Touched 2

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The door slammed open as Logan barged into the house. His face clearly showed that he was so upset that he was almost livid as he threw his backpack onto the couch.

Why? Logan thought, frustrated. Why won’t Samson leave me the hell alone? It was as if Samson was purposely trying to make things harder for him. No matter what Logan did or say, that stupid stubborn idiot just kept on coming every damn day of the damn school year. Logan had thought that a year and a half of verbal abuse would be enough, but apparently not. Despite having the IQ of a genius, Samson was sure acting retarded about this. Just what did Logan have to do to get the point across, point a gun at the damn bastard? Though, Logan doubted that bullets would do anything to Samson at all pretty soon. In another year or two Samson would probably become absolutely invincible. Just seeing Samson every day was tough, let alone actually speaking with him.

Logan flopped down onto the couch, resisting the urge to scream into the pillows. Instead, he closed his eyes and tried to clear his head. Things were hard enough on him as it was, after what had happened six years ago. After he became a Falhan Kyn, a Cursed Child.

The front door burst open and a flurry of footsteps clattered on the hardwood floor as it headed towards him. “Logan!”

Logan’s eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice. Giving a small grunt of effort he sat up just as a little girl of five reached him. She was a remarkably adorable child, with curly bright red hair and hazel eyes.

“Hey Eve,” Logan smiled down at his little sister. “Did you have fun at school today?”

“Lookie at what I made you!” Eve held up the sheet of paper in her hands up to her face so Logan could see clearly. It was a messy painting of what Logan guessed to be a figure of him standing under a tree.

“Wow, that’s great Eve!” Logan applauded her. “You’re really good!”

“Not as good as you.” Eve laughed as she held out the painting for Logan to take.

“Keep practicing kiddo, you’ll get the hang of it.” Logan accepted the painting with mixed emotions. He loved the way this little girl looked up to him and tried to be more like Logan. The sad thing was that if Eve really wanted to, she could become even better then Logan in just a few more years. A Kin-Lam was capable of doing anything he or she wanted to. If they wanted to learn to play the piano, they do so in less then a month’s worth of practice. If they wanted to become a doctor, they could finish all of their credentials in only two years. The average Kin-Lam would go through about twenty different hobbies and occupations before the age of twenty five, with every single one of them mastered. Already Eve was showing signs of vast improvement, and she had only been to drawing for a few short months. Soon she would surpass the older brother she admired so much. No, not surpass him; transcend him.

However, as Logan looked down at that picture of him, and then at sweet little girl’s face, he would find that that he didn’t really care. He was happy that Eve loved him, even though he wasn’t much of anyone. And besides, Logan drew for reasons other then just because he was good at it.

Just then Logan’s mom Julia walked in. “Oh, hello Logan.” She said as she went over to the kitchen counter and laid her book down. “Is Riley home?”

“No, he said he was going over to a friend’s house tonight. Frank, I think.” Logan told her.

“That’s too bad.” Julia gave a light laugh as she went to the refrigerator and removed a few items. “He’s going to miss his favorite, salmon.”

“More for us.” Logan chuckled.

“Eww, more fish?” Eve wrinkled her nose.

“It’s good for you sweetie.” Julia lectured her. “So Logan, how was school today?”

“It was okay.” Logan lied.

“That’s…good, right?” Julia replied, turning around and looking at him questionably. Logan sighed. Ever since he became a Falhan Kyn, his mother was unable to use her powers to tell what he was feeling anymore. She was perfect when using her abilities on the other people in her family and the clients at her therapist office, but when it came to Logan, she was at a loss. No longer was she able to tell if something was bothering him, when he was lying or even if he was being sarcastic. Because of this, she was always unsure or uncertain about what Logan did or said. She may have a degree in psychology, but without her power to sense vibes, she was at a complete loss at what to do with her problem child.

“Yea, it’s good Julia.” Logan spoon fed her what she wanted to hear.

“Oh.” Julia breathed a sigh of relief, which made Logan feel worse. She didn’t even try to correct Logan when he called her by her first name instead of mom. He had stopped calling her that a long time ago mainly because she was no longer his mother anymore. “Well, give me a few minutes and I’ll cook dinner.” Julia said as she turned her attention back to the food.

“I’ll be in my room doing homework.” Logan stood up from the couch.

“Alright.” Julia nodded. “Do you…do you want me to call you down for dinner?” She asked hesitantly, as if she was unsure if she should even ask that question. What kind of mother would say no to a family dinner?

“No, I’ll just eat in my room.” Logan grabbed his backpack and headed for the stairs.

“Logan, eat with us!” Eve whined and reached for his hand.

Logan jerked his hand back before she could touch it. “What are you doing?!” Logan yelled. “Eve, you know you’re not supposed to touch me!”

“Eve!” Julia screamed a she dropped what she was holding and rushed to her child.

Eve cowered back from the both of them. “I-I’m sorry, but I thought it would be okay because Logan always wears his gloves. It can’t hurt me as long as I don’t touch his skin, right?”

Logan stopped himself from throwing his hands into the air. First it was Samson and now Eve. “Eve, even though I have these on, there’s still a chance that you might accidentally touch my skin. It’s dangerous to be even near me.”

“I’m sorry….” Eve sniffled, her eyes on the verge of tears.

Logan gave a heavy sigh. It was hard to scold such a sweet five year old girl. Carefully he knelt down in front of her so he could look into her face. “Listen Eve,” He said softly, “Just because we can’t touch each other doesn’t mean we can’t love each other. I love you so much that I don’t want you to get hurt. You’re too cute to cry, after all.”

“Okay…” Eve said, calming down. “But…what about Simon? Can’t you do the same thing with him?”

Logan felt his spine stiffen up when he heard that name. “That’s different Eve.”

“But, isn’t he your Arour Dian?” She continued.

Julia stepped forward and laid a hand on Eve. “Honey, I don’t think he wants to-“

“He’s you eternal partner, isn’t he?” Eve continued, refusing to let it go. “You’re supposed to be together forever, aren’t you? Then why don’t you two want to be with each other?”

Logan looked at his kid sister and inhaled deeply. “A union between a human and a Kin-Lam is forbidden for a reason, Eve. And besides that, there are lots of other reasons why I can’t be with him. Now, instead of talking about me, isn’t it time for the Powerpuff Girls to be on right now?”

Eve’s eyes widened as she made a dash for the TV. Logan couldn’t help but chuckle at her childish innocence. When he stood back up and looked at Julia, he was surprised to find her wiping tears from her eyes.

“Julia, what’s wrong?” Logan cocked his head to the side.

Julia quickly dashed her eyes. “Oh nothing, nothing at all. I just had something in my…my eyes.”

“Well, I’ll be in my room if you need me.” Logan said and then ran up the stairs. There was no need to make his mom feel embarrassed for getting a bit emotional.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he walked all the way down the hallway to the last door, which lead to Logan’s room. His parents moved him out of the small one and gave him the biggest room in the house. It was the least they could do for him now.

When Logan reached his door though, the good feeling of having the biggest room would always disappear. There were locks on the outside of the door. In addition to the ordinary lock, there was also a padlock, combination lock and even a deadbolt. To even think two parents would even do that to their child was shocking. However, to a family with a Falhan Kyn, it was almost unthinkable to allow the Cursed Child to walk among other people. In the history of the Kin-Lam, almost all of the Falhan Kyn were locked away, isolated, murdered or even committed suicide. There were very few records of some Cursed Childs that were allowed to roam free, but they all ended up the same way as all of the others.

Logan ignored the locks and entered his room. His room was very spacious and brightly lit. In his room he had a queen sized bed, a computer, a desk and even a recliner chair. In the corner was a small TV set along with all of the latest game consoles strewn around it. There was a broad window in the far wall that allowed in plenty of sunlight even during the late afternoon, but there were steel bars on it which made it look rather depressing. What made this room really unique though were the pictures pinned onto the walls. Over a dozen sketches, drawing and doodles were posted up all around, and one wall was dedicated entirely to Eve’s drawings.

Logan went over to his desk and retrieved two pins. He walked over to Eve’s wall, pinned it and then stepped back to admire it. She didn’t do half bad for a five year old. The figure in the picture had a striking resemblance to Logan. What bothered him was the fact that she had remembered to include the red Falhan Kyn mark on his chest. It wasn’t her fault though; there was no way she could have known what it meant.

Logan broke away from that train of though and sat down at his desk. He pulled his textbooks out of his backpack and began to do his homework. After only a few minutes he already found himself struggling, but that was to be expected of a Cursed Child. Falhan Kyn was four times less then an average person. It only meant that Logan needed to work four times harder in order to keep up with everyone else.

About half an hour into his math homework, Logan noticed that his throat was starting to feel dried out. He stood up from his desk and took a nice, long stretch. After he felt he stretched out enough, he exited his room and started to go down the stairs.

“-home so early?” Julia’s voice drifted up the stairs.

“Eve game me a call and told me you were making salmon.” Riley’s deep, masculine voice answered. Logan heard a small screech, probably Riley pulling out a chair at the dinner table and sitting down to eat.

“Eve, why did you call him at his friend’s house?” Julia asked.

“I thought he’d like to know we were having fish.” Eve said innocently.

“Oh?” Logan could practically imagine one of her eyebrows rise up.

“Okay, I called him so I wouldn’t have to eat more.” Eve caved in. Nothing got past Julia’s vibe reading. She was able to tell the shifts in emotions or thought in an instant. It was what made her such a great therapist.

“Fish is good for you, Eve.” Logan’s father Harold’s voice carried up the stairs.

“I hate fish!” Eve whined.

The rest of the family laughed.

“So how was your day honey?” Julia asked her husband. “Did anything interesting happen to you in the ER today?”

Harold cleared his throat. “A man with a pipe rammed through his stomach was brought in today. Luckily for him I was on duty so I could use my power to help him make it. If it were any of the regular doctors, he would have been lost.” Harold was a doctor at a hospital. His power, the healing touch, could perform miracles and save many lives near the brink of death. However, it was not all powerful. There were just some cases where he had to let the patient go.

“It was very fortunate of him, I agree.” Julia replied. “I hope you’re not overworked though. I’ve read in the paper that the number of accidents have increased quite a bit.

“Don’t you worry about me Julia, I’ll be fine.” Harold assured his wife. “I’m only on ER duty twice a week. The rest of the time my job isn’t as stressful as you think.” There was a slight pause before Harold spoke again. “And how about you Eve?” Harold asked his daughter. “What did you do in school today?”

“Today I painted a picture of Logan!” Eve told him enthusiastically. “He said I was really good!”

Logan could hear Riley make a small cough at Logan’s name.

“Really?” Harold said in an exaggerated tone of amusement. “Well, maybe you can draw me next.”

“Okay Daddy!” Eve giggled.

Logan leaned against the side of the stairway, listening to his family have a nice conversation during dinner. Whenever he at the table, it was always uncomfortably quiet. There was always a heavy tension in the air while they ate, making it almost impossible to have a decent conversation. Hearing them talk to each other in such a casual manner was very rare. It sounded so…so normal. Something Logan hadn’t had in a long, long time.

“Daddy, can I ask you something?” Eve’s voice spoke.

“Sure Eve, what is it?”

“Why can’t we just ask Simon to give back what he took from Logan?”

Logan heard a fork clatter as someone dropped it.

“Are you kidding me?” Riley yelled. “What are you, stupid? Even if it was as simple as that, there’s no way a mere human would everything up to someone so stupid enough to lose it in the first place!.”

“Riley!” Julia scolded.

“What, I’m just telling her the truth!” Riley talked back.

“Riley, it’s not in your place to say things such as that!” Harold’s voice grew stern.

“I’ll say whatever I want about that damn human!” Riley yelled louder.

“What your mouth young man!” Harold’s voice grew to match his son’s.

Logan couldn’t take it anymore and ran upstairs. He marched to his room and slammed the door. Logan sat on his bed and sunk his face into his hands.

He hadn’t even been at the dinner table and yet he still ruined it for everyone. His mere existence was tearing his family apart. Sometimes it amazed Logan that he was still around to screw everyone else around him. A single word from the Kin-Lam Vuran council would have taken him away and locked up in some secluded prison to keep everyone safe. In fact, the council could even order his parents to kill their son to end his threat, and they would do so without protest or argument. Logan was the one looming danger for every Kin-Lam in the world, after all. For the sake of the race, his parents would give up their own son…

No, that wasn’t right because technically, Logan was no longer their child.

After what happened six years ago, Logan had been forced to undergo the dreaded Perhur Geja ritual. This ritual was basically a disownment from both the race and his family, only it was far more painful both physically and mentally. He was no longer a Kin-Lam or even a child of Harold and Julia Warden. He was an outcast. Worst then an outcast, they saw him as a disease that needed to be stamped out before it spread and infected everyone.

Logan gave a small laugh at the thought of being compared to a disease. It was actually pretty accurate to his current situation. Logan was meant to grow into a large, healthy man. However, ever since he performed the Fel Neros, the Eternal Bond with Samson, all of his potential growth and abilities were taken away from him. Instead, Samson was the one who received all of what Logan was meant to have. The body, the intelligence, the charisma; all of it was Samson’s now, while Logan was stuck with what little bit that was left behind. The Eternal Bond was meant to be between two Kin-Lam to unite them in a life long bond. However, since Samson was human, that bond was more like a curse if anything else. All of the benefits of being a Kin-Lam began to slowly transfer over to him as well as some of the natural capabilities. And if that wasn’t enough, now anyone that touched Logan would be drained through him and into Samson as well until they became mere shells of their former selves. As horrible as it is to a human, touching a Kin-Lam was far worse. Every Kin-Lam in the world was linked together, and if one was bound to Logan, the entire race would pour through him like water from a faucet.

Luckily for everyone, there was a way to sever the ties that bound Logan to other people in order to allow them to escape the same fate as Logan. The ritual was fairly simple and not too painful. The ritual to break the bond with a Kin-Lam was a bit more complex and involved contribution from both sides, but it was indeed possible. However even this method couldn’t break the all powerful Fel Neros. The Eternal Bond lived up to its name, a sacred and unbreakable tie that would never be destroyed. Logan would be forever bound to Samson until the day he died.

“I’m starting to see why some of the past Falhan Kyn turned to suicide.” Logan said to no one in particular. Even with that said, he still remembered how close he had been to killing himself when his parents locked him in his room for a year. The only thing that stopped himself from taking his life was the news of a little baby girl being born into the family.

Logan closed his eyes when he began to remember that day. It had been sometime in the afternoon. He had been lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling ever since he had woken up that morning. Being trapped in that room for an entire year had slowly and completely worn out Logan’s sanity and will. He had no company, no one to talk to. His only connection to the outside world was his computer and TV and the only time he heard from anyone from his family was whenever one of them slipped his tray of food through the flap Harold installed on the bottom of the door.

As Logan laid there on his bed, he had begun to question his reason to live. Could what he was doing in that room can really be called living? He couldn’t stand it any longer. He needed to escape that way of life before he became completely mad. However with the bars on the window and the locks on the door, he couldn’t break out of the room. Finally, Logan came to conclusion that the only way to get out was to kill himself. The more that Logan thought about it, the more it made perfect sense to him. Why drag it on any longer? He was going to die sometime anyways, so he might as well get it over with. It was rather depressing that this was going through the mind of a nine year old, but anyone would think that if he had been shut off from the world. Logan turned his head and begun to scan the room for something he could use to kill himself with. There wasn’t much in the room that he could use, however. Perhaps he could use the cord for his game controller as a kind of noose and hang himself. However, he had no where to tie the noose up. Perhaps if he smashed the TV and used the glass to stab himself would work. Yea, stabbing sounded quick and painless. But not glass, no. He’d cut his fingers on the sharp edges, and even though he was going to kill himself anyway, he wanted it to be as smooth as possible, a senseless logic from someone on the verge of insanity. Finally, his eyes landed on a pen sitting on his desk. It was just sitting there, in plain view, as if it was fate leading him on.

Logan climbed out of bed and walked over to his desk. Numbly he picked up the pen and held it in the palm of his hand. Here was a small plastic object that could give him the answer he needed. It was funny, because he didn’t even feel the slightest bit afraid. It felt like he was just about to go to sleep and have a nice, long nap. Logan tightened his grip on the pen and raised it up. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, then prepared to plunge it into his heart.

He was interrupted by a knock on the door, however. No one had knocked on his door. Ever. The shock made Logan drop his pen and look over at the door.

“Logan, honey, are you awake?” Julia’s voice said from the other side. Her voice sounded like an angel’s song to Logan. “It’s us, your pare….Julia and Harold. May we…may we come in?”

Logan stared at the door. Julia was asking if she could come in?

“S-sure.” Logan’s voice cracked after several months without use. Of course he would let her in. He hadn’t seen her for a whole year.

Logan heard the locks being undone one at a time. Finally the door opened, and his parents walked into his room. The sight of his parents after so long made Logan shake in the knees. He had missed them so much, and now they were here again. He reached out his hand to touch them, but then they backed away quickly to avoid being touched. Logan stiffened a bit when he saw this, but he remembered that it was forbidden to touch him anymore.

“S-sorry.” Logan apologized.

“It’s okay s- Logan.” Harold stopped himself from using the term ‘son.’

Julia shifted a bit. For the first time since they’ve entered, Logan noticed the bundle in her arms. “What’s that?” Logan asked curiously.

“This…” Julia brought it closer for Logan to see. “Is Eve.”

Logan’s eyes widened. Wrapped in the bundle was actually a baby! “Is she…?”

Julia smiled. “Yes. This is your little sister.”

Harold made a cough to inform Julia of her misuse of term, but Logan didn’t care anymore. He had a little sister! The fact that Julia called her Logan’s little sister made him feel happy. Logan crept closer to have a better looking, being very careful not to touch the baby or Julia. He gazed down on that sweet angelic face of the sleeping baby, a strange kind of warmth spreading through his body. How could he have even considered death when life was so beautiful as little Eve was?

Slowly Logan lifted his head, blinking several times to wake himself up. He was in his room, sitting on the edge of his bed in the dark. He must’ve dozed off somewhere during his trip down memory lane, and actually slept while sitting up. He glanced over at the clock and saw that he had only been asleep for an hour and a half. By then Eve would have already gone to bed, which meant that Logan missed his brotherly duty of tucking her in. He would have to make it up to her later. When Logan stood up, he noticed that there was a blanket draped on his shoulders. While he had been sleeping, someone must have covered him with his blanket so he wouldn’t catch a cold. It was a small and simple gesture, but it made Logan feel much better.

Shedding the blanket, Logan walked over to his desk. Next to his homework was a tray with a plate of food on it, as well as a tall glass of water and Logan’s usual medication. Logan sat down at ate his meal, then swallowed all of the pills and washed it down with a long drink of water. As soon as he was done, he started to work on his homework again, but gradually found that he wasn’t able to concentrate. Finally he gave up and slammed his textbook shut. He would just have to go to school tomorrow with incomplete homework again. It didn’t really matter though, since he was already failing most of his courses.

Instead, Logan extracted his sketchpad from his backpack and began to flip through the pages until he found the one Samson had commented on. Logan looked it over again. He hadn’t had the chance to complete it, but Logan thought it was just one of his usually average sketches. Knowing that there was at least one talent Logan had made him feel better about himself. Perhaps it was just one of his natural talents unrelated to his Kin-Lam lineage, or perhaps it was something that Samson didn’t drain from him. Either way, if Logan didn’t have his drawings, he wouldn’t have made it as far as he did.

Logan flipped to a blank page and picked up his pencil. Immediately he went to work on drawing. He skipped the first step of making a skeleton and went straight to the form. First he started with the torso. He made it thick and broad, then he added in a pair of pecs that protruded outwards. Below, he carefully sketched in 8 cobblestone abs, giving it the right shadow to make it appear that if he’d rub his hand against the paper, he could actually feel the deep cut ridges. From the broad shoulders, he drew in two arms. They were incredibly thick and beefy, the biceps and triceps bulging on the paper. On the end of those arms, Logan drew two hands, making them large. He spent a little time on those hands, making sure they had enough details to make them touch and sinewy. When he was done with those hands, he returned to the waist and then began to move down. He curved the body outwards a bit, showing just how massive the legs were. For a bit of modesty, Logan added a posing brief on, though he made it bulge impossibly and left little to the imagination. He made sure all of the heads in the quads were visible before he finished the legs.

Now that the body was done, Logan began to draw in the clothes. He knew that it was pointless to spend all that time drawing in such muscular detail, but Logan wouldn’t feel right if he didn’t. He sketched a small shirt over that god like body while erasing the most of the muscles that he took so much time to draw in. He did leave some outlines to show how big the person was, however. The same went with the person’s legs.

Finally, Logan was finished. Before him was a sturdy body wearing a dark polo shirt and jeans. The person was very huge and fit, and displayed a nice package. The only thing that was missing was the head.

Logan sighed as he laid down his pencil. Reaching down, he pulled open one of his desk drawers and pulled out a folder. Opening it, it revealed a small stack of other sketches, each one of the same, headless figure. Logan silently added the drawing to his collection, knowing full well he would never finish them. The main reason for this was because he could never decide exactly whose face belonged on that body.


This chapter has some complex explanations about the Kin-Lam race that may confuse most readers. So, I am going to post a brief summary about the Kin-Lam in order to help people get caught up to speed!

A Kin-Lam Simplified

Kin-Lam are basically an advanced version of homo sapiens. Though their exact date of origin is unknown, it is said that they existed since history began. Although the Kin-Lam consider themselves an entire race, they posses a wide variety of physical features, which allows them to appear to be anywhere from African American to North European. However, even though they appear to be normal human beings, they have advanced physical and mental capabilities. There have been many exaggerated records of giants, geniuses or sorcerers in ancient history, and almost all of these were based on the Kin-Lam. However, such miraculous power was soon branded as unholy magic, and many Kin-Lam were burned as witches. As many as 200 Kin-Lam were persecuted and killed during the Salem Witch Trials. From then on, the Kin-Lam have become secretive to their identity in order to preserve themselves.

The Kin-Lam race are able to grow and develop at a much higher rate then normal human beings. They are capable of learning much quicker, build muscle mass easier and can perform anywhere between 75-120% better then an average person. In addition to their advanced genetic structures, they are able to possess supernatural powers that are beyond logical explanation.

The Kin-Lam can be categorized into three separate groups: Warrior, Mystic or Healer. Warriors, like the name suggest, are more physically developed then others. Unlike the other two categories, Warriors do not possess advanced powers. Instead, they excel exponentially in strength, speed or stamina. It is said that a warrior’s super human strength is what gave birth to myths such as Hercules. Mystics are a more diverse group. Their mental capabilities exceeds all, and are able to posses powers such as mind reading, telekinesis or even project thoughts and emotions into others. Last of all are the Healers, who, just like their names suggest, care of the sickly and the injured. They can cure almost any disease, heal any wound, and save almost everyone except for those who are on the brink of death itself. The rate and power of a Healer varies, from months to a mere moment. There have been several recorded incidents in history of miracle healers that could possibly be Kin-Lam.

Kin-Lam’s entire religion is based on the concept of ‘bonds’ and ‘connections.’ They all feel a great tie to the planet and all forms of life, especially normal human beings. Every member of the Kin-Lam race is connected as a single whole, similar to societies found in bees or ants. On their eighth birthday, they celebrate Tyr ‘d Lei, or Day of Destiny. There, they perform a ritual known as the Fel Neros, otherwise known as the Eternal Bond. The ritual is simple enough; all that is required is for two eight year old Kin-Lam children to touch each other. Though the action is simple, it has a major impact in their transition into adulthood. This does not limit between two eight year old children, however. The first person that the Kin-Lam touches will become their Arour Dian, their Bonded Partner, no matter what age, gender or race the receiver is. However, there is one forbidden rule for all Kin-Lam who have yet to form a Fel Neros: Never bond with a human.

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