going.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, consisting of mainly me asking the 'pack' a lot of questions. Apparently, Dr. Jackson was a scientist who has been after the supernatural population for years. He's part of a group called the Keepers. He got a hold of whomever he could, making them experiments and his own personal slaves, bent on only doing his work. Only few actually survived through the experiments to become his slaves, though. Unfortunately, there was a whole society of these people called Keepers, but Dr. Jackson was the most well-known.

bodega with the cat that is three parts lion, the nail salon two doors down that is always playing a true crime podcast at a low murmur, a teenager on a skateboard practicing a trick like persistence is oxygen. I buy a second apple because the first one was a betrayal and I am stubborn. I come home feeling more like a person and less like a cursor blinking without a sentence.

One human said to no one in particular. “I guess that is what will happen but, it is none of our business. Our people come from old money, and it will not run out any time soon. I suggest you find a way to maintain your people, find them jobs and all that.” He laughed. “Oh, you thought we depended on you to survive?” he laughed throwing his head back, he was enjoying all this too much. “No, we don’t need you for anything, we just gave your people jobs because we had no problem with them but since you do, we will sure point them in your direction and tell them to ask you what happened to their jobs.”

"What if she's not alone? What if they come here?" I shifted uncomfortably, anticipating the storm brewing within her. "The Keeping is paramount," I stated, my voice firm but laced with trepidation. "It's not just for us, but for all of us. It's what's kept our secret safe, kept us hidden. We can't just turn a blind eye because it's inconvenient." "Inconvenient?" she exploded, pushing away from me. Her hand rested protectively on her stomach, the image a stark reminder of what was at stake. "Our lives, the pack...our child! These aren't inconveniences, Killian!"