Coexist: Keegan's Chronicles

Smashwords Edition

Published at Smashwords

By Valknut Press

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Thank you for sharing your love of books,

and teaching your children to use their
imaginations.

"The Book of Elfin Prophecy"

Compiled 112 BCE

K
eegan’s call echoed in Rourk’s mind as he was
finishing his set. She always came to him when he least expected
her, after which he was unable to focus on little else but her. His
hands gripped the bar tightly and he tried to ignore the pull of
her thoughts. He tried to focus on training, on the cold steel and
the smell of sweat in the room--anything that could take his mind
off of the one girl who owned it.

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head and
unclenched his jaw, quickly finishing up the set. He had to force
his hands to uncurl from the bar; it was almost painful. The tips
of his fingers were bloodless; a fine metaphor for how Keegan
usually made him feel. He wiped his face and tossed the towel in
the bin--the rest of the workout would have to wait for
tonight.

Using one of his secondary gifts, he closed
his eyes and visualized her face. It was nothing for him to picture
her, to bring her into focus like a high-powered lens. Rourk
smiled. She was at her favorite spot; a private corner of paradise
on her parents' land.

Her beautiful auburn hair blended in with the
fall leaves that surrounded her. The dress she wore was pale green
and ankle-length, flowing ethereally around her body so that she
was like an oasis in the rust-colored woods. He watched a smile
spread across her face as she inspected a rock from the creek, and
laughed when she slipped it into her camera bag.

The first time it had taken him hours to
navigate to her location. When the pull came, it was now just a
twenty-minute hike through some woods.

Grabbing his bag, he jumped in his old beat
up truck and headed towards her, probably driving a little faster
than necessary. It was an urgent need to be near her when he heard
her call, so he could never get there fast enough.

When he reached her location, he climbed the
rugged terrain hastily. The dirt had the loose feel of earth
unpacked by human feet; with every step, he sank a little,
hindering his progress. The sun sparkled through the canopy above
him, illuminating the path he forged through the trees, though it
didn’t offer any warmth in the cool afternoon. A branch scraped him
across the face and he impatiently pushed it to the side, hardly
caring whether it had left a mark. Finally, he reached the top,
bursting through the tree line and into pure daylight.

Rourk stood rigid, his lean body tensed as he
looked over the edge of the rugged cliff.
Why do I do this to myself? I shouldn’t
even be here. She’s killing me. I have no self-control.

In the elfin society, life mates were
predetermined using complicated methods to ensure ideal matches.
The secret of this formula had a need-to-know basis; meaning he
would never know how Keegan was chosen for him. There were many
creatures in this world, but his kind held their secrets close to
their chest.

There were certain rules his kind had to
follow. One’s lifemate may have been chosen at birth, but the first
and most important rule was that they could not meet until they
both turned 18. Growing up knowing that one’s other half was out
there waiting brought a sense of comfort to Rourk. Ordinarily,
neither knew their other half until they became of age. Their
society believed it was better this way so they could enjoy their
childhood.

So how did he find her?

Someone had told her his name. She pulled him
closer to her each time she thought of him. It was as involuntary
as breathing. When he was younger he could resist with ease. As he
got closer to being of age, curiosity got the better of him.
Sometimes he wished he’d resisted so he didn’t have to endure the
agony of waiting now. Although, he knew he loved seeing her even if
it caused him pain.

Keegan was standing on the rocks, the water
rushing around her feet, with camera in hand as usual. One minute,
she skipped across the rocks like a child and the next she would
stop, a look of total concentration taking over her face. That was
when she started snapping photos.

Staring at her, Rourk squatted and rested his
hands on his knees, wondering what she saw through her lens. He
watched as she jumped from a rock and slipped, her arms flailing as
she almost fell into the water. His heart lurched. A strong need to
protect her filled his body, and if her laugh hadn’t echoed up to
him like music, he was poised to jump in after her. But instead,
her face broke into a huge grin as she steadied herself and
continued to take photos. He relaxed, content to stand and watch
her for hours.

Rourk didn’t even know her name, but he knew
he’d never seen anything so magnificent in his life. Her wavy hair
glistened in the sunlight. She had a delicate face that was round,
with large blue-green eyes and full lips. With her cheeks flushed
from the cold fall air, she reminded him of a porcelain doll. He
knew all too well, though, that looks could be deceiving. She
looked sweet and innocent, but it was her eyes that gave her away.
They were bold and daring, constantly observing her surroundings.
Rourk smiled to himself; she would soon belong to him.

It took a lot of self-control not to approach
her, but Rourk knew that would be breaking the rules. He accepted
that they were in place for a reason. He had to be patient. Their
time would come. Unfortunately, she was over a year younger than
he, which meant he would have to wait longer than he would like. He
pondered this as he watched her pack up, lovingly storing her
camera away in its bag with her hair falling over her face. It
wasn’t until she had disappeared down the path to her house that
Rourk finally turned and left.

***

Keegan sat at her small black desk looking
through the photos she’d taken that morning. Her hair had been
driving her crazy for the last hour, falling over her face with
nearly every movement, so she pulled it into a bun. Securing it
with a pencil, she continued to study the shots. She noticed there
were a few decent ones she could add to her Tumblr page; she had a
small circle of followers there who seemed to enjoy her pictures as
much as she loved taking them. She loved photography. Life was
nothing more than a series of moments and a picture could capture
that moment.

Her moments often felt empty. Sighing, she
turned her head to gaze out the window, her chin resting in her
hand as she let her mind wander. If she had Rourk, maybe she would
feel...more fulfilled. All she knew about her partner was his name.
Thaddeus, her brother, was a seer and he had told her when she was
younger. He said if she ever felt that she was in danger to think
of Rourk’s name.

Of course, she thought his name often, even
when she was not in danger. She loved the sound of it: Rourk. She
believed he would be a powerful warrior like her father, but she
wouldn’t know for sure until they met. It was possible he could
turn out to be a seer like her brother or a healer like her mother.
There were many powers passed down through their elfin
bloodlines.

Keegan smiled, leaning back in her seat to
prop one barefoot on the edge of her chair. Most humans
automatically imagined elves as Santa Claus’ little helpers with
enormous ears and fuzzy green tights. This could not be further
from the truth. Seriously, she had never met an elf that worked for
Santa.

Evolution had allowed them to blend in with
the humans. The females tended to be smaller than average. Most
were only between 4’9"-5’2" tall. The part about pointed ears was
true. However, their ears were pointed in a cute way, and not
overly large like those in most mythology projects. Due to the fact
that their ancestors were from Ireland, the elves tended to have
reddish hair.

Her room didn’t look like an elf’s room that
was for sure. Two of her walls were pale lavender, a color
complimentary to the vivid emerald green of the other two. She had
posters of her favorite bands and several of her favorite snapshots
framed all around the room. The bed was large with a fluffy purple
comforter and four fat pillows upon which a few of her childhood
stuffed animals were propped.

And there was the light, lots of daylight
from her windows. Her room was her safe haven, almost as much as
her spot in the woods...

Keegan was startled out of her thoughts by
the sound of the door opening downstairs. It was too early for her
parents to be home and her pesky brother was at Sam’s house.
Quickly she closed her eyes and pictured the front door, and what
she saw brought a smile to her face. It was Anna, one of her best
friends.

Anna had been trying to sneak up on her since
they first met in the fourth grade. Keegan debated with herself
whether or not to let her succeed this one time. Smiling to
herself, she knew that was not an option. She focused her mind and
felt the familiar tingling throughout her body that came with using
her gift. She was in no hurry because Anna couldn’t see
her—invisibility was Keegan’s main power. Personally, she thought
it was the coolest ability in the family, but the others did not
agree. Her mom thought it was ironic that invisibility was her
ability because Keegan always wanted to be the center of
attention.

Down in the kitchen, Anna wistfully looked
around. She loved coming to Keegan’s house. It always felt so
inviting; there was a certain calmness about being there that
radiated throughout. It was probably the soothing sound of the
rushing water from the massive wall fountain, or maybe it was the
energy from the crystals collected by Keegan’s mother. Whatever it
was, the moment she stepped through the door a sense of serenity
washed over her.

The house felt empty of inhabitants. Only the
chirping of birds outside the open window broke the steady hum of
the refrigerator. The large wooden table was clean, all six
placemats perfectly spaced around a lovely centerpiece of
wildflowers Keegan’s mom must have picked. Anna put a hand to the
tabletop and closed her eyes, just allowing the peace of the home
to overtake her. She needed it.

Keegan crept up behind Anna silently, trying
not to laugh. Her best friend was off in space and had no idea she
was there. She focused her mind again and, amid the tingling, she
materialized before tapping her friend’s shoulder. “Gotcha!”

Anna turned and laughed, feigning
surprise.

Oh Keegan, I always know when you are there. If you
only knew that I have secrets of my own.

Anna never let on because she knew Keegan
enjoyed winning. It was a small price to pay to keep her best
friend happy.

As usual, Anna’s green eyes were outlined in
heavy eyeliner—blue today—and her lashes were long and thick. She
had shimmery pink lip gloss on her pencil-lined lips; she looked
like a rock star.

Keegan glanced over her eccentric friend’s
outfit to see what style she’d adopted for the day. Her bangs,
which she habitually pushed to the side, were now purple beneath a
black top hat that only Anna could have pulled off. The rest of the
day’s ensemble of choice consisted of a grey tank top, a blue
cardigan, and a pink skirt with bright yellow flowers that came
just above her knees. To pull the look together she wore sparkly
silver Converse shoes.

“You know I hate you,” Keegan said with a
grin, bumping her best friend’s shoulder playfully with her
own.

Anna stared at Keegan indignantly, her skinny
arms crossing her chest. “Why would you hate me?”

“Who else could pull off that outfit and make
it look natural?” Keegan said.