The awakening hc-1

by Stuart Meczes

  I killed a free period in the sixth form common room, sitting on a worn sofa, flicking through an old FHM magazine someone had left on the counter. Out of the corner of my eye I spied a group of girls staring at me and giggling. One of them — Grace Evans, shared my History class. She was pretty. Not Gabriella pretty, but very attractive by mere human standards. I’d never so much as exchanged a single vowel with her before, but she was certainly paying me attention now. She ran a hand through her wavy auburn hair and flicked her eyes between me and her group. After a while she made her way over to me. Normally that would have been the exact point in which I started sweating and said something mortally embarrassing. None of that happened. My heart rate didn’t even increase. I lowered the magazine and looked up. She stood in front of me, clutching at her bag strap and dug the heel of a boot into the carpet. “You’re Alex Eden right?” she said, with what sounded incredibly like nerves in her voice. “I am. And you’re Grace Evans.” She giggled. “Yeah, that’s me. We have History together.” I nodded.

  “You um…you look different,” she said awkwardly, twisting the strap of her bag between her fingers. “Like in a really good way — I mean you look really good.”

  It was the first time a girl had ever referred to my looks in a positive way. The unexpected compliment raised my already good mood up a few notches.

  I grinned. “Thanks Grace.”

  “Ha, um, you’re welcome.” She glanced over at the group, someone signed something to her. “Oh, I heard you have a sports car. Is that true?”

  Wow, that was fast. “It’s true, I do.” She suppressed another giggle. “Wow that’s so cool. Um, sorry for asking, but how can you afford that?” “Oh, a rich uncle died and left me some money,” I lied with complete confidence.

  “Wow, amazing! I mean — no, wait…that’s not amazing him dying and that. But leaving you money, that’s amazing.”

  I smiled again.

  “So anyway…I mean we don’t really know each other, but I was wondering if…well if you wanted to go for a drink some time?”

  First I’d been complimented and now the same girl was asking me out. I was deep in unexplored territory — a surreal experience. I stared at her, unable to produce an answer. “Um look, don’t worry about it,” Grace said, her cheeks flushing. “Sorry for bothering you.” She swung on her heel and started to walk away. “Okay,” I blurted. Grace spun back round, a smile forming. “Great! Um well, do you want my number or something?” “Sure.” I slid my phone out of my pocket and we exchanged numbers.

  “Cool, well, text me or something. I’ll see you soon,” she said and hurried back to the safety of the herd. They were all giggling and she went more and more red, trying to shush them.

  I paused for a moment, struggling to believe what had just happened. I’d been asked out within an hour of attempting to re-invent myself. It was unbelievable. The notion that it was all very superficial was not lost on me, my improved look and car clearly playing a large part, but I was an seventeen year old brimming with hormones — I wasn’t about to get all resentful about it.

  Without warning, my heart began to hammer against my chest and a sheen of sweat appeared on my palms. A delayed response. Tossing the magazine aside, I unsteadily left the common room before my body could give me away.

  I headed to the bathrooms and splashed cold water on my face, to calm myself down. Maybe this is what they mean about my body adjusting I thought, through the dizziness. I stayed there, clutching the sink for a few minutes until the sensations passed. I wiped my face with paper towels from the dispenser and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

  “Keep it together Alex.”

  After weaving my way through the crowds, I reached the science department. My heart thumped louder with each step I made towards the classroom. In my mind I tried to imagine what she would be wearing, how her hair would be done. My heart sank as I reached the door. Full class — no Gabriella.

  The gossip machine had been running at full speed. Half a dozen people came up to me and I had to repeat what I’d told Tim half a dozen times. Everyone seemed to believe the lie as easily as Tim had. I guessed it was just a matter of confidence. Only one person didn’t utter a word, but sat hunched over his desk with a deep scowl etched on his face.

  Silence descended as a slightly harassed looking Miss Steele paced through the door. Her eyes scanned the room and settled on me. Then she seemed to relax. Pulling her specs from her bag, she slid them over her petite nose. Her hair was unfastened today. It swept over one shoulder and hung just below her breast line. The thing I noticed the most however, was the perfume she was wearing. It was both intoxicating and overpowering, like she’d used half the bottle. It surged up my nostrils and flooded my brain with images of majestic flowers which stretched up towards the sky, glossy black petals open like outstretched fingers. I blinked a few times and the images faded, followed shortly by the scent.

  Super smell, I assumed without much thought. It seemed that nothing could surprise me anymore.

  I was wrong.

  Halfway through the lesson, Miss Steele asked for a volunteer. As expected, every single male in the class put up their hand. She chose TJ.

  I decided it was time for a little revenge.

  I waited until he was almost at my desk and pretended to drop my pen. As I hopped off my seat to pick it up, I used my heel to slide the stool into his path. His foot caught against it and he let out a cry of surprise as he fell, bringing it clattering down with him. The room erupted into laughter. He clambered back up, with a face like a storm. I feigned innocence. “I’m sorry, I dropped my pen.” I waggled the offending object to emphasise my point. “You dick!” he shouted and shoved me as hard as he could. I didn’t move. I stepped towards him until my face was inches from his. Powerful waves of sizzling anger rolled through my body. “Bring it asshole!” I spat.

  Miss Steele was quick to intervene, wedging herself between us. “Stop it this instant!” she hissed. “This is not a playground. I will not tolerate this type of behaviour. Do you understand me?”

  Neither of us said a word, our bodies still squared up to one another. I was clenching and unclenching my fists, trying to resist the urge to throw Miss Steele out of the way and break the prick’s jaw. He glared daggers back at me, probably thinking the exact same thing. “I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?” I sighed, letting the anger ebb away. I nodded as TJ mumbled “yeah.”

  “Good,” she said. “Now both of you sit down so we can continue the lesson. I think I’ll do the demonstration myself…honestly I have never seen such immaturity.” She shook her head and marched back to the front. As she passed me, I could have sworn I saw the faintest hint of a wink.

  The lesson continued without further incident, although I could feel TJ boring holes into my back. If looks could have killed, I would’ve been six feet under.

  At the end of the lesson, Richard Lawrence and Elliot Shaw — two guys from a few rows back I’d barely ever spoken to — came over to my desk as I was packing my things away. Elliot clapped a chubby hand on my shoulder. I tensed up, anticipating the worst. But when I turned, I saw he was smiling.

  “I had no idea you were such a nutter pal. Fair play, TJ is a knob.” He spoke in a low voice, making sure the subject didn’t hear as he disappeared through the door, giving me a final glare.

  Richard nodded, his curly blonde hair bobbing with it. “I really hate Terry’s lot. I mean this isn’t school anymore, I can’t even believe they get away with this crap.”

  I raised my eyebrows, surprised that one: they were even talking to me and two: they were being sympathetic.

  Elliot patted my back and gestured for me to walk with them. “So how does this car of yours handle?”

  It wasn’t until I’d reached the hub that I realised I’d left my bag in class.

  Elliot and Richard were still chatting to me about something or other. Being honest I’d stopped listening, but somehow managed to keep the conversation flo
wing. It was as if one part of my mind switched to autopilot, whilst the other went exploring. My focus was on Gabriella. Where is she? I wondered. Why does she keep missing lessons?

  It was then that I remembered we hadn’t spoken since she’d left me the message. I’d tried to call her the night before but her phone had cut straight to voicemail and I’d been too nervous to leave a message. I decided to try again.

  Except I couldn’t find my phone.

  Where is it? I panicked, pawing at my empty jean pockets. Then I remembered I’d put it in my bag before Science…which was still in the classroom. Crap!

  “Sorry guys I got to go.” I left them standing in the hub, sharing a confused expression. I threaded back through the hallways, making sure I kept my speed below superhuman levels. When I reached the room, the door was closed and the window blind down. Great, I bet it’s locked and I’m going to have to hunt Miss Steele down. But when I twisted the handle, the latch clicked and the door inched open.

  Miss Steele was facing the outside window. And her whole body was shaking like someone had electrocuted her.

  “Oh god!” I gasped, clamping a hand over my mouth.

  As if someone had cut the power, Miss Steele stopped pulsing. She whirled around and glared at me. As she did, a gold signet ring she’d had clutched in her fist clattered to the floor.

  “I… I forgot my bag,” I said in a strained voice, pointing a trembling finger at the offending item under the table.

  The teacher bent to pick up the ring. When she stood up again it was like a cloud had passed. Miss Steele presented me her award winning smile. “Of course,” she said slipping the ring back into her pocket. “I hope I didn’t frighten you.” She cleared her throat. “This is actually quite embarrassing. The thing is, I suffer from epilepsy. I could feel a seizure coming on, so I shut the door and closed the blind.” She leaned forward and used a sender hand to sweep a wisp of hair from her face. “I don’t like people knowing you see, I worry they’ll think it may affect my ability to teach…silly really.” Moving the hand to her chest, Miss Steele gave an exaggerated sigh. “I’m sorry you had to see that Alex.”

  “Uh, it’s fine. Don’t worry.” I smiled and edged over to my bag. I wasn’t convinced. Pulling the bag from under the desk, I asked if she needed me to fetch the school nurse. She assured me that it had passed and she would be fine. “Oh and Alexander?” she added as I went to close the door behind me. “Yes Miss Steele?” “Let’s make this our little secret.”

  7

  That evening, the first one came for me.

  It was dark by the time I climbed into the Audi. I took a relaxed drive back to Mason Avenue, enjoying the roar of the engine and the tight handling, not relishing the swap back to my juddering heap. When I reached the Peugeot, I swore loudly.

  It had been trashed.

  The windows were smashed in and the car was up on bricks, wheels stolen. The CD player had been ripped out. Wires poked out of the backing like curious worms. The worst part was that whoever had broken in had felt the need to urinate on the front seats. The acrid smell hit my sensitive nostrils like miniature daggers, making me gag.

  I stood still for a moment, thinking. This was a problem. I mean, I didn’t know how long I was going to have the Audi for and I certainly couldn’t drive it home. There was no way I could explain it away to Mum and John — the rich uncle lie wouldn’t exactly work. Plus there were far nicer cars lining the street, why choose mine?

  The only option I could think of was to drive my car closer to home, walk the rest of the way and explain that I was trying to keep fit. I’d have to get my car fixed at some point…once I had some money. I guessed I could always eBay some of the clothes.

  Still seething, I ground the car to a halt on Trinity Road — a quiet street not too far from my house, but still far enough for me to have calmed down by the time I got home.

  Grey terrace houses ran the length of the road on one side. Lining the other was Susurrate forest. The dense trees created a canopy of leaves, thin slices of pale moonlight cut through the darkness.

  I pressed the fob and as the car winked goodbye, prayed it would stay intact. The bitter chill of the evening hit me. I pulled the collar of my jacket up around my neck and headed in the direction of home. In the stillness of the evening, the only sounds I could hear were the faint rustling of the trees and the click of my shoes on the pavement.

  Crack!

  The sharp sound echoed through the woods. I snapped my head around, staring into the gloomy depths. Every fibre of my body stood on end. My muscles became taught like overstretched chords. The noise stopped abruptly. I stayed frozen in position, scanning the darkness for a source.

  A logical thought occurred to me. It’s a forest Alex, probably home to hundreds of harmless animals that could have made that sound. That relaxed me. I continued walking, opening my bag and rummaging about for my iPod. I’d just finished detangling the earphones from around my books, when I happened to glance back into the forest. And saw the eyes. Red eyes. Unnaturally long and angled, burning like coals in the darkness. They shimmered with an intense hatred. Staring at me. I ran.

  My feet pounded against the ground in a frantic drumbeat. Rustling to the side of me grew louder and more forceful as something followed. I could hear the thumps as it battered past trees. They shook violently, dusting off leaves like flakes of skin. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a thick, black mass darting through the forest and heard the sound of heavy, harsh panting. The ember eyes were always there, flicking in and out of my view, locked on me. The creature was matching my speed.

  My heart smashed against my chest, my senses in overdrive. The harsh wind whipped at my face as I sprinted forward. Still it was there, watching, enjoying the chase.

  What is it? My mind screamed. A wolf? Panther? But…red eyes?! My skin crawled as if someone had walked across my grave.

  I threw off my bag and vaguely saw it clatter to the ground, spilling its contents like road kill. The weight change made no difference, I couldn’t go any faster. I wasn’t fast enough. The road seemed never ending, as if some cruel spell had been cast which meant I would be chased for eternity. Eventually though, I did see the end. The road split into a T-junction. The forest had been cut back and ended there. In a few seconds, whatever was chasing me would come into full view.

  The thought made me want to vomit.

  As I shot forward, a deep growl came from the close to my right and I stifled a scream.

  A dawning realisation filled me with dread. Where am I running to? I can’t go home. My family!

  So I made a decision. One I would never had considered before. I chose to stand my ground. After all, I had these new abilities. I could handle anything…couldn’t I?

  At the junction, I split off to the right and spun around so that I was staring into the wall of trees. I clenched my fists into tight balls and tensed my muscles. Beads of fearful sweat rolled down my neck. The glowing eyes grew larger as the creature neared. Its throaty growl raised in pitch and it let out a demented howl. It was like a cross between a scream and a bark. The sound sliced straight through me and my knees went weak. My heart was in my mouth as the last of the trees twisted out of the way.

  The creature pounced out of the darkness.

  At the same time something flashed across my line of sight and dived at the black mass. A deep thud echoed around the street and I only caught a glimpse of fur before the creature was shoved back into the forest. It let out an indignant squeal and I heard its teeth chomping together as it tried to bite its attacker.

  The two shapes rolled around in the darkness. Trees split and crashed to the floor as the fight intensified. Frozen to the spot, I stared, not sure what was happening or what to do. I got my answer when a voice shot out of the woods.

  “Alexander, run!”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. Spinning on my heel, I charged away. Behind me the epic battle continued. The cries of human and animal pain mixed toget
her into a cacophony of agony.

  Tears streamed down my face. I felt tainted, as if those eyes had stared into my very soul.

  When I reached home, my hands were shaking so badly I could hardly get a hand into my pocket. The keys jangled together as I rattled them into the lock.

  Once again no one was in. Running upstairs, I burst into the bathroom. I jumped into the shower and switched it on, not even waiting to remove any clothes. I slumped down to the tray and as the warm water rushed over my head, wrapped my arms around my legs and cried.

  The shower helped. I felt human again. My sodden clothes were balled up in the washing basket and I was sitting on my bed, trying to get a handle on what had just happened. Something very nasty and very powerful had come after me. That much was clear. It had managed to keep up with me, which meant it had to have been something with serious speed. A large wild cat seemed the most logical explanation. I’d heard stories of wild panthers living in England. But the fur had been thick and shaggy, more like a dog’s than a cat’s. And those eyes — a nightmare straight out of a Romero film. Even thinking about them made me shudder.

  Then there was the second fact. Something — someone had saved me. They’d called out to me. Called out my name. So this person knew me. Did that mean I knew them? They had moved so fast, I hadn’t even been able to tell if they were a man or woman. Faster than even I could move. Plus the strength they’d attacked the beast with had been incredible. Is it possible there are others like me? The thought was both comforting and concerning.

  I needed to talk to someone. Confide. Grabbing my phone, I dialled Mikey. It cut straight to voicemail. I swore and dropped the phone onto the bed. I looked down at it again and sucked in a deep breath. My finger had tapped Gabriella’s speed-dial before I had a chance to talk myself out of it. As the tinging tone filled my ear, I walked around my room picking up random objects and setting them down again. After several rings, it connected and a slightly breathless voice floated from the speaker. “Hello?” “Uh hi Gabriella, it’s Alex.” “Alex! Hi, sorry I was training.” “Oh, if this is a bad time…” “Not at all. I’m glad you called.” She sounded genuinely pleased to hear from me. “How are you?”