Touched by Darkness (Young Creator Trilogy) (11 page)

My three mile run passes by way too quickly. I feel like I could keep going, but know
I’m
short on time; I still need to take a shower and get ready for class. Stepping through the door into
the common area, Ialmost collide with a couple of girls coming out. “Watch it, reject,” she snaps
as we cross paths.

I
’ve never talked to and really don’t know. Why in the world are they being rude to me?
“You heard me! What are you not only a reject, but a tard, too? Want me to speak slowly
so you can understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” the leader of the pack, a
really pretty girl with shiny chestnut hair, snarls at me.
“I think you must’ve me confused with someone else. Regardless of who you think
you’re taking to, you shouldn’t be saying things like that. Rude much?” I stare straight into her
eyes, meeting the challenge in them and not backing down. This girl is clearly a bully, and for
some reason I’m her attempted victim for the day. Well, she’s about to learn that I will not be
bullied by her.
“Whatever,tard!” With those words, the cluster of girls continue on their way, giggling.
I have no idea what any of that was about, butI’m not going to let it ruin my day. Why
would I let girls that I don’t even know make me feel bad about myself? Totally not worth it.
I smile to myself as I race up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I justcan’t wait to get
back into a regular routine, be a normal teenager again. I have to admit, when I first heard that
we were to return to school versus help out in Haven with everything that is going on, I was
really disappointed. Now that I’m here and realize I get to be a normal teenager again while the
grown-ups worry about all of the hard things in life, I’m happy they made the decision for me.
The confrontation at the front door cost me, so now I only have fifteen minutes to make it
to class. Deciding that cleanliness should be my first priority, I jump in the shower. When I get
out, I towel dry my hair and throw on some clothes. In my haste, I pull on the first uniform I see,
which is bundled up on the ground. There’s now only five minutes before class, so I grab my
bookbag and rush out the door.
I barely make it to my seat before the bell rings. Looking around, I spot Kristina, Lexi,
and May already in their seats. Kristina and May wave to me and Lexi wiggles her eyebrows,
whichmakes all of us crack up, reminding me of the sleepover we had for May’s birthday.
“Quiet!” I turn around in shock to find out who shouted at us, and find a man instead of
Mrs. Z at the front of the room. The man has his arms crossed in front of his chest and is glaring
daggers at the class. “Now that I have everyone’s attention,let’s begin today’s lesson,” he tells
us, and then turns to the board, pushing up the glasses that are perched on his nose and grabbing
the chalk to scribble on the board. I lean from one side of my desk to the other to see what he is
writing, but the wide expanse of his back is blocking my view.
While waiting for him to move aside, I quickly look him up and down, taking in the suit
and gel-styled hair. In a strange way, he reminds me of Professor Snape from the movie
Harry
Potter
. He must be substituting for Mrs. Z; I hopeshe’s doing all right. I love her class, so I pray
this substitute teacher will bring the same enthusiasm and sparkle of magic to Witchcraft and
Wizardry. I don’t really know what to think of him except that he definitely has an air of
authority about him. Since his command of silence, not a sound has been heard. I understand that
you have to earn respect as a teacher to make sure your students are paying attention,but I don’t
know if putting fear into us is the way to earn that respect. I think about the people back at
Haven I would consider leaders, and scrutinize each of their leadership styles. Helen is definitely
the one that would shout to get people’s attention, Tisiphone has an air of authority about her,
therefore you can’t help but hang on to her every word and action out of respect for who and
what she is. Maximus, on the other hand, has a whole other leadership style.
When he finally moves out of the way,I’m surprised to see Artemis’s name written on
the board in all capital letters. Why are we talking about Artemis in a Wizard and Witchcraft
class? Today may be interesting; I now know the basics about Artemis based on what I first was
told in Haven, and then once I got to the Rebel Camp by Maximus. Even though there were some
similarities between the two lectures, there were also vast differences, soI’m curious to find out
what history actually has written about the Greek goddess.
“Can anyone tell me who Artemis was?” the teacher asks the class. A redhead in the front
of the room—I believe her name is Savannah—raises her hand.
When the teacher nods in her direction, she answers,“She was some Greek goddess,
right?” Her guess to the goddesses identity is confirmed when the teacher, whosename I don’t
even know, replies to her with an eye roll and shake of his head.
“You are correct, Savannah, she was one of the Greek gods. Is that all you know about
her? Can anyone tell me more?” The class answers with silence, which causes the teacher to run
his hands through his gelled hair,making it spike in all directions. “I beg … please, someone tell
me something about her.Don’t confirm my suspicions that your generation is completely
hopeless.” Silence meets him.
I notice everyone shifting uncomfortably in their seats, and several people groaning in
frustration. “All right, let me do my job and educate your young, ignorant minds. However, I feel
horrible that so far, up to this point in your life, no one has felt the need to educate you on
important things, teaching you as you should be taught.” I cover a snort with a cough at his
dramatic speech. I glance over toward Kristina, who is leaning back in her chair, arms crossed
with an unhappy look on her face. When she notices that I’m staring at her, she rolls her eyes and
mouths,‘Not again’. I smile and return my focus to the front of the class.
“Artemis,” the teacher says while pointingat the letters on the board, “is a Greek
goddess. You are correct, Savannah, but she is so much more. She was the goddess of chastity,
virginity, the hunt, the moon, and the natural environment. Could someone please tell me what
that means to them?”
This time a few hands fly in the air. The teacher, with a snarl on his face, nods toward
Kristina. “Do tell, Ms. Mason, what your interpretation is. I’m intrigued to see what your young
mush of a brain comesup with.”
Kristina, with wide eyes,slowly lowers her hand now looking unsure of her answer. “She
protects the innocent and maintains all that is pure. I believe the reason she was goddess of the
hunt, was to make sure that only those that were hunted were actually needed to survive.
Therefore protecting the animals who are pure and innocent,” she stammers out. I have never
seen Kristina uncomfortable or not confident. Suddenly, I remember my first sleepover for
May’s birthday. On a dare, Kristina—strong and proud—walked into our dorm hallway, which
was filled with people, in her underwear and gave a random guy a hug. This girl stammering her
answer doesn’t seem like that same strong girl. It’s truly amazing how this man is reducing even
someone like Kristina into a quivering unsure mess.
The teacher, barely acknowledgingKristina’s answer, turns back to the class.“Anyone
else?”
“Wasn’t she like a virgin?” a boy in a letterman jacket in the back of the room asks with a
snicker.
“Well, Mr. Westman, it is nice to see that you do know about something besides throwing
a football around a fiend. I must say, the stereotype that all jocks are idiots has now definitely
been broken. To answer your question, yes, Artemis was a virgin. Virgin Goddess to be more
accurate, and also the Goddess of Chastity. Did any of you know that she also presided over
childbirth? Which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back to causing Leto, her mother, no pain
when she was born.”
I can’t help myself; without raising my hand I ask,“Wait, so Artemis was a virgin? She
never had any kids?” This doesn’t make sense to me at all.Aren’t the Artemisians the direct
descendants of Artemis? How could that be if Artemis was a virgin and never had any children?
The teacher turns his cold, steely eyes on me and studies me for a moment, an unreadable
expression on his face“I know they say that there are no stupid questions, but you, young lady,
have just proved me wrong. Apparently not only that, but the stereotype of blondes being idiots
is now also broken since you are a redhead.” Snickers meet his reply, and I can’t wrap my mind
around how horrible this teacher is. Not only that, but this just doesn’t make sense. When I was
told about the Artemisians it all made sense that the protector of the innocent would task her
descendantsto protect humans from the Furies. If not Artemis’ descendants, then who are the
Artemisians? There must be some sort of logical explanation.
“To answer your question, Artemis had no children that were recorded. Logically, the
dreaded V word, for us humans, means that you technically should not be able to have children.
But we are not talking about humans here, are we?” Raised eyebrows from the teacher
emphasize his question. The class responds with a no, and while some of my classmates are very
firm in their answer, others make it seem more like a question.
“I would assume that you all know who Zeus is. Please tell me that your basic simple
minds have at least been exposed to that information.” Nods from the class have him continue
with his rant,“Good, I’m glad that you at least know who Zeus is. What you may not be aware
of is that he gave birth to Athena from his forehead … full grown.” A stunned silence fills the
room to which the teacher smirks in a satisfied way. “Blew your minds, did I not? Hard to wrap
your head around this one. Not only did a man give birth,but to a full grown woman.”
The class erupts; everyone firingquestions at the teacher, who in turn looks at me. “Did I
answer your question satisfactory,Trish?” I bobble my head up and down, staring at him but not
really seeing him since my mind is flying with all of the things I’ve just been told. I guess it’s a
possibility, but I wonder if it is the truth or just another lie that has to be sorted out.
The bell rings, bringing the class to an end and me out of my thoughts. Grabbing my
stuff, I get up and start heading toward the door.
“Trish,can I speak to you for a moment?” I stop in my tracks and turn at the sound of the
teacher’s voice, whose name Istill don’t know.
“Sure,” I reply while heading to his desk. For the first time I notice that the décor has
changed in the room. All of Mrs. Z’s stuff is gone, and instead posters and displays have been set
up, reflecting Greek mythology. Where Mrs. Z loved sparkle and vibrant colors, the displays
around the room are very classic and neutral colors.
“What made you ask the question about Artemis having children?” he asks in a casual
tone with a friendly smile. His body language, though, seems tense and he’s clenching his hands
tightly by his side.
“I just thought that all of the gods had children, that’s it.” I have no idea what I’m talking
about, but I have acquired some trust issues and his question makes the hair on the back of my
neck stand up. I don’t know why,but there is something about this man that I just don’t know
about.
“Hmm, interesting. Well, if you ever have any other questions that you are curious about
please feel free to ask. There are so many gods to discuss, my favorite being the Furies. Ever
heard of them?”
“Umm, yeah. Hammer of the gods or something like that, right?” He gives me an
appraising look that makes me very uneasy. “Well I have to get to my next class. Thanks for the
interesting lecture!” I say as I hurriedly walk out the door, rushing to make my next class.
He left an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Why was he asking about the Furies?. Does he
know who and what I’m? I will definitely have to be more careful around him, and warn the rest
of the group. Perhaps, talk to Maximus next time I see him. Maybe Mrs. Z not being here and
this new guy teaching in her place is not a coincidence.

That night, while
I’m having dinner with Chelsey and Kristina, I decide to find out about our
substitute teacher. I haven’t been able to get our conversation out of my head because something
about him seems so off.

“Kristina
, what did you think about the Artemis lecture today?”
“Are you serious, Trish? I hate that class. Mr. Davis sucks the fun out of everything. I’ve
always enjoyed mythology, but since he took over for Mrs. Z that hour of the day is my least
favorite. I stillcan’t believehe talked to you like that today. Ugh he makes me so mad.” She
picks up a French fry and squishes it between her fingers, clearly showing us what she would
like to do to Mr. Davis. I have his name now, but I want more information.
“So any idea when Mrs. Z will be back?”
“What? Trish, you know she’s not coming back. Why are you asking me that?” I’m
completely stunned and really want to ask more questions, but can’t since Kristina doesn’t know
that Ihaven’t been around for a few weeks.
I decide to let it go for now and just enjoy the food. I have missed Dave’s, which is one
of my all-time favorite burger places. I inhale my chocolate shake, cheeseburger, and French
fries, listening to the easy chatter between Kristina and Chelsey. I get lost in my thoughts and
start daydreaming. When I realize that it has gotten quiet on the other side of the table, I glance
in their direction. Both girls are staring at me with uneasy expressions on their face.
“What’s up?” I ask, enjoying the last sip of my shake.
“So ... the reason we asked you to come out to dinner with us tonight is because we need
to talk to you. As a group,we decided that Kristina and I were the best choices for this.”
“What’s this? What are you talking about?” I give a nervous laugh, feeling dread engulf
me. From experience, I know by the looks on their faces that it’s bad news. “Has something
happened?” I almost ask if Allecto has been up to something, but remember that since Kristina is
here it must not be related to the Young Creators or Haven. I look back and forth between the
two of them, trying to figure out what this could be about. “Just spill it, I can handle it. I’m a big
girl.”
“Okay, well you know how Porsche was trying to show you a video yesterday?” asks
Kristina
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Remember the trip we took to San Francisco over the weekend?” This comes from
Chelsey
“You two are really starting to annoy me. Yes, I remember the San Francisco trip. Just
tell me.” The girls look at each other and then Chelsey nods to Kristina, who reaches for her
bookbag and pulls out a laptop. She opens it, and after a few minutes of waiting for it to start and
connect to the free Wi-Fi, her fingers quickly type away on the keyboard. As she turns the screen
to face me, Chelsey gets up. I watch her as she comes around the table and sits next to me.
Giving me an encouraging smile, she hits the play button on the computer.
The video starts out showing the Golden Gate Bridge, a couple of girls pointing out the
different things that are visible from the bridge. Just when I’m about to ask Chelsey whyI’m
watching this, I hear one of the girls say something about a hot guy. The video then focuses on
Keagan, who is in the middle of telling me off. Oh no, this can’t be.
“I’m telling you that I have no feelings whatsoever for Trish.” I watch the hurt and
confusion cross my face. When Riley notices that I’m behind them, her eyes get large. Next,
Keagan spins and yells at me while throwing his arms up in frustration. Finally, the camera
zooms in on my face and the tears, which I thought I was containing at the time of the incident,
spill forth. I watch as they roll onto my cheek. Keagan continues with his rant, which has the
camera back off and refocus on him. The expression on his face breaks my heart all over again.
Hate and disgust are visible on it. Then he says the words that crushed me.
“What do you not understand?I don’t want anything to do with you! Your kind is a last
cruel joke that the ancient gods decided to grace us with. I’m not interested in having anything to
do with you or anyone like you. You need to leave me the hell alone and stop bothering me! Do
you understand that?”
The video continues with the rest of what happened and focuses on the girls that watched
the whole thing. They giggle and laugh, and then go on to talk about the whole thing. This part is
almost worse than watching Keagan speak to me like that. They speculate about the situation,
how pathetic I was and that I must be a stalker, crazy person, or a retard. When the video
finishes, I see that it has had over six million views and hundreds of thousands of comments.
Some of the comments are supportive and say how wrong the whole situation is, not only that
but that those girls should be ashamed of themselves. The majority of them, though, are hateful
and cruel, just like the video. I’m in shock, but realize that Chelsey has her arm around me and is
rubbing my back in a comforting way. I glance up from the screen and shake my head, denying
the possibility that this could be real. How cruel and hateful.
“Trish, I know that this is bad and you’re probably hurt and humiliated, but you gotta be
strong, keep your head up, and not let this get to you. You can’t let people like Porsche get to
you. I know that you are stronger than them.I’m really sorry that this happened to you, and if it
were at all possible I wouldn’t have had you see that video, but we thought it would be better this
way versus what Porsche has planned for you,” Kristina tells me with compassion in her eyes.
“I completely agree with Kristina, Trish. I know that it’s hard to put aside something like
this, but you are my best friend. I’ve seen you at your worst and best, and I know that compared
to everything else this should not even matter.” I try to gain my composure, giving them a
watered-down smile;it’s the best that I can do right now.
I think back to when Porsche tried really hard to humiliate me in front of our entire dorm.
“Keagan tried sparing me from all of this, didn’t he? Did he ask you two to do his?”
“He didn’t, and honestly you should remember that he is the reason all of this is
happening. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but no one deserves to be
treated how he’s been treating you. I don’t care how hot Keagan is.” I can’t help but smile at
Kristina’s outburst.
“There it is.” Turning to Chelsey, I see a grin on her face. In answer to my raised
eyebrow, she says,“You were smiling.”
“You two are true friends. I know you meant well and were trying to protect me, but
ultimately this still sucks.” Thinking about earlier this morning and the promise of being strong
and holding my head up, facing problems versus running away,pops into my mind. “I can
handle it. Thanks for looking out for me.” Both girls hug me, and we head back to the dorms
after paying our bill. Walking out the door of the burger joint, I notice several people staring and
chuckling. It seems like everyone has seen the video. Now that I’m aware of the reason for all of
the extra attention, I think it was almost nice being ignorant of the entire situation.. It’s
everywhere I turn, and even though I try to keep my head up, it’s getting hard after a few ugly
comments and several people snapping pictures. I finally break when I overhear a girl tell her
friend that she is going to post it to her Facebook page with the subtitle,‘Which is it? Stalker,
Crazy or Retard? I think she is a Stalker’. I hurry out, knowing that the waterworks will come
any minute now. Chelsey, being the good friend that she is, puts her arm around me, which
causes some guys that are enteringDave’s to make catcalls at us.
The video was only posted a few days ago. I can’t believe that it has spread so fast; it
seems like everyone knows. This becomes blatantly obvious when we get back to Dalton, and I
notice all the snickers and degrading glances that are thrown at me.
“Has this been going on all along, did I just not notice?” I ask Chelsey.
“We’ve been working really hard to distract you. Wejust didn’t want you to get hurt,
Trish.” Looking at Chelsey, I can see the sadness in her eyes and how bad she feels. This really
sucks! Part of me just wants to crawl into a hole and hide. I know that Ican’t do that, it’ll just get
worse if I do, so I stick with what I’ve been telling myself all day. Head up, stand proud, and do
notrun away from this. Don’t let themsee any weakness.
“Why don’t we hang out in my room, maybe watch some TV?” asks Kristina.
“I’m going to meet Sam.I told him I would once we got back from dinner.” Chelsey
gives me a hug and heads of.
“How about it, Trish, wanna watch some shows?”
“Sure, why not.” I follow her to her room. Kristina keeps up conversation the entire time
and I try to lose myself in what she is saying versus worrying about all of the drama.
We end up having an awesome night, watching the
Walking Dead
while curled
underneath blankets on her floor. That show just amazes me;it’s crazy what people will do to
survive. Unfortunately, the fun comes to a close all too soon and I return to my room for the
night. Lying in bed, I worry about what tomorrow brings and how I’m going to make it through
the day. I really want to be strong and not let what people are saying about me get to me, but it’s
just so hard, especially when they are so cruel. I doze off after tossing and turning for what feels
like forever.