Chapter 14

Riley's pov

"He has a girlfriend, does he? Let's hope she is the chosen one. We can't risk him having stray children", I heard a male voice.

It was about an hour after I'd gotten home from my adventure with Casey. I had fallen asleep after mom scolded me for almost 30 minutes and grounded me. She knew she didn't have much power on me and that was frustrating her.

I absolutely loved my outing with Casey. Being with him was just so refreshing. I couldn't imagine how it would be if he lost his memory and didn't remember me or the things we'd done. He was my best friend.

That night though, it had felt like we were more than friends, and that felt great. I didn't know where we were going initially, but as we got closer to the water, I could actually sense it, the serenity of it. I just knew I wanted to take Casey there. I didn't regret it one bit.

I opened my eyes slowly, choosing to focus on what I'd heard. It was dark, but I could tell that there was no one in the room. The voice had sounded so close. I was about to get off the bed when I heard something else.

"I did tell you he would get out of that coma, didn't I? He's not human, he never was. The time is so close I can feel it. Oh power, what every Darkener dreams about! I can feel it already. It's hard work being someone's gardener, especially someone who is inferior. Isadora throws fits every now and then, if I was not there, she would have completely lost it, very impatient woman. I know just how she feels. We had almost lost hope of ever finding him", I heard the same voice.

"He lost his memory, I doubt he knows how to use his powers or that he even has them", a female voice said.

That voice was familiar. It was the same voice that woke me up every morning. It was my mother! That was definitely Emily Linley.

There were only two possible explanations to the mystery. One, I was dreaming. Two, the conversation was taking place at that moment and my powers included extra-hearing.

"Trust me, he will remember. Nothing can ruin our moment now", the male voice said.

There was no time to sit and listen to the conversation; I had to see the owner of the male voice. There was a problem; I did not know where the conversation was taking place. The extra-hearing power was new to me and I did not know how to control it. I decided to go to the kitchen. I walked right into a conversation.

"Riley, I thought you were sleeping. Your dinner is in the microwave", mom said as soon as I entered.

"I'm not hungry. Who is our guest?" I asked looking at the man she was talking to earlier.

He was seated on one of the kitchen chairs. He could not be more than 50 years old. He was a bit brown, with an oval face. I did not fail to see the bushy eyebrows or the centimeter-long "z" scar on the face. This was the guy who visited my mother regularly, only to disappear moments before I got home. He was the guy I'd followed the other day, the one behind the enchanting tall gate.

"Oh, this is Mr. Carnicer, he lives just down the street", she replied. "This is the young man I was telling you about", she said to the man.

I knew she was lying. It was easy to tell. For one, she refused to meet my eye. "Mr. Carnicer" did not live down the street.

"You are a really strong young man", the man said to me.

"How come I have never seen you before?" I asked, making the question seem all innocent.

"I believe you most certainly did. I am told you lost your memory", the man said.

"Yeah, of course", I said looking him straight in the eyes.

He did not avoid my eyes nor fidget. He returned the gaze. We lasted like that for 5 seconds.

"I just came to get a glass of water", I said heading to the sink. I took a glass from the washed ones and filled it to the brim with tap water. I walked out of the room.

"He looks like his father", the conversation resumed.

It was almost like the extra-hearing switched itself on and off, like I was destined to hear some things and not others, important things.

There was some silence.

"When is...when are you going to take him?" mom asked.

"...Soon, very soon, you better say your goodbyes", the man said.

It would not take a genius to figure out that they were talking about me. Where the hell was he taking me?

"Miguel, will you protect him?" mom asked.

"...From who? He is a Darkener, a powerful Darkener. He can protect himself", the words were said so harshly.

"Margaret..." there was a pause. "...Is she still alive?" mom asked.

I waited with bated breath.

"You ask too many questions for your own good. She is...how do you say it...dead inside".

"Does she know about you finding Riley?" mom asked.

"No. It will be a huge surprise to her. I really cannot wait for that moment", the man said.

My immediate thought was to interrupt the conversation, pin the man against the wall and force him to tell me where my mother was. I decided against it. He was no doubt a "Darkener", whatever that meant, he could prove to be a lot of work. I was not up for it; my body had not fully recovered. In addition, I was hearing the conversation inside my head, and I had not been normal lately, I had just come right out of a coma only a few days ago.

*

"Riley, what are you doing?" mom cried. I saw fear in her eyes.

I pinned her with my eyes. I was angry. I hated what I was doing, but I needed answers. She had to tell me the truth or else I was going to do something she was not going to like.

The next morning after a night full of questions and an intruder I was sure was not human, I had decided to ask my mom about him. When she repeated the same story of the previous night, I got mad and created a force field that pinned her against the wall. I had made a decision the previous night. I was going to acquire information, come hell or high water. The beast-like urges were taking over. In my rage, I could not control them.

"Mom...no, woman, you will tell me or I will kill you here right now", I growled.

"Riley, stop this, right now!" she demanded.

"You don't want to freakin' talk?" I asked.

"What is it you want?" she asked.

"I want you to tell me the truth about me. I want you to tell me who that man really is! Is he my father? What are the Darkeners?" I screamed at her.

Her eyes grew large at the mention of the work "Darkeners".

She shook her head. "I have no idea what you are talking about".

I made the force field tight against her. I could see her body being pressed in. She looked so frail, so precious. How could I do that to her?

Once more my anger took over and I levitated the knife on the kitchen table. It stood mid-air and faced her. She became pale.

"I will do it", I said quietly.

"Remove this thing and I will tell you", she said.

I broke contact with the force field. She walked over to the kitchen table and sat down, avoiding my eyes. I imitated her move, leaving the knife as it was, reassuring her that if one lie spilled out of her, I would not hesitate to drive the knife into her heart.

I didn't think I could even do that, but I had to make her believe I would.

"What...what do you want to know?" she stuttered.

"Tell me everything, from the day I was born to who that man is", I said firmly.

"I...I have...I have no idea where you were born. As I told you, your mother dumped you at the orphanage. I did not even see her face. She dumped you and on her way out I asked her to stop. She did not turn. She shouted that her name was Margaret and that we should take care of you. There was...there was a note attached to your rompers, it stated the name: Riley Alejandro. I assumed that was what she wanted you to be named. There was no last name. The orphanage took you in, but only a few months into your stay, it had to be closed down. I adopted you. We stayed together. When you discovered your powers, I mentioned it by mistake to my friend Estelle who was by the time working at the Knights, the house I warned you not to go to. Estelle and her gardener boyfriend left their work and a new maid and gardener were hired in their place..." she paused.

She took her time wiping a stain on her hand that was no there.

"The man you met, he is the gardener. His wife Isadora is the maid. I don't know how they found out about you, but they did. I think Estelle unintentionally left some information in her room. Anyway, it turns out that Miguel, the man...he's your uncle, your father's younger brother. You are a Darkener..."

I swallowed hard and interrupted.

"What are Darkeners? Is that a good or bad thing?"

She took a deep breath. "It's a good thing for you I suppose, not for any human. I am told you despise humans and once they have you at lands of Azuria, which is where the Darkeners live, you will wake them from what he calls hibernation and you will unleash darkness into the world, eventually ruling the world".

She cast her eyes down, failed miserably to meet my eye.

"Why didn't you freakin' tell me?" I growled.

"I couldn't Riley; he made me promise I wouldn't tell you. He said he'd kill me if I did", she cried.

"So you chose to sell me out? You were freaking in cahoots with that man! You kept things away from me", it was more of statement than a question.

Silence....

"He said he would spare you, didn't he?" I enquired. My voice had risen significantly.

She nodded.

"You fucking betrayed me!"

"I had no choice!" she yelled back. "Did you think I could have accepted the things you can do and kept quiet about it willingly?! I mean, look at what the fuck you have just done!"

I stood up and grabbed the knife. I ran my finger along the blade in slow agonizing movements. Mom cowered. She backed away till she could not move anymore. I walked over to her. I saw pain and fear in her eyes. She was shivering. She looked a hundred years old. She opened her mouth as if to scream, but nothing came out. I saw tears.

"Do you think I'll do it?" I whispered.

She shook her head.

"...but you don't know me", I said biting my lower lip.

"Riley...." She whispered. "Deep inside, you are human. You are my baby. I raised you".

"I am not human! I don't just have powers. I have...desires to...hurt people. Whatever a Darkener is, I am it. Sometimes those desires are so strong. Right now I want to hurt you", I said.

I saw the tears in her eyes. She just stared at me. I fought to release the knife until it was out of my hand. It fell to the floor with a "clank" sound.

"Oh Riley..." mom finally cried, enveloping me in a hug.

I hated seeing her like that and the fact that I had caused it. I hated doing all that to her, but something sinister was controlling me. I disentangled myself from the hug. I cupped her thin hands in mine.

I brushed her grey hair aside and kissed her on the forehead.

"I know you were scared, but you should have told me about Miguel. From now on you are not going to say anything about me to him, got it?"

She nodded.

"Right now I need to clear my head", I said and headed to the door.

I had no idea where I was going but I had to get out of the house. It was cloudy and chilly outside. I was cold, having not worn a jacket, but I could not turn back. I walked to the park; I spent a lot of time there just gazing at the clouds. My desire to hurt someone disappeared after a while.

It was not the first time I had the desires, but when in the house, I was sure I was going to kill my mom. It had been too strong and had taken up almost all of my energy fighting it.

When I was sure I would turn into a statue if I stayed in the same position for two more minutes, I decided to walk again. I simply could not go back to the house, not yet. My spontaneous walk led me to Casey's house. It was around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, so Casey would be home. I knocked on the door and waited. Casey's dad opened the door.

"Riley, hi", he said.

"Hi Mr. Stone, is Casey home?" I asked.

"Yes, he's in his room, come in".

We walked to the living room where he left me. I cracked my knuckles as I waited for Casey.

"Hey", Casey said as soon as he saw me.

He wast looking good, clad in his grey gym pants and white hooded sweater. White was really his color. I brought out his beautiful eyes and plump cheeks, making him even more good-looking.

"Hey", I said.

"You could have called", he said with a cheeky grin. "Who shows up at someone's place unannounced?"

"What could you possibly be busy with?" I mocked.

"I'll have you know I have friends other than you", he said. "Hmph"

"Sure babe", I said. "There's something important I have to ask you"

"Yeah?"

"How was school? What did I miss? Is Mr. Winslow still uptight?"

He chuckled humorlessly. "Very funny. I'll indulge you. Mr. Winslow is still uptight, although I am certain he misses you. You missed nothing you would find interesting", he said.

Mr. Stone walked past.

"Cass, I'm meeting with Mr. Cornwall just down the road, at Macy's. I doubt I'll be home anytime soon. Call if you need anything", he said and walked out.

"Sorry about what happened yesterday. I should have told you", I said, remembering the incident the previous afternoon.

Some sadness passed his face and quickly disappeared. "It's fine. Mandy actually told me. I should have knocked".

"So Casey, what did you find about Nathaniel Baker?" I asked.

"I knew this was not a social visit", he said with a pout. "Well this may seem far-fetched, but I think Nathaniel Baker is actually Harry Cornwall, Mandy's dad".

I remembered how Mandy had accused Casey of telling me about her dad. That meant Casey knew about Mandy's dad.

"So you know Mandy's dad?" I asked.

"I have never met him, but he's my dad's client. He's not dead, as Mandy says. I shouldn't be telling you this, promise not to tell a soul..."

I interrupted. "I know about the bankruptcy. Wait, you said he is your dad's client, it that the same Cornwall he said he was going to meet?" I asked.

"Yep, he's the one. He wants custody of Mandy and her little brother".

An idea came to me. I stood up.

"I am going to the bathroom. Upstairs, third door on the right?" I asked.

He nodded. I walked to the stairs, climbed them and walked to the bathroom. Once in, I instantly transmitted myself to Casey's dad's office. Once there, I smiled to myself. It was neat, so I would not have to spend a lot of time in there. I knew Casey's dad was not the tidiest person; it was obviously Casey's work.

I walked over to the file cabinet. The files were stacked against each other. There was a name in bold on each file, to identify which client it belonged to. I looked for Harry Cornwall and found it with ease. I opened the first page. It contained all the information I wanted. I tore a page from a book that looked useless. I wrote down both the telephone and mobile phone numbers along with the email address, folded and pocketed the page. I returned the file and instantly transmitted myself to the bathroom. I went back to the living room.

"You seem cold", Casey said as soon as I sat down.

"I was in a hurry, I forgot my jacket. Don't worry your cute ass, I'm fine", I said.

"You had to mention my ass", he said rolling his eyes. "I'll have you know my ass doesn't care about you".

I just looked at him as he removed his hoodie. He ran a hand through his hair. For a moment I forgot everything about what mom had said and Harry Cornwall. I just looked at Casey.

"What?" he asked narrowing his right eye.

I could hit myself for missing it. Whether I was happy, sad or angry; this was the face I wanted to see. Whatever emotion I felt, I wanted to share it with Casey. Here I was, tired of everything that had happened in my life and I was with him. He made me forget, and he didn't even need to say a word.

His dad was right all along. This couldn't end well. Looking at Casey then, all I wanted was to kiss him.

"I have to go", I said quietly.

"You have only just got here", he said, puzzled.

I stood up. "I just have to go", I said quickly.

Casey stood up too. He walked to me, until we were only a few centimeters apart.

"Riley, are you okay?" he asked.

"I sneaked out, I have to go before mom gets more furious", I lied.

He nodded in understanding. We stood looking at each other for few more seconds. I couldn't understand it. My eyes were glued to his face. I knew I ought to leave, yet I couldn't. He took my hand in his, stunning me. Our fingers intertwined. His hand was so warm. I could feel the heat leaving it, warming mine.