Touched by Darkness (Young Creator Trilogy) (14 page)

“I’m still trying to get my stuff from my room, but it should take just a minute. Wait here,
I will be right back.” I smile at him and then turn to the stairs, noticing that everyone is holding
their breath to see what happens next.
When I get to my room, I quickly throw some stuff into my backpack after emptying the
contents on the bed. I don’t know how long we are going to be gone, and the limited space
doesn’t allow for a lot, but hopefully I make some good choices, definitely including my iPod. I
grab my leather jacket, but when I look in the mirror, I realize that I’m still in PJs from this
morning. I quickly change into some jeans and a cute shirt, run a comb through my hair, and am
out the door in less than five minutes. Walking back into the common room,it’s as if I never left;
everyone is still stuck, still just staring at the guy by the door.
He lights up when he notices that I’m back and starts walking toward me. People move
out of his way like the ocean did for Abraham. “Who—”
He cuts me off with a quick, light kiss on the lips, leaving me wide-eyed, and whispers,
“In a second, let’s get out of here first.”
I give him my best smile and we make our way out of the room.

Chapter 15

 

Touched by Flame

 

As soon as we exit the dorm, I turn to my hero and give him a huge smile. “You might just be
my new favorite person! I’m Trish by the way.” I reach out my hand to shake his.

He takes my hand and squeezes it tightly. I instantly like him; my mom always told me
that you can tell a lot by a person’s hand shake, and you should be wary of those that have a
weak one. “I’m Nick,” he tells me with a cute smile and dimples in his cheeks. What I wasn’t
able to see earlier is that he has grayeyes, a shade that I don’t believe I’ve seen on anyone
before. “That’s what I’m here for, aiding a damsel in distress.”

I notice Chris heading in our direction and am reminded of why I needed to get my things
in the first place. I have to say,I’m sad to have to say good-bye to Nick, especially since I just
met him and would love to find out more about him. However, I guess right now isn’t a good
time, not only because of what is going on, but also because of Keagan. I still have to untangle
that mess, andI don’t even want to think about that whole situation right now. I’m instantly
brought back to the present when Nick starts laughing. Ican’t help but smile; Nick has one of
those laughsthat is contagious. “What’s so funny?”

“I don’t mean to be rude
, but watching you is like having a front row seat to a play. Your
facial expressions tell a story, and it’s just fascinating. Not only that, but you’re freakin’ cute!” I
blush, Ican’t help it. I think the only person I’ve been instantly attracted to like this was Keagan.
I thought Sam was cute and I admired his spirit, but he never set my blood on fire or made the
butterflies in my stomach do summersaults. For some reason, this boy has me blushing and my
heart skippinga beat. I don’t have time for this.

“You weren’t rude, and thank you. I think you’re
cute, too! But, umm, I gotta go.I’m
meeting some friends. I was really nice meeting you, Nick,and thank you again.” I smile at him
before rushing off to meet Chris.

“I’m so glad you were able to meet me,” Chris says.

 

“I told you I would.” I’m confused, anddon’t understand why he is surprised.

“Sorry
, Trish, Ididn’t mean you. I was talking to Nick.” I turn to Nick in surprise, who
has a big, goofy grin on his face. I glanceback and forth between the two. “Nick, meet Trish the
Young Creator, and Trish this is my son,Nick.” I know my mouth is hanging open in shock.

“Surprise.” I
whack Nick in the shoulder, which only causes him to laugh some more. I
think that I could get used to having him around; he is the complete opposite of Keagan. Where
Keagan is kind of sullen, Nick is just happy. I really like that.

This is not good! Talk about a distraction. Luckily, Keagan saves me when he arrives
with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. “What’s up?” he asks, nodding inNick’s direction
with a questioning look.

“Hi, I’m Nick
. One of the Fates’ Assassins.” He extends his hand to shakeKeagan’s, who
cautiously shakes it.
“Keagan, bad ass Guardian. Protector of this Young Creator and also kinda her
boyfriend.” I swing my eyes in Keagan’s direction, shocked at his statement. I don’t know how I
feel about this.
“Too bad, it seems like all the cute ones always have boyfriends. That’s cool.” He gives
Keagan a friendly look, letting him know he understands that Keagan is staking his claim. While
I may have liked that in the past, right now I’m just pissed off, but don’t want to start anything.
Not right now anyway. I make a mental note that Keagan and I are going to have a one on one as
soon as possible. Just then Maximus drives up, surprise on his face when he notices Chris and
Nick.
He gets out of his car and rushes over to Chris, who wholeheartedly hugs him, smacking
him on the back in what I like to call a man hug. “What are you doing here, old friend?”
“Fates sent me your way, said that I would find a way to tip the balance. Had a little run
in with your Young Creator and Guardianhere earlier. I’m just happy we cleared that
misunderstanding up before anyone was hurt.”
“You and me both,” I tell him. Chris smiles, which is a first, and I’m startled to see the
resemblance between him and Nick. While Chris doesn’t haveNick’s complexion, he definitely
has his smile.
“Interesting. So the Fates have noticed the shift in balance and have activated their
personal guard. That hasn’t happened in a long time. Things must be worse than we thought,”
Maximus says.
“It really has gotten bad. More and more darkness is infiltrating the light, the Fates are
worried and want us to help restore the balance. That is why you get us along on your journey.
We have a lot to talk about.” He grabs his bag and gets in the front seat of Maximus’ car, leaving
the rest of us to pile in the back. I end up wedged between the two guys; a tight fit given that
Maximus has a white Prius. I always like to guess what kind of cars people have, and I’m usually
pretty good at it, but I would’ve been dead wrong with my pick for Maximus.
Maximus and Chris are talking upfront like long lost best friends, while the teenagers in
the back are not uttering one word. I wish this wasn’t so awkward, but Keagan’s earlier
declaration somehow made it so. I decide to enjoy the scenery that is rushing by, but am
completely shocked when Nick puts his arm across the back of the seat. He is not really touching
me, but it’s so close that we may as well be. Keagan, clearly not liking what he is seeing, decides
to place his hand on my thigh and run small circles over my jeans. I turn to him and give him a
raised eyebrow, which makes him smirk, lean in, and give me a kiss that would have been on the
lips if Ihadn’t turned my face. This is all too much;I don’t want to have to deal with this in
addition to everything else. I don’t want to hurt Keagan’s feelings since he just got his memories
back, but it’s too complicated.
I lean in and whisper,“We really need to talk about some stuff … ASAP.” He nods and
removes his hand from my leg, clearly getting the hint that I’m not comfortable.
“So where are we going?” I ask, realizing I’d gotten in the car with no idea of what the
plan is.
“We are going to see a friend of mine. He may have the knowledge we need,” Maximus
replies.
“What are you trying to do?” Chris asks him.
“We have to find a weapon that will stop Trish’s twin. She has figured out the whole
immortal by killing another Young Creator thing. I don’t know how she is going to do it, but she
is drawing Trish out,and probably every other Young Creator that she can.”
“I was talking to the kids about that earlier. Told them about my god-killer. You know
that there is one left, right?” Maximus suddenly pulls the car over to the side of the road.
“Chris, please tell us about this weapon. We were trying to figure out our next move, but
it seems like the Fates are already providing us with it.” Maximus sits still in his seat, waiting
patiently for Chris to tell us about this weapon. I’m honestly intrigued by Chris, the organization
he belongs to, the Fates, and this weapon that can kill a Young Creator. I have so many
questions.
“Before you tell us about the weapon, can you tell us about yourself?” I ask.
“Youthful curiosity. Absolutely, Trish,I’ll give you a little insight into my world.” I can’t
believe this is the same man that just yesterday was teaching my class with such a horrible
attitude. What is it about all of my teachers being part of secret organizations? I guess I should
have seen this one coming.
“The Fates have been around for as long as time. They weave the tapestry of time, which
contains all life. While most of the gods blinked out of existence when mankind lost their belief,
the Fates remained, guarding the balance between good and bad. Now, as far as my organization
goes, we are all humans that have been tasked with keeping the balance.”
“So if the balance is in favor of good, do you have to shift it?” Keagan asks. I look at him
and nod my head, thinking that it is a really good question.
“We do. You have to understand, we are tasked with this. Life will be destroyed if the
tapestry of life is not evenly balanced. Sometimes we have to make hard decisions, but it is for
the greater good. Have you ever heard that good people sometimes do bad things, and bad people
do good?It is the way of the world.”
“You said earlier that some of the gods blinked out of existence, does this mean that there
are more still around today?” I inquire, needing to know.
“Any god that didn’t need worship would still be around,” Nick cuts in before his dad can
reply.
“Like the Furies. Since they basically feed off fear and hopelessness, they are able to
exist,” I say, thinking out loud.
“Exactly,” Chris replies. “But back to the reason that we are all gathered here. The
weapon that can kill a Young Creator ...” He pulls out his sword, lovingly running his hands over
it. “This is Sky, one of the three god killer swords. Killing a god or Young Creator is extremely
difficult. You can drain their energy during an eclipse. The only other choice that I’m familiar
with is decapitation, with a god killer. I know of the three swords, Sky, Typhoon, and Flame.
There are also a few other weapons, but I’m not familiar with them. The swords, on the other
hand, I know all about. I won my sword twelve years ago, and since then it has only been faithful
to me. That basically means no one other than me can use this sword, as I earlier demonstrated. I
had to explain to Sky why I needed him, and once he accepted me, he was mine until my mission
is over or I die. The only time that you can acquire a sword is if itbelongs to no one.” He shrugs
his shoulders as if to say that the possibility of that is very slim.
“So where can we find Typhoon and Flame?” I ask.
“Typhoon already belongs to someone, so your only choice is Flame.” He meets
Maximus’ eye, who—to my surprise—I now notice has turned as white as a sheet of paper.
“Okay, so where do we find Flame?” I press.
Maximus is shaking his head in denial. “We can’t. No one ever leaves.”
“We have to visit the Underworld. Flame is kept there,” Nick states, cutting to the chase.
“Are you serious? There is actually an Underworld?” I know it’s creepy,but I’m excited.
I remember seeing the Underworld in a recent movie, and wonder if the movie actually did it
justice.“Have any of you ever been?” Nick snickers behind me and Keagan snorts.
“No one ever leaves. Did you miss that part?” Nick points out.
“Oh,I thought that you were only kidding.”
“Honestly,it’s what we have been told, but on the positive side we don’t know anyone
who has ever attempted it, so who knows if it’s true. Probably just one of those things to keep
people away.” He winks at me and squeezes my shoulder, reminding me once again how close
we are.
“We have to do this, don’t we?” I ask the group.
“We do,” Maximus replies.

Chapter 16
Keagan

I
can’t believe that we are heading to Paris. I’ve always wanted to travel, but was never given the
opportunity. Being raised a Guardian, you are expected to make many sacrifices; not traveling,
unless related to Young Creator business, being one of them. We’ve always been told you live a
life of servitude for the greater good.

Trish thought that it was hilarious that the entrance to the Underworld was in Paris. I
really didn’t get the joke, but laughed along regardless.

Maximus made some quick calls and we are leaving in a few hours
. It’s going to be a
long flight, almost twelve hours. I have a feeling that I’m going to hate every minute of it,
especially if that douchebag doesn’t get off Trish. I still can’t believe that I forgot about her. I
feel so much regret about all of the things that I’ve put Trish through, first at Haven and now all
of this. Unfortunately, I can now remember all of it, such as rubbing Porsche in her face every
opportunity I got just to save face in front of the Guardians. It’s crazy to see how much I’ve
changed just because of her. I’m a different person, a better person, because of her. I will do
everything to make sure that she is mine again. For nowI’m going to have to give her some
space, I know that. It’s just not easy, especially when I see the chemistry between her and Nick.

Maximus, thinking that she would be a great addition to the group, called Riley to come
join us. Ican’t wait to see my sister; I know she is going to be relieved to know that I’m myself
again. I remember the last time I talked to her, the hateful things I said about Trish and how sad
Riley seemed to be. It seems like I have so much to make up for. I feel like a stranger took over
my body and destroyed who I had become.

I also feel horrible for Trish. It seems like something bad is always happening to her.
Talk about some family baggage. I don’t think that I’ve ever met anyone with such a crazy
family, but I guess that’s what happens when you have a goddess for a mother; a mother bent on
destroying everything in her path.I’m just glad that she was taken away from Allecto by the
women she considers to be her real mom versus ending up a looney like Haddie.