Touched

by Allegra Skye

  “Why?” Senica howled furiously.

  “Because she loves me,” Percy howled back in pain.

  “LOVES YOU?” Senica jumped up from his seat as though he’d been sitting on a flame that was searing his being. “Idiot! Love is a power. A lethal power for the Shadow Vampires.”

  “Your job was to excite her, seduce her.”

  “I do not love her.”

  Again the Shadows hooted and hooted and the strange, eerie noise became so loud it disrupted the meeting.

  “Love means death to a Shadow Vampire,” Senica roared above the clamor. “Our shields are designed to prevent it. Did you let your shield down?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Prove it to me! Where is her sister Keira? Once we know, we’ll immediately gather, swoop down and destroy her. We’ll rip her limb from limb. Then we’ll cause agonizing pain to this girl who loves you, as it is her twin sister.”

  Percy shivered. “I don’t know,” he called out, his voice thinner and shriller.

  “When I know, I’ll tell you. I don’t know now.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Keira arrived at Lake Michigan just as day was breaking. She’d travelled all night to be sure to stay under the cover of darkness. Even though it was colder at night, there was a comfort in travelling beneath the guidance of the moon and stars. And there had been a full moon, which fell upon her and lit her path. As she moved along, Keira felt as though she was being lifted up above the earth and its dark spots.

  I love you, Cooper, I love you, she kept calling silently as she headed to her destination. She knew he could no longer hear her, but her heart kept repeating the words anyway. They comforted her, made her remember the times he was still close by, able to know what she was thinking, and able to respond.

  As she got to the lake in the morning, Keira discovered that a ferry was leaving in about half an hour. So far the map in her pocket had been perfect. Soon, it would be Thanksgiving. Who would she spend it with? And what would become of Amanda by then? She couldn’t bear to think of that. It suddenly struck her once again how much her life had changed in such a short time.

  “You’d better go on, if you’re taking the ferry,” a young man said at the dock. “It’s leaving in a few minutes. Not too many passengers on it this time of year,” and he looked at Keira inquiringly.

  “Thanks,” she said, and turned towards the ferry.

  The trip across the lake to Beaver Island was beautiful. Keira watched the chilly autumn sun come up, and felt the cool, brisk breeze wash over her face as she leaned on the railing, and gazed across the lake into the horizon.

  The directions Philomena had given her were flawless. From the moment she met Philomena, Keira had absolute trust in everything she said. She hadn’t stopped and wondered who Philomena was, or where she came from. Now, as the ferry glided across the lake Keira suddenly wondered about it.

  Philomena seemed to appear from out of nowhere. There had been absolutely nothing jarring about their meeting, though. But Keira had become accustomed to these unexpected encounters. She looked forward to them, almost. The moment Philomena started talking to her, a sense of peace and familiarity came over Keira, as though she’d known Philomena her entire life. It seemed clear that Philomena had come to guide her at exactly the right moment. Keira sensed that Philomena would appear again when Keira needed her. Without that assurance, Keira didn’t know how she could go on.

  A little spray from the lake rose up then and splashed Keira in the face, as if playing with her, letting her know everything would work out fine.

  After her stay on Beaver Island, the big trip would come. To meet her original family. Keira didn’t know how she felt about that. It was hard to absorb that there was a tribe she belonged to, nestled somewhere nearby. Did they have the same powers she did, and the same mission in the world? Of course it would be wonderful to find that out-- but it scared her a little, as well. All her life she’d always thought of herself as Amanda’s twin sister. Her father was her father, her mother her mother. But deep down, Philomena’s message made sense. Keira never really belonged in the family she was born into. She always saw the world in a different way, cared about things no one there even noticed. And, she felt she was never really liked or wanted anyway.

  At the thought of her first family, Keira started to cry a little. Even though she’d been unhappy at home, the thought of losing her parents and sister forever made her sad. It was different when Cooper was around. He’d made up for everyone and everything. Without him, life was different.

  The ferry pulled into the dock easily and the few passengers got out and walked onto the pier. From the pier Keira walked down a wooden pathway, towards a road that led in different directions. She pulled out her map and followed it.

  She finally reached the cottage that was waiting for her. The cottage was white thatched wood, with a fence that curled around it. Autumn leaves were strewn on the roof and in the front yard. It was down a thin road, at the edge of a lake, where a few ducks had gathered.

  She took a deep breath before opening the gate and walking in. Even though the energy surrounding the cottage was peaceful and shimmering, an odd chill ran up along her back and shoulders. It felt as though something else were waiting for her here. Would Philomena visit? She was ready for whatever came along, she thought, as she walked down the narrow path that led to the cottage gates and slowly swung them open.

  *

  The space inside was beautiful. There were two comfortable, plaid loveseats, woven rugs, and antique chairs next to an old fashioned weaving wheel. Light poured in through the tall, narrow framed windows. Keira felt as if she could stay here for years. She felt so comfortable in the place, she almost felt as if she’d been here before.

  She put her belongings down and sat on one of the loveseats, letting herself deeply rest. Everything she needed was right here. Everything but Cooper. She thought how much he would have loved the place and exploring the island together. She closed her eyes for a few minutes, and fell into a deep sleep.

  As she slept Keira dreamt that Cooper was weaving his way down a high mountain, searching for her. His hands were over his eyes as he scanned the place, breathing in deeply, trying to find a scent of her trail.

  I’m here, Cooper, she called to him in the dream, but he didn’t hear her, just turned further from her, following a trail that only took him farther away.

  Keira woke up, jarred. She felt nervous and alone. The peace of the place had been shattered for her. Just as she was about to get up from the loveseat, a strange dark bird then flew to her window sill, stood there and stared in. It had a piercing look in its eyes. The sight of the bird upset her further.

  She got up and began pacing around in the room. Just as she was about to walk out, she heard a strange humming noise, like mosquitoes, only louder. Some bugs might be caught in the kitchen, she thought, but then the cottage darkened, as if a huge cloud had crossed the sky. The sound of the humming grew louder and Keira had a hard time catching her breath. She felt as if she were suffocating.

  Then she realized. It was the Shadows.

  She flung her head around quickly, searching for help. Was the indigo light shining anywhere? It wasn’t. Usually before her powers came, great anger rose up in her. This time she felt no anger, only fear. It was dangerous, she knew, to feel fear. It weakened you. The Shadows loved it. They fed upon fear.

  At that moment the front door of the cottage slammed open, as if a storm were coming up. Keira raced out into the living room. A great wind was racing through the place. Not only a wind. The humming turned into hissing as she saw wave upon wave of strange birds fly in. They were not truly birds though, she quickly realized, but the Shadow Vampires, swarming in for the kill. They were surrounding both the outside and inside of the cottage. Among the hissing, she heard strange cackling laughs. Sounds of victory.

  Keira tried to summon her powers, but the powers did not come. The heat of rage did not rise in her,
the fear did not depart.

  “It’s too late,” a voice came. It was a dark, rustling throaty voice. Had to be the leader of the tribe, Keira thought.

  Then, all of a sudden they descended around her and on her, sticking to her like terrible bats. They were blinding her eyes, swimming into her ears, sinking their terrible teeth into her veins.

  “You think a stupid human can destroy us permanently?” the dark voice was calling to her again, drawing her life from her, drawing her hope.

  Keira shouted and flung her arms at them as intensely as she could. But she was no match for them. Not alone. Her power was leaving, they were winning. She felt her eyes rolling back and forth in her head.

  She had the strength left for one last try. She mustered her strength and called back, ‘In the name of goodness, in the name of love, I command you to Go!”

  A loud hooting sound responded from every side of the room. They were laughing at her with an ugly sound that could easily strike such fear in her heart that it would dislodge her sanity.

  “In the name of Love!” she called one last time, as she felt herself sinking.

  Then the door to the cottage flew back and forth as more wind poured into the cottage. Keira heard a scurry behind her. She felt the Shadows easing off. A green light was pouring through the cottage, exterminating each one of them.

  Keira turned and in the middle of the green light, she saw Cooper standing, pouring green light from his hands, violently lifting and hurling them, one after another, off her. As he hurled them, they disintegrated, in front of her eyes.

  Keira could not believe what she was seeing. She had to be dreaming. But the piercing, deafening sounds of pain the Shadows kept making made her realize she was fully awake.

  She scrambled to her feet from the floor and stood there staring at the remains of the Shadows strewn on the floor, and then at Cooper.

  “Cooper!” she could hardly say his name.

  He ran over and pulled her into his arms.

  They stayed glued together for what seemed like eternity, locked together, unable to speak, unable to part.

  CHAPTER 20

  Percy had never seen Senica in this kind of rage. When word came back that the Shadows had once again been defeated again on Beaver Island, Senica howled uncontrollably for an hour. And the news that his son had defeated them was more than he could bear.

  The order had gone out fiercely. “THE TWO OF THEM MUST BE DESTROYED. IF THEY ARE NOT DESTROYED, ANYONE IN A POSITION TO GET THEM WHO HAS NOT DONE IT WILL BE PERMANENTLY DISINTEGRATED.”

  Percy knew this was meant for him. He’d been on the front line, assigned to find Keira through her sister. And he’d found her. He’d told them where she was headed. He’d betrayed Amanda’s confidence in him. And still Keira had escaped. That boggled his mind. How was it possible?

  He paced back and forth, trying to understand it, in his enclosure in the compound. He’d been waiting there, as had many others, for news of victory in the attack. News of defeat came instead.

  Percy didn’t know what would happen next. He was afraid to see Amanda again. He’d never been afraid of a girl his entire life. But, like her sister, this one was different. All day long he’d been wondering if Senica was right. Did she have some kind of power over him? How had that happened? He felt weak when he thought of her. He felt ashamed of ever seeing her again. He had no idea what this feeling was, or how it had come over him.

  Percy thrashed back and forth in his enclosure, waiting for Senica’s call. When he calmed down a little, Senica would call them all together. He would set out another mission, demand vindication, make threats. And carry them out. Percy had seen Senica completely extinguish a Shadow Vampire who hadn’t behaved as he should. It was an extreme measure and the pain of it was beyond what anyone could bear. Percy knew he wasn’t immune to it if he didn’t find out where Keira was going.

  Just as he’d predicted, the call came.

  A large foghorn bleated, summoning them all to the main room. Percy began sweating, large opal drops all over his face and arms. The Shadow Vampires usually didn’t sweat unless terrible danger faced them. He didn’t want to go to the meeting sweating. It made him look cowardly, but he had no choice. The fog horn bleated and bleated relentlessly, and the Shadows who were left rustled together and began swarming back to the main hall.

  *

  “Twice!” Senica howled uncontrollably. “We have been humiliated and defeated twice by that human, and by my son, Cooper, who has taken up with her. Against all rules. Against all rules.”

  A terrible low, sound of pain arose from the Shadows.

  Percy began to shiver at the ferocity of the response.

  “If the two of them ever mated it would be even more dangerous than the ring being complete. They could have an ELECTRIC CHILD.”

  A dead silence filled the room. Everyone lived in silent fear of the appearance of an Electric Child.

  Senica was relentless now. “We all know,” he railed at them, “that it had been prophesized centuries ago, that one day on the cusp of revolution, when the world was about to change, when a great war would arise between forces of light and darkness, there would be the appearance of the Electric Child. This child would be undefeatable and have powers way beyond what had been seen yet. It would quickly and completely defeat the powers of darkness from the earth. And, it was further said, that the Electric Child would come to birth from the mating of two hybrids. That was why hybrids were so dangerous and to be feared. But now it has! COOPER IS A HYBRID AND SO IS KEIRA,” Senica howled louder and louder. “Cooper knows of the prediction. And he can’t stay away from Keira.”

  The Shadows hooted violently.

  Percy’s mind began to swoon.

  “PERCY,” Senica glared at him. “IMMEDIATELY GO TO AMANDA AND FIND OUT WHERE HER SISTER, KEIRA IS HEADED.”

  All kinds of thoughts ran through Percy’s mind. Amanda and Keira had parted. Most likely, Amanda wouldn’t know.

  “IF YOU CAN’T GET THE INFORMATION FROM AMANDA,” Senica continued, “DESTROY HER. SHE’S USELESS TO US, THEN.”

  “Useless?” Percy’s heart began pounding.

  “If Amanda is destroyed, it might draw her twin sister closer,” Senica continued. It looked as if the veins in Seneca’s neck would explode.

  The Shadows started hooting.

  “This is the last time you may see her,” Senica thundered. “Go back immediately, contact her and find out if she knows about her sister. If she doesn’t, if they’ve parted, squash her out. Destroy her. You know how. Don’t leave even a drop of her left.”

  Percy shivered.

  “Immediately!” thundered Senica, turned his back and flung his whole body against the wall.

  CHAPTER 21

  Percy left the compound immediately, even before the meeting was over. He had to get out of there. He couldn’t let them see him sweating, horrified at the thought of what he had to do.

  In an hour school would be over and he would meet Amanda coming out the main door. It had been a while since they’d seen each other and the thought of it thrilled him. He couldn’t wait to see her again. He couldn’t wait to smell her sweet fragrance and hold her in his arms.

  The moment Percy saw Amanda, his heart fluttered wildly. And Amanda, seeing him again, flew down the stairs into his arms. White fire played up and down his spine.

  “Back off,” he whispered in her ear, gently.

  She buried her beautiful head on his shoulder, her golden hair spreading all over his face.

  “We have to get out of here immediately,” Percy said, lifting her head and looking in her eyes. They were teary, like oceans, staring out at him.

  “Before we go, I have to ask you something,” Amanda had a hard time speaking or catching her breath.

  “What?”

  “I kept thinking of what you said the last time we were together,” Amanda said right away.

  Percy didn’t know exactly what she meant. “What?”

>   “You said that whatever Keira told me about you was true.”

  It seemed like years ago to Percy that he had said that. He became silent now, wondering what Amanda was getting at.

  “Is it true, Percy?” Amanda pressed on, her words tripping over one another, “are you a Shadow Vampire? Tell me! I have to know.”

  Percy’s head began whirling. He was not allowed to disclose his identity, never had in his life before. He could make up a story now, pretend he’d only been joking, ease Amanda’s pain, but a force inside him wouldn’t let him. Something about her gripped him and touched him - more than anything had ever touched him before.

  “Yes, it’s true” Percy said stoically then, shocking himself, as well as her. “Your sister was right. I am a Shadow Vampire.”

  Amanda gasped.

  “Don’t be frightened of me,” he pleaded softly then.

  “I’m not frightened,” Amanda replied. “I’m confused, I’m sad, I’m fascinated.”

  Percy was moved by her response.

  “And is the rest of what my sister told me also true?” she continued, her lower lip quivering.

  Percy didn’t know what she was talking about. “What else did she tell you?”

  “She said you didn’t care at all about me, were with me just to capture her.”

  Percy was stunned that Keira had that information. But it wasn’t true, not anymore.

  “No,” Percy insisted, “that isn’t true. She’s wrong about that.” He looked away, unable to meet Amanda’s searching eyes. “Maybe it was true in the beginning, but, believe me, it’s not true now.”

  “Why should I believe you?” Amanda’s eyes filled with tears again.

  “Because I’ve told you the truth up to now. Haven’t I?” Percy said, confronting her now, his eyes gleaming.

  Amanda took a deep breath.

  “I could have lied, I could have pretended, I didn’t have to tell you who I really was.”

  “That’s true,” said Amanda, taking a deep breath.