Soundtrack: Kissing Cousins - Don't Look Back

The 30th of December last year I suddenly decided I wanted to become an author. Ambitious, I know. xD Anyhow, that same day I published the worst chapter I have ever written; a 700 word chapter about Lana healing Drakes arm. I have so many times wanted to delete it simply because I'm ashamed of how badly it was written. Anyhow I have in my opinion improved drastically over the past year, writing various fanfictions (which unfortunately get updated too rarely) and I've also gotten many ideas for my own stories which I do hope to get published sometime soon. I know I'm far from as good as the majority of the authors on this web page, though I'd like to think of myself as a pretty good one, with at least some great readers who give loving reviews and that I've come to appreciate so much over the past year. Thanks to everyone who's read my story, I hope you'll also take initiative to read some of my other stories from now on, considering that you've only got approximately 2000 words left of this one.

I wrote this chapter in April, guys. I gave it it's final touch today after having gone snowboarding to *insert Harry Potter voice* "finish things the way they started", since I got the idea for this chapter on the slope, and I was hoping to kind of renew my thoughts and improve this chapter further (didn't happen though).

So last chapter guys! Brace yourself, for what I hope is plot twists are coming...:3

THE TOUCH OF THE DARKNESS

The bright light of the early morning broke through the curtains hanging above the terrace doors, lighting up the room besides the dark spirits surrounding it. Drake awoke from the blinding sun, feeling more at ease then ever. He was lying on his side, facing the entrance door, his back turned on the sharp sunlight. Beams of the sun had escaped the curtains and reflected onto something shimmering on the grown. He squinted down at the floor, realizing that the sparkling pebbles were pieces of glass.

He wondered what it was doing there, but still sleepy, he didn't bother thinking about it any further. Instead he rolled around, extending his arm to reach out for the girl lying next to him, however touching the empty sheets of the king bed instead.

Alarmed, he sat up, angered only by the thought that she might have left him once again. But as soon as he sat upright, he saw her from across the room, her back turned at him as she fumbled with something, blocked from his vision by her body. He pulled the blanket off of his legs and moved to get out of the bed, when Lana stopped him.

She had turned around by the sound of the sudden commotion, her face struck by a mix of shock and horror. As she stood facing him, he now saw what she was holding in her hands.

A gun.

'Lana... What are you doing?' he got onto his feet, treading carefully, not really sure of what she was planning on doing, or how far she was going to go. She flinched at his movements, but not until he took a step in her direction, did she flinch the arm baring the gun.

'Lana... Put that down,' he started, reaching out to his hand, palm outstretched, requesting for her to hand him the gun. 'Now.'

She didn't seem to listen to him. She didn't really seem to notice him at all, really. Her stare was blank and empty, eyes glazed over as she kept staring over his shoulder as if she was directed toward someone behind him.

'I can't do this anymore.' she whispered, her voice sounding restrained from the fear the pain that she refused to expose with more then her expression which was as out of control as her mind.

'Can't do what, exactly?' Drake hissed at her, sounding angered. Was she going to shoot him? Because she couldn't handle a relationship with him? What relationship, even? There was no commitment between the two of them. Both of them had made it clear by now that they liked things the way they were, so what the hell was she having second thoughts about?

'This...' she started, her voice turning weaker, more scared and defeated. Then she exhaled heavily before continuing, seeming more secure about her words. 'This has been going on for too long. You treat me like I'm some kind of puppet... And I'm tired of it!'

'Lana...' Drake muttered warningly. He was taken aback by this. He didn't get where she was getting this from, nor what he had done wrong that last night to trigger her into acting this way. Before he could defend himself, he was abruptly cut off.

'I'm tired of you forcing yourself onto me!' she continued, her voice a rapid hiss. He simply stared at her in shock as she stated this, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about. 'I'm tired of how you never give me a rest, ruining everything when I'm already at my worst. I'm tired of you pulling my goddamn strings all the time, simply spinning me out of control, giving me no chance at starting over!'

For once; he was at a loss for words.

'And every single time I try to fight back, you keep coming at me, making things worse then they were to begin with!' she screamed, her eyes still fastened on the wall behind him, still distant, yet now tears were exposed, slowly making their way down her tight cheeks, dripping from her furious, shaking face.

'I just can't seem to get rid of you. I'll run away. I'll blow you up. Nothing helps! Why doesn't it help?!' the last sentence was just a weak whimper. She bent over, her entire frame shaking with sobs, her face twisting into the most severed expressions of pain.

And then she gained her composure, stood upright, and lifted the gun. Not to store it away. And not to point it at Drake.

She pointed it at her own head.

'Lana, don't do this!' Drake warned. He could regenerate whenever he got hurt, but unlike Lana, he was not able to do the same for others. The only one who could heal others would be Lana herself, and he doubted she'd be to much use if her heart was no longer beating.

Her eyes twitched and suddenly they were directed straight at him.

'I need it to stop...' Lana spoke, now in a soft whisper. Her words, her expression; drenched in melancholy. He had never really thought of how dead she really looked, even when there was still some life left in her. Though there was no denying that her will to live was gone. She was giving up, and not until her eyes reached his did he realize that he was not the one she was escaping from.

It happened all at once: One moment they had been staring into each others eyes, Drake almost mesmerized by the overflowing agony within her. As he was about to open his mouth to speak once more, he had been interrupted by the sound of a loud bang erupting, almost from within the walls, making his ears almost beat by the sound. Even if he hadn't been so used to the sound of a gun going off, he still would've been able to pinpoint the sound.

Patrick yelped and jumped onto the bed, running across it and seeking shelter on on the ground behind it, up against the wall.

He felt a lump fill his stomach as Lana stood before him for another second, before altogether the hole bellow her right temple released an excessive amount of crimson liquid, her eyes rolled backwards, and she collapsed on the floor.

Drake stood there for however long, simply staring at her body lying limb on the floor. In utter silence, he walked towards her, stepping over the remnants of what he assumed was her brain, pushing one piece that was especially large out of the way. He bent down by her side and brushed her hair away from her face, taking a better look at the side of her face - where it was supposed to be at least.

The pastel tapestry of the hotel room was splattered with her blood, a dark scarlet now running down the walls. He watch her as blood flowed through the tunnel carved in her head by the bullet. The hole continued to release blood, staining the carpet beneath where she laid, sticking to her hair and clothes. On her stomach laid a lump of... something, which he picked up indifferently and tossed away.

Things weren't really turning out the way he had expected it to. The place looked like a murder scene, there was no denying that. He'd have to get out of there immediately.

However, as he was about ready to get up, he heard a soft knock on the door. He tensed. Had the person heard the gunshot?

'Lana, please open up.' the voice sounded hesitant, insecure. Maybe if Drake ignored the boy he would go away.

'We'll have to speak of the kiss sooner or later,' Drakes head shot up, his face flushed red from anger. Kiss? What kiss? His eyes flashed back down at Lana and once again he took in the sight of the big boys t-shirt she had put back on after having awoken that morning. His eyes went back to the door, glaring daggers through it. 'and I've given you quite some time to think it through.'

He heard a sigh coming from the other side of the door. The handle of the door moved downwards and fuck; they forgot to lock the fucking door.

A boy he recalled as Quinn entered. His usual unease escalated quickly to something closer to absolute panic at the sight of Lanas dead body on the ground, next to a gun, which was now in the hands of Drake.

'You...' Quinn stammered, standing still as if his legs were nailed to the floor. 'You're supposed to be dead.'

'So are you,' Drake said musing. Quinn had little time to register his words before Drake positioned the gun to be aiming straight at the boy before him. He pulled the trigger and Quinns high pitched scream harmonized awfully with the gunshot, further creating the terror scene, accompanied by the red that spilled from his hip and the small pieces of human flesh that flew across the room; his body seeming to be blown apart not much unlike Lanas head had only minutes later.

The bullet dug into his pelvic bone, pain surging through every fiber of his body, his blood cells sending frantic signals to his brain. Within seconds he found himself on his knees, stumbling with his arm reaching out toward something, anything really to apply support to, fighting to gain balance.

The pain was insufferable. He kept blacking out, yellow spots dotting his vision as he swayed back and forth, holding onto the door frame for dear life, knowing that if he fell over; he would never get back up.

'That,' Drake started, walking towards were Quinn was collapsing by the door. 'was for kissing Lana.'

Drake kneeled next to Quinn, who was now staring at Drake not only with fear, but with questions. He was slow, but Drake made sure to let him figure things out before he went any further. Drake could basically see the wheels spinning in the head of Quinn, as sweat trickled down his forehead and he breathed in and out heavily, straining to control his breath, wishing beyond anything at the moment that someone had heard the gunshots; that someone would send help for him.

He knew that it wouldn't happen.

Drake leaned the barrel of the gun against Quinns solid chest. He waited, letting the words finally sink in, and when Quinns eyes went wide, Drakes teeth flashed into his trademark sharkgrin.

'This on the other hand,' Drake said, pushing the gun with great force against his chest, making him feel the cold of the barrel through his shirt. 'Is just for my very own amusement.'

Once again he pulled the trigger and the bullet made impact instantly. The closeness of the gun and Quinns chest made the bullet travel through his chest and hit the doorframe behind him. His chest was greatly fractured, part of his lunges and heart being torn and blown out of place by the force of the bullet. Small fragmented pieces of heart muscle fell onto the not-so-white carpet of the floor.

Drake got back onto his feet. The fire would cause people to crave Lanas healing powers, and someone would most likely be sent up there anytime soon. Waisting even a second in the room was a bad idea, yet he walked over to were she was lying on the floor and looked down at her in disgust. She had chosen out, and it made her weak. He hated her for doing so, yet not fully. Her words still clang freshly in his mind, but he pushed them away.

Come to me...

With one last glance in her direction he turned, stalking out of the room and making his way down the hall, entering the elevator. Not before the elevator doors had slid closed behind him did he notice the presence of someone else in there with him.

Patrick was wagging his tail as Drake acknowledged the dog beside him. He whimpered slightly and rubbed his head against Drakes leg before looking up at him expectantly. He still carried the gun in his hand, yet he did not have the nerve to do anything with it. Not to the dog, anyways.

Come to me...

Had he known that the Darkness was the reason for things coming down like they did, then he might have done things differently. How, or what, wasn't really a clear answer, though he sure as hell wouldn't have decided to follow orders from the malicious monster who had taken away the one person he actually seemed to care for, if only the slightest.

The doors of the elevator opened, and Drake stepped out of it, Patrick at his tail. Drake stopped in his tracks and cast a glance over his shoulder, the dog staring back at him, its empty eyes staring into his own, cold ones.

'I'm not waiting for you, mutt. If you want to come with me, you better be able to keep up.' Drake nearly growled, and Patrick barked playfully back as if to accept the offer. Together they exited the hotel, and Drake silently hoped the dog would be able to keep up with him, because even though he didn't like company - more precisely hated it - he was still shaken up by the previous event, and Patrick seemed to somewhat make him at ease with the situation. The way he once had for Lana.

Ever since the FAYZ started, Patrick had become a more and more important role in Lanas life. Her protecter, her savior. He'd been her anchor when the Darkness roomed her mind, and although he wasn't able to keep her sane forever, maybe he could keep Drake like that? As sane as a psychopath could be, of course.

So... I guess that was it guys! Or, at least I thought that this would be the ending when I wrote this chapter back in April (I wrote the entire chapter before even bothering to start on the sequel), but now I don't really know anymore. The Touch of The Healer was my first fanfiction and I just don't want to let go of it, looking beside the fact that Lana is dead.

I mean, who knows? Maybe she'll pull off a Lady Stoneheart and go all White Walkers on the town? Haha, no just kidding, though I do actually consider turning it into a trilogy, where the last one is basically just about Drake coping with her death as he tries to find peace with the darkness. Obviously, that never seemed like an interesting enough idea to me though, until I realized how much I wanted to develop a badass friendship between him and Patrick. Or maybe some Sake...? *wiggles eyebrows*

So yeah, I don't know yet, I'm sort of just trying to figure out where I stand with this story, and wether or not it is worth continuing on.

What do you guys think? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the sudden deaths of the chapter. Were they too predictable, or were you left hanging with your mouths wide open? Hope I'll hear your thoughts on this!

So I read this HP fanfic which ended with some "funfacts" on the authorsnote, and while they might not be hilarious, I at least find it interesting to read some "behind the scenes" stuff to the stories that I read, so here we go ;)

1. There was always gonna be some huge death. I had planned that part from the very beginning of The Touch of A Healer what with me wanting to "pull a John Green", yet who and how was a big dilemma I was trying to figure out for a long time. I didn't think Drake would work since he dies all the time in the series anyways and a lot of people hate him. So I decided to go with Lana since I'd let her suffer through out the series and wanted her to have one final, brutal breakdown. I only added Quinn to it because I hate him. ;)

2. Lanas death was the first scene I wrote for the sequel. When brainstorming on how to continue TToAH, I all of a sudden got this idea for her to kill herself in the ending. I remember it being the beginning of April (the day before the sequel was published) that I sat down and scribbled the entire ending. Since then I've only edited it slightly every once in a while, yet the majority of it stays the same. Only today did I realize that although I had her speech and all, I didn't actually have the part where she shoots herself ready, which did cause a huge struggle what with me having to write that all of a sudden.

3. Sam was supposed to be Lanas new love interest. True, I had indeed been writing the entire sequel with him being the new guy she met on in the town. I had a lot of good scenes between the two of them, and I was really happy about them as a couple. In the end though, I convinced myself that Sam was too OOC if he ever ditched Astrid, so I rewrote the majority of the storyline to fit Quinn into it, also making it stick more to the original story what with the two of them becoming friends during Hunger anyhow.

4. I've always imagined Lanas and Quinns fight post-Hunger to be revolving around some kiss. When reading the series for the first time and she mentioned Quinn dropping a glass and her lashing out on him, I always imagined him pushing it over the table while they were making out, so I decided to add it to the story since the thought never really left my mind.

5. I stopped regretting Lanas death when I stopped shipping her and Drake. I remember how I originally wrote this story with the intention of Drake and Lana becoming a couple. That was really all I wanted, after having devoted so much of my time to reading a book series where I desperately wanted them to be together. When I first decided for Lana to die and I wrote this chapter, I was personally devastated. Yet over the past months I've gotten the idea that Lana would be better off without any guy at all, and that if Drake ever were to be in a relationship, it would be with... *insert drumroll* Sam. The two of them have been my OTP for a while now, and every single time I edit a fanfiction I feel like adding some Sake to it. Crazy, I know.

6. Lana was gonna get pregnant instead of Diana. So this was basically something I came up with around March as what would occur in the following chapters of The Touch of The Healer. The intention was that the Darkness would attempt to possess Lana and Drakes baby instead, Lana would fight back, Drake would go all psycho on her blah blah blah blah blah. Don't think it was some either-or thing I was playing at, trying to figure out wether I'd make Lana crazy or pregnant; somehow I just forgot what I was originally going to turn the story into, instead spontaneously creating a sequel. And the memory of her turning pregnant, literally appeared in my mind one week ago, yet ever since then I've been thinking it through, wanting to create that version too.

So I don't really know. I'm not sure if either of my ideas for a trilogy or another sequel are legit or if I'm just having a hard time giving up on the story. Either how, I'm curious if any of you guys have an opinion on the trilogy with Drake and Patrick, or a second sequel to The Touch of A Healer (which will be completely unrelated to The Touch of The Darkness, for those of you who did not like this one) called The Touch of The Testicles or something...? Sorry, that was unnecessary of me. Anyhow, this is not me saying that I'm gonna do either of these stories, I might not do it at all, but it would be fun to see what you guys opinion is on this. After all, I might get shit loads of ideas over the rest of christmas break and one of these stories might be up in just a couple of weeks. Either way though, I'm gonna spend some more time thinking it through to avoid me acting on mere impulses.

Anyways, thanks to FAYZlover101 for your review and happy birthday! And thanks to AncientSTORM for your PM. Also a big thank you to everyone else who ever reviewed, followed or favorited this story as well as the previous one. I really really appreciate all the support over the past year.

And even though the story is over, another review wouldn't hurt much, now would it. ;)