(Hey guys! New story and warning this one will be dark, like really dark and will take place right after "I Stand By". All will be from Emmet's point of view, and I hope everyone enjoys this eight installment of the 'I Didn't Know' saga. )
-Present-
I was cold so I shivered awake te' a dark room with nothing but a lamp on the wooden table that was across from me. Something seemed hidden underneath the shadow of the table but I couldn't see it clearly. Wherever in hell I was it was cold. Me' t-shirt was laying on the ground, me' shoes were sideways on opposite sides of the room, I didn't know where me' swim trunks were but they weren't in sight and I was completely naked. Tight ropes bound me' arms te' the arms just as me' feet were bound te' the legs of the chair I was in. Another cold shiver went through me' body as I tugged against the wrist restrains. I had te' get out of here. Here? Where was here? The last thing I remember was being in the parking lot with Colm. Colm! He wasn't here was he!?
-12 hours ago-
Neither one of us made a sound. The screaming and yelling had finally died and anger was scrawled across Cameron's face turning his smile lines into lines of uncaring and his lips twisted downward into a frown mixed with a grimace. Me' face probably the same. I didn't mean what I said, I didn't mean it at all. Only he could bring this out in me, and I don't know why. I was always a bit more a laid back guy but Cam just drove me crazy. Not always in a bad way. I cared deeply for him, maybe I even loved him. Sure I said that I loved Cameron, but I still was new te' the whole concept of dating a guy and that sometimes I felt, emasculated or rivaled. It was stupid, I knew Cam wasn't trying te' prove he was better or anything but still. Cameron huffed a sigh and just turned on his heels and walked back into the hotel room we had been sharing. I would have stayed with me' parents, them living in Dublin and all, but Cam wanted te' stay with me and I wanted te' figure out the whole being gay thing before I told me' parents. A fact Cameron used often when we argued, and I heard it almost every morning. I turned toward the door, me' face still warm from me' shouting and Cameron came back out of the room. I didn't move as I internally calmed me'self down. I took a deep breath then rest me' head in me' hands for a second. I took another deep breath and just counted backwards from ten in me' head, Cameron came back out of our room and just looked up at me. Again another round of blank stare.
"I'm..."I started feeling ashamed. It was a feeling a felt a little te' often.
"Me too..." His American accent completed me' sentence. This was stupid, every morning we argued and not even ten minutes later we were both sorry and wanted te' put it behind us. Was this how other couples acted? I couldn't see Keith and Damian shouting at each other at all, and there's no way in hell Ryan and Neil could even be mad at each other. I stepped forward and gently wrapped me' arms around that fragile frame of his. His scent was like a summer breeze- a mixture of grass and fresh flowers and rain. It was calming and nice.
"Emmet. There's something I need te' tell you." His face had gone from angry te' a little upset and deeply came the bang on the door pulling us out of our private world.
"Cameron! Dismount ye'r boyfriend and hurry up George won't be happy if we're late!" Ryan's voice would have normally echo'd by Neil's laughter but Neil wasn't with him so instead to make noise he just banged on the door again. I parted away from Cameron, but waited for him te' talk.
"We'll talk later." Cameron looked down at the floor as I went te' go answer the door. Ryan stood adored in a typical sweater with an impatient look on his face.
"Sorry te' interrupt but today is George's goodbye party."Ryan smirked at an internal joke. I rolled me' eyes and shut the door behind Cameron as we stepped out into the hall. "Everything alright?" He asked us his hazel eyes gleaming over the lights of the hall.
"Fine." Cameron shrugged and I just kept me' eyes on the ground. Clearly we were both liars. Ryan gave us both a worried look before he just shut his trap and walked straight. We got to the elevator in silence, and it wasn't till the door started te' close that me' life started changing.
-Present-
I struggled against the rope again, then the door started te' open. I froze in fear and panic, as a headache pounded deep in me' ears. A man stepped in keeping himself against the wall as if he was scared of me. He had long black hair tucked behind his ears and wide brown eyes that looked terrified. He didn't speak and just stared at me, checking the door periodically as if waiting for somebody else. I shivered as my restraints strangled me' wrists and he just slowly stepped forward. His hand extended toward me and I tried leaning back as far as I could. He retracted his hand and sorrow crossed his eyes. I opened me' mouth te' speak but he just stopped me with his hand wrapping around me' hand covering me' mouth leaving me' nose te' breathe.
"Don't talk he'll hear ye' if he hears ye' then he'll come in and silence ye'." He had an accent no different from me' own. He watched the door urgently.
-12 hours ago-
"HOLD THE ELEVATOR!" A voice called out and I lurched me' hand forward in a reflex. A guy about the same age as me with dark brown hair stepped onto the elevator with a box of trophies in his arm.
"Thanks." He said as he tried te' touch the buttons te' the lower floors.
"Here. What floor?" I asked politely and then he turned, and I saw his face for the first time. He had blue eyes that were so different from any one else's, they were like a sky blue that was endlessly. He had a scratchy face and he look a little tired, but still he smiled at me as he said 'ground floor'.
"We're already going there." I smiled at him and he just smiled back, a smile that was almost blinding like sunlight.
"Hey ye'r Colm..Keegan, right?" Ryan said leaning a little closer te' see the young man's face easier.
"Umm...yeah..." Colm said as a feeling of awkward seem te' sweep over him. He clearly had no idea who we were and why we knew him.
"We're some of the guys from Celtic Thunder." Ryan smirked as Cam and I both smiled lightly. "I'm Ryan."
"OH!" Colm's eyebrows lifted as shock filled the sky he held within his irises. "I would have recognized ye' guys but I have this box of stuff blocking the way."
"It's alright. I'm Emmet, and this is me' boyfriend Cameron." I introduced us with a grin and Cameron smiled enough to pass as not angry. Colm nodded then looked around at the three of us before speaking again.
"Why ye' guys are here?" He asked with a smile setting the box down for a second before he checked the elevator indicator. "I didn't think ye' guys lived here."
"We don't just cam, and I are staying here for a little while until we go back on tour. What about ye'?"
"Just picking some things up from a friend."
"They ye'rs?" Ryan asked looking down at the trophies Colm had sitting in the box that had his name on it.
"Umm.. Yeah they're mostly just singing trophies I won in bar competitions." He smirked down at them and as he looked back up te' me I realized I hadn't taken me' eyes off him since he got on the elevator. I shook me' head lightly and turned back te' Cameron. The rest of the ride was plain peaceful chatter and as we stepped out of the elevator I picked up the box of the gold and silver metal.
"Emmet I can carry it, ye' really don't need te'-"
"It's alright I want te'. I was a porter for a hotel for a couple years so I can carry boxes and function easily." I smiled at him and he just grinned back. The grin didn't met his eyes but even so his eyes stilled seem te' sparkle like stars in the night sky. Colm lead us out into the parking lot and as we got into the morning air I said:
"Hey where's ye'r car?" The box were a lot heavier then I expected and I really wanted te' set them down.
"Over here." He nodded off te' the side, and I just kept following right behind him. We were talking about the prior years Olympics,Ryan chirped in his opinion every so often, Cameron however remained silent. Colm had a red truck and he opened the door for me te' set the box on the passenger side.
"Oh let me move me' swim bag." Colm said, right before I set the box down. He pulled the bag out from under me' hand and an idea hit Ryan with a baseball bat.
"Do ye' have a pair of swim trunks on ye'?" Ryan asked and at first I didn't get what he was going to ask.
"ummm...yeah I do actually." Colm smiled as he clearly as confused as Cam and I were.
"Well we're going to a swim party with the rest of the CT guys and I'm sure they would love te' meet ye' if ye'r not busy."
"Well, I'm not but are ye' sure I wouldn't want te' intrude." I stood amazed at the man in front of me, who was no older then me. Damn, I thought, that was so nice not many people would actually be that considerate.
"Oh it's fine-" Ryan smirked as he gently touched Colm's shoulder. "I'm sure George would want te' meet the guy who's replacing him." Ryan laughed with me and Cameron, and then for the first time in my life I heard Colm laugh.
-Present-
His eyes were full of fear as he held me' mouth shut. Almost as if he was silently begging me te' be quiet, I obliged only because this guy didn't seem like he wanted te' hurt me. He slowly removed his hands and then looked me over.
"Ye'r cold." He looked about the floor and noticed all of me' clothes were off and laying about. He looked back te' the door and back te' me. He ran a hand through me' hair in a gentle gesture and I just stared up at him.
"Colm?" I asked quietly trying te' be quiet but I also had te' know. The guy's eyes widen in utter terror behind his curtain of black hair. He watched the door, waiting for something te' happen, but once nothing occurred he spoke quickly.
"He's got him, he won't be hurt him it's only ye' he wants."
"Who's him?" I asked as goosebumps covered me' body unmerciful. Waves of fear washed through me, almost pulling tears te' me' eyes. The man opened his mouth te' speak but just as he did ,beyond the door, a loud crash rang out crying for attention and the man with black hair quickly left the room leaving the door opened inviting a cold wind te' wash over me and black te' menace me from it's hiding places in the hallway that the open door frame revealed.
-12 hours ago-
Colm followed Ryan, Cam, and I te' Ryan's car where Neil was sitting in the front seat with a book open in his hands. Cam, Colm, I all filed into the backseat (Cam and I claimed window seats opposite of each other and Colm was stuck between us), and as we did so Neil looked back te' see a man he didn't know.
"Oh, who's this?" Neil asked Ryan as he started the car.
"I'm Colm Keegan." He smiled at Neil who had his crutches rested on his shoulder. Neil smiled as he chuckled lightly te' himself.
"Oh so ye'r the new guy?" Neil asked as Ryan changed the radio station.
"Yeah we found him in the elevator on our way back down." I commented as I kept me' eyes trained on the opened sky that was literally endless in his eyes.
"Colm didn't have anything te' do so I told him te' get his swimming trunks. George will probably want te' meet the guy who's replacing him." Ryan chuckled as he looked over at his boyfriend.
"Well, I'm Neil nice te' meet ye'." Neil extended a hand and Colm shook it firmly with a smile and everything fell into a calm simple peace as Colm and I kept talking. Neil listened te' us and occasionally would pitch something in te' add te' the conversation. Ryan just drove carefully, and Cameron kept silent as he looked out the window.
By the time we got Declan's and Seana's house Colm and I were like childhood mates. Ryan parked his car behind Declan's truck and we all got out. Colm got out on me' side as Ryan quickly got out te' help Neil get out. Cameron just fell behind all of us with a sad quiet expression, I would have tried te' comforted him but I was the reason so I tried te' give him his space. Ryan knocked on the door as Neil, Colm, and I surrounded him and Cam stood behind us. Declan's girlfriend Seana answered the door first.
"Hey guys, Declan's in the back getting the food ready." She smiled at us and as her eyes made their way around our group she asked: "Who's this?"
"'Ello, I'm Colm Keegan." He reached around Ryan te' shake her hand.
"Oh the new guy. I'm Seana, I'm the harpist."
"And our fabulous dancer." Ryan added as Neil and Cameron followed him inside.
"Well pleasure te' meet ye'."
"Likewise." She smiled and we followed her into the overly large house they owned. The delicious scent of hamburgers and hotdogs clouded the house till ye' got te' the back yard where there was a large in-ground pool with tables set up around it. Declan was shirtless with his swim trunks on with a apron tied te' his front as he flip a couple patties of meat while he was talking te' Ryan and Neil who had pulled up a chair. David (our director) and Berry (our instrumentalist) were already in the pool laughing te' each other as they talked. Nicole (our violinist) and Laura (our cellist) were laying on the grass with there hands linked, their bodies were only clad in their bathing suits and the sun danced and sparkled on their water-dipped skin.
"Is that fola nua(new blood)?" Declan asked looking over his shoulder at Colm and I.
"Yep that's Colm Keegan." Neil said slyly toward us. Cameron was standing a little behind Ryan as he seemed like he was waiting for something. Declan stepped forward te' shake Colm's hand and they exchanged pleasantries.
"If ye' guys want te' go swimming ye' guys don't have te' wait for everyone." Declan said with a smile as Seana came up with a drink in her hand which she handed te' Declan. "Thanks babe'." Seana smiled as he leaned down and gently pressed a kiss te' her check. We all smiled at their sweet intimate moment then we heard Paul's loud obnoxious voice ring out from behind us.
"The party can now begin!" We all turned te' see Paul and George standing there already wearing their swim trunks te' match all of us except Colm.
-Present-
Several loud crashes and bangs rang out some more and I swore I heard something growl. I was scared, really scared. The cold became an after thought as I studied the dark in front of me waiting for something, anything, te' appear. Minutes passed and silence fell in an awkward manner of calm, like before the crash of thunder. Then a figure appeared in the doorway. I felt me' breath catch and freeze in me' throat.
"Where's Colm!" I shouted once I could manage te' gather me' words.
"Doesn't matter." The accent was out of place as the man stared at me. "Your beautiful..." the man said as his hand gently trace over me' bare chest and went up te' me' hair where he pulled on me' hair te' look up at him. "I'm gonna enjoy this."
"Please...don't.." I begged trying not te' cry as the man went te' get the object that had been hiding under the table the entire time. He gently raised the hammer up te' rest on his shoulder and he stared at me, his brown eyes meeting me with contempt and anger.
"Don't worry I won't." He smirked at his own evil joke. "GET IN HERE!"He shouted calling the long black haired me into the room with us.
"PLEASE CAMERON DON'T!" I begged and I felt the tears rolled down me' face falling onto me' chest where they rolled downward slowly. Cameron didn't look at me he just handed the hammer to the other man.
"Here's the deal: I break his heart, you break his arm." Cameron said a matter of fact as his eyes glared evil then he turned te' me and smiled.