The Awakening

by Rochelle Southwick

  401

  THE REBORN SERIES Book One:

  The Awakening

  By: Rochelle Southwick

  This book is dedicated to:

  Christian Southwick, this book wouldn’t be what it has become without you. Thank you for your endless love and patience.

  Kalelle Southwick, you are my happiness and sunshine. The world would be a much darker place without you.

  To my nieces, Meira, Ayelet, Taliya and McKayla, you four mean the world to me and so much more!

  Special thank you to Koriauna Criswell

  One

  I held my head high as I walked through the city center. The tapping of a woman’s heels in front of me almost taunted me. With every click I heard “Hurry. Up. Hurry. Up.” The sound made my stomach churn and my pulse quicken.

  Usually I loved being at the city center. Hearing the laughter as kids ran through the grass. Smelling food from the hot dog cart on the corner and the pizza place across the street. Feeling the sun warm on my face as I sat on the pristine grass, running my fingers through the blades. Watching Mr. Bernard stroll through the square, hunched over his cane, his square glasses slipping off the bridge of his nose. His chess board under his arm. However, today was different, today I didn’t have time for the joy that the square usually brought. Today I needed to go.

  I didn’t know where I was going, just that I needed to get there as quickly as possible. It was like something was pulling me towards an unknown destination.

  “You better hurry.” I heard a taunting voice in my mind say. Her voice brought a bitter taste to my tongue, a taste that I had heard so much about but never experienced. Whoever she was, she was using a spell to conceal her identity. The taste was that of her magic spilling over to me. “Salem will get what she deserves and you will never find her.” Laughter rang through my ears. My stomach twisted violently. It felt as though something was inside me that was trying to claw its way out. I knew I needed to get through town quickly and into the forest.

  “Salem. Can you hear me?” I thought with no response. Something must be breaking the psychic link we shared. I sighed, feeling more anxious by the minute. The anxiety made it hard to breathe and think.

  “You’re pathetic.” I heard the voice spat, making me want to snap.

  I quickened my pace, passing the woman with the clacking heels, knowing that I needed to get moving if I was going to save her.

  “Can anyone hear me? Salem needs us. All of us.” I pressed my thoughts as far as possible, stretching my mind like an elastic band. Hoping that someone in the clan could hear me. I was met with radio silence, the eeriness echoing in my ears. My face fell into a steely glare.

  Heading into the parking lot, I made my way to my old beat-up Chevy truck. It had belonged to my dad before he gave it to me when I turned sixteen. The blue monster of a truck was my sunny place, but not today. The once maroon seats were now a faded, dingy pink color. It was musty and vaguely smelled of cigarette smoke. Hoisting myself into the tall truck I turned the key in the ignition. For the first time in a long time I reached forward snapping off the music, the dial made an audible click as it went into the off position. Its engine roared to life, I cranked the window down two rolls not having time to get it down all the way.

  “Salem, answer! It’s me!” I begged, my thoughts were running wild. I tried taking calming breaths, but with every inhale it met me with a worse fate. Was she already dead? Would I be too late to save her?

  No, the one thought kept coming to mind made sense with the strange voice I kept hearing. She was being held captive. If the voice was still taunting me, then she couldn’t be dead, could she?

  I could feel my temper rising. Spreading like a raging inferno, with every stride towards Salem. I sped towards the street, maneuvering around the rest of the cars parked haphazardly around the parking lot.

  “Run, run, run as fast as you can.” The voice mocked.

  “Bitch.” I thought, pushing the pedal down to the ground.

  The voice laughed between my ears, echoing sadistically. I could feel my speed increasing like the downhill slope of a roller coaster, and soon I heard a siren behind me. Flashing red and blue lights filled the rearview mirror; I wasn’t usually supposed to use my magic on mortals, but today I had no choice.

  Lifting my hand, I muttered a spell under my breath. The cop car pulled over and its lights shut off.

  “What did you do, Bea, kill him? Force him to kill himself?”

  I rolled my eyes. I had done nothing of the sort. He forgot what he was doing, who he was following.

  I turned on the road that led to Dawson Forest. The road turned to dirt and the empty fields slowly gained more trees. The fields were lush, green fields, the trees thick with late spring leaves. It was the only place they could be.

  “Salem.” I tried again, taking the winding road at alarmingly top speeds. Dirt spun out from under my tires; I could feel the vehicle fishtail with every maneuver.

  I continued my journey, sensing Salem nearby. I could feel her aura, usually excited and happy, this time scared and timid. I could feel her heart racing, her breathing shallow. I rounded a corner, in front of me was a log lying across the road it was thick standing almost as tall as the front of the truck. I slammed on the brakes sliding all over the road, impatiently muttering another spell the tree vanished, releasing the brake the truck stopped skidding.

  I was feeling the effects of using my magic. Becoming light-headed and slightly dizzy, soon the full-blown headache would start.

  I was close, I could feel Salem’s presence growing stronger. I stopped the truck, pulling the key out and then muttering another spell, this one a protective spell over the truck. Another wave of dizziness washed over me. If there was a problem, which undoubtedly there was, I would need to get Salem off the mountain, however, in a hurry.

  “AH!” I heard a voice this time, not in my head, it was, however, the same voice. “Poor sweet little Bea, always the protector.” The voice was just as taunting in actual life as it was in my head.

  I moved towards Salem’s presence; the voice was coming from the same direction.

  Rounding a bend, I could see Salem laying on her side on the far end of a small clearing. She had a pendant pressed to her forehead. It must be what was breaking the link. The clearing was about ten by fifteen feet.

  “You came, I’m surprised you didn’t leave Salem here to rot.” The voice said aloud again. She was close, and then she came into view. Claire St. James, her features were sharp, her hair was cut into a tidy bob.

  Claire brushed her hands over her dark blue jeans. Mud clung to her boots. She pulled on a thread from her sweater, the black string snapping off. I could feel her aura, it was dark and cool, almost liquid black.

  “I would never,” I spat, surveying the clearing. There was a fire in the center, it crackled menacingly, popping and shooting bits of ember in every direction. Salem lay on the far side of the campground, behind a pile of rock and wood.

  I kept my eyes on my prize, Salem. How could I get over to her and back to the truck before Claire could get the best of me? It had been a while since I had seen Claire; she had once been a part of our Clan, a high century. That was before the rebels enticed her and she switched sides.

  “You know you want to join me, I can show you things you’ve never thought possible.” Claire said, her tone momentarily going back to that sweet, wholesome girl she once was. “I can bring them back you know.” She said with a smile.

  “What are you talking about Claire?” My eyes narrowing.

  “Jordan, Elliot. The other Fallen.”

  “That’s impossible and you know it.” I seethed, seeing red. How dare she speak of those we had lost?
r />   “Are you sure about that?” Claire taunted. “You never know, but know this, Bea, I never lied to you. Not once.”

  “Bull.” I spat. “You lied for months as you lurked around looking for information.”

  “That wasn’t personal, Bea. I was getting information from the clan, not you.” She leaned against a tree and examined her fingernails.

  “I am part of the clan, Claire.”

  “You don’t know any better.” Claire stepped towards me, “come on, Bea. I’ve always been there for you. What changed?”

  I stood in silence for a moment, not wanting to give anything away, and then I snapped my fingers and was instantly next to Salem. “You did,” I said as I waved my hand over Salem’s head. The pendant disappeared. I snapped my fingers again, and we were in my truck, my head pounded with the typical headache I would get from expending my magic too quickly. I waved my hand over Salem, and the ropes disappeared. “Put your seatbelt on,” I commanded with authority. My head pounding worse and worse with every spell.

  “We have to get out of here.” Salem said her eyes were wild and darted back and forth.

  I rolled my eyes and turned the truck on. We began our descent down the mountain.

  “What the hell were you thinking Salem?” I asked. Salem was the newest clan member. She was still learning magic and didn’t understand the danger she put us all in.

  “I… I just went for a walk and they ambushed me. There wasn’t anything I could do.” Rolling my eyes, I didn’t have the time or the mental capacity to deal with her excuses right now.

  “Hey, can anyone hear me.” I thought to the clan.

  “I can,” Salem said in a hushed tone.

  “Yo.” I heard Adam think.

  “Be a professional Adam.” We heard Mitch say.

  “Hey, there’s been a situation. We need to meet. Now.” I thought driving recklessly off the mountain.

  “Does the clan have to know?” Salem seemed worried and for good reason. There was no telling how Mitch would take this.

  I shot her a grim look; it silenced her immediately.

  We met the clan on the other side of the valley, there was a small lake surrounded by trees and cover for us to meet safely. It was nearly dark by the time we arrived. The moon-light dancing on the water’s surface. The wind blew, causing the leaves to rustle slightly.

  I stopped the truck roughly throwing it into park. “Get out.” I said, still irritated that Salem had been so foolish. I looked over the beach. Our clan-mates stood in a circle around an open fire.

  The door shut quietly, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I eased my way out of the truck, knowing that it was best to get this conversation over with.

  “What’s up?” Mitch asked as we walked up to them.

  Turning to Salem, my eyes harsh. She held her hands uncomfortably in front of her, wringing them. “Sit.” I told her my voice was harsh, and I knew it. I quickly explained the situation and instantly there was concern.

  “Bea, why didn’t you contact anyone?” Mitch asked.

  “I tried the entire way up there as soon as I found out, I began trying to reach out to everyone. Including Salem, I couldn’t get through. It was the weirdest thing; I’ve experienced nothing like it.”

  Mitch paced back and forth, his angular jaw sharper than normal in the fire's light. “And the pendant?” He asked. “Any idea what it does? Aside from blocking our communications?” He seemed nervous.

  I shook my head, “no, I didn’t touch it. It’s hidden, I would be glad to tell you where,” I said to him.

  He summoned me to him; he was the senior of the young ones. He was our leader for everyday things if there was something more than we would take it to the Elders. It was their way of training new Elders. If he could touch me or anyone else, then that person could send their thoughts directly to him without the rest of the clan over-hearing. “Right now the fewer who know where it is, the better.”

  He held his hand out to me, knowing exactly what he was looking for I took it. It was an odd sensation as he dug through my memories, my most personal thoughts, looking for information on the pendant. My thoughts told him where he could find the pendant, in a cave a fifteen miles from here. The world around me swayed slightly as the ritual took a lot out of me. My head was still pounding from all the magic I had exerted today and I knew I would feel it for a while.

  “Perfect. Thank you, Bea, when we go get it, which will be soon, you will accompany me.” He said with a smile. He turned his attention across the fire to our healer. “Mya, take Salem and do some healing and protection spells on her.”

  “Yes, sir.” She said, standing up and motioning towards Salem.

  I sat back on a log when I finished with Mitch; I felt uneasy and insecure. Goose bumps raised on my skin, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end with the thought of Claire and her goons in the area. There was something else as well that was making me anxious, but I couldn’t place what it was.

  Mitch sat next to me on the log. “You can’t let this get to you.” He said gazing into the fire. It too crackled and popped like the fire in Claire’s campground. This one, however, was comforting.

  “Salem was my responsibility,” I responded. Salem had just come into her magic recently, she was still young and needed guidance.

  “She is all of our responsibility, we should have been more aware.” He kicked a small rock, it bounced twice and into the flames. “We have lowered our security standards and that can’t happen. From now on we need to be on our A-game.” He looked me square in the eye. “We need to make sure we are practicing our abilities and searching for new ones. We are strong; we won’t let a bunch of renegades take us down.”

  His expression went darker as he neared the end of his speech. “Everyone listen up, from now on, we will have centuries posted at all entries to the town at all times. We will meet for a few hours each evening to work on our skills, strengthen the ones we have and learn extra ones. We need to be a unit, working seamlessly.”

  Silence rang out around the fire. Most were keeping their eyes on the flickering red and orange flames. A few nodded, realizing that this was a warning of what was to come.

  “If this comes down to a fight, we need to be ready.”

  Two

  I woke up early the next day; I threw my ebony hair into a high ponytail and put on my favorite leggings and a loose-fitting t-shirt.

  I pulled my keys and phone from my nightstand.

  I was going up to the woods to go for a hike and to work on some new magic techniques. I slipped on my shoes, tapping my toe on the wall to ensure it was firmly on.

  I passed Mom’s room slowly; it had been almost six months since Dad had disappeared without a trace. He was such a happy-go-lucky guy; him disappearing like he did was not like him. The cops had since deemed it a cold case and hadn’t found any fresh leads in months.

  I still remembered that day like it was yesterday. Dad and I had plans to go running that morning. I had gone downstairs to wait for him and sat there longer than I should have.

  Dad wasn’t often late for things, so when nearly twenty minutes had passed, I went to see what was taking so long. Mom was asleep in their room, Dad’s side of the bed was still made. Dad, however, was nowhere to be seen.

  I remember waking up Mom to see if a business thing came up in the night. We contacted the clan, and no one knew anything. Before long the police were involved, and we were trying to locate a missing person. I thought of the usual missing person, usually a child on a milk box. I felt cold and small thinking about him being a missing person; I didn’t know how this could have happened. He was my best friend and confidant; I was closer to him than most kids my age were to their parents. Everything changed that morning. In one fail swoop I lost my father, friend, and mentor.

  I could feel the panic rise just thinking about him, and that day. My heart pounded so loudly I could hear it, my breathing turned slightly erratic. My heart sank and onc
e again I felt like I was in mourning.

  I, however, had different thoughts about where he was, and Claire’s stunt with Salem only solidified my thoughts. My working theory was that Claire, and her band of nitwits kidnapped him. I had been strengthening my skills so that one day I could find him and bring him home.

  Mom had fallen into herself while Dad was gone. Often she would disappear for hours in her room. She missed him dearly; she hadn’t practiced her own magic since he had left. I hadn’t seen her do a single spell, if she didn’t use it soon her magic would waste away to nothing. Both her magic and her would waste away. For weeks I would put food on her bedside table for her. Whenever I went to get her dishes, I would find that she hadn’t even touched it.

  I sighed and made my way down the stairs and out the side door.

  I shuddered as I hoisted myself into the truck and turned it on cranking up the heat while I was at it. Reaching across to the passenger side floorboard I searched for my window scraper, I stood on the running board and scraped the frost off the windshield. I was I was looking forward to upcoming nice weather, not having to scrape in the morning would be amazing.

  Pulling myself back inside, I rubbed my frozen hands together and placed them in front of the heater.

  After my fingers had some feeling back to them I put my truck in reverse and backed out of the driveway. I made my way through the sleepy town; it was early enough that there wasn’t much morning traffic.

  I stopped at a Starbucks and ordered a salted caramel mocha. Waiting patiently for my drink, I watched as other patrons got their orders. Finally, mine came up, and I took it outside with me. I took a sip and instantly I knew that they had made it with milk instead of the half and half I had asked for. I sighed and decided not to make an enormous deal of it.

  I breathed in the delicious scent as I got back in the truck. Eyeing the drive thru, I nearly cringed. Remembering back to the first week after I got my drivers license. I was driving with dad and he insisted that I stop and go through a fast food drive thru so I could get some practice. The memory was coherent in my mind as I made the turn too sharp and the back end of the truck hit the building. I shuddered remembering dad having to go talk to the manager and the owner the next day. Now I avoided them like the plague.