Keeper of The Lost Cities: Book 9: Showdown

Chapter 26 - Keefe's POV

A/N: Sorry for the late update! I promise I didn't forget about you... in return, here's pretty cute duck meme... do you guys want more?

I'm tossing a bouncy ball back and forth (Barry's become a new favorite, and why not? He's blue) in the balcony, enjoying the wind in my hair and whistling through the leaves of the corn trees on my balcony, when Tam somehow leaps there, interrupting the beautiful time I spend with myself.

But he's furious.

"Tristan Bronach, huh?" He spits the name out and it takes me a bit to realize that was the alias I went by when I first came to the Lost Cities. "Sophie told you all about Elysium. When did you plan on bringing this up?"

And I now realize that everyone knows Elysium's backstory.

My face and voice harden. "Never."

"Never." Tam echoes. The fury in his voice keeps building up. "Why?"

"My reasons are none of your concerns, Bangs Boy."

"Biana and Dex have been rotting in Elysium for too long to even count, and you had information about Elysium this whole time, and then 'your reasons are none of my concern'."

"Well, you didn't have to get information only from me, now did you?"

Tam's face turns another shade of red.

Fifty shades of red, no?

"We had to get the information from Glimmer, of all people!" Tam explodes. "Do you not care about Dex and Biana?"

I try to act indifferent. "Glimmer, huh? Finally confess your undying love?"

"WHAT? NO!"

A mischievous grin appears on my face. "Hmm, is there another woman in your life? You always did seem a bit... protective of Glimmer."

"What is wrong with your head?" Tam knocks on my skull and it actually hurts. "Is that even actually you?"

"Yes, it's me," I snap. "Do you want to know why I didn't tell any of you? So that you wouldn't ask for my help. Because my mother is waiting for me at Elysium. Because she practically told me herself. Because she wants to get hold of me. Because she wants to use me. Because unless I kill her first, she will never stop looking for me." I look away. "Because even after everything she's done, she's still my mother. I couldn't - I can't kill her." My voice breaks up and I hate the raw emotion Tam is no doubt processing.

Tam is still furious. "You are a coward-"

And that, my friends, is my breaking point.

"I AM ALIVE!" I yell, turning out of my seat to stand up and face him. "I am alive and even if I will have to keep running from my mother, I am finally able to go where I want, to live a life without the influence of my father or my mother or the gossip of being popular at school or anything else." I look at Tam, the anger on his face now on mine, and his face etched with shock and surprise. "Maybe I am a coward. Maybe I am nothing but a petulant, selfish, spoiled child who's used to getting his way with everything. Maybe you could care less about who I am and what I want. But for the first time, Tam, in my miserable existence, I'm not being controlled by something or someone. For the first time, I am who I want to be. Can you blame me for wanting to stay that way?"

Tams mouth opens and closes, like a fish. When he does finally speak, it's quiet, almost reverent. "Yes. I can."

I can feel my eyes flash with a new type of anger, but then he's light lept away and I am left with nothing but to stare at the place where he was.