Awakening: Book 1 The Last Anakim Trilogy

by Janet V Forster

  She threw her hands into the air. ‘No wonder you didn’t notice, you had your eyes on his brother!’

  I couldn’t help myself. ‘His twin.’

  Her mouth fell open. ‘You’re joking! Identical?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ I nodded.

  ‘No! No, it’s not natural. I don’t believe it.’ It was like I’d won the lottery. Still, she was right, the whole scenario was peculiar. And since when did this sort of thing happen to me?

  ‘Yes, well it is all a bit surreal. But they are definitely i-den-ti-cal,’ I laughed, rubbing it in. ‘Anyway, I’m a wreck Mads and I’m meeting Nick in ten minutes so I’d better run.’

  She stopped me, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small parcel. ‘I almost forgot. This came for you … on Friday.’ It was small and hard, a little box wrapped in brown paper. ‘Sorry, I forgot.’

  She passed it to me and I left her in the hallway still dwelling on Ethan and James as I rushed into my room to change. I despaired of getting my hair to do anything manageable, instead scraping it into a pony tail so tight it made me look feline. Wild curls spiralled out in all directions at the back. I grimaced at my reflection in the hall mirror. Not a cat, a Panda. My face was pale, with dark rings around my eyes. It was the best I could do right now.

  22

  DEB AND NICK

  The elongated shadows were quickly devouring the light. ‘We’d better get back,’ I said, worried that my brother would be organising his friends into drunken mobs with flashlights and beacons to search for me.

  We clambered over the rocks and into the gloomy mouth of the twilit forest.

  ‘Let’s just keep this between you and I,’ Nick said over his shoulder, as he cleared a trail ahead of me. ‘I don’t want to ruin everything!’

  My face twisted. ‘That’s hard, Nick.’ I wanted to yell my feelings from every hill, from the tops of the tallest eucalypts, I wanted girls everywhere to know that he and I were in a relationship, if that’s what this was, that he was no longer available. It was impossible to hide my disappointment.

  Stopping, he turned to me and when I reached him he touched my cheek gently. ‘This is important, Deb … for now, we’ll work something out.’

  What choice did I have? I had to trust him. ‘I guess we can try and unravel a bit more of this mystery in the meantime,’ I said.

  He resumed his walk, holding back the low-growing branches for me so that I wasn’t stung in the face by one. As we neared civilisation, the bush grew less dense and we merged with a more frequently trodden path which meandered along the waterline. Dusk was gathering. Insects hummed and gnats swarmed silently in coal-dust patches, the ending day an opportunity for moving on, the Kookaburra’s call a warning as a Willy Wagtail took flight, his wings scattering the sky above us.

  Nick slung his arm over my shoulders casually, almost familiarly. The warmth and heaviness of it felt reassuring, but as we got closer he withdrew slightly, noticing the rowdiness of my brother and his friends who were still apparently oblivious to my absence.

  ‘I’ll take you home,’ he insisted protectively, concern furrowing his brow as he noticed the state of my intended chaperone. ‘Just tell your brother you’ve met a friend or something.’

  I wandered over to George who was looking a little unsteady. ‘Who’s driving, George?’

  ‘Ish no problem, Mandy’ll drive us later,’ he slurred. I noticed his bloodshot eyes. ‘Sheez not drinking.’

  I looked across at Mandy, relieved to see her in a respectable state, a bottle of water in her hand. She chatted to an overweight boy who was oblivious to the sausages he was charring on the barbeque. Great plumes of smoke and sparks spiralled from the grill. He wielded the tongs in one hand and a stubby in the other, unconcerned. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged involuntarily.

  ‘You look like you’ve had enough!’

  ‘Yesh, Mum,’ he said with a mock salute, nearly taking his eye out with his can.

  ‘Well, whatever then ... I love you.’ I hugged him briefly.

  ‘You too Shish.’ He patted me on the back like I was his pet dog.

  ‘I’m going home. I’ve met up with a couple of mates. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ The lie came too easily and I swallowed down a globule of guilt. I could see Nick out of the corner of my eye, only because I knew he was there. He leant against his motorbike, his arms folded, but perfectly still.

  ‘She you then,’ George slurred.

  ‘Try not to have too many more!’ I scolded, exasperated.

  ‘Thas my shishter, the good girl … Go on, go home. She you tomorrow.’ He weaved unsteadily.

  I kissed him on the cheek and walked away, ignoring the antics going on around me.

  As I neared Nick I realised how much a part of the dusk he seemed; his stillness almost rendering him part of the scenery. Only his eyes flashed like a wild animal at night. Pushing himself off his bike as I neared he dropped his arms so that he appeared a little more relaxed. Behind me my brother was already cavorting around with his friends again, another long night which they might regret tomorrow.

  ‘What can I say?’ I said, as I neared Nick, unavoidably grinning at the carryings on of the crowd, ‘he’s an idiot sometimes!’

  ‘Will he be okay?’ he asked, slightly troubled.

  I wasn’t as worried. ‘He’ll be fine. This happens a little too frequently! Mandy will look after him, she never drinks.’

  ‘Well, we’ve got the whole evening now,’ he said. The thrum of the bike silenced the cicadas. ‘You hungry?’

  ‘Sure,’ I answered, realising that I hadn’t eaten anything the whole day. ‘I’m absolutely ravenous.’ The air began to move as he opened up the throttle, silky cool whispers on my sunburn.

  We stopped and picked up Indian take-away, eating with our fingers at a wooden table in the growing gloom, shrouded in companionable silence and a sweet fragrant cloud. As our stomachs filled he told me about his months on the ocean with his family, the unusual places they had visited, what had happened when the toilet on board had blocked. He joked light-heartedly about the conflict, avoiding detail, telling it without drama, even chuckling on occasion. But his smile never quite reached the creases around his eyes. He hadn’t wanted to go. Living in such close confines, with no chance of escape, with people so absorbed in their own interests, in their plans for his life, must have been hard.

  ‘What are you going to do next year?’ he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

  I wiped my oily fingers on a paper serviette. Who knew? He had turned my world upside down. Again! Was it a good idea to let him know that? ‘Good question,’ I said, swatting at an invisible insect as I tried to arrange my features so that I wouldn’t be immediately readable. ‘I’m trying not to think about it too much at the moment. I get stressed out because I don’t really know. I need to focus on doing as well as I can in my exams, and then I’ll see after that.’

  He emptied his cola and then scrunched up the can with one hand. ‘There’s so much pressure on you in the last year at school,’ he reflected, tossing it into an open bin which stood at least four metres from us.

  ‘Wow, that’s amazing,’ I said, impressed. His face flushed in the dim light.

  ‘I’m an idiot.’ He shook his head.

  I shook mine back at him, but couldn’t help the smile which seemed to stretch all the way across my face. ‘You’re a guy!’

  ‘That explains it does it?’ he raised an eyebrow and pretended to consider.

  I nodded. ‘Pretty much.’ Inexplicably a strange memory came to mind. ‘At least you haven’t run naked past my window like one of George’s friends used to do when we were younger.’

  Our eyes met.

  ‘Don’t give me any ideas,’ he replied too seriously. We burst into insane laughter, like you do sometimes when everything falls into place and the chuckle that builds in your throat cannot be contained within your body, but must be released in great gusts and spasms. Eyes watering and snivelling we
stopped just short of rolling around in the dirt and kicking our legs in the air. The lights of a car neared, the beams widening over our shaking forms as it slowed, but then it sped up and passed, the driver possibly a serial killer who wanted to be taken seriously.

  Only when we stopped did we realise how hushed it had become. Even the forest creatures had been quietened by our insanity. I wiped my eyes and after a moment a cricket began to trill.

  It was still hard to speak, giggles stuck in my throat. I took a breath and tried. ‘I might even take a year off next year, maybe go on a working holiday overseas, see some of the sights you’ve been talking about. I’ve been saving for a car, but the money might be better used for something like that. I’ve got enough saved to buy a suitcase anyway.’

  It was almost completely dark now. The moon was out full and bright, casting a blue-white glow like a night-light and making the large pockets of moving shadows under the trees pitch black and unfathomable. If he wasn’t around I would have been spooked.

  He crushed my drink can, making a loud cracking sound, and I wondered whether he would throw it, but he didn’t. ‘It might be the only opportunity you ever get to take that much time out. Once you finish studying there’s always such a sense of urgency to get a job.’

  ‘Yes, well some of us have to pay off our debt!’ I meant it to be light-hearted, but it came out wrong, like a barb. I kicked myself.

  ‘I do know that I’m privileged Deb,’ he said, his eyes hardening. ‘I’m such a moron’, I thought, ‘and he is so moody!’

  ‘Sorry,’ I answered, not sure exactly what to say. ‘I didn’t mean to rub it in.’

  He remained silent, fiddling with the can and I rushed to fill the gap, babbling. ‘Travel might not be a bad idea for me, a little time to decide what I really want to do. Maybe something creative, like graphic design, but I don’t know if that’s a sensible choice. I love it, but I need to go into a field where I can get a job quite easily. I don’t want to study something for years and years and then end up as a shop assistant because I can’t get my foot in the door! Maybe I’ll do the whole pub thing for a year, see a bit of the world first.’ At last I shut up.

  After a moment he spoke quietly, his head lowered, his hands still on the can. ‘I miss you already.’

  Relief. I exhaled and my shoulders dropped. ‘I know what you mean,’ I said, thinking back to when he had told me that he was leaving on his trip. I wondered whether I would ever have the courage to leave him.

  Another car passed, casting glaring high beams over us and into the woods, making the creatures of the night scurry and hide. As it departed I realised how accustomed I had become to the dark. Beside the moon, the only light was a small globe dimmed by the many insects which made it their home and grave, but which still attempted to reach out to us feebly from the distant toilet block.

  ‘You should do it, Deb. If that’s what you want, you should go. There’s so much out there, just waiting, waiting for you to touch and taste, to open your eyes to new experiences. It will definitely change you.’ I couldn’t catch the subtlety of his expression in the dim light, just the radiant intensity of his eyes, but I sensed that the tables had turned.

  ‘You could come with me,’ I stated impulsively, suddenly excited at this new idea. ‘We could experience it together.’

  He shook his head. ‘That would be great Deb, but it’s not possible for me. Not right now.’ He became wistful for a moment. ‘You need to go, expand your horizons. Australia is not the world, and this place ...’

  ‘Three Kings?’

  ‘Yes, it’s a strange little world here, shuttered. Before you know it, this is all there is.’ For a strange moment I sensed rather than saw the shadows that flitted across his face. His mood had shifted again and I lost him for a while. But picking up on my confusion he suddenly smiled and I caught the flash of his teeth and the release of the dark angel from within him.

  A strange trilling sound rang through the forest and then silence fell. An owl hooted and I shivered.

  ‘I don’t even know what I’m going to do, travel’s a possibility, study a little more likely, maybe I’ll get to do both,’ I said.

  ‘Right now it feels really good to be alive.’ He raised his forearm from the table, his fingers spread. Instinctively I raised mine to meet his. Heat radiated between us as we gazed into each other’s eyes, his glinting even in the darkness. For a charmed moment, everything else was forgotten and the magic lingered.

  ‘Today has been really strange,’ I said, my fingers still entwined with his, ‘… good strange,’ I quickly clarified. ‘Magical.’ It was impossible to adequately express what I wanted to. ‘It feels so incredibly unreal to be sitting here with you. It’s like a dream I hope never ends, but I’m afraid I might wake soon.’

  He pulled me to my feet and suddenly I realised how alone we were. The road was silent and everything seemed still and dark, even the breeze slumbered and the clouds hid the moon, making his expression indiscernible.

  Mum was still out when he dropped me at home. After a long shower I collapsed into bed. Although my body was exhausted, I lay awake for a long, long time, my mind refusing to slow. I was no longer a virgin and that was a big deal. My body ached gently, a needless reminder of my evolution. Every aspect of the day tormented and tantalised me. Light and shadow, grit and bliss. Tangled emotions, like the darkest chocolate, bitter and sweet. Our encounter at the lake turned my gut to jelly, and teased my body with the deepest desire. A twinge of sadness farewelled childhood. I was a woman now and I would have to embrace the complications of the adult world.

  Completely drained, I finally fell asleep.

  23

  KATE

  Nick was waiting outside in a sleek white rental car. He was reading the newspaper intently and I wondered which item caught his interest to such an extent.

  ‘Sorry, have you been waiting long?’ I rushed towards him, a little out of breath.

  ‘No, not too long, just a few minutes.’ He popped the passenger door for me with a wide smile of greeting.

  ‘How are you?’ he asked, a slight frown creasing his brow as he noticed my haggard appearance.

  ‘Didn’t have the best night last night,’ I minimised.

  ‘No?’

  ‘It’s a long story, a near miss. Anyway, everything turned out okay.’ I clasped my bag on my lap, waiting for him to start the engine.

  ‘All’s well that ends well. Is that it?’

  ‘Sort of.’ I fiddled with the straps on my bag, uncomfortable with explaining the circumstances of my evening, impatient to leave.

  ‘What happened?’ His tone was out of character, a demand. He wasn’t going to drop it.

  I sighed. ‘In a nutshell, someone put something in my drink and tried to take advantage of me. Luckily I had friends watching out for me.’ Not too far from the truth.

  ‘You look so pale.’ His fingers touched my chin for a brief moment. He gently turned my face towards him so that he could examine me further. I felt embarrassed.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m fine now,’ I said.

  ‘Really!’ I reiterated firmly, noticing a doubtful look cross his face. ‘No need to make a fuss.’ I managed a crooked smile.

  ‘Do your folks know?’

  ‘Are you joking? No, and I won’t be telling them. They don’t need to know. What good would it do? They’ll just freak out completely, get really worried. Sleepless nights and all that. They’ll be here this afternoon with a removal van. It’s not worth it. The problem has been sorted out and I’m going to be more careful next time.’

  He looked at me for a long time. ‘Well, if you’re absolutely positive.’

  ‘Please, Nick. Start the car. Let’s go. I am completely sure.’

  The car roared to life, its fierce engine and lowered suspension an unpleasant surprise.

  ‘This obviously isn’t one of those new hybrids!’

  ‘No, I think the rental agency wants to take single-handed resp
onsibility for raising the emission levels in Australia. They have a fleet of these.’

  ‘Probably got them cheap.’

  ‘They look good anyway,’ he said, as I leaned across to hear him.

  ‘Well that’s okay then,’ I shouted.

  We thundered towards St Kilda.

  ‘I haven’t forgotten what we were talking about today by the way.’

  ‘No, I didn’t think you had,’ he replied.

  We grabbed a late lunch at an eclectic café, watching the interesting mix of passers-by. The menu was schizophrenic, Asian alongside French and American-inspired dishes. The food didn’t work, but a funky vibe provided by a colourful troupe of gifted musicians made up for it.

  After our meal we ambled across to a park. The afternoon was surprisingly pleasant for mid-winter. A mild aberration brought about by the unlikely combination of clear skies and the absence of the icy south wind. Black swans slid across the mirrored surface of a glassy lake under the watch of the trees, which stood like sentinels. City buildings stood out starkly against the bright blue sky in the distance.

  We walked side by side, arms touching, along the path which wound its way around the water.

  ‘So, what was it that you couldn’t tell me on the phone?’ I asked abruptly, tired of the delaying, when I realised that he wasn’t volunteering the information.

  ‘Kate,’ he said stopping, suddenly stern, ‘you’re impatient, but maybe you’ll wish you weren’t!’

  ‘Well at this rate, we’ll never know!’ I felt exasperated, but refrained from stamping my foot.

  He couldn’t resist a grin at my almost-tantrum. ‘Relax, I’m going to tell you, but you’ll have to keep it in confidence!’ I wasn’t sure whether or not he was being serious, but his face had become earnest again.

  ‘A secret? I’m intrigued. I’ll do my best.’ We recommenced our walk.

  ‘You’ll have to.’

  I raised an eyebrow. ‘Weirder and weirder. James Bond isn’t going to jump out from behind the next bush, is he?’