Awakening: Book 1 The Last Anakim Trilogy

by Janet V Forster

  KATE

  Brilliant rays of sunlight hit my pupils like bright burning needles as my eyelids fluttered open. I immediately brought my hands up to cover my eyes and turned back into the pillow for a little protection. Counting, one to five and back again, I slowly drew breath. Where the hell was I?

  Peeping out from between my fingers I found myself alone and sat up. The room around me was unfamiliar, but not forbidding. Wide windows covered by white blinds let streaming golden light into a stark, very white room. Nothing adorned the walls. Shadows provided welcome relief. A white quilt camouflaged me but underneath I was fully clothed which was a relief. I felt stale and clammy, my head throbbing like it had been pulverised by a sledgehammer, as my brain threatened to break from its confinement at any moment. Somewhere outside the dull rumble of traffic provided a constant bass.

  Disoriented and uncertain, with a touch of panic thrown in for good measure, I tried to remember what had happened and where I was, but it was a relatively pointless exercise. Only vague, fuzzy memories came to mind. I struggled to stand, but sat back down quickly, nursing my head as the floor threatened to smack my face, noticing as I did, my shoes placed neatly together at the base of the bed.

  Soft white towels sat in a neat stack on the edge of the bed. Welcome to the Hotel California! A note in neat print sat on top of them. I squinted to focus. ‘Will explain everything when you are ready.’ Would that be a good thing, or was ignorance bliss? I looked at the closed bedroom door, unsure who was on the other side of it, but knowing that if I walked out now without freshening up, fate would intervene and I would regret it.

  I stood up slowly, closing my eyes until the dizziness passed and then headed unsteadily in the general direction of the small ensuite. A shower. Thank you for small mercies! The warm water washed away some of the grime and relieved the achiness, but it was like my mind was wrapped in a thick wet towel that would let nothing through.

  After drying myself I wandered back to the bed to pull on my soiled clothes. Magically they had been replaced, hopefully by friendly goblins and not gremlins, with clean sweats. They were black, a little big and baggy, but fresh. I looked anxiously to the door again. ‘Don’t come in, don’t come in, don’t come in’, I chanted hopping on one leg while I pulled up the bottoms awkwardly with one hand, simultaneously trying to grab the top and pull it over my head, but instead being blinded by it as I failed. Panic. I dropped the bottoms, pulled on the top and then yanked them up. The door had not moved.

  ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’ I towel-dried my hair and then dragged my fingers through the knotty mess, uncertain as to whether showering had improved my appearance which was now rather bedraggled, but at least sweeter-smelling. My mouth tasted like I’d been chugging battery acid and I rinsed it out with water but it made little difference. It was the best I could do right now.

  Moving to the door, I felt uncertain about leaving the relative safety of the room. I placed my fingers on the handle, bracing myself for a moment before I opened it and stepped tentatively out into a wide passage. Now I could see more of where I was. A bland, but luxurious modern apartment with large, panoramic windows at the end of the passage letting the city in.

  Delicious smoky aromas and sizzling sounds drifted down the passage. My stomach growled aggressively, forcing me forward. Standing at a wide stove, cooking like he did it a lot, was the boy who had come to my aid for the second time last night. He turned and a mug of coffee appeared magically in my slightly shaky hand. The bitter aroma pierced the foggy veil of my mind.

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, my voice as hoarse as a lawnmower. I noticed his startling indigo eyes, so dark they were almost purple this morning.

  ‘Sit, I’ll get you something to eat.’ He gestured to a white leather seat at a contemporary glass table and I dropped into it.

  ‘I’m James, by the way. I heard the shower and assumed you’d be hungry!’ I looked down at the clothes I was wearing. He’d assumed a little more than that.

  ‘Your clothes are over there,’ he said, pointing to a plastic bag on the sofa.

  ‘You didn’t have to …’ I blushed, feeling embarrassed at what was either a liberty or amazingly considerate.

  He placed an enormous plate of bacon and eggs in front of me, ignoring my polite decline. ‘I made it for you,’ he said, moving back into the kitchen.

  I was starving. ‘It smells fantastic,’ I said, like a dog with a hollow stomach, up on hind legs with paws bent, saliva pooling.

  ‘Don’t wait,’ he called. I didn’t need a second invitation.

  After a while I realised that I hadn’t introduced myself. ‘Kate,’ I sang out around a mouthful of food, embarrassed by my gluttony.

  From a distance he was watching me eat, but strangely it didn’t bother me. Maybe I was just too hungry to be self-conscious.

  ‘This is so good,’ I said, tucking in like a pig at the trough, talking and eating, doing exactly what mum had said not to if you wanted to make a good impression. ‘I was lucky you were around last night. I was a bit out of it.’ I tried to slow down, to swallow before I spoke again. The truth of what had happened only increased my humiliation. Indistinct memories, juxtaposed, fought for viability and died quickly. Obviously I had consumed too much alcohol, although I couldn’t remember exactly what I’d had.

  He moved from behind the counter and neared the table, and I noticed the way his jeans were slung around his hips, and how the soft worn leather belt only just held them there. His t-shirt clung to his abs and chest like a drowning man and the muscles on his arms bunched as he toyed with a dishcloth. I swallowed and my eyes moved guiltily up to meet his. A smirk twisted his mouth as he noticed everything and I felt blood course across my cheeks. Humiliation. When would I get used to it?

  Dropping my eyes to my food, I promised myself I’d keep them there … at least until the next mouthful.

  ‘That guy at the club must have put something in your drink, you passed out cold!’

  I didn’t look up. ‘I can barely remember him …’ A bulky shadow blocking the lights. Fear.

  ‘He was probably watching you from much earlier on,’ he said, matter-of-factly, as he moved into the lounge area to open a window. I wondered whether I could risk a glance at his back, but it was too dangerous. Below a back was a … butt and I didn’t want him to catch my eyes there.

  Instead I tried to focus on his words. ‘Do you really think so?’ I’d heard of it happening to others, just never thought it would happen to me.

  ‘I’ve never passed out like that before. I still feel weird.’ I looked up, but not at him, at the view of the city, the skyline and stadiums, the spires and the river, all under a crisp blue wintery sky. Another thought crossed my mind and I did turn to him. He was watching me. His gaze did unsettling things to the blood in my body. I steeled myself. ‘What would have happened if you weren’t there to rescue me … again?’

  ‘It wasn’t just me,’ he said.

  ‘Oh?’ Something knocked on the door to my brain. Clues to puzzles, but I didn’t know which clues fit with which puzzles. It was very frustrating.

  ‘Dark corners on your own in a place like that,’ he continued, shaking his head, ‘probably not such a great idea. That sort of thing happens all the time in clubs, you wouldn’t believe it. It’s not a good idea to go alone.’

  I frowned. Bits and pieces were coming back. ‘I wasn’t alone. I was with friends, sort of. My friend’s boyfriend plays in the band there. It’s almost like a second home. I guess we’ve got a bit slack, we just come and go, don’t take the precautions we might somewhere else.’ I suddenly felt irresponsible, although I wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t my father. ‘You’d think that with so many people around nothing could happen, right?’

  He smiled, recognising my embarrassment. ‘Well, you wouldn’t be the first person to make that mistake.’ His hair was fascinating. Crazy. Strands flopped in all directions, and some stood straight up. It moved like it had a life of
its own. Our eyes met again and I bit my lip as my cheeks flushed.

  ‘What happened to that guy anyway?’ I asked.

  His grin became mercenary and I glimpsed another side of him. ‘Don’t worry about him bothering you, or anyone else for a while. We sent him back to where he came from, but with a little less confidence.’

  What had they done? ‘Err, that’s good I guess,’ I mumbled uncertainly, bringing my fingers to my mouth and then quickly removing them. ‘I really appreciate it … obviously.’

  ‘We thought you might.’

  ‘We?’ I asked, determined to follow through this time.

  Footsteps sounded opportunely on the wooden floor. ‘Ethan …’ James said and I turned to greet the new arrival. Instead my jaw fell open. Standing at the entrance to the kitchen was a replica of James. Identical, down to the violet eyes and the hair!

  ‘I should have warned you,’ James chuckled. ‘But then, some things never grow old.’

  Ethan smiled, but his smile was not quite the same. It was tighter and more restrained and accompanied by a curt nod of his head at me. His lopsided hair was a little more coherent than James’ and still wet from the shower. He sauntered into the kitchen, slinging himself into a chair across from me and waiting expectantly. His demeanour was very different, super confident and slightly surly. He gazed unwaveringly at me.

  ‘Err Kate,’ I said, uncomfortable with such open scrutiny. I looked away, seeking James, but he had left the room. For a moment I felt abandoned.

  ‘You’re looking a bit better than you did last night,’ Ethan said, diving into the mound of food James had placed in front of him. By comparison my meal seemed like a tiny snack.

  ‘I guess that wouldn’t take much,’ I answered, acutely aware of how horrendous I must have looked passed out last night. Not that I was looking fantastic right now. My hair was doing a bizarre electrocuted-hedgehog impression and I felt like ‘The Yeti’ in the baggy sweats I was wearing. Self-consciousness made me want to pat down my hair, cake on make-up, tell him that I wasn’t this ugly, usually. Somehow, I resisted, tolerating the awful awkwardness which slithered across the back of my neck. My gaze fell to my feet. At least they looked dainty in my shiny black strappy sandals.

  He, of course, looked great. Superficial differences between the two of them were few. They both looked equally strong and lean, almost wiry. Ethan’s hair was exactly the same caramel-brown shade, slightly neater maybe and just a fraction longer. But even if it wasn’t I would have known, even after my very brief encounter with him, that this wasn’t James sitting across from me. It was something in his eyes, beyond the colour, a harder flash, cynicism, a deeper knowledge borne of dominance, of protecting his brother. Ethan was the Alpha male. It radiated from every pore.

  ‘Thanks for everything last night,’ I said, unsure of the roles each had played, but knowing it had been a team effort.

  ‘We were there,’ he said with a dismissive wave, like it had been just another day at the office.

  ‘Well thank you anyway.’ He studied me for a moment and I felt like a deer in the headlights.

  ‘No problem.’ He finished his coffee in silence and then took out his phone.

  Suddenly the pieces fell into place. ‘You’re the guy I’ve seen in the park …’

  He nodded as he scrolled across the screen. ‘Yeah, that’s me.’

  I brought my thumb to my mouth unconsciously as I thought out loud, ‘… and James was there too … up at the top of the road.’

  He nodded again, still preoccupied by his phone and not feeling the need to explain anything, or confirm that I was in fact a genius. I shook my head. This was too hard today.

  After a while he chucked his phone onto the table and leaned back. His t-shirt rode up, exposing a sliver of firm tanned torso. I looked away quickly as my blood raced. This was too confusing.

  A clock on the wall. ‘Oh my gosh! Is that the time?’ I exclaimed, leaping up from my chair. I’d forgotten all about meeting up with Nick.

  ‘I’ve got to get home. I’m so sorry. I’m meant to be meeting someone for lunch. I forgot all about it …’ Flustered, I babbled, wondering where my car was and how I was going to get back.

  ‘I’ll take you,’ he said smoothly. ‘Best not to drive just yet.’ He pushed his plate aside.

  ‘Oh, yes, right. Thank you.’ He rose nimbly from his chair.

  ‘We’ll drop your car off later.’ They had my car? ‘Where do you live?’

  I gave him the address.

  ‘That’s not far,’ he said, grabbing a dark coat off the back of a chair and shrugging it on. ‘It won’t take long.’

  The coat altered his appearance, making him mysterious and piquing my curiosity again. ‘Are you guys studying at the uni?’

  He walked to the door and I followed. ‘Kind of.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘A research project.’ So little information and no reciprocal questions, like sucking blood from a stone.

  James appeared. ‘I’m just dropping her off,’ Ethan told him. For a moment I felt disappointed that it wasn’t James, and then I felt ungrateful.

  ‘Don’t worry Kate, he’s a softie inside, really,’ James whispered sarcastically, just loud enough for Ethan to hear. Ethan shrugged, noncommittally, like he didn’t care either way, and reached for the keys which were sitting in a stone bowl on an antique hall table near the door.

  ‘I’ll drop your car off later, soon as I get a chance,’ he said. I stepped into the elevator with Ethan giving James a small wave as the doors closed. I would see him again.

  We descended into the parking garage where a sleek black SUV was parked. The apartment, the car – they must come from a wealthy family. As we exited the building I noticed that it was a small, modern block of apartments on a narrow leafy lane. We turned onto the main road and passed trendy shops, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs. Couples braved the winter air which was starting to warm just a little. Coats drawn they enjoyed the thin sun, with warm coffees and hot brunch sustaining them long enough to read the paper.

  ‘Thanks for going to so much trouble,’ I said awkwardly, trying to make conversation.

  His hand gripped the steering wheel tighter. ‘What sort of people would we be if we stood by and watched something bad happen?’

  ‘You’d be like a few I could name, I guess,’ I retorted. A quick, amused smile flitted across his face. ‘Thanks for the clothes too.’ I had to add. Just couldn’t help it. Manners. School or parents, I didn’t know who was more to blame.

  He looked at the roof and then laughed, although it wasn’t warm. ‘You’re not getting the message are you? Keep them, they’re just old sweats. Give them to the Salvos when you’re finished with them.’

  On the way back I sent a somewhat frantic text to Nick organising for him to meet me half an hour later than we had previously arranged.

  ‘Leave me here,’ I said, jumping out of the car as we arrived. ‘I’ll be fine.’

  ‘Nope, I’m walking you to the door,’ he argued, around at my side in a flash. ‘We haven’t got you this far, only to have something happen to you right outside your door.’

  I should probably have felt insulted, but I was in too much of a rush, and in all honesty there was a fair likelihood that I could trip and fall on my face. It had happened before.

  As I opened the front door we nearly collided with Mads.

  ‘Where have you been?’ she demanded, grabbing my arm and yanking me inside. I was surprised that she’d even noticed. She, Mitchell and her other friends were often so caught up in their own experiences that they didn’t notice who was coming or going.

  Mads’ gaze moved to Ethan and her eyes narrowed as she noted my strange outfit. ‘Mads, this is Ethan. And it is not like that,’ I despaired. ‘I was in a bad situation and he and his brother helped me. Someone put something in my drink. I was completely out of it.’

  ‘What? Who?’ She sounded genuinely concerned.

  ‘Some guy
who got a bit aggro, tried to grope me. They basically rescued me!’ I stopped abruptly as I noticed Ethan edging away, looking very uncomfortable. I felt an unkind flicker of satisfaction.

  ‘You’re a hero Ethan,’ Mads cried exuberantly, about to fling her arms around him and give him a big kiss. I held onto her arm tightly. I didn’t think that would go down well. Ethan seemed to have turned to marble, but she didn’t notice. ‘You … and your brother of course.’ She turned to me and I was touched by the worry in her eyes.

  ‘That’s terrible.’ She pulled me to her in a clumsy hug, kissing my forehead. ‘We’d hate for anything bad to happen to you. We’d miss you.’

  Yep, Ethan was definitely out of there. I wondered whether I would ever see him again. Maybe in the park at Uni pondering the reason why. Why in God’s name did women cry? Maybe he should get together with my father.

  ‘Ahem, see you around then,’ he said, already halfway down the stairs.

  ‘I promise to be more careful next time.’

  ‘You’re a human being, Kate. We all make mistakes, that’s life. Don’t be so hard on yourself,’ Mads jumped in.

  ‘Still …’ but what was left to explain?

  ‘Take care of yourself, Kate,’ Ethan called. Then he was gone.

  ‘Wow!’ Mads cried. ‘Quite a bit of man isn’t he? Only eyes for you though.’

  ‘And that’s bad is it?’ I could see that she was put out by the minimal notice he had taken of her. She was used to men falling over themselves around her.

  ‘Course not,’ she said, with a lightness her face belied.

  I looked down at the baggy track-pants I wore, hitched up at the waist so that I didn’t trip on them. The tangle of copper-wire masquerading as hair had evolved into a wild rats’ nest, which even the rats shunned. ‘He had a strong sense of moral obligation ... and that’s all.’

  ‘Have a little faith in yourself. It’s more than moral obligation. That much I can tell you.’

  Maybe it was my feet, they didn’t look too bad. A little cold and white, but the sandals were pretty!

  ‘Well there was a lot going on and his brother is pretty nice too,’ I added, twitching my nose mischievously.