Chapter 23: Eve

I needed a break from the Rogues, and even though my heart was telling me no, that I needed them, my mind was insisting that it was okay to expand my horizons. I could have friends in this place. I wasn’t tied to them, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to let them think that I was.
Kasey was still in the hospital wing, being heavily monitored and still on suicide watch, but she didn’t seem to mind the attention she was getting from the medical staff, so I took it upon myself to find and make friends with Max, the guy I’d met shortly after arriving, the one whom the Rogues had basically scared away. No one else seemed to want to get close to me, and I figured it was because of Keane and the others. Though, much to my relief, all three of them made it a point to give me a wide berth for a few days, which I appreciated. I pretended not to notice that all three of them still had eyes on me around every corner, even though they didn’t hide it well.
“I’m really glad we got to hang out today,” Max said, his shoulder playfully rubbing mine as we walked through the woods and down a narrow trail. It was a nice day, as nice as it could be on an island like this. The sun peeked out from behind dark clouds, teasing us with its warmth before hiding again. There was a slight chill in the air, but it didn’t seem as bad with Max walking next to me. He was a good man, a good friend. I needed more of those here, especially considering that I still had no idea how long I’d have to be here.
“I am, too,” I told him earnestly. “Honestly, I get tired of Keane and the guys laying their claim on me. They act like I can’t have any friends or relationships that aren’t them.”
“Yeah, they’re possessive like that,” Max said, shaking his head with disappointment. “They think they can have whatever they want, any time they want. Humans included. They’re just jerks.”
I wanted to tell Max that they meant well, but not even I was sure that was true. They were jerks, and they were possessive, and if my heart would stop betraying me every time I was around them, maybe I would have been able to agree with that too.
“I feel like on the inside, they’re not as bad as they want people to think,” I said instead. “They have to act a certain way to survive here, but they’re really not that bad.”
Max scoffed, clearly disagreeing. “It sounds to me like they have you wrapped around their psychotic fingers already.”
“Hey,” I warned, shooting him a look. “It’s just my own observation, that’s all.”
Max smiled and nodded, but I could tell he wasn’t even close to convinced. “Just be careful,” he said. “I know I’m not the first person, and I won’t be the last to tell you that they’re trouble.”
“Sure,” I said with a laugh. “But aren’t we all? Trouble, I mean? I don’t think we ended up here on a whim.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Max brushed his hand against mine as if trying to take it and hold it, but I pulled it back, caught off guard.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I’m just—not really looking for that sort of relationship.”
Much to my relief, he smiled away. “No problem, Eve. We could all use a real friend here. Speaking of, how’s your friend Kasey?”
“Better every day,” I told him. “I think they’re going to release her today or tomorrow. I miss her. It gets lonely at night.”
Max said nothing to this as we continued our walk, but I noticed his pace slow drastically. “Do you know where we’re going?” he asked, and I slowed down to keep pace.
“Toward the old cemetery,” I told him. “It’s one of my favorite places to visit.”
“That’s—weird.”
“How come?”
“Because it’s where all the dead people are. Not to mention, it’s Rogues territory.”
I giggled, which almost seemed to anger him. “Rogue territory?” I repeated. “They don’t own this place, Max.”
“You’d be surprised,” he muttered, pulling to a halt. “It doesn’t matter anyway, though. I have to get back. I have a session with John Carter.”
“Oh.” I hesitated, not really wanting to go back to the academy already. There was nothing to do there except dodge glances and sit on my bed alone in the dorm, so I smiled at Max and squeezed his arm. “Have fun at your appointment,” I said. “I think I’ll stay out a while longer.”
Max looked for a moment like he wanted to argue, but he didn’t, and instead nodded once and turned on his heel, making his way back through the woods until I could no longer see him. With a sigh, I wrapped my arms around myself and pushed forward, grateful for the peacefulness of the woods. If I could spend all my time at this academy outside, I would.
A few minutes later, I pushed my way into the familiar clearing, catching the subtle scent of marijuana smoke before even realizing that someone was already there. I stopped by a large boulder, my eyes meeting Keane’s. He was cross-legged on the ground, back up against a tree, as he whittled away at a branch with a small, sharp pocketknife. A joint hung from one corner of his mouth, and his eyes met mine as I emerged into the space.
“Christ,” I said, stopping abruptly. I hadn’t expected anyone to be here in the middle of the day. “I told you guys I wanted some space.”
“I’m aware,” he said, tilting his head to the side to scope me out. “But you’re in my territory right now, sweet girl. I didn’t follow you anywhere.”
“I just came here for some quiet time, Keane,” I said softly, taking a step back and away from him. “But I’ll go now and leave you to do whatever it is you do here.” I turned on my heel to leave, but Keane hopped to his feet and stepped forward suddenly, his body pressing against mine as he pushed me up against the tree I’d been hovering near. I gasped, caught off guard, but my first reaction wasn’t to fight him as the warmth of his body subdued me.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“Shhh,” Keane murmured, his hand snaking towards the warmth between my legs. I hadn’t even realized I’d parted them for him until he touched me, and I closed my eyes as a small gasp of surprised pleasure escaped my lips. Keane’s fingers roamed below my skirt, rubbing me gently through the lace undies I wore. I caught my breath as he skillfully pushed the undies aside, his fingers playfully teasing the lips of my pussy.
“Keane,” I said, panting now as his firm body pressed against mine, his hard-on resting against my back, taunting me. I couldn’t bring myself to stop him. I didn’t want to.
“Let me make you feel good,” he whispered in my ear, pressing his body harder against mine. “I promise, kitten, I won’t hurt you.”
Somehow, I believed him as his fingers trailed up from between my legs and slipped inside my mouth, forcing me to taste myself on him. A moan escaped my lips, and heat rushed to my neck and cheeks, giving me away. I felt ready for him this time, especially without the Rogues standing there watching. While I had enjoyed being with all three of them, there was something different about the intimacy of being with one at a time. It felt—good.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Keane promised. “And I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do, sweet girl.”
“I’m not ready for sex,” I told him, shivering against his body. “I—I can’t. Not yet.”
Keane’s breath was hot against my neck, and I trembled with desire. “We can do a lot of other things,” he whispered. “Just close your eyes and try to enjoy it.”
I considered denying him, but it was no use. I wanted this. I wanted him, and he knew it as well as I did.
I closed my eyes as Keane’s hand roamed under my shirt and bra, pinching my nipple. A gasp escaped my lips as I hardened under his touch, the electric shock traveling from my chest and down between my legs, where moisture formed between my thighs. I pursed my lips together and rested my forehead against the tree as Keane’s hardening cock pushed against my ass.
“Moan for me,” he instructed. “Don’t be shy, kitten. No one can hear you but me.” He pinched me again, rolling my nipple between his fingers, and I cried out with a mixture of pain and pleasure, panting for him, my body pressing against his. Keane’s lips lowered, pressing against the sensitive skin of my bare neck as his hand switched to my other nipple, twisting until I cried out. His body pushed against mine, cock teasing me as his hips moved against my backside, testing me, taunting me, turning me on. In one swift motion, he yanked me around so that I was facing him, his tongue slipping between my lips to explore my mouth, cock pushing against my abdomen. He was huge, I could tell, and it took all I had in me not to fall to my knees and beg for him to fuck me right then and there.
But I couldn’t. Not yet. I wasn’t ready.
“Lay down,” Keane instructed, releasing me. My knees went weak, and I stumbled, falling to my knees, and my limbs trembled as I lay down in the damp grass on my back, spreading my legs for him as Keane laid down next to me, his hand reaching for the damp spot between my legs. “Close your eyes,” he whispered. “And let me have you.”

Afterward, we lay together in the damp grass. Keane’s arms were around me, holding me close. I rested my head on his chest, listening to the soft thump of his heartbeat beneath my cheek. A slight breeze whistled through the top of the trees, caressing my cheek, and at that moment, there was nowhere else I would have rather been.
“I was diagnosed at twenty-one,” Keane said, tracing circles into the palm of my hand with his index finger. “I was out of control, and everyone around me could see it.”
“How did you know it wasn’t just depression or something?” I asked, and Keane chuckled humorlessly.
“I was hallucinating at times. Seeing things that weren’t there, things that were impossible to see. I was paranoid all the time, certain that someone was out to get me even though they weren’t. I—I was doing drugs then, so everyone who knew me assumed that’s what it was. Just the drugs. Turns out, I was doing drugs to try and compress the real symptoms.”
“What kind of things did you see?” I asked softly. “When you—when you hallucinated?”
Keane took a deep breath as though it pained him to say the next words. “I saw my sister,” he said finally. “My twin sister.”
“You have a sister?”
“Had,” he clarified. “She died in a car accident when we were sixteen.”
My hand fluttered over my mouth as nausea formed in the pit of my stomach. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I had no idea.”
“I was the one who killed her,” he continued. “I was the one driving when it happened.”
“I—I’m sure it wasn’t your fault.” I reached my hand up to touch his cheek, surprised when he pulled back, avoiding my touch. We were treading on dangerous territory, and his emotions were getting the best of him.
“It was my fault,” he said. “I was high as a fucking kite, Eve.”
I stayed quiet, not sure how to react to this. I knew he didn’t want sympathy, so I kept still, counting the beats of his heart and hoping I hadn’t just ruined the moment.
“We all make mistakes,” I said quietly. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
After what seemed like an eternity, Keane sighed, but a small smile formed on his lips as he pulled my body closer. I was sore in the best of ways, the area between my legs aching with exhausting desire. He had kept his promise; we hadn’t fucked. But, man, he’d certainly made me feel good.
“I couldn’t imagine having to live with a diagnosis like schizophrenia,” I said softly, resting my palm on his chest. For the first time since I’d met him, I felt like we were getting somewhere regarding communication. The more time I spent with the Rogues, the more I learned about them—and I wasn’t disappointed to do so. They were human, just like me. “It must be very difficult to live with. To—to function with.”
Keane sighed, turning his body a bit so that he could rest his lips on my forehead. “It’s hard,” he admitted. “It fucks me up, Eve. Makes me crazy. I—I wasn’t always like this, you know? But then it got so bad that I ended up here. And sometimes I feel—I know—that I will never leave this place. Because I can’t. I’m not capable of functioning on a normal level. And that fucking kills me.”
“Is there anything that helps?” I asked. “Anything at all?”
Keane was silent for a long moment, staring up at the sky that was peeking through the bushel of trees. Finally, after an eternity, he nodded, just once.
“You do,” he said. “Meeting and knowing you.”