Touched (8 page)

“Get back from me,” she suddenly growled, her voice rumbling in her chest and her head spinning.

The bouncer jumped back for a second, startled at the sound of her voice. Then he went into full operation.

“Oh yeah, baby, you threatening me?”  he said, practically spitting in her face.

A wild, uncontrollable laugh rose from the back of her throat and shrieked out into the night. It startled both of them, throwing them off balance. At that moment, Keira lifted her hands and pushed on his thick shoulders. That was all it took.

As if struck by lightning, the two bouncers heaved, trembled and started to shake, like leaves in the wind. Another wave of energy rose in Keira and she pushed them once more and, watched them fly like tree twigs to the end of the street. She could hear them yelling for miles around.

The people at the door, glued to what was happening, let out a shriek and went running down the block to see what had happened.

At that very moment, Keira fled into the dark club, disappearing into crowd, loud music and dancers that were grinding on the dance floor.

Keira wove her way through the throngs of people who were drinking, drugging, dancing. It was hard to move in the heavy energy that surrounded the place, sucking the air out. She had to find her cousin fast, get the key and get out of there.

 Keira stopped at the bar and sat on a stool next to a lanky guy who was downing drinks, one after the other. The bartender, a slim guy with pale eyes looked at her admiringly.

“New here?” he asked. He was nicer than the others, and saw that she was having a rough time. “Want a drink?”

“No thanks,” she said. “I’m looking for Toby. Is she here tonight?”

“Sure,” the bartender seemed surprised. “She’ll be out dancing soon.”

“I need to see her right away,” Keira whispered, as the guy next to her put down his drink and stared.

The bartender leaned over and whispered. “If you want to see Toby now, just go through that back door.”

 “Thanks so much,” she said, took a few dollars from her pocket and left them on the bar.

Keira grinned and slid through the back door to the place where the dancers got ready to find Toby.

The place back there was crowded with half naked girls and stank of cheap perfume.

“Toby?” she called.

A young woman her age, in a skimpy outfit, dark black hair and tons of makeup, walked over and looked out at her from startled eyes.

“Keira?” she said.

My God
, Keira thought.
Look what happened to the little girl I grew up with years ago. I would never have recognized her.

Keira’s heart broke for Toby. She looked so fragile and lost, dressed in her dancer’s outfit, trying to find a way to get by.

Keira and Toby gave each other a quick hug.

“I need the keys to the apartment,” said Keira. “They gave me a hard time getting in.”

Toby nodded and ran to get the keys. She came back, stuffed them into Keira’s pocket and said, “I’ll show you the back way out of here.”

 “Thanks,” said Keira. “See you later. Back at the house.”

*

The back way out of the place was narrow, dark and smelly. It was filled with open garbage pails, stray cats wandering and a rat darting in and out. Keira flew to the end of the alley, crossed the street and started jogging north to the apartment building. This was a far cry from Everstock. It was a far cry from the cottage at the lake she and Cooper had stayed at. It was no time for remembering the past, though. She needed her wits about her here.

As she approached the block the apartment was on, she saw three guys loitering on a stoop on the corner. They made whistling noises at her as she came closer. Her body began quivering in an odd way. She looked closer and knew they were trouble.

“Hey, babe, come hang with us,” one of them got up and came over. He was greasy, slimy and drunk.

Keira was tired, in no mood for this now. “Get back, I’m warning,” she said.

He threw his head back and laughed at her. “You’re warning
me
?” Then he looked over his shoulder at the other guys. “You hear what this chick is saying?”

The other guys laughed along.

Keira felt the power rise up in her arms as they all started laughing. She felt the rage drift through her shoulders and light flashing in her eyes.

“I’m warning,” she uttered in a growly tone, scaring the guy close to her, for a second.

He came closer anyway, almost pushing up against her now.

Keira had enough. She let the power pour through her arms, down to her fingers, reached out towards him with both hands opened, touched him on his shoulders, and watched him fly backwards, helpless, screaming, landing on his back, halfway down the block.

The other guys yelled, jumped up and ran after him to see what happened.

Keira ran after all of them for a second, then stopped. It was enough. She just wanted to get home. She was grateful for the power when it came and protected her, fascinated by how fragile humans were. But she had nothing to prove. She didn’t want to play games with it. She’d taught these guys a lesson and it was plenty. She just left them there, and continued on to where she was going, safe from harm.

When she reached the apartment building, she opened the door, ran up the stairs to the third floor, found the apartment, and went inside.

*

Keira turned on the light. The apartment was small and dinky with a heavy smell of cigarette smoke. Clothes were strewn around on the floor. The furniture was old and torn.

Keira looked around for an extra small bedroom and found a door at the back of the place. She opened it and went into a room that felt more like a closet, with a thin cot and broken chair. It didn’t matter. She was exhausted. She tore off her clothes and threw herself down on the bed, wrapping her body in the old sheet that was covering it.

Before her head even hit the pillow, Keira fell into a deep, restless sleep. She tossed on the cot and then started dreaming.

In her dream, she was home with her family, back in Everstock. She was in her own room, had taken a bath. Her journal was on the chair next to the bed.

In the dream Keira tried to write in her journal, but suddenly, her sister Amanda came in the door. Keira practically sat up in bed as she was dreaming. The dream was so vivid. She was so startled to see Amanda standing there, looking healthy, beautiful, looking just as she had before. The dream seemed more real than the life she was leading. Keira actually felt her sister with her. She started to cry, realizing how much she wanted to see Amanda again, find out how she was doing and what was going on.

“Amanda
,” Keira cried out in the dream,
“how are you? Where are you?”

Amanda didn’t answer, just held out her hands.

“Are you alive? Are you home? Do you want to see me?”
Keira couldn’t stop asking and asking.

But, in the dream, Amanda could not reply.

Keira suddenly awoke and start up sharply in bed. Her body was covered with sweat, her face wet, filled with tears. Was Amanda still alive? Keira needed to see her. She needed to know what was going on.

Keira sprung out of bed and paced back and forth in the tiny room. She had to go home right away, and she knew it. Deep down, she felt that both she and Amanda were, once again, on the edge of something happening. She wasn’t sure what. But it wasn’t necessarily good.

Keira pulled on her clothes, packed her backpack, and scratched a simple note for Toby.

Thank you so much for sharing your place with me. It was so good to see you, but I have to go now. Forgive me, for everything. Keira.

She didn’t know what she was asking forgiveness for, but she knew she had to do it. Then she left a bunch of dollars on the kitchen table for Toby, and got out of there, fast.

CHAPTER 11

Percy had received careful instructions from the Shadow Vampires. He was to go to Bertram High classes in the early track, sit in the back and keep a low profile. He was not pay attention to anyone. It was only Amanda he was to set his sights on. When he had her completely mesmerized, under his spell, he had to immediately find all he could about Keira. She was
Urgent Target 1
. There was no time to waste, either. Everything was heating up and Keira was a loose cannon.

Percy also had to remember to report in, every step of the way. The Shadows had a system of staying in touch telepathically. Percy knew what it was and how to use it. When he called, they would hear him calling. When he put his shield up, he would be in the private zone, not able to be found. This system had been set up eons ago, and worked for many reasons. There was power in privacy. In the private zone, you could not get or give mixed messages, could stay focused, and be undistracted. It was important when you had to mesmerize a target. It was often the first step in getting things done.

This was one of the first
Urgent Missions
Percy had been assigned to. Up to now, the tribe hadn’t trusted him with anything this vital. He was pleased to be moving up in the ranks, knew he would get the job done perfectly. Then he’d move up even further, have control over lots of them. He drooled at the thought of this. He couldn’t wait to get Amanda under his spell.

Amanda wasn’t in any one of his classes. He knew she wouldn’t be. It didn’t matter -- he’d see her again soon enough. He laughed to himself, all through the day, waiting for these stupid classes to end. Percy planned to meet up with her at the main door at the end of the school day. This would be one of the easiest victories he had.

Events were working in his favor. He’d seen her first thing in the morning, as soon as he’d signed into school. He snared her interest. More than her interest, she couldn’t stop looking at him over her boyfriend’s shoulder. Just like the rest of them, she probably couldn’t wait to jump into bed with him, either. Stupid boyfriend she had there, too. That guy would be history before he even knew what happened.

Percy hung back the way he’d been instructed. After his classes were over, he waited in the alcove in back of the lunchroom. When he walked through the halls between classes, all through the day, girls turned their heads, giggling, looking at him. Some of the bolder ones tried to get his attention. Even though he’d been tempted to toy with some of them, he was staying on track. It was Amanda he had his sights set on. She’d be putty in his hands.

At the end of the day, when all classes were over, bells clanged in the hallway. He pushed through the crowds and noisy corridors and planted himself outside the main door, leaning against the stair railing. Amanda would be walking through it, sooner or later, he was sure of it.

Before he knew it, he saw a glow coming towards him, looked up and there she was again. This time surrounded by a bunch of girls. They were all chattering loudly, happy to be together. Percy set his mind on her. He focused in, sent a cord of light to her and drew her towards him.

She must have felt it right away. He saw her look up from her friends and when she saw him leaning against the railing, her eyes opened in surprise. Then she smiled - a dazzling smile. It took Percy back a minute. Boy was this one lively. He felt her attraction to him flooding his veins. It was almost too easy. There wouldn’t be any struggle, or conquest, he thought, a little disappointed. Usually he enjoyed the battle. He enjoyed winning them over. But this one was different. There was something more here. He sensed it immediately. Was she playing some kind of game with him?

When she smiled at him, he waved at her. Without hesitation, she waved back.

Despite himself, he smiled a different kind of smile. He didn’t like that. He had to take charge here. He stood back, focused and drew her to him in his mind. It would he Him controlling her movements. No one would control him. In a few minutes, she separated from her friends, and responding to his energy, came down the stairs, directly towards him.

“Hi,” she chirped as she got closer. “Didn’t I see you in the admissions office this morning?”

She’s walking right into my trap, he thought, but at the same time noticed that she smelled so sweet and delicious, like honey and cream. It was a different odor than most girls had, purer, more inviting. Then he remembered she’d just gotten out of a coma. That had to have something to do with how special she seemed to him.

“How’re you doing?” he said, in a smooth, silky tone, flashing his winning smile, the one that no girl ever resisted.

Amanda stared as his perfect, red lips parted, showing his beautiful white teeth. His lips were redder than ever these days, too. She was taken by them. He could see it.

“I haven’t seen you around,” she said then, in a tone similar to the one he was using, smooth, assured, seductive.

 He smiled to himself. He liked that she was daring, matching his every move. He hadn’t experienced something like that before. Usually the girls hung back at first, pretending to be shy. This one wasn’t pretending anything.

“I’m new to town,” he said, looking deeply into her blue eyes. They were gorgeous, like crystal lakes.

She tossed her head back and her long golden hair flowed over her shoulders. Then she arched her eyebrows playfully  “Really?” she said. “I’m new here, too. Just started this year.”

She hardly seemed new -- everyone around seemed to know her and like her. He wanted her to come closer and take her hand in his. That was unusual for him as well. He never wanted to hold anyone’s hand. He did it because he had to. Usually the touch of humans repulsed him. He looked at her more closely then. Was this one fully human? Her twin sister wasn’t. What about her?

“Want to take a walk?” he asked, lightly. He had to get her away from the crowd, and he knew she wanted to be with him too.

To his surprise, she pulled back a moment. “Not sure I can right now,” she murmured, looking around at the kids on the steps. “I’m meeting my boyfriend.”

He didn’t like that. Not at all. He wasn’t used to being rebuffed. And it wasn’t what he’d expected. He stiffened and frowned. He couldn’t allow her to refuse him either. He softened the energy in his eyes, intensified his intention and turned his gaze fully on her. He turned his eyes into pools of soft water, a little sad, luring her in.