Conflicted: Keegan's Chronicles (10 page)

“Umm, sure Rourk. If you think it will help.
At this point I’m willing to try anything and we’re only at day
one. I’m glad you’re my buddy.”

“Get some sleep. We’ll be woken up before
the sun.”

“Night Rourk, and I meant it man, we are
going to find you a girl once we’re out of here.”

“Goodnight, Tommy.”

“Rourk didn’t bother to get under his
blankets because he knew it would be a waste of time to make up the
bed in the morning. He closed his eyes and willed himself to fall
asleep. He inhaled deeply and he swore he could smell a hint of
sandalwood and vanilla, Keegan’s smell. He needed to pull himself
together. Rourk placed his hand behind his head, closed his eyes
and thought about when he would see her again. On her birthday. He
wondered if he should give her the present he had planned on or if
that would upset her. Maybe he should just find a normal gift
instead of giving her something that once belonged to his mother.
He could always get her the new lens she wanted. Rourk smiled and
pictured her on the rocks in the creek, taking photos.

It helped him drift off to sleep.

Keegan woke up thinking about Rourk.

It had been six weeks since he left and it
was still hard for her to believe he was gone. She wondered how he
was doing and if he had already started basic training. She had a
feeling she would not hear from him again until her birthday. The
thought made her sad even though she wasn’t sure why.

Her mood lifted when she thought of the date
she had with Donald later that evening. He was so funny. They had
been spending a lot of time together, and she hadn’t had an anger
incident since the first time in Calvron’s world. It was hard to
get angry when Donald was around because he always kept her
laughing and he made her feel like the most important person in the
world. He was obviously crazy about her and not afraid to show it
or let the whole world know.

They were now officially a couple. She had
to admit they did look cute together. Though, there was still a
nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she wasn’t being fair
to Rourk.

Tonight they were going to go ice-skating.
Donald thought it was funny when he told her that if she got angry
on the ice, no one would realize. She smiled to herself as she
tossed her blankets to the side and crawled out of bed. Checking
her phone, she found a couple of texts from Lauren and Anna. They
were finally going back to the magical land!

Keegan was super excited and ran to tell her
brother.

She skidded to a stop at his doorway, not
bothering to knock as she threw it open. “Thaddeus, we’re going to
the magic land I told you about. Do you want to come? You can even
bring Sam. Calvron is not grounded this weekend."

Thad looked up from his Xbox totally
unfazed. “What time are you going?”

“Around noon.”

“Sure, I’ll go. Can we pick up Sam on the
way?”

“Of course. You know I love Sammy.”

Keegan had about two hours to waste so she
headed downstairs to see what her parents were up to and play with
her younger brother Warrick. She had forgotten her father was gone,
so it was just her mom and Warrick. Warrick was in his corner
playing with blocks as usual. He was obsessed with those things.
When he saw Keegan he jumped and ran squealing into her arms.
“Kee-Kee!” She loved that kid.

“Vroom Vroom.” She ran in circles with him.
Warrick giggled. Finally, she let him down which made him unhappy
and he screamed at the top of his lungs to show his displeasure.
She left him for her mother to deal with.

What to eat?
Keegan opened and closed the cabinet
doors but found nothing that looked appealing. “Mom, can you make
some french toast and bacon?”

“Keegan, you need to learn to cook. How are
you going to survive college next year?” Emerald was at the kitchen
table with Warrick in her lap and her laptop open in front of her
as she paid bills online.

Keegan shrugged. “Pizza and canned
food.”

“That’s healthy.” Her mom stood with Warrick
on her hip and handed him to Keegan before gathering what she
needed to make breakfast.

“So what are you up to today?”

“I’m going to take Thad to that magical land
Calvron makes up.” She tossed her brother in the air and he had a
giggling fit.

“Really? Well, that’s nice of you to include
your brother.” Her mom glanced at her while she cracked the
eggs.

The bacon sizzled on the stove. Keegan loved
the smell. “Yeah, it should be fun. I wish you could come see it,
but I don’t think adults are allowed.”

“Too bad you couldn’t take pictures.”

“Yeah, I asked Calvron and he said they
would just show up blank.” Keegan put Warrick in his high chair and
got out his favorite snack, Cheerios, which he immediately started
tossing on the ground.

“Magic and modern technologies don’t work
well together.”

“It sucks. How cool would that be to have
pictures of that amazing world Calvron created?”

Emerald dipped the bread slices in the egg
mixture as she asked, “Is Calvron still going out with Lauren’s
sister?”

“Yep, they seem to really be into each
other. Calvron probably cast a spell on her or something.” Keegan
grinned.

After dropping the french toast in the
skillet, her mom turned to face her. “How are things with Donald?”
Her voice was nonchalant and her face carefully empty of emotion,
but Keegan knew her mother didn’t approve.

“Fine, we are having tons of fun hanging
out. Tonight we’re going ice-skating.”

“Is it serious?”

“Mom, it hasn’t even been that long. Who
knows what will happen? Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about
Rourk.” Keegan could feel the annoyance rising in her.

Her mother must have noticed too because she
changed the subject. “I haven’t seen Lauren and Anna lately. You
should invite them over for a sleep-over. We could have a cookout,
make S’mores and learn more about their magical abilities.”

“Sure, I’ll invite them over soon. We
haven’t had much girl time lately. I’ve been spending all my time
with Donald and Lauren has been with Josh.”

“Anna probably feels left out,” her mom said
as she finally set the plate of food down in front of Keegan.

“Oh my god, Mom, this is amazing.” Keegan
inhaled it.

“Keegan, don’t talk with your mouth full.
It’s gross.” Emerald rolled her eyes , placed her cup of tea on the
table and sat next to Keegan. The baby was still tossing Cheerios
all over the floor. They both pretended not to notice. “How is Anna
handling everything with her mom?”

“I don’t know. She hasn’t really talked
about it.”

“Maybe I should call and check on Jennifer.
I can never repay her for bringing you back to us.”

“I’m sure she’d like that.” Keegan got up
and put her dishes in the sink. “I’m going to jump in the shower
and get ready.”

“Well, have fun. I’m meeting Brigid and
Katrina for lunch. I should be home before you get back. If not,
make sure to text me when you get home.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Keegan took the stairs two at
a time, excited to go back to the magical land. She really hoped
she didn’t have any issues with her temper today.

After a swift shower and change of clothes,
it was time to leave. The weather was starting to get cold so
Keegan grabbed her pea coat before heading out the door with
Thaddeus. “We have to pick up Donald on the way to get Sammy.”

“He hates when you call him that,” Thaddeus
sighed, tugged his gray hooded sweatshirt over his head and they
opened their car doors.

“I know.” Keegan laughed.

Keegan pulled up in front of Donald’s house
a few moments later and he came out before she had time to text him
to let him know she was there. Her face lit up when she saw the
door open. She loved his lazy gait. He looked so cute in his Green
Lantern t-shirt that was pulled snuggly across his chest. As he
approached her side of the Jeep, she rolled down her window. He
leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

“You look even more beautiful than usual,”
he said, with a grin. Keegan could feel the heat creep up her
face.

“Gross! Just get in the Jeep,” Thaddeus said
from the backseat.

Donald climbed in and shot an apologetic
look over his shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were back
there.”

“Whatever, let’s go get Sam.”

Once they picked up Sam they headed back to
the same spot as before. The big wooden door had been replaced with
what appeared to be a mirror just hanging in the air by itself.

“That’s pretty cool.” Sam said from the
backseat. He was a tall, lanky kid with sandy blonde hair and pale
green eyes. Keegan wondered if he and Thad had planned their
clothes because they were both in plain gray hoodies and blue
jeans.

“Come on, let’s get out there.” Keegan
jumped out of the Jeep and rushed for the mirror.

No one else was around. Donald reached
forward and touched the glass with his hand and his fingers when
straight through. “Well, this is new. Calvron is always coming up
with the oddest things. Let’s go through and see what awaits us on
the other side.” He waggled his fingers in the air, making spooky
noises.

Donald went first. Keegan made Thaddeus and
Sam hold her hands so they could all go through at the same
time.

Calvron had out done himself once again.
Even Thaddeus was impressed.

It was as if they were walking on clouds and
there was a huge ancient city suspended in the air. Golden temples
and buildings stretched as far as they could see, the sun brightly
shining. Every step they took it felt like they were going to fall
through.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe. Calvron would
never let anyone get hurt in his land,” Donald reassured Keegan as
he noticed her hesitation.

With that Keegan took off in a run, her
laugh echoing. Donald morphed swiftly into a tiger and chased after
her, the two of them disappearing in the clouds.

Thaddeus and Sam looked at each other,
shrugged and headed towards the main building. Thaddeus was hoping
to run into Anna. They had to discuss some things, but for now, he
might as well enjoy hanging out in this alternate world.

“Hey, look at your clothes.” Sam pointed at
Thaddeus.

Thaddeus looked down. “Awesome.”

They were dressed in ancient gladiator
wear.

“Come on, let’s go see what is inside!” he
told Sam, beating on his armor.

He completely forgot about Anna.

Anna walked through the door at home,
exhausted after being out all day with Keegan and the rest of the
crew. All she really wanted to do was grab a sandwich and trudged
up to her room.

“Anna, guess what?” Her mother walked in
from the kitchen. Anna groaned. She just wanted to be left
alone.

“No idea, Mom.” She hung up her jacket and
sunk into the couch. She knew she couldn’t run up to her room if
her mother was in talkative mood.

“I’ve found Magdalena and you will not
believe the luck. She lives only thirty minutes away.” Her eyes
sparkled when she was happy. Her laugh lines were well-earned.

“You mean you found the light witch?” Anna
clasped her hand over her mouth. She was no longer tired. “Did you
talk to her? Does she know about me? Did she agree to see me? I
wonder if she’ll like me.”

“Slow down sweetie. Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
She wants to meet you right away, as soon as possible. I told her
you could come over tomorrow around 10:00. I hope that is okay with
you?”

“Is that okay with me? Ah, yeah! I’ve waited
so long for someone to help me. I really hope she likes me. What am
I going to wear? I can’t believe I just said that, I sounded like
Keegan. Speaking of Keegan, I need to call her.” Anna hopped out of
the couch.

“Not so fast. Remember you can’t get her
hopes up. Do not say anything to her about trying to get the bond
back. You promised me, Anna.” Her mother looked at her with
pleading eyes.

“I won’t say anything. I just want to tell
her that I have someone that can help me develop as a witch.” She
walked away, already on the phone with Keegan. They talked for a
few moments. Anna had to pull the phone away when Keegan squealed
with excitement on the other end. Keegan said. "I'm just happy for
you to have someone to help you with your gift. This is so
exciting."

Anna made herself a ham and cheese sandwich
with mayo and pickles. Grabbing a bag of chips, she sat on the
stool and imagined how awesome tomorrow was going to be.

Her mind filled with images of meeting her
first real light witch. What would she look like? Would she be able
to tell she was a witch? She wanted to tell Xavier about it, but he
was a human and unaware of her lineage.
Probably not a good idea.

When she finally went to her room to try to
get some sleep, she tossed and turned all night. She was too
excited to sleep. She must have dozed off because the next thing
she knew her mom was knocking on her door telling her it was 9:00.
She only had thirty minutes to get ready!

Okay, calm down,
she told herself.
Just throw on some clothes
.
Anna tossed almost all of her clothes on the floor, nothing seemed
right.

Just as she was about to scream into her
pillow, her mother walked in the door and smiled.

“It’s okay, Anna. Breathe.” She glanced
around the room and zeroed in on a pair of black skinny jeans.
Picking them up, she handed them to Anna. “Here, wear this. And...”
Perusing her daughter’s closet, she found a green flowing shirt and
tossed it to her. “And that.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Anna gave her a grateful
smile and clutched the clothes to her chest.

“Breakfast? You should probably eat
something.”