THE LEGACY
THE INFLUENCERS BOOK 2
KASSANDRA GARRISON
I.
PARADISE
Nightmares, unforgiving and relentless, caused me to toss and turn in bed with flashes of my unforgotten past. The disturbing scenes skipped from one to the next without warning.
My eardrums threatened to burst under the impact of the surrounding explosions. I could hear the rhythmic pounding as I witnessed Connor beating the gym mat under Ben’s restraint, blood dripping down his insane expression as he’s dragged away.
The impact of the next detonation sent tremors through my body. Fire poured from the conference center as the explosion shook the entire hotel. Cries of the wounded and frightened filled my ears, their screams sending chills down my spine.
As the society’s train left the facility, the timed explosions reverberated through the tunnel as the support beams caved in. Reliving the devastation of that day, my screams echoed in the train to the distant remnants of the facility, to the love lost.
The frustrated pounds of Connor, the cries of the wounded, the hopeless sobbing from my chest. All at once, it is all I could hear. My hearing was overwhelmed with the ever-increasing sounds of misery. Louder and louder they cried.
My heart was no longer beating, the pulse of the explosions taking its place.
Sitting upright from the bed, tears ran down my cheeks as I struggled to catch my breath from my haunting nightmares. As I looked around the room at my familiar environment, I breathed a sigh of relief.
The floors were wooden as well as the massive beams on the ceiling. A chest of drawers and dresser lined the neutrally painted walls. In several places around the room, I could see the faces of Ben and his parents smiling at the camera.
There was no mistake Ben was their child. He had inherited his father’s dark, handsome features and height. Yet, his mother’s green eyes and contagious smile evidenced their relation with a mere glance.
Next to me, an empty pillow laid cold from lack of company. Wiping tears from my eyes, I reached for the necklace lying on my chest. The coolness of the pearl had become a comfort to me over the past months, providing a sense of security in my times of anxiety.
Though I had calmed, I could swear that I still heard faint explosions from my dreams. The coolness of the morning air hit my feet as I slid out from beneath the covers, my toes touching the hard wood. I grabbed a flannel overshirt, throwing it over my long sleeve thermal and sweatpants.
Although winter had passed, early spring still left a chill in the air. Leaving the bedroom, I walked through the hallway until reaching the main room where the kitchen and living room merged in an open concept. Dishes from past days still littered the sink and embers of last night’s fire faded in the hearth.
Following the sound of constant drumming, I looked out of the back window and found the explanation for the noise. Ben, in a gray t-shirt and jeans, stood not thirty feet away from the cabin chopping wood for the fireplace.
His dark hair was matted to his temples and his shirt clung to his back with perspiration. With spirited swings of the axe, the wood dropped to the ground in halves. I could see his muscles bulge from under the t-shirt as he brought the ax over his head, taking intermittent breaks to push his hair from his face. I chuckled to myself as I realized how long I had been gawking at him through the window.
After a moment, I retreated to the kitchen and began making coffee for the two of us. No matter how many mornings I had woken up with Ben by my side, I couldn’t help but feel relief each time I realized it had not all been a dream.
Countless mornings I awoke in a panic from reliving the pain of losing Ben and the fear that it would happen again. And he is there, understanding my unspoken dreams and holding me until my shaking ceases.
I smiled as I remembered the day which took place months ago, the day my life changed forever and the afternoon that my heart began to beat again.
***
The golden autumn landscape had no match for his eyes, the green I had desperately missed for those dark months of his presumed death. In the universe, no other green equaled his eyes, the gold and brown flecks uniquely adding to their depth. In disbelief, we stood looking at one another, attempting to convince ourselves of the truth that stood before us.
A million thoughts ran through my head: leaving without Ben in the train, the explosions, the blueprint in his parents’ office. Tears rolled down my cheeks toward the smile spreading across my face.
His twinkling eyes never left me as he stood there in shock. Though his hair was longer, his jeans worn, and his flannel unfamiliar, it was the same Ben I knew, with whom I had fallen so madly in love. He lacked any kind of guard, soft eyes melting into mine from where he stood.
Then, we both seemed incapable of waiting another second as we burst into action. He ran toward me and swept me off my feet, my arms around his neck as we clung to one another desperately. His lips ran frantically along every surface of me: my hair, my shoulder, my cheek, my lips.
He pulled back to look at my face, studying every detail with his misty eyes. They exploded with color, gleaming in sheer happiness and disbelief. I smiled through my tears, laughing uncontrollably in my joy.
Hi, Ben.
He laughed at my common greeting and kept hold of my waist. His deep voice brought with it countless memories as I felt the rumble inside his chest.
Funny seeing you here.
I reached on my toes and pressed my lips onto his, warm and soft at first and then growing in passion. Breathlessly, we pulled apart and looked at one another.
I was the first to finally question the impossibility of our reunion. Yet, I couldn’t find the words to speak the thousands of questions I wanted to ask.
How?
I could ask you the same question.
I think I have gone insane because there’s no way you’re here right now. I heard the explosions. You didn’t make it to the tunnel before we left.
When I realized I wouldn’t have time to make it across the facility, I used the tunnels my parents created under the executive suites. I told you I knew the facility like the back of my hand.
But the blueprints Sam found in the classroom didn’t show any executive tunnel and the one in your parents’ office wasn’t consistent with the actual facility.
The one in my parents’ office was an early edition while the one at the facility only showed the recruits what they were allowed to see. To protect the Board members and President, the tunnel was kept secret.
But I took the access card.
The executive tunnels could only be opened with a fingerprint. My parents programmed mine into the system a long time ago. The tunnel ends in southern Idaho, the entrance to the outside being under one of their safehouses. It’s a house in the country with barns where they park their cars.
Visions of the tunnel the recruits and I exited flooded my mind. The train had come to a complete stop before the recruits and several staff members emptied onto the dirt floor. The opening was hidden in a cave in the woods, concealed behind a stone wall. The woods came to an end not far from the entrance, a road on the hillside overlooking a town in northern California.
I disabled the tracking on one of the cars and drove it to a nearby town here in Idaho. I ditched the car and hiked the remainder of the way to the cabin.
Absorbing the information, he continued his story.
Oh, Darcy, I’m so sorry I didn’t come to find you. I had no idea where you had gone after the shutdown. All I knew to do was hide here where no one could find me… where I could process everything.
It’
s okay, Ben. I understand.
But then, you found me. Darcy, how did you know where to come?
Your tattoo.
He was surprised by my confession and looked toward the arm that held the tattoo. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.
My tattoo? I never told you what it meant. How did you even remember the numbers or know how to use them?
I would read those numbers over and over again when I was unable sleep at night in the facility. I couldn’t forget them if I tried. And the internet seemed to know exactly what they meant.
He chuckled, shaking his head in awe and disbelief. As we sat overlooking Ben’s favorite view, I explained everything to him: planning the shutdown, Kate and Noah’s wedding, and my time in South Sudan.
I can’t believe you went to South Sudan.
Well, when Richard offered for me to choose the location of our volunteer work, I couldn’t think of a better place. You mentioned that you wanted to continue the mission of your parents and I wanted to make that happen.
You’re incredible.
We sat leaned against the tree stump overlooking the golden landscape. He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead gently as I told him of my time without him since the shutdown. Surrounded by the beautiful fall day, Ben and I sat in his favorite spot for hours, never once letting go of one another.
***
The noise of the coffee maker brought me back to the present as the comforting aroma filled the kitchen. I poured two mugs of the steaming beverage and walked out to the back porch.
Placing Ben’s cup on a small table, I sat on one of the porch benches and watched as he finished chopping the remainder of the logs. He stacked the wood into a pile and started walking back to the cabin.
As he approached the porch, he noticed my presence and smiled unconvincingly. I could see the rings under his eyes from lack of sleep the night before. Making room for him, I moved over on the bench and watched him over the rim of my glass.
He picked up his coffee mug and looked out at the woods around us. I moved under his arm as he swung it over the back of the bench, bringing my knees to my chest and curling up against his warm side.
Couldn’t sleep again?
No. I hope I didn’t wake you.
Well, it wasn’t entirely you… I needed to get up anyway.
His hand rubbed my shoulder as he looked down at me curled next to him. Kissing my head, he turned his attention back to our surroundings and sipped his coffee.
I’m assuming the same thing that woke me up is the reason you’re chopping wood at eight in the morning.
He nodded in agreement, silence filling the air. We were both familiar with the nightmares which plagued one another’s sleep on a regular basis. Clearly not in the mood to talk about it, Ben stood up from his place beside me and gulped down the rest of his coffee.
I’m going to shower.
Alright. You want any breakfast?
Maybe in a little while.
He walked through the door of cabin, leaving me to sit in the early spring air. On the days when Ben’s nightmares were most evident, my heart ached in sorrow. There seemed to be more good days as time passed. Today was obviously not one of those days.
I stood up and walked back into the cabin, unable to sit there for another moment. In his misery, Ben still separated himself from others, unable to deviate from his training over the years. I made up my mind to never again let him isolate himself behind those walls, to let Margot win.
My feet pattered against the cool floor of the cabin as I made my way back to the bathroom. The bedroom floor was scattered with the t-shirt and jeans which Ben had been wearing outside. Slipping out of my pajamas and throwing them on the bed, I opened the bathroom door and released the steam that had already accumulated.
Through the glass door of the shower, I could see Ben as he stood with his head under the water, hands pressed against the wall. It was obvious the pain he was in as he let the water rush over his hair and down his back.
The glass was clouded with the steam of the shower as I pulled the door open. Ben turned his head at the noise and pushed his hair away from his eyes.
There were no words needing said in that moment. He knew I was there for him. Removing the wall he had reflexively built around his emotions, he closed the gap and pulled me against him. We stood under the hot water, fighting against the mess the Society had created. Even though life had succeeded in breaking us to pieces, every fragment somehow fit perfectly together.
II.
NIGHTMARES
Ben’s face was still as he slept in the bed next to me. His hair had since dried from the shower, his skin smelling like soap under the Henley he had thrown on. I laid facing him, studying every detail of his face.
After months of believing he was dead, I hadn’t been able to stop myself from appreciating every miniscule detail about him: the rhythm of his breath, his dark eyelashes, and the freckle on his shoulder I couldn’t keep from kissing.
In his exhaustion, Ben had immediately laid in the bed after our shower. He pulled me beside him and tucked me into his side before drifting off. As I laid next to him, my mind traveled back to my first night at the cabin.
***
We stepped through the doorway of the cabin together, hand in hand. Hours of conversation had lasted into the evening, bringing with it hunger and thirst. After giving me a proper tour of the cabin, Ben headed toward the kitchen in search of food.
Together, we sat on the couch and ate crackers, canned peaches, and coffee. The bitterness of the coffee contrasted the sweet sticky syrup on the peaches.
Ben, I’m so sorry for how I acted toward you before I was deployed. The fighting, the accusing. None of it mattered.
I know, Darcy. We just couldn’t see it then.
But I could’ve lost you. I wasted so much time being angry at the wrong person.
In truth, I should have told you about my aunt. I had opportunities to tell you. But I felt like so much of my life at the facility was based on Margot, I just wanted something real, something she didn’t control.
He rubbed his thumb over the top of my hand as we sat facing one another. The sun had descended behind the horizon by this time, leaving little light outside. A lamp in the corner of the room provided some light. However, it was the illumination from the fireplace that flickered across our faces and cast shadows on the walls.
Kate told me about the day she gave your mother’s necklace back to you.
Ben nodded and squeezed my hand, doubtlessly remembering the pain of my absence. Suddenly, he stood up and walked down the hallway out of sight without a word.
Ben?
I could hear movement from the office before Ben reappeared from the dark hallway. Making his way back to the couch, he returned to his seat across from me and looked deeply into my eyes.
My confusion must have been apparent as he chuckled under his breath. His eyes twinkled with the light of the fireplace. Then, he looked down at his hands. I glanced down at his clutched fist as it opened, revealing the same necklace he had given me months ago, his mother’s pearl necklace. I gasped in shock and returned my gaze to his face in disbelief.
Ben! How…?
The day Kate gave it back to me, I realized you were gone forever. I was so confused and hurt. It hadn’t hit me you were really gone until Kate gave me the necklace and told me you didn’t want to take it with you.
It was your mother’s. I couldn’t take it.
I still wanted you to have it. I never stopped loving you. In fact, I carried the necklace with me every day. I felt if I had it with me, I still had a part of you, too.
But you looked so angry with me in the hallway the day I was brought back.
I was surprised to see you. I didn’t know what to feel. Uncertainty of your feelings, fear for your safety…and anger toward whoever bruised the side of your face. After they pulled you away, I couldn’t help but follow.
Ben, I didn’t know you were outside of
the door when I kept pushing Margot for answers. I didn’t mean for you to hear it.
It’s not your fault. I needed to know the truth. No matter how badly it hurt.
I’m so sorry for your loss. When I made plans for the shutdown, I had no intentions of killing anyone. Margot, Connor…
He shook his head dismissively and raised the necklace to eye level. I could tell by his avoidance of the topic that he wasn’t ready to talk about his fight with Connor or his aunt’s death. Watching as he unclasped the chain, I pulled my hair to the side.
Raising it above my head, he fastened the necklace around my throat and admired the jewelry as it shined in the firelight. I touched the cool metal as it laid on my chest, appreciative it was not left behind in the explosion.
Ben’s eyes were soft and dark as he looked at me. He leaned in and kissed my lips gently as if cherishing every touch. His mouth tasted sweet from the peaches as I felt his hand cradle the back of my neck. I hungered for his closeness, deepening the kiss until a soft moan escaped his lips.
His hands grazed up my legs as I pulled my knees under me and hovered over him. Ben stood up with me in his arms and walked down the hallway toward the bedroom, his lips never leaving mine.
Later that night, as I laid on his chest intertwined with him under the sheets, I couldn’t help but wonder again if I was dreaming or had gone insane. Ben was alive and after so many months of emptily going through the motions, so was I.
***
During my first night in the cabin, I woke up desperately searching for Ben. I pulled the sheets against my chest as I scoured the room for him. When my eyes adjusted, I could make out the silhouette of his back as he sat on the edge of the bed. Anxiously, he rubbed his eyes and ran his hands through his tousled hair.
Ben?
He started at the sound of my voice, obviously unaware I had woken up. I crawled toward him and placed my hand on his back in comfort.
I’m sorry I woke you, Darcy.
It’s okay. What’s wrong?
Shaking his head, I could see the inner turmoil Ben was enduring as he decided whether to share with me. He finally looked up at me, his eyes filled with heartbreaking anguish.
The Legacy: The Influencers Book 2 (The Society) Page 1