Touched by Darkness (Young Creator Trilogy) (3 page)

“What are
you
going here?” I glare at Porsche, hoping that the way that I feel about her reflects
on my face. I have never hated anyone in my life, but Porsche is the exception to that rule. She is
the reason that I have a mark from a whip across my back, definitely the most painful experience
I have ever been through. I walk up the stairs and grab my towel, wrapping it around myself to
ward of both the chill in the air and Porsche’s inquisitive look that she has directed at my torso.

“Tisiphone transported me and Eddie here per Keagan’s
request,” she tells me with a
self-satisfied smirk, which makes me want to smack her in her stupid face. Why would Keagan
request their presence?“I’ve always told you that Keagan and I were meant to be together.I’m
happy to see that he has finally come to his senses. I was actually worried when I first noticed the
way that his eyes followed you when we were back at Dalton. And when you two started dating,
I could not stand the thought of you touching what was, and is,rightfully mine.”

“Yours
?I don’t think Keagan belongs to anyone, least of all you. I don’t know what is
going on, but I’m not going to give up on Keagan. I know that we had something. I don’t know
what you’re doing here, but you better not get too comfortable because I will fight for him,” I
state with passion.

“Maybe you had something, but now all that Keagan can talk about is how you are
creeping him out. How you are not even human, andwhen you touch him his skin crawls.” I
think that she can see the hurt on my face because she decides to not only open the wound, but
also pour salt into it. “He was so relieved when he first saw me—someone real, someone like
him—that he threw himself at me and shoved his tongue down my throat. When he finally came
up for air, he told me that he was sorry and knew that we were right for each other, meant to be
together forever.”

I want to cry, but fight back the tears that are threatening to spill.
That’s the last thing I
want to do, cry in front of Porsche. I hate her! I can’t deal with this right now, so I do the only
thing I can think of to get out of this situation. I run. I make sure to do it with dignity; I put on
my bitchy face, roll my eyes at Porsche, and walk away with my head held high. As soon as I’m
out of eyesight, I do what I always do when emotions consume me. I run, as fast as I can, away
from everything and everyone. I pass several people, who throw strange looks my way. I know
that they can probably see the tears streaming down my face,but I just don’t care. I mean,
seriously, a person can only take so much before they crack. This is the final straw, knowing that
Keagan can’t bear to be near me, and is with Porsche of all people. I don’t understand why he is
doing this to me. I just want to get away from everyone;I don’t want to look at their pitying
faces when they all find out that I have been rejected by Keagan. Or even worse, having to see
the smirk that I know I can expect when I run into Porsche or Eddie.

I still don’t understand why Keagan requested Porsche and Eddie to be here
. What is
going on? I run and run … all that I’m missing is the beat of the music from my iPod, which
would make this perfect. I take deep breaths of fresh air, replacing the hurt with the feeling of my
burning lungs, which are starting to strain for oxygen, and my legs that are complaining about
the breakneck speed that I request of them. It feels great to get absorbed in the uncomfortable
aches and pains that my body is now having to deal with, because the physical pain is letting me
momentarily forget about the emotional weight that sits on my shoulders.

After what feels like an hour but was probably more like thirty minutes, I finally decide
that I feel better and head in the direction of the camp. When I get closer, I can hear a multitude
of voices shouting over each other. I wonder what’s going on. Looking down, I notice that I’m
still in the bathing suit that I imagined; no wonder people were casting funny looks when they
spotted me earlier. I picture jean shorts, a tank top, and some flip-flops.

As I get closer to camp, I can make out Aunt Tisi, Maximus,
Keagan’s parents, and my
mom standing by the large tent surrounded by the rest of the rebels. Something must have
happened to cause everyone to argue. I notice that Keagan, Eddie, and Porsche are standing close
to each other, and when Porsche spots me she leans toward Keagan and whispers in his ear
intimately. She runs her hand through his short hair, as if to show her ownership, and then winks
at me. The gesture almost makes me break down in tears again,but then Keagan’s head turns in
my direction. His eyes meet mine, and I can’t help but lose myself in them for a minute.
However, when they turn cold and hard,I’m brought back to the realityI’m now living in. I just
don’t understand what happened in a day’s time.

“Why shou
ld we care about what happens in Haven? Why should we risk our lives for
people that don’t want change?” I hear someone yell into the crowd. What is going on? Why is
everyone so riled up? Obviously it has something to do with Haven, but in what context?

Clearly demonstrating his influence with the rebels,
Maximus raises his hand and a hush
falls over the angry crowd. “I realize that you may not have fond memories of Haven, but think
of the people left behind. People that may not be strong enough to fight for themselves.”

Helen takes a step forward to stand side by side with Maximus. Tall and proud, and in a
voice filled with strength and self-confidence, she says,“Most of you know me, but what most of
you probably don’t know or have forgotten was my beginning at Haven. I was just a teenager
torn from my family and tossed into a cruel, unforgiving environment. It was so horrible that I
prayed for death. You may have all had the strength to walk away, but real strength is going back
and fighting for those that are not strong enough to fight for themselves. That is heart, true
selflessness.”

A murmur passes through the crowd, and
I’m amazed at how much Helen’s words seem
to have influenced the crowd.
A young woman steps forward in the direction of Maximus, and with raised voice asks,
“What do you want us to do about it? The Guardians at Haven are all well-trained, how will we
stand up against them?”
I hear mutters of agreement from the crowd.
Maximus’ voice raises above the noise of the crowd once more,“We will meet with
leadership from Haven first, try to make them understand that their ways are outdated and their
view is completely off. They live in fear for the wrong reasons, terrified of what they do not
understand.” He pauses for a minute, letting his words sink in. “If we can’t make them see that
they are wrong, then we will try to bring those that want to leave with us. Which may cause
resistance, and that is where we will need all of your help. If they use force to hold those that
want to leave, then we must stand against them.”
Helen jumps in again at this point. “The hardest part about this is that it will not be a
onetime thing. We need to have access to all of the Young Creators that they take and give them a
choice. Some may want the structure that Haven provides, whereas others may want to live in a
more relaxed environment. Regardless, we still need to make sure that Allecto and the Collectors
do not get their hands on any of the Furies’ offspring.”
Aunt Tisisteps in for the first time. “I realize that most of you haven’t lived an easy life,
some of you have given up everything. I know that what we are asking is not making life any
easier, but hopefully you see that it is the right thing to do. I know all of you are concerned about
your loved ones’ safety, and even though Ican’t promise that someone will not get hurt, I do
want to point out an advantage that we have. Trish,could you come up here please.” All eyes
shift to me and I feel completely awkward as I push my way through the crowd to stand next to
her.I’m so glad that I imagined some clothes for myself; this would be so much more
uncomfortable if I hadn’t. “Take a look at her. You all know what she is, but do you know what
she is capable of?” Some people shake their head no, but most of the crowd seems to buzz with
excitement. It seems that they have heard about the fight that Aunt Tisi and I were involved in.
“Trish is in full control of her powers, and knows how to wield them. In Haven they
don’t believe in training the Young Creators. Keagan, come up here please.” Heat immediately
flushes my face. I watch Keagan strut proudly through the crowd. I make sure not to make eye
contact, afraid of what I may find. “Would you consider yourself a fully trained Guardian,
Keagan?”
“Absolutely, and one of the best,” I hear Keagan say in a haughty voice. I look at Tisi,
trying to figure out what she has up her sleeve. She holds out her hand; in it a heavy broad sword
appears, gleaming in the morning light. She hands it to Keagan. “Attack her,” she instructs.
Before I can even comprehend what just happened, I see the blade swinging my way,
ready to cut me in two. Instinctively I reach for my weapon, and in the blink of an eye the sword
that was just threatening me is now a red rose. Keagan, who hadn’t been expecting this, hits me
in the crease that separates my neck and shoulder with the flower. A part of me is shocked that
without hesitation Keagan tried taking my life, but I try to tell myself that he knew he wasn’t
going to hurt me.I’m just so confused and hurt by all of this.
“How is her being able to do that going to protect us?” the young women that had spoken
up earlier questions.
“That is a good question, let me demonstrate,” Aunt Tisi replies to the youngwoman’s
challenge.
“Maximus, honey, Eddie and Porsche,could you please stand next to Keagan.” They all
do what she asks, and I still make sure not to raise my eyes to meet Keagan’s. Instead, I look
everywhere except at him. “Could I please have a few volunteers from the crowd?” Aunt Tisi
requests.
A few young men, and the young woman that has been asking the questions, come up
and stand across from the Guardians. Next thing they know, they all have wooden swords in their
hand, including the Guardians. “Proceed,” is all Tisiphones has to say, and they are running
toward the rebels, swords raised. I smile when, without even trying, the Guardians all have
bananas versus swords in their hand. Porsche and Eddie are completely shocked; I guess they are
having a hard time comprehending that the sword just magically changed into a banana. The
young woman playfully pretends to stab Porsche through the heart, to which Ican’t help but
laugh. I like this lady already. She is a little older than me with chocolate skin, dark hair, and
dark eyes with a sparkle of mischief in them.
Porsche, like the brat that she is, throws down the banana and stalks toward Keagan and
Eddie. The young woman swings in my direction and gives me a thumbs up. I decide that I
should introduce myself to my new favorite person. “Hi,I’m Trish.”
“Oh my God, that was so awesome!I can’t believe what you just did. I’m Terrica. I was
not so sure about this before, even though I would love to kick down Haven’s door, but after
seeing what you can do I’m ready to go knock somebody out.” I like her even more now, she
said the entire sentence without taking a breath. I just smile at her, and before I know it,she’s off
talking to somebody else with as much energy as I just got a taste of. I shake my head and look
around for Aunt Tisi, wanting to talk to her figure out what the plan is. I notice Keagan, Porsche,
and Eddie all huddled together, and accidentally meet Keagan’s gaze when I glance their way.
The look on his face scares me;it’s calculated, as if he has found some solution to a problem.
Not only that, but Porsche and Eddie—two people that I can absolutely not stand—seem entirely
too excited and happy to make me feel comfortable. I will have to make sure to keep an eye on
them.
Before I can delve deeper into what the three of them are up to, I feel a hand on my
shoulder. When I turn around, Aunt Tisi is standing in front of me with a sad look on her face.
“Come take a
walk with me,” she instructs.
We head away from the crowd, finding seclusion among the trees and wildflowers; the
crowd’s noise left behind. I expect her to tell me about the plans for our invasion, so I’m
completely stunned when she brings up Keagan. “I can tell that something has changed between
you and Keagan. It seems that hedoesn’t remember you.” I stare at her, absorbing her words.
Slowly the clouds seem to clear and it’s starting to make sense. I believe what she’s saying is
that somehow, by bringing Keagan back to life, I was erased from his memories. His behavior
makes sense when I remember Helen’s words about Keagan always being so serious. If he
doesn’t remember me and the relationship that we had, then he just sees me as another Young
Creator. Someone he has been taught his entire life is drawn to darkness, someone hecan’t trust.
“How is this possible?” I don’t know how to feel about this. In a way,I’m almost
relieved because it means that what we had really did mean something, and the only reason he is
so cruel is because hedoesn’t have any memories of me. At the same time, how do I deal with
this?
“Trish, I’m sorry,but I don’t have that answer for you. I don’t know what the rules are
when it comes to your powers. It’s just so different. I wish I could tell you why his memory has
been erased, but Ican’t. I would say make sure to be patient with him and give him some space,
hopefully eventually everything will fall into place. Things usually do over time. Just be
patient.”
“I really hope so. This is really killing me, but what you just told me makes sense and
makes the situation more bearable. I honestlydidn’t know what was going on, it was really
strange! One minute he’s hot and then completely cold toward me. Just when I thought things
were finally lining up,I get thrown another curve ball.” I sigh with frustration. “So let’s talk
about Haven, what’s the plan and what’s my role in all of this?”
“That was actually the other thing I wanted to talk to you about, but wanted to shed some
light on your personal issue first. I know this situation with Keagan must have made it hard to
concentrate on anything else. I hope now that I have given you this missing piece of the puzzle,
you will be able to focus on the task at hand.” I nod to let her know I’m up to the task.“So, like
we were saying earlier, we really want this to be peaceful, but the Artemisians that live in Haven
are very single-minded and set in their way. I’m not holding my breath. To begin with, it is just
going to be Maximus, Helen, and your mom that are going to talk to the leadership in Haven. If
all goes well, I will need assistance knocking on doors to find those that want to leave. Once we
return, you and I need to create some living quarters for those people.” She takes a breath and a
sad look comes over her face. “The way I actually see things happening is that I will need your
help by turning their weapons into non-threatening items to protect those that are fighting. Even
though the Guardians are well-trained, hopefully by having us on their side the rebels will
succeed. It will be a blood bath and the best thing to do is to beat them as fast as possible. To do
this we will need to make sure that someone has your back.” I don’t know where she is going
with this, but a bad feeling overcomes me.
Please don’t say his name
, I think to myself.
“You and Keagan had a special connection. Sadly,we don’t have the time to rebuild the
trust between the two of you,but I know that Keagan will do his duty.” I notice that her eyes turn
white momentarily, and in the next instant, Keagan is standing in front of me with a huge smile
on his face. My heart stops. When the smile is replaced by an angry scowl, which he directs at
me, I tremble where I stand. Seeing such revulsion on someone’s face, who means everything to
you, is hurtful … to say the least.
“What?” His arms are crossed in front of his body, clearly displaying his displeasure at
his current predicament.
“Keagan, I need you to do your duty by Trish in this upcoming fight. You protecting her
may be the difference between a blood bath and just a few scrapes and bruises. Do you
understand what I’m telling you?”
Apparently Keagan didn’t realize that Aunt Tisi, aka one of
the
furies, was also present.
When she spoke, his entire persona changed. Gone was the hatred and dislike, and in its place
was nothing but respect and awe. While Aunt Tisi is giving her orders, her eyes have turned
white. Her long, glistening dress is billowing behind her while she is suspended several inches
off the ground. She is awe inspiring.
“I will do anything in my power to make sure that the Young Creatordoesn’t come to
harm. I give my promise.”
“Good, I want you two to spend time together until we leave. Work on defense and make
sure you come up with some sort of plan for the two of you. Make sure to be back in the center
of camp bynightfall.” With those words, she vanishes.
I don’t know what to do with myself, it’s just me and Keagan. I feel so awkward and
have no idea what to say to him. This entire situation is just strange;I’m basically falling for him
and hedoesn’t even know me. I have memories of the two of us together—his arm around my
waist, our hands intertwined, his lips softly pressing against mine—while he has nothing. All that
he has is the hate he feels for what I am, and it makes me despondent. How do you act around
someone that you care so deeply for, but that doesn’t only not know you, but also hates you? I
make up my mind and decide to start at the beginning. “Hi, I’m Trish.”
“Uh, duh! I know who and what you are,” the unfriendly Keagan, with arms crossed and
a frown on his lips, tells me sarcastically.
“Sorry, I just figured since you didn’t remember me that we should start somewhere.”
I’m trying to let his bad attitude not bother me, but it is really starting to.
“
We
don’t need to do anything! Just stay out of my way and I will make sure nothing
happens to you. It’s my job, and that’s it. I don’t want to know anything about you. I know what
matters, and that is you are a Young Creator.” With those words, he turns from me and walks
away.
“Wait, where are you going? Aunt Tisi told us to practice defense, and I think after what
happened on the bridge, it’s a good idea,” I tell his retreating back.
“You clearly showed earlier today that you don’t need any practice.You’ve got it all
together! Aren’t you the all mighty Young Creator with awe-inspiring powers?”
“Look, I understand that this is probably all very confusing and uncomfortable for you,
but … seriously, get over yourself. We need to work together to succeed in Haven and your male
ego is going to ruin everything.”
“Hey,you’re the one that should be uncomfortable.I’ve been told that you have the
serious hots for me, and it must suck knowing the guy that you’reinto is not interested in you.”
All I can think is,
What an ass
. Holy crap, sometimes Keagan seriously makes me wonder what I
see in him. I mean, yes he is extremely good looking—with his dark hair and blue eyes that you
could lose your soul to—but … man, that arrogant smirk gracing his face right now is making
me want to hit him right in his self-righteous face. It takes everything in me not to yell at him.
“Yes, you’re right, Keagan. That is difficult, and I would love to talk to you about it, but
right now is not the time. Right now is the time to get along and work together to save the people
we care about.” I say this slowly through gritted teeth to make sure he gets my point.
“There you are, I have been looking everywhere for you.” Naturally, it’s Porsche. She
struts her slutty self, currently dressed in leather short shorts and a cropped pink top, over to
Keagan. He wraps his arm around her and says,“Hey, baby.” Leaning into her with closed eyes,
he kisses her like she is his sun and he needs her to survive.