Coexist: Keegan's Chronicles (10 page)

Keegan finally stumbled downstairs a couple
hours later and noticed both her aunts were over for a visit. It
was strange to see the three sisters sitting together; they looked
a lot alike, and yet each was so different from the other. They all
had round faces and the same blue eyes, but what set their features
apart were the subtle difference in their noses and lips. Of course
they all had different hair. Brigid’s hair was long, dark and wavy,
Kat’s was long, curly and auburn and her mother had recently
chopped off her ginger locks into a short pixie cut.

Keegan was glad she only had brothers. She
wouldn’t want to deal with sisters. They seemed to be getting along
now, but usually drama was around the corner when they were all in
the same room. Too tired to pay attention to what they were talking
about, she and Warrick went and lay on the couch.

From outside, Keegan heard lead hitting
steel. Obviously her dad and Thaddeus were down at the range. She
would have joined them if she wasn’t so tired.

If there was one thing her family enjoyed it
was shooting guns. They constantly had competitions but to make
things fair, their father had to shoot with only one hand and from
twice the distance as everyone else. Of course, he still managed to
win most of the time. It was kind of ironic because in any battles
between light and dark, guns were not permitted, nor were any of
the high tech gadgets of the present day. It was a way they honored
the traditions of the earlier elves.

The day passed quicker than Keegan expected.
She read some of her new book and edited more photos. Then it was
time to get ready for the concert. Katrina would be there soon, and
then they would pick up the rest of girls on the way. For some
reason, Keegan couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible
was going to happen.

Keegan knocked on her brother’s door.

“Come in,” he yelled.

When she walked in, he had his nose to the
television screen and the game controller between his hands, as
always. She walked up to him and said, “Do you think I look good
enough to go to the concert?”

He looked up from his game, pursing his lips
as he eyed her. “You look even uglier than usual.”

Relief washed over her. “Are you sure?” She
knew he was always honest with her about such things and always
said the opposite of what he meant. It was kind of an inside joke
with them.

Her real reason for going into his room was
to see if he would give her a warning about the concert. He said
nothing and went right back to his game, effectively shutting her
out. Keegan watched him for a while and then left.

After she shut the door, Thaddeus grimaced.
His gift was at times too much for him to handle. One of the main
rules for someone with his gift was not to interfere with fate. It
was beyond frustrating for him. What was the use of having this
so-called gift if he couldn’t help others? He wanted to tell his
sister to stay home and not go to the stupid concert. Instead, he
did what his father suggested and worked on his breathing to
control the fear racing through him. Taking a deep breath, he held
it for the count of three, exhaled for the count of three, and
repeated until he felt his heartbeat return to normal.

Thaddeus couldn’t help feeling restless. He
glanced over at his sneakers, but decided he was better off without
them. He walked through the house and yelled, “Going for a
run.”

Thaddeus passed through the kitchen where his
dad was on his MacBook. He glanced down at his son’s feet. “Would
you like some company?”

It was impossible to tell his father no, so
he grumbled, “Sure.”

His father shut the laptop and got to his
feet. “Give me a second.”

Thaddeus was waiting on one of the large
rocks outside the door when his father came out of the house
wearing nothing but running shorts. It was hard not to stare at the
scars that covered his body. He’d always been in awe of him. In his
eyes, he looked more like a Viking than an elf. He looked so
powerful most people were afraid of him.

His father stroked his red beard, which was a
sign he was thinking.

Thaddeus grinned, “Sure you don’t want to
grab your shoes old man?” In truth, his father should not run
without shoes. His left foot had severe nerve damage. Thaddeus knew
the run was going to cause him much pain. He also knew and
appreciated the reasoning behind it. Some people were born to be
leaders, and his father was one of them. He could instill
admiration and make others feel as if they were his equal at the
same time.

“Lead the way, son.”

Thaddeus took off in a sprint, his father
close behind him. The wind felt great against his face. He loved
feeling the ground beneath his feet. He always felt so free when he
was running. Even though his father was beside him, it was like he
was alone.

They ran for miles jumping and dodging fallen
trees, mostly staying on the winding trails. Richard knew better
than to say anything to his son. He would talk when he was ready.
Right now, he just needed him to know he was there for him. Richard
loved his family more than anything. He could never truly
understand what Thaddeus was going through because of his gift. All
he could do was to give him the mechanisms he needed to help him
deal with it. Physical activity was one of those mechanisms.
Eventually, Thaddeus collapsed on the ground physically exhausted.
Looking over at his father he mumbled, “Thank you.”

***

Rourk arrived hours before the concert was to
take place. This situation was not ideal by any means. It was going
to be almost impossible to keep an eye on her from a distance.
Tonight he was going to have to get closer to her than ever before.
Just the thought made his pulse race. To his advantage, the place
would be packed, and she had no idea what he looked like. This was
more of a nightmare than he had imagined. He needed help to protect
her in this chaos. The reality was he had no support. He took some
comfort in knowing that Richard knew where his daughter was and
didn’t feel the need to send reinforcements.

The number of people at the concert was
staggering. Not to mention the fact that there were numerous light
and dark creatures packing the place. His hope was that they were
all there for the same reason, to enjoy the concert.

Rourk pushed his way through the crowd
searching for her. He closed his eyes and could see where she was
in relation to the stage and headed in that direction. The lights
went out, and everyone screamed. He felt his chest tighten and then
what sounded like explosions went off and the stage lit up. The
opening act had started.

Rourk’s head pounded; the music was blaring.
All around him people danced, sang at the top of their lungs and
crushed together. Every time he advanced, he got pushed back by the
crowd. He was still not close enough to protect her. People were
drinking and smoking pot. It made him sick. He could never
understand how people considered getting drunk and losing control
fun. His mother had been killed by a drunk driver, and not even his
father could prevent her death from happening.

With more urgency, he pushed his way through,
and finally she was in his sights. Rourk studied her. He noticed
she looked back with a look of concern on her face. Did she sense
danger? Could she possibly recognize him? She eventually seemed to
relax and enjoy the music. Rourk never even glanced at the stage;
his eyes were only on her.

Hours passed and he wondered how much longer
the concert would last. Just when he thought it was over, the band
took encores. His whole body tensed. Keegan was picked up and
passed around the crowd.
What the hell are they doing?
No one seemed bothered
by this, if anything they seemed excited. Lauren and Anna laughed
and screamed. Even her aunt seemed to think it was funny. Where
were they taking her?

Rourk was now forcefully pushing his way
through the crowd, but just when he came close they would send her
in a different direction. He closed his eyes and pictured her face.
She was smiling and yelling with excitement. This puzzled him. Why
wasn’t anyone concerned? He scanned the crowd and saw others were
being passed around in the same manner. Apparently, it was
something that was not uncommon. He had never been to a concert
before and wasn’t aware of what happened. Obviously he should have
researched more.

He was frantically trying to get to her.
Where did she
go?
Again he closed his eyes and he could see she was okay,
but he could not get her exact location. There were too many
people, and it was too dark.

Abruptly, he stopped. She was getting closer
to the wall. Rourk moved horizontally which made it easier for him
to push his way through the crowd. He closed his eyes again and did
not like what he saw. Gone was the look of excitement, and on her
face, a look of alarm. Rourk realized she was no longer being
passed around. Four guys were holding onto her and carrying her to
the side.

Time stood still. Rourk felt the rage
building in his chest. He no longer heard the music, and it seemed
as if people parted to make a path for him, even though they
hadn’t. He pushed through as the four men who held Keegan wrestled
her out of the crowd. They let her down, and the biggest of the men
pushed Keegan toward the wall.

***

Keegan was terrified. Her eyes glanced
frantically around trying to think a way out of this situation.
How could this be
happening, even with all her training?
She was sure she
could not defend herself against four guys. A drop of sweat fell
from her face, and her heart was racing. The biggest one pushed her
up against the wall. She could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“Well, aren’t you a fine piece of meat?”

Glaring at him, she said, “Get your hands off
me.”

“A feisty one, eh?” he laughed.

Without thinking, she drove her knee into his
groin. He groaned and doubled over. The others advanced, and the
big one yelled, “She’s mine.”

She felt like she was going to throw up when
his hands groped her chest.
Please don’t do this,
she thought.
I belong to Rourk
.

When she thought his name, it pierced through
his heart. Nothing mattered to him except keeping her safe.
How dare anyone else
lay their hands on her
. He wanted to make them pay.

Out of nowhere, Keegan felt her attacker be
pulled off her. She looked up just as a flash of light went off,
and what she saw made her heart drop; she felt as if she were in a
free fall as she stared into the most beautiful face she’d ever
seen. His grey eyes met hers and he tipped his head, giving her a
slight nod.

Keegan whispered
Rourk?
It was only a matter of
seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. He yelled over the crowd, “Go
to the exit and text your friends to meet you.” His voice sounded
like music to her ears; it was deep but not too deep and filled
with authority.

As much as she hated to leave, she did not
dare to ignore him. She walked away.

***

Rourk’s hand yanked back the guy’s head and
he covered his mouth and chin so no one would hear him scream. He
leaned down and whispered in his ear, “She is mine.” Without
hesitation he violently wrenched his head to the right and
forcefully back to the left snapping his neck before he let the guy
fall to the ground.

Rourk wasn’t worried about being noticed. It
was a perfect kill spot with all the noise and darkness. As he
expected, the other three were nowhere to be found. Once they
realized it was no longer them against a girl they scattered.
Cowards. What kind
of man attacks an innocent girl?

***

Keegan’s heart pounded. She couldn’t wrap her
mind around what happened
. Was that actually Rourk who saved her? Why was he
here?
She looked all over for him, but he was gone.

She felt dirty and wanted to go home and take
a shower. The atmosphere of the concert: the mass of bodies and the
noise, no longer felt fun but frightening.

Katrina and the girls found her and they
headed out. Anna and Lauren went on and on about how awesome it was
that she got to crowd surf. Keegan turned and said, “It was not as
much fun as you would think. I’m probably going to be bruised
tomorrow.” She wanted to tell them about what had happened, but
then she would have to explain Rourk. They were humans and would
never understand.

Katrina was unusually quiet on the drive
home. After they dropped off Keegan’s friends at their homes, she
pulled into a gas station parking lot.

Turning towards her with a look of concern on
her face, she asked, “Are you okay?”

Knowing it was useless to lie to a mind
reader, Keegan shook her head. “I have never been that scared in my
life.”

Katrina looked as though she were about to
cry. “I am so sorry; I shouldn’t have allowed that to happen. Your
parents are going to be angry with me.”

“You know that’s ridiculous. There was
nothing you could have done. It ended well thanks to the mysterious
guy who saved me. Katrina, I really think it was Rourk.”

Katrina looked at Keegan and said
nothing.

***

On his way home, Rourk called Richard and
filled him in on what took place. He left out the part about
breaking the guy’s neck. Richard asked if it was a creature of the
dark that had attacked her. Rourk paused for a second and replied,
“No, he was human.”

When Rourk knew Keegan was safe at home, he
headed for home himself. When he walked through the door his father
sat in the same spot as he had the day before.

“I killed a man today,” Rourk said.

His father stood up and walked towards Rourk.
“Come into the kitchen and we’ll talk.”