Chapter 21

Casey's POV

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" I asked Matt frantically, checking for open wounds.

Matt pushed my hand away from him. "I'm fine", he mumbled.

I was taken aback by the move. I shrank backwards, casting my eyes down.

"Did you see him? Do you believe me now?" he asked.

I nodded painfully, as more tears rushed down. My heart refused to believe everything I had seen. It had to be a dream. No human being could do what Riley did.

Riley and I had played a if-I-had-superpowers game at some point. We jokingly said the things we'd do. At that time it had seemed fun. Now, I wasn't so sure. It was scary, especially because everything had happened so suddenly.

I was awed by what he could do. It also freaked me out that he could do that, and when he threatened to hurt Matt more than he'd hurt him, I just broke down. This was not the Riley I knew.

"Last night when he just... just vanished, I thought I was hallucinating because of the beating. That's why I didn't tell you about it", he said.

"...but he has to be human Matt, he has to be. Maybe it's an experiment gone wrong, maybe..." I had nothing more to say. I was deluding myself.

"Cass, I don't kn..." Matt said but was cut off by my phone ringing.

The caller id indicated that it was dad. He even had his own ringtone.

"Dad?" I said.

"Cassidy Stone, where are you?" he barked, and then softly, "are you okay?"

"Yes dad I'm fine. I went to see a friend. I texted you. I wasn't aware it was this late. I'm on my way home now", I said calmly.

Dad had no option but to agree. When he hung up, I looked at Matt.

"I have to go", I said.

"...but it's late Cass. I thought your truck broke down", he said.

"It did...well, it still is. I'll be fine. I walked here", I said.

"I'm not letting you walk home Cass. He could be out there", he said and for a brief moment, his face was grim.

"What do you suggest?" I asked.

He looked at the bed.

"No! I am not staying here or sleeping with you. I told my dad I was on my way".

"Oh relax, I wasn't suggesting you sleep with me. I can get someone to drive you home", he said, trying to hold my hand. "You sleeping on my bed wouldn't be so bad though".

I glared at him. That guy's emotions changed in a matter of seconds. At one time he had pushed me away and now he wanted to hold my hand.

He pressed a buzzer on the side of his bed that I had not seen before. We waited in silence.

"Why do you think he hurt you? Do you know why?" I broke the silence.

"You", he said clearly.

I was dumbfounded. "Me?"

"Yes. He told me to stay away from you", he said.

"But...but why?" I asked. I still couldn't process what Matt was saying.

He shrugged.

"Mandy. He meant Mandy. She's his girlfriend and you are still trying to get with her", I said.

I just couldn't believe Riley would hurt Matt because of me. Sure, things happened between Riley and I, but I wasn't enough motive. He couldn't be jealous of Matt. There was nothing between us!

Matt looked at me and smiled. "She's not my target anymore. You are".

Huh? My mouth opened slightly in surprise. Out of the corner of my eye I could see his head leaning slowly towards mine. His lips parted. He was going to kiss me.

The knock on his door sounded decibels higher than normal. It sounded like explosions. Matt pulled his head back and swore under his breath.

*

"I can't believe you are going to high school! Look at you. My baby boy is growing up".

"Dad geez! I'm not your baby boy!" I said cringing. "I'm old".

"Still short", Calvin remarked as he whizzed past me to get the cereal box.

I tried to move it beyond his reach but he managed to grab it before I could do so.

"Too slow", he said with a grin. "I think I'm going to have to teach you stuff or high school is going to eat you alive".

"Stop scaring him!" dad reprimanded Calvin.

"It's only true! But hey, I left a legacy so make sure everyone knows we are related and you'll be fine", Calvin said.

"You'll be fine sweetie", dad said with a smile.

"I can't do this", I said putting my spoon back in my cereal bowl. "I'm leaving before I get drowned here".

Dad raised his hand in surrender as I walked out of the kitchen. The last thing I heard was him saying, "Calvin, see what you've done!"

As I walked towards the school building that was going to be home for 4 years of my life, I felt my heartbeat quicken, a sign of my nervousness. I was starting a new school without any of my middle school friends there. Ashley had left the town and Azraa had left the country altogether. I was alone, and as I walked into Aqua Town high school, I wondered if I'd make any friends.

I wasn't exactly talkative unless I really knew who I was talking to. I was "above-average friendly", something Calvin loved teasing me about. He thought it would be my downfall. High school was like prison and I had to be tough and whatnot according to him. He said you either made it or you didn't.

His words worried me a little, but I planned on sticking to who I was. "Tough" was just not me. I was the friendly bubbly kid with lots of advice, and I planned on sticking to that.

By the second period, I had made a couple of acquaintances. There really weren't much words exchanged, but I wasn't discouraged. I wasn't in a hurry to make friends. I wanted things to happen naturally.

During the third period, I was seated by the window admiring the sunflowers outside. I was a little early to the physics class. Students trickled in one by one. One of them caught my attention. He was tall with long black hair and a scowl on his face. Our eyes met for a second as he took a seat two desks away from me on the same row.

His name was Riley, I would soon learn. The circumstances that brought us together were amusing. Just a few seconds after Riley took his seat, a guy and girl walked in in the middle of a full blown argument. They took the seats between Riley and I and continued their argument.

Words like "I saw you with that slut" and "How could you?" flew around even after the teacher started talking. The couple tried to be subtle, but everyone could hear their forceful whispering.

"Okay, that's it! Jensen, Fairchild...clearly the two of you cannot sit close to each other. I've had it with this whispering! Stone, Linley...please swap seats with these two before world war 3 breaks out", the teacher said. "And from now on, where you are seated will be your permanent seat for the year unless I decide otherwise".

I wasn't happy about moving away from the window, but I obeyed orders and took a seat on my right. I wasn't sure who Linley was, so I looked up only to see Riley take a seat next to me.

"Hi", I said with a polite smile. "I'm Cass".

"Riley", he said abruptly.

"Can't say I'm happy to move but hopefully it won't be so bad", I said.

"You get a lot of joy from watching sunflowers?" he said smiling.

"Yes," I said.

"Well...I'll make sure your experience sitting next to me isn't so bad", he said.

"And how exactly will you do that?"I challenged.

"I'll bring you a sunflower everyday", he said confidently.

I chuckled. "And...what can I do to make your experience a good one?"

"Hmm, let me copy your test answers of course", he said with a smile.

"Who said they'll be correct?"

"Me! I can tell you are Einstein's grandson", he said.

I chuckled again. "Um...Hmm..."

I didn't get to finish uttering the words I wanted to say before the teacher resumed talking, stunning me into silence.

I don't know if it was the words spoken or the moment itself, but from that moment onwards, I felt a connection to Riley. I didn't have to impress him. I didn't have to ask him 21 questions to get to know him. Everything just flowed.

I pulled the blanket tighter against me. It had started raining not so long ago and it was chilly in my room. I could not switch on the heater because the light glowing from it illuminated the room, which made it impossible for me to sleep. Matt's driver had dropped me off about an hour and half ago. Luckily, Calvin was not home so I did not have to answer unnecessary questions. Dad was busy with the Cornwall case, which meant I would be interrogated in the morning. No doubt dad would get me to talk, he was a good lawyer. I tossed and turned for the hundredth time. The raindrops hitting the roof made it impossible for me to fall asleep.

Who was I kidding? It was not the rain. It was not violent, the storm raging in me was. Could I for a second not think about Riley or whoever he was? And of course there was Matt's confession.

I could still remember the day I met Riley. He'd been that spark on an otherwise boring day. Our interaction wasn't forced like the many I'd had with other students desperately trying to make friends. We'd just "clicked".

I closed my eyes hard and started counting mentally. One...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten...eleven...twelve...thirteen...fourteen...fifteen...sixteen...seventeen...eighteen...

My eyes shot open. I could swear I saw movement. I pushed the blanket away and looked around me. The coldness immediately set in, making me shiver.

"You will catch a cold" I heard a voice.

I pulled the blanket over my head.

"You are imagining things Cass. Go to sleep...go to sleep!" I thought furiously.

Perfect, wasn't it? Sleep was evading me when I needed it the most. I pushed the blanket a little bit down and my eyes darted to and fro. I could not see anyone. Wait a minute... there was a person at the window. I switched on the bed-lamp quickly. The person was sitting on the part of the couch were I leaned on, looking outside the window. I reached for my phone underneath my pillow.

"By the time he gets here, I will be long gone", the person said quietly.

I knew the voice well. It was Riley! He turned and looked at me. Even from the distance I could tell he was wet. His jet-black hair stuck to his face.

"What are you doing here?!" I found my words.

He got down from the window and walked towards me. I backed away. When he was about a meter away from me he stopped.

"I came to say my goodbyes", he finally said.

I was confused. "What? Where are you going?!"

"None of your business", he said sharply.

"You can't just freaking come here and tell me you are leaving. Whatever you are, you owe me an explanation!"

I wasn't sure I should have been yelling at him like that, but I couldn't stop. I knew he had the power to hurt me if he wanted. I just had hope he wasn't going to.

"I don't owe you shit! I wasn't the one all so cozy in Matt's arms", he said.

Really? He'd just said that?! Right now? He could freaking literally disappear and seeing me with Matt was the only strange thing?

"Matt offered me a shoulder to cry on. That's not even important. Who the fuck are you?" I said. I had to keep myself from yelling again. If dad woke up Riley would disappear. I needed answers.

"It's important to me! You told me you love me and seconds later I found you in Matt's arms!"

"Oh so you forgot the part where you discarded me like I was some piece of gum? You just...threw me out. Matt helped me". Why the hell was I even arguing with him about Matt? There was something else more pressing, like the fact that he wasn't even human!

"I was protecting you! Did you fucking see the way Miguel was looking at you?"

"Who the fuck is Miguel? Riley, what's going on?"

I cowered when he took a step towards me again. A part of me was scared of him. Of course I was scared. My friend was an alien!

"Are you scared of me?" he asked and stopped walking, watching me closely.

"I...um...just tell me what's going on! Who the hell are you and...and...why did you hurt Matt?" I said, with my voice faltering towards the end.

Riley bit his lip and considered me. I thought I had my eyes pinned on him, but his movements happened so fast I barely registered him move before he was sitting next to me on the bed, our faces almost touching. I held my breath. I couldn't move.

"Do you think I'll hurt you?" he whispered sharply.

I couldn't scream for help. I wasn't sure I wanted to.

"N-n-o", I said brokenly.

He sighed and moved a little away from me. I watched as he brushed his hair off his face. He didn't say anything. I didn't either. His brows were furrowed. He sighed again.

"I'm a Darkener", he said quietly.

I just looked at him, having zero idea what he had said. I shrugged when he didn't seem like he was going to continue.

"Um..." he drawled. "I don't really know that much about them. On my birthday I found out I could do...these things; levitate things, teleport and so on. Mom said I should keep quiet about it. Recently I found out that I'm a Darkener. Miguel – the guy that came while you were at my house – he's one too. Darkeners are...according to Mandy's dad, a different race to humans..."

"Wait, you want to tell me that Mandy's dad knows about you and that there's a bunch of people like you? There's more than one race on earth?" I interrupted.

He nodded.

"I personally haven't met any except Miguel and Isadora".

I shook my head. "That's impossible".

He shook his head too. "It's real. You've seen what I can do. I'm not a fully fledged Darkener. I'm the Awakener, born to a human mother and Darkener father".

"Okay okay, suppose these...Darkeners exist, where are they? Are they among us?" I asked.

He shook his head in reply. "They live in Lands of Azuria, which I'm told hovers about Aqua town".

Lands of Azuria...the words stayed with me, driving through channels in my brain until they finally found a place they belonged. I had heard that name before.

"The book...the book Mandy mentioned in class, the book she lent you...that was the title, wasn't it?"

He nodded.

"So...whatever world they thought her dad conjured up does really exist", I said more to myself than to Riley. "Is she...is she a Darkener too? Mandy"

"No. She's as human as you are".

"I thought I knew all there was to know about all life forms on earth", I said absent-mindedly. I was still trying to process everything Riley had said.

"I have to go", he said abruptly.

"No! Wait!" I found the courage to say. Despite everything he'd said I was still confused.

"Casey I can't stay here. You don't get it. I'm..." he said and faltered.

"You still haven't told me why you hurt Matt. I feel like I'm missing something. Now, it might not seem important to you given...your newly found...race, but it's important to me. I am losing my best friend", I said.

It was something I thought about that day as Matt's driver drove me home. Whatever Riley was, he wasn't human. Despite what he could do to me given his powers, the thought that lingered the most was the fact that I was losing my best friend. It no longer mattered that he'd kicked me out of his house after declaring his love for me. This was the guy who promised me sunflowers in every physics class, and even though he'd delivered on that only once, he was my best friend.

"I told you! I don't know much about Darkeners! I am confused by this whole thing as you are", he said with an exasperated sigh. "All I know is I am the...Awakener. I am supposed to wake them from hibernation, which translates to "wake up their dormant powers".

"How do you do that?" I asked, with my curiosity building every second.

"I don't know yet. Miguel said he would explain".

"So...the Darkeners, are they like superman or mutants or those kinds of things?" I asked.

"You could say that", he said quickly. He seemed uncomfortable with my question. "I do have to go now."

I didn't want him to go. I had more questions but I didn't get to utter them. Riley disappeared into light black smoke that also disappeared after a few seconds. I felt some slight warmness on my cheek as if from a kiss. My hand went there, but there was nothing. I sighed.

I was about to switch off the bed-lamp when I saw movement again. My eyes immediately went to the nightstand where a book materialized out of nowhere. Hours earlier I would have screamed my lungs out while running out of the room. That time however, I knew where the book had come from.

I took it slowly in my hands.

"Lands of Azuria", I read the title quietly.

By then I was feeling a little sleepy – tired from the day's events – but my curiosity got the better of me and I sat up straight, putting my pillow behind my back so I could lean on it. I opened the book.

I watched as the bird landed on the branch. It walked timidly to its nest, which was just a few centimeters away. Three eggs lay in the nest. The bird, blue with yellow streaks, looked at the eggs with loving eyes. It had to be anticipating the time when the eggs would hatch, no doubt. It was going to be a proud mother.

I felt my eyes get wet. What about me? Would I be proud of bearing a monster? A child who would rape, torture and kill? My hand went to my belly unconsciously. It was hard. I thought then of the one thing I thought of doing earlier, but had been unable to. I could not kill him. Despite the fact that I would kill myself too, I just could not kill an innocent soul, he was mine too!

"Lara!" I heard a rough voice calling my name. The voice was not that far, I could tell.

I turned just in time to see him appear. I would never get used to instant transmission.

He was tall, much taller than me. I was a few feet tall so to me, he seemed endless. There was no concern on his face, only anger.

"Did I not tell you not to wander off on your own?" he said scornfully.

"I am not that far from the castle", I said timidly. How I hated been reprimanded like a child! I was 22 years old for goodness' sake.

"A mere human", his words ricocheted inside my brain, with no way out. He had said those words 8 months before, but they were always in my head, bouncing around.

"I do not care where you are going. You are to be with a guard all the time", he said firmly.

I nodded. Did he really think I would run away? Where would I go? I had no one. Besides, he would find me wherever I went. There was no safe place, not for me.

He grabbed my hand viciously and started dragging me. The castle was not really that far off so we arrived in no time. As soon as we arrived, I was sent to my room.

Lands of Azuria, the land of the Darkeners, a human's nightmare, I hated the place with all the hate that a human being could muster. Even that did not feel enough. I wanted the place to cease to exist, like it did not in my life before I met him, Victor Warrior, the king of the Darkeners. If all the hate in me erupted, the earth would cease to exist as it was known. The Darkeners were the wildest creatures I had ever met. Not so long ago I would have laughed out loud if I had been told about them. I was not a fantasy fan and thought all those fantasy movies I saw were a bunch of gibberish.

As I lay on my bed, I thought about my son. The time was near, he would be born. The destroyer would be born; he would awaken the darkeners from hibernation. He would rule, and he would have no mercy, like his father...