The Thorn Chronicles-Books 1-4: Kissed, Destroyed, Secrets, and Lies

by Kimberly Loth

  I gathered his energy into two balls in the pit of my stomach. When I did this with my own energy, the balls were of a bright white light, but with Dwayne it was dark, gray, almost black. It smelled of rotting garbage, tasted like cough syrup and made my skin feel like maggots were crawling under the surface.

  I forced those two balls up my chest, down my arms and into my hands. This was the moment of truth. Could I get rid of them all together? For a moment, fear overtook me and I froze. There was no way to know what would happen. This could all go horribly wrong. But I had to get rid of him. I had to try. With new resolve, I concentrated, then pushed with all my might.

  My hands burned with electricity and Dwayne’s energy overtook mine. I could feel him in every fiber of my being, see his thoughts, taste his horrible onion and kitty litter breath, and hear his voice telling me to die. I almost stopped, but I had to get him out of there.

  Then, as suddenly as it began, it ended. The pain in my hands was almost paralyzing. I fell over onto the grass, cradling my hands against my chest. Blisters grew and popped faster than I could process. I whimpered and tried to catch my breath. I had to do something, find a way to make it stop, but first I needed to know. I listened hard. He was gone.

  There are some parts of my childhood that I didn’t want to forget after dad went crazy. I made sure I had a section of my garden for those memories. The pale pink Fisherman’s Cot and the magenta Fisherman’s Friend always surprised me because I expected them to smell like fish instead of the overwhelming old rose smell. I planted a Picnic rose in between them. Sometimes, while tending them, I could almost forget who my father had become.

  I SAT UP IN THE GRASS AND UNCLENCHED my hands, crying out. My palms were raw and oozing puss, blisters still forming; the pain was overwhelming. I knew Kai could heal it, like many of my wounds before, but first I wanted to see what happened to the Jason rose.

  It stood about three inches taller. The once straight stems curled in on themselves. The thorns grew longer. Four new buds had appeared. This plant was far from dead.

  The red and white striped blooms had changed as well. The red had become darker, deeper, almost like blood. The white was now dark gray. It was a strange combination, but beautiful in its own way. The smell was different too. More exotic and dangerous. Not evil, but dangerous. It tasted like a bitter dark chocolate. I couldn’t sense Dwayne, but I could definitely sense Destroyer.

  I banged on the front door of the house with my foot because I couldn’t grip the door handle and knocking was too painful. The blisters were growing larger and the pain was making me lightheaded.

  My dad opened the door. He looked at my hands curled against my chest.

  “Naomi, are you okay? Did you get bit by a snake or something?”

  If the pain wasn’t so overwhelming, I would’ve grinned. Before he went crazy, every time I came running to the door in tears, he always asked if I’d been bitten by a snake. Usually it was something easier. I scraped my knees on the rocks, fell off my bike, or my cat scratched me. In spite of the prevalence of poisonous snakes in our little corner of the world, I’d never been bit.

  I shook my head. “Get Kai please.”

  He nodded and ran back to the office. I went to the living room and collapsed on the worn couch. Heat coursed through my hands, flames engulfing my arms. Another blister popped and I gritted my teeth to suppress a scream.

  Kai sat down next to me, concern in his eyes. I showed him my palms.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  I shook my head. I was afraid if I opened my mouth only a whimper would come out. There was no way I could explain.

  He took my right hand in both of his. I squeaked.

  “Sorry, it will be gone in a second.”

  He closed his eyes and I could smell aloe and hear birds twittering. He gently took my other hand. Within seconds the pain was gone and nothing lingered.

  I looked at my palms. There was no evidence of third degree burns.

  “Will you tell me what happened?”

  I shook my head. I tried to still my racing heart. “I’d rather show you.”

  I looked up and saw my dad stood hovering in the doorway.

  “Are you okay, Naomi?”

  I nodded. He looked nervous. I sent him the smell of lavender and the taste of honey, hoping to bring him some peace. His face registered surprise for a half second. Then he shifted his feet and creased his eyebrows.

  “Have you eaten lunch yet? I can make you something,” he offered.

  On cue, my stomach growled and I giggled. It was such a relief to have Dwayne gone that for a minute I forgot who my father was. What he did. Immediately I sobered.

  “Thanks, Dad. I’d actually like to picnic out in the garden with Kai.” His shoulders drooped. I knew he wanted me to eat with him, but that wasn’t going to happen. Not yet. Plus I needed to keep and eye on the rose and show it to Kai.

  Kai cocked his head at me. “Something else happened. You seem different. Lighter.”

  I shrugged. “It will make more sense when I show you. Thank you, by the way.”

  He stood up and I wrapped him in a fierce hug. He hesitated before returning it. But when he did finally hug me back, I could feel his warmth and relief.

  “There’s a picnic basket in the in garage. Can you go grab it?” I asked.

  I went to the kitchen with my dad. He pulled some sandwich meats out of the fridge. He wouldn’t look at me. I thought about apologizing for my distance, but before I could say anything Kai came back with the red round basket that my dad and I used when I was younger.

  I opened the basket; it still smelled of the faint odor of fish.

  Kai stuck his nose in the basket and inhaled. “Bob, it smells like your fishing basket.”

  My dad turned around and smiled when he saw the basket.

  “No, actually, it was from the time Naomi and I took a picnic down to the creek and she caught tadpoles. We put them in a plastic sandwich bag and forgot about it until the next picnic. Mother was so mad because then she had to clean it out. I just laughed and the next time we took lunch in a paper bag instead.”

  His face fell. “That was before…”

  Kai smiled a tight smile. “Naomi, how old were you?”

  I shrugged. “Five, maybe six.”

  “Well, the smell isn’t too bad. Think we can still use it?”

  “Of course.”

  My dad helped load the basket with sandwiches and fruit. Kai put a couple of water bottles in there.

  “Where did all the food come from?”

  “Walmart. We can take care of ourselves you know.”

  I snorted. “Is that so? Did you get any chocolate?”

  My dad pulled open a drawer and took out Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. I froze. That was my favorite candy bar when I was a child. I’d forgotten. I took the Reese’s from him and gave him a quick hug. He stiffened, but gently returned the hug. I pulled away, surprised that I actually hugged him.

  Kai carried the basket out to the garden and I grabbed a blanket. We settled in a grassy spot near my boy roses, the section that held Jason. I wanted Kai’s take on the flower before I told him what I did. Instead of sitting down to eat, I led him over to the rose.

  “You can feel the energy off the roses, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Tell me what you make of this one.”

  He studied the flower for a moment, stuck his nose in the bloom and then stepped back. “It has a seductive quality, but feels sinister. I’ve never met a rose like before. Beautiful though. Tastes like bitter chocolate.” He turned back around. “What does this have to do with your hands?”

  “You know how I can take power away from people?”

  “Yeah.”

  I paced in front of the roses for a minute, worried about his reaction. What if he thought I was a freak or worse, dangerous, because of what I could do? I didn’t entirely trust him, but I needed him on my side. I took a deep breath and then s
pilled.

  “It doesn’t go away. It stays swimming in my own veins separate from my own power. I’ve taken the power of two people, Dwayne and my mother. Having them inside me makes me feel dirty; it affects me. I had to get rid of it. I thought, if I can take it in, then surely I can send it out. Thus my hands and the sinister rose.”

  He creased his eyebrows together.

  “Are they both gone?” Kai fingered a rose leaf, his face focused. He wouldn’t look at me.

  “No, just Dwayne. I didn’t know what would happen if I did both at the same time.”

  “We should eat. But then we should try to get rid of your mother’s power too. I don’t like that she’s inside of you.”

  “I’m not ready for that. It hurt. Not only that, we don’t know what’s going to become of this rose. We ought to keep an eye on it for a few days first. I’ve had Mother inside of me for weeks. A couple more days won’t hurt.”

  He bit his lip and shook his head, but didn’t say anything.

  We sat across from each other as we ate. After a few minutes of small talk, he brought up his plans again.

  “There is something else you should know.”

  I grinned and took a bite of an apple. “Oh, yeah, what’s that?”

  “Tomorrow, we’re going back to school.”

  Freshman year, I planted a rose called School Spirit. I had no idea what to expect, I didn’t even read the description when I bought it. But I’d hoped it’d be a good omen when I went to school. Imagine my surprise when I ended up with yellow roses that had bright pink paint splashes. They were beautiful. School, however, was a huge disappointment.

  SCHOOL WAS JUST LIKE I REMEMBERED IT, except I was a different person and enrolling a month late. It was mid October. In Vegas, I was homeschooled during the first month of my senior year since my Guardian training was more important than a public education. But Kai said school would keep us grounded and, hopefully, normal. Besides, power starts manifesting during teen years and he was looking for recruits.

  I wore a well-fitted magenta t-shirt and denim capris. My sandals and purse were both Prada. Not that anyone here would recognize them, but my whole outfit screamed money. I wasn’t thinking when I dressed this morning. Ginny bought me a new fall wardrobe before her wedding. She spent way more money than she should have, but I think that was pre-wedding jitters.

  When we walked into the cafeteria I looked over the sea of cowboy hats. There were a few baseball caps as well, but cowboy was the hat of choice. If I crouched down and looked under the tables I would see muddy boots.

  They all wore wrangler jeans and school spirit t-shirts. Yep. I was definitely out of place. If Ginny came to visit, like she promised, she’d have to take me shopping here so I could fit in better.

  Kai went to the school office to fetch my schedule while I sat at an empty table. It felt so weird to be back here. I recognized a lot of faces, but no one recognized me. I had no friends except Ruth, and she was dead.

  “Nice knockoff.” I looked up and found myself staring at a cheerleader. She was always nice to me before, but I never asked her name. “Where did you get it? Mine is falling apart.” She held up her Chanel bag that was definitely not real.

  “It’s not a knockoff and it was a gift.” I smiled and hoped she wouldn’t take offence.

  She sat down. “I suppose you are going to tell me that your shirt and jeans really came from Guess too. There’s no shame in knockoffs. As long as it looks good, right?” She laughed and a couple of other girls sat down next to her. They too were carrying knockoff handbags. She looked under the table. “And your shoes, what are they?”

  I’d gotten so used to these conversations with Ginny and Ricki that I didn’t even pause before answering. “Prada.”

  “Girl, you’ve got to hook us up, where do you shop?”

  “I got them in Vegas.”

  She shook her head. “That explains it. Vegas probably has better knockoff stores than we do in Arkansas. Your hair looks like a million bucks too.”

  I tucked a strand behind my ear. If only she’d seen it when it was the color of a million bucks. I missed color in my hair. Brown was so blah. She smiled at me. Maybe school wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  “I’m Tiff. This is Angie and Desi. What’s your name?”

  “Naomi. I just got back a few days ago.”

  She cocked her head. “You mean you’ve been here before?”

  “Yeah, last year. I left near the end of the school year.” I didn’t want to say too much, no reason to bring up the past if I didn’t have to.

  Tiff thought for a second. “I only knew one Naomi and everyone thought she died, like her friend Ruth. It was all very hush-hush.”

  My breath hitched at the sound of her name, but I recovered quickly. I thought about denying it but that would be cruel to Ruth, like I would be tainting her memory by denying who I was before. I forced a smile.

  “Well, I guess I’ve changed quite a bit.”

  Before Tiff could respond, Kai walked up to the table. “Kai,” she squealed and jumped up from the table. She greeted him with a big hug and he returned it.

  “Looking good, Tiff.” He let go of her and sat down next to me. “Here’s your schedule. We don’t have any classes together except botany because I’m a senior and you’re a junior.”

  Tiff sat back down with her friends. “How come you didn’t tell us you had a sister, Kai?”

  “I don’t. This is my girlfriend. Naomi, have you met Tiff and the girls?”

  Tiff’s face fell for a second but then she recovered. “That’s awesome, Kai.” She paused for a few seconds. “You went on a trip. To California, right?”

  He smiled. “Yeah, why do you ask?”

  Angie and Desi both started bouncing in their seats. Tiff looked like she could hardly contain herself. “That means you brought gifts.”

  “You think?” he asked, winking. He reached into his bag and pulled out three small boxes. He handed one to each girl.

  “Oh, Coach,” Tiff squealed. She held out her sunglasses.

  “Kai, those are real,” I said under my breath, but not quiet enough.

  “No way,” said Tiff. “He has great knockoff stores he goes to when he visits Florida or California. He always brings us stuff.”

  “Tiff, I was with him when he bought them. He got them at the Coach store in the airport. Those are most definitely real.”

  I don’t know why it was so important to me that she should know they were real. Probably because she didn’t believe me when I told her my outfit was real. Tiff looked down at the sunglasses in her hand. Her voice was quiet when she spoke again. “I wish I could tell if you were lying.”

  Kai spoke before I could respond. “They’re real. Naomi doesn’t lie. All the things I bring you are real. You just never asked.”

  I wish I had as much faith in me as he did. I was lying to him all the time these days. The bell rang, ending the conversation, and Tiff and I headed in the same direction. Tiff took my schedule and read over it.

  “This is great. We have almost all of our classes together. You can tell me all about how you landed Kai. Although I thought his girlfriend was in Florida, not California.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he goes there all the time.” She blushed. “And one of the other girls on the squad asked him out last year and he said he wasn’t available. I put two and two together and figured there was a girlfriend in Florida.”

  Maybe there was a group of Destroyers in Florida he met with on a regular basis. I’d have to ask him about that.

  Tiff looped her arm through mine and dragged me off to English. I’d kind of hoped to come back to school and find another friend like Ruth. But I wasn’t going to complain. Sure, she seemed irked that I had Kai, but overall she was very friendly.

  The first few classes were normal. Nobody recognized me, but far more people tried to talk to me. I was surprised by the amount of attention the boys gave me, and it creeped m
e out just a little.

  But what really stood out to me was that I could sense both Guardians and Destroyers in all my classes. A few Shades as well. I didn’t get a good look at any of them, but they were definitely there, though most were weak.

  Period four, math, was just before lunch. Not my favorite subject, but I could hold my own. Tiff and I walked up the crowded stairwell.

  “How’d you meet Kai?” she asked, shoving through a group of boys wearing Nike shorts and cowboy boots.

  I gave her the story we’d made up. “Our dads were friends. We met last year. Kai’s staying with us this year.”

  She wiggled her eyebrows. “That must be fun.”

  The math teacher stood outside the classroom. She was short, stocky, and had no eyelashes or eyebrows. I knew her from before. She was the cross-country coach but she’d never been my teacher. “Whoa, girl, you got legs. You wanna run for me?”

  I shook my head. She’d actually approached me about running before, many times. I always declined but she asked every year.

  “You new?”

  I nodded and handed her my schedule.

  “Naomi Aren. I know that name.” She looked me again. “I guess it is you. What happened to the long skirts?”

  “I moved in with my aunt. She didn’t agree with my parents’ lifestyle.”

  “Not many of us did, kiddo. Will she let you run?”

  “I really don’t have time this year. Maybe next year. Where do you want me to sit?”

  “Sit anywhere, I don’t have a seating chart.”

  I looked for Tiff, but she was deep in conversation with a few girls in the hall. I entered the nearly empty classroom and chose a desk in the middle of the room.

  A dark-skinned boy sat in the desk next to mine. The storm cloud was clear. Destroyer. I looked up.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I shrieked. Jason sat right next to me.

  “I could ask you the same question. But I already know the answer because Kai told me.” He sneered.