Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 47

Double update today - Chapter 47 & 48!

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Kami waited a few minutes watching the fire reflect on Liam’s features. When she was sure her grandfather was far enough away, she approached Liam.

“Kami,” he said in surprise. “I thought you’d gone to bed.”

“I did. You seem deep in thought.”

“Must be the campfire. I was just thinking about Yasmin’s friend.”

“Samira?”

“Yes. Don’t get me wrong. What she did was courageous and necessary. There’s no changing that, but later she tweeted some disturbing things.”

“Like what?” Kami said.

“She celebrated the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers and bus bombings in Israel.”

“Why would anyone do that?” Kami asked in shock.

Liam shrugged.

“I can’t fathom. I have never understood how people can be so furious about attacks on their own people, then turn around and celebrate the attacks on innocents from other nations. How can they disconnect? I mean, what veils the mind to think only your people are worthy of caring for? What hardens the heart to allow you to rejoice in another’s greatest sorrow? It makes no sense. We are all brothers and sisters in the human family.”

Liam yawned loudly.

“Well I’m beat,” he said. “I think I’ll get some rest. Haji and I have to replace Chris and Samuel soon.”

Kami felt like screaming. She’d spent all day separated from him by her well-meaning but misguided grandfather. She finally had her moment and Liam wasn’t cooperating.

“Actually,” she said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. “I was hoping we could talk some more.”

“About what?”

“I’m ready to answer your question.”

There was a long pause.

“C’mere. Sit by me,” he said. He spread a blanket on the sand. She joined him, both sitting Indian-style, his left knee barely grazing her right.

“It’s not going to be a full story,” Kami apologized. “I, I just can’t—”

But Liam interrupted her there.

“Kami, you don’t need to apologize. You can just drop the whole thing if you want. You don’t owe me anything.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I want to share. It might help you understand me better, help you decide if you really are interested.”

He gently ran his fingers from her wrist up her open palm, and then then slowly entwined her fingers in his. She was surprised that such a simple gesture could feel so incredible. She stared into the hungry flames and took a deep breath.

“There’s this guy,” Kami began.

“I knew there must be,” Liam interrupted.

“Shhh,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Let me finish.”

He pressed his lips together and made a zipping motion.

“There was a group of us who hung out together. We were all friends at first, but over time this guy named Vance and I started to like each other more and more. I was thrilled when he asked me to the homecoming dance. It was an amazing night. We had so much fun together. Afterward, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes.

“At first everything was great, but it wasn’t long before things started to go weird. I wanted to stay at the level we were at, just keep it fun, but he seemed to want more and more. His feelings were so heavy, you know, almost claustrophobic. Smothering. Sometimes it scared me the way he would get so possessive. I didn’t have much experience with guys. I’d been out on dates with a few boys here and there, but Vance was the first guy I’d seriously dated. I didn’t know what to do.”

Liam’s hand was moving again, stroking the sensitive inner part of her forearm. Kami swallowed hard. It was hard to concentrate.

“At first he would control me in little ways, like telling me to change when he didn’t like what I was wearing, or telling me that I couldn’t talk to other guys. Then, he started asking for something I couldn’t give him. It wasn’t like he pushed too hard at first. He was actually pretty understanding about it, which was such a relief. I thought everything was fine when I said no, that he would just let it go.”

Liam’s hand slid back down into hers. She grasped it tightly.

“But he couldn’t. I felt so much pressure, building day after day. He kept working at me. I think he was trying to wear me down. I felt so confused, because I felt such strong feelings for him, but I also knew things about myself that I had to stay true to. I wanted so desperately to just cool things down and go back to the way things were, but I couldn’t make it happen. He told me I had to prove I loved him. The pressure finally got to be too much, and when I didn’t give in, he dumped me.”

“What?” Liam said furiously.

“Shhh, Gedo might hear,” Kami said. He lowered his voice.

“But you were only what? Fifteen? Sixteen?”

“Fourteen when I met him, sixteen when I started dating him.”

“How long were you with him?”

“Six months.”

“Geez, Kami! Six months with an eejit like that? I can’t believe he tried to force you—to make you feel like you were inadequate when you didn’t give him what he wanted! So what did you do? Tell him to sod off?”

“I wish. I cried myself to sleep every night for three weeks. I blamed myself for not making it work. I was a mess. Then something happened, and I could finally see things more clearly and I started to get over him. By then I was mad, mad that I’d wasted six months of my life that I could never get back.”

“What happened?”

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