Conflicted: Keegan's Chronicles (8 page)

Rourk could see him speaking with the woman
in the office. He seemed agitated as he walked back toward his
desk. "Rourk, would you mind taking another test?"

"I'll do whatever is required."

After the second round. The recruiter made a
phone call. "Sir, we have a young man in here that just aced the
ASVAB in record time." After a slight pause "Yes, I made him take
another version. The same result. No, he is not interested in any
of those fields. He wants to join the 18x program." He listened
some more and after the call was ended, he looked at Rourk like if
he was trying to understand him.

"I can't change your mind can I? How about
the intelligence field?”

"No, 18X or nothing."

"Well, let’s get the PT test over with. I'm
sure that won’t be an issue for you."

After he scored a perfect score of 300 on
the PT test, the recruiter asked if Rourk would go to the range
with him. The recruiter explained this was not something that was
normally done. However, he was interested and wanted to see with
his own eyes if Rourk would live up to the expectations that had
formed in the recruiter’s head.

Rourk loved to shoot, so it was fun for
him.

The recruiter shook his head when he looked
at the dime-sized hole in the target paper. "Very impressive. The
Army will be proud to have you as one of their own. We have a group
that ships out to basic on Friday if you are serious about wanting
to go right away."

"Thank you. I will be ready."

The recruiter shook his hand. "I'm going to
keep my eye out for you son. I think you will make quite the name
for yourself."

Rourk shook his head. "I'd rather remain
anonymous."

"Too late for that. The instructors will
easily pick you out. Soldiers like you will always stand out. They
will try to break you. For the record, my money is on you."

Rourk grabbed all the information he needed
and headed back to his house.

It was going to be hard to leave Keegan. He
only had three days before he left, and Rourk wasn't sure if he
should see her or just make a clean break. She deserved the chance
to be happy. He knew it wouldn't do any good but he tried anyway.
He closed his eyes, but all he saw was darkness. It killed him that
he could no longer see her or sense when she thought his name. He
wondered what she was doing right now and if she was with the
tiger. Just thinking about it made him clench his jaw.

Once in his room back home, he sat at his
desk and wrote her a letter. He folded the paper and put it in an
envelope; he would leave it in her mailbox on his way to the
airport.

Now, he had to tell his father.

Rourk walked into the living room and sat
across from his dad. "I will be leaving on Friday. I am joining the
U.S. Army and going through the 18x program."

His father glanced up, mouth set in a grim
line. "I think that is a wise decision. Have you told Richard?"

"No, I will inform him tomorrow at
work."

"What about Keegan?"

"I wrote her a letter."

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell her in
person?”

He hesitated for only a second. “I can’t
handle that right now.”

“I understand.” His father clasped his hand
on Rourk’s shoulder with nothing more to say.

Rourk stood up and headed back to his room.
He went over his packing list and prepared to leave.

***

Early the next morning Rourk found Richard
and asked if they could speak in private. Richard led him to his
office and gestured for him to sit down.

He was a large man, made even more
impressive by his thick head of bright red hair and bushy beard.
Rourk was impressed by the man’s collection of visible scars,
wounds from previous battles. He looked up to his commander.

"Richard, I am leaving on Friday. I have
decided to go ahead with my plan of joining the U.S. military."

"I see. Are you sure this is the route you
should be taking?"

"I believe it is the right thing to do,”
Rourk said diplomatically. “I would love nothing more than to stay
here and be with your daughter. After careful thought, I have
realized the only thing I can do is leave. She deserves the time
and space. We were brought together before we were meant to be. She
should be able to enjoy her last year of high school without
worrying about me. I will return when she is eighteen and we can
decide where to go from there."

Richard peered at him, his arms crossed on
the surface of his desk. "I don't have to tell you that the
training will take a couple of years."

"No, you don't. I'm well aware of the
schedule. I’ve planned this since I was a young boy. Until you gave
me the opportunity to stay on with the Army of the Light, this was
always the plan. We strayed from the plan by allowing me to meet
Keegan early, and that didn't go over so well. I think it's time I
get back on course."

"Valid arguments. They will be lucky to have
you. It is an experience that you will learn and grow from. Do you
know where you want to go? Will you try to stay close by and opt
for 5th Special Forces Group? Your Arabic is well above the
requirements."

"Actually, I have been brushing up on
Chinese since I learned Keegan's dream was to go to college in
Alaska. That would allow me to be in Washington, which is the
closest I can get to Alaska."

"Very well, it’s obvious you have thought
this through. It saddens me to see you go. You are an exemplary
soldier."

"Thank you for your faith in me. I hope
someday I can be half the warrior you are."

Richard stood up and patted him on the
shoulder, “You already are, son."

Rourk walked out of Richard’s office and
into the camp. He glanced around and realized he had no one else to
tell. He had always been a loner. Even so, he would miss this
place; it was like a second home to him. But, he was determined. He
strode off and didn’t look back.

Keegan pushed through the door and threw her
backpack on the floor. She was glad it was Friday. She was looking
forward to a break from school, and she hoped they were going to be
able to go back to Calvron’s magical land over the weekend. It had
been on her mind all week.

She walked into the kitchen and saw a note
propped up on the kitchen counter. It had her name written on it in
neat block letters. Curious, she opened it and read:

Keegan,

When you read this letter I will be on my way to
basic training. I have decided to go ahead with my life-long plan.
I will join the human military like the elves before me. I know I
have been offered a position in the Army of the Light; however, I
feel it is best I leave and continue with the path that was set
from the day I was born. We shouldn’t have even met yet. You should
be enjoying your high school years and having the time of your life
with your friends. When you turn eighteen I will come back for you.
Perhaps you will have found a way to get our bond back. If you have
not, and you wish me to let you go I will do so. Just know Keegan,
you are the only one for me. I will wait forever. Leaving you is
one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Not a day will
pass that I will not think of you. Every night when I close my eyes
I will hope that by some miracle I can see you with my mind’s eye
again. Even if you decide you do not wish to be with me when you
are of age, I will be forever grateful to you. The short time I
spent with you were the happiest moments of my life.

Forever Yours, Rourk

Keegan reread the letter three times. She
wasn’t sure what to think. She felt sad that he was gone, but she
was also annoyed that he didn’t try harder to win her over. The
more she thought about it, the angrier she got. The paper turned to
a sheet of ice in her hands. Keegan dropped the note on the counter
and pulled her sweater tighter. Why was she so angry? She should be
relieved. Now she could date Donald and not worry about hurting
Rourk’s feelings. For some reason that thought didn’t bring her
much comfort.

***

Thaddeus came downstairs, took one look at
his sister sitting in a chair at the kitchen table, and asked,
“What’s the matter?”

Keegan gestured down at the paper which was
now in a puddle of water at her feet. She leaned over to pick it
up, shook the water off it and thrust the soggy note into her
brother’s chest. “Let me guess, you didn’t see this coming?”

He grabbed the letter and read it. While he
read, he had flashes of a vision.
Rourk was in uniform with a look of indifference
on his face, getting screamed at by an instructor. Rourk lying on
his cot looking at the ceiling. The tiger in the woods. Anna
holding a ruby ring in her hand.

His visions drove him crazy. What did Anna
have to do with all of this and why were they showing a ruby ring?
It was pretty obvious why Rourk and the tiger were in the vision.
Leave it to Keegan to create a love triangle between an elf and a
shape-shifter.

Thaddeus mentally scanned books looking for
rings. He could have smacked himself in the head when it finally
dawned on him. How could he have missed something so simple?

Thaddeus handed the note back to Keegan. “I
can’t say I blame him for leaving. Probably a smart move on his
part.”

“Thaddeus, please tell me.” Keegan pleaded.
She reached up and tugged on her brother’s black t-shirt. “Am I
going to get my bond back with Rourk?”

“Keegan, I couldn’t tell you even if I knew,
which I don’t.” Thaddeus gave her a look of pity. “I haven’t had
any visions of you since you came back from the dead. You are
closed off from me as well.”

She walked across the room and plopped down
on the couch like the drama queen she was. “This sucks!”

“Keegan, do you want your bond back with
Rourk?” Thaddeus asked, following behind her to stand next to the
arm of the couch.

“I don’t know. I’m an elf. I’m supposed to
be bonded to my chosen. It’s what I’ve always expected. It’s really
not fair.” She crossed her arms over her chest with a pout, leaning
her head back on the couch.

“It could be worse. You could be dead,”
Thaddeus reminded her.

“Ugh!” Keegan groaned. She whipped a pillow
from the couch beside her and threw it at him.

Thaddeus dodged it with a chuckle. “How’s
Anna?”

Keegan looked up at her brother, narrowing
her eyes suspiciously. “Since when do you care about my
friends?”

“I don’t know, I was just curious about how
she took finding out about her mother and the black magic. Did she
already know about it?” He needed to find a way to get Anna alone
so they could talk.

Keegan sat up. She loved to gossip. “She had
no idea and she was upset with her mother. It seems her mom has not
helped her at all with her gift.”

“What’s her gift?”

Keegan looked taken aback. She always
expected him to know everything before she did. “I thought you
knew. She’s a light witch.”

Interesting, maybe there is hope after all.

“Thaddeus, you should come with us this
weekend to the magical world that Calvron created, it’s amazing.
You could probably bring Sam.”

Distracted, he said, “Sure, sounds like
fun.”

“Can’t you do something about this whole
frozen thing I have going on?”

“No, I can’t. Just stop getting angry over
stupid things.”

“Easy for you to say.” Keegan kicked her
legs up on the table and glared at her brother.

“I’m going for a run.” He walked out without
looking at her.

***

About twenty minutes later, Keegan’s mother
came through the door with a couple reusable grocery bags in her
hands. Keegan peeked out of the blanket she was wrapped in.

“What’s wrong, Keegan?”

“Rourk left.” A hint of sadness was in her
voice.

“What do you mean he left?” Emerald asked,
walking past Keegan on her way to the kitchen to deposit her bags
on the table.

“He’s gone off and joined the military. The
human military.” Keegan pulled the blankets closer to her chest and
sat up and crossed her legs, staring at her mother.

“Did he come by to tell you?” She watched as
her mom took off her green North Face jacket and hung it on the peg
by the back door.

“Nope, he left me a note.” She nodded toward
the table.

“Can I read it?”

“Sure, why not.”

Keegan watched as her mother read through
the note. Her expression gave nothing away.

Finally, Emerald laid the paper on the table
and glanced over at her daughter. “Keegan, this is a very sweet
letter. You must realize how hard this was for him. I know you can
no longer feel the bond to him. However, for him it’s as strong as
ever. To walk away from your chosen is no easy feat. It’s obvious
he cares deeply about you.”

“What do you think I should do?” Keegan
hadn’t meant for her voice to sound so small.

“That’s up to you. I think Rourk is wise. He
realizes you need your space to figure this out. You did meet
before your time. I think this is for the best. Enjoy your time
with your friends just as you did before you met him.”

“I wish I remembered him, Mom.”

“I know sweetie. I wish you did too.”

In the silence that followed, Keegan and her
mother felt Richard arrive home at the same time and said
simultaneously, “Dad’s home.” They laughed.

A few moments later, Keegan’s father came
through the door with, of all people, Creed. Keegan wasn’t sure
she’d ever get used to seeing them together. The leader of the
light and the leader of the dark working together, friends even. It
shocked everyone involved.

Her father walked over and kissed her mom.
“How was your day?”

Her mother smiled up at her father. “Better
now.”

Richard grinned like a fool. It was almost
sickening to see elf couples together. Ugh, she was supposed to
have that with Rourk. Keegan wanted to cry.