The Awakening

by Rochelle Southwick

  He turned the key in the ignition. “After everything that happened with your dad last winter… I didn’t want her to worry.” He dropped his gaze to the steering wheel, a strange expression on his face. “I know what it’s like being left in the dark and not knowing what to do or where to go to find answers.”

  I continued to stare at him. I had learned more about him in the last day than I had in the entire time he was here; he wasn’t the person I thought he was. My stomach twisted as I thought about how I had previously judged him.

  “Thank you.” I finally spat out. “You are much different than I thought you were.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I am?”

  “Yes. You carried me out of the woods at least five miles to safety.”

  “Six.” He corrected with a smile.

  “You could have left me behind. You probably should have left me.” I dropped my gaze to my lap, where I was wringing my hands.

  “It’s my job.” That was the answer I expected. Besides, I am a gentleman. Leaving you alone in the woods isn’t chivalrous.”

  “You’re saying that chivalry isn’t dead?” With just a hint of a smile playing at my mouth.

  “Not on my watch.” He said with a smile. I had seen him smile more in the last few days than I had previously too.

  “So how is this babysitting thing going to work?” I asked him, still mildly irritated by the whole situation. I shifted my gaze to the road, trying to keep my face unreadable.

  “I guess just like they said if you go anywhere besides your house then call me and I will come with you. Delia was telling me last night that it is very rare for someone to master more than one form of magic. You seem to be a rarity, though we already knew that.” He said with a wink.

  Butterflies leapt into my stomach at his wink. What was going on? I felt color coming to my cheeks; I glanced out the window so Jake wouldn’t see.

  He was getting brazen. I think he was trying to make the situation lighter as we would now be required to spend time together.

  “Anywhere I go?” I asked, rubbing my temples again. This couldn’t be happening.

  He nodded. “Look, I know this situation isn’t ideal.” A pained look crossed his face. “I know that I am the last person you would electively spend time with but right now we need to do anything we can to keep you safe.”

  “That isn’t true, you know.” I said to him.

  “What isn’t?” His eyebrows drew together, and his head cocked slightly to one side.

  “You aren’t the last person I would want to spend time with. If you haven’t noticed I am kind of a loner, I don’t spend time with anyone.” This hadn’t always been the case. It was more or less since dad went missing that I began spending more time alone and less time with the girls who I once called my friends.

  The ones who only cared about who was dating who, and the shoe sale at the mall. I was once one of those girls, but when dad went missing my life took on a whole new meaning. I began caring less and less what people thought of me and more about what I could do to help my clan and find dad.

  It didn’t seem to help, though; I became a mentor to the recent members of the clan and the only thing that had come of that was Salem getting kidnapped. Not to mention the fact that I had done nothing to help with dad’s case. Not that I hadn’t tried, but nothing I did worked. I even tried doing a spell using his favorite book that should have led me directly to him. It just led me to his study, I broke down and cried on the floor for hours that day.

  My magic had become my number one priority. Until that point I had almost resented it because it kept me from being a normal teenager. Not anymore. Now it was my one escape from the world. The one thing I knew could help me find my dad.

  “In fact,” I said to him, slightly quieter this time. “You may be the one person who may sort of understand what I’ve been going through,” I said looking out the window at the town flying by. I felt the tears threatening to spill. Thinking of dad was something I usually reserved for time alone because I didn’t trust myself not to cry in front of people.

  “What do you mean?” He asked. I could tell he was focused on the road, but he was still paying attention to what I was saying.

  “Well, you left everything you knew to come here. You didn’t know anyone, and no one knew you. Since my dad, since he’s been gone, I feel like I am an unfamiliar person. Like I am new too and no one knows or understands the real me.” Why was I telling him this? It was almost as though I was compelled to tell him. Since dad had gone missing, I hadn’t confided in someone like this.

  He nodded but said nothing for a minute. He pulled into Starbucks drive-through and looked at me. “What would you like?”

  “Oh, I…” I reached into my bag to see if I had brought my wallet with me. He reached across and grabbed my hand, stopping me from looking. Electricity shot through me at his touch, my heart started beating faster. I looked up at him without really seeing him,

  “Stop, that isn’t what I meant. What would you like?” His hand was still on mine, making it difficult to think.

  “Oh, um… a small salted caramel mocha.” I said, meeting his intense gaze.

  “And?” He prompted, he raised his eyebrow slightly.

  “And what?” I asked, still trying to gather my thoughts.

  “You need food.” He finally withdrew his hand, I couldn’t decide if I was happy he did or not.

  I rolled my eyes at him but played along. “A blueberry scone.”

  “Coming right up.” He ordered and then pulled up to the next window, humming slightly and drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel.

  I watched as he pulled his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. He handed it to the young barista in the window, and then waited patiently for our order. I caught myself staring, still surprised at how much I was learning about him.

  “I’ll pay you back later,” I told him as we waited.

  He raised his eyebrow again. “It’s fine.”

  “Okay fine then next time I’ll pay.” I said defiantly.

  “Remember when I said I was a gentleman?” He asked, smiling at me. The window opened again, and the barista handed us our order. He thanked her and handed me my drink and the bag with both of our pastries.

  I took a long sip of my mocha and smiled at the delicious taste. He was right; I needed this; I took a small bite of my scone; it was still warm from the oven.

  He drove to the town square where I expected to see my truck parked where I had left it, but didn’t. Could it have gotten towed? I looked anxiously up and down the street again, praying that I had just forgotten where I had parked.

  “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you.” He said as he saw my panicked expression. “Your mom sent Kent by last night to get your keys and take the truck home.”

  Great, my truck would smell like chew and cigarette smoke. Kenton Burkes was an old friend of my dad’s. He had let himself go when his wife passed away a few years back and now with dad gone; he was a complete mess.

  I had tried to keep him from losing it, but it was useless. His magic had all but vanished when his wife had passed. Watching her slowly die from cancer just took it out of him. I felt bad for him but there wasn’t much I could do about it.I didn’t blame him, but I often prayed he went back to the man he was before. Back when he was the fun uncle.

  “He promised me he wouldn’t smoke or chew in there if that is what that pinched expression on your face is about.”

  “How did you know?”

  “I heard you mumbling about him doing that before to Salem.”

  I raised my eyebrow at him, trying to figure out what he was saying.

  “Ok, you were freaking out, and I overheard. It was that one time Mitch took us all up to practice until three in the morning and then the Elders wouldn’t let us ride home alone?”

  “Oh, right,” I remembered the night. It was the first night that Salem went to practice with the big guns. I remember being annoyed
that I was playing babysitter because I couldn’t practice with her there. Oh, how the tables had turned.

  “Anyway, he promised he wouldn’t, and he texted me when he got to your house to let me know it got there okay.”

  That didn’t sound like Kent to me, and I said as much.

  “He may have been under the impression that I would injure him if he didn’t get it home in one piece exactly as he found it.”

  I smiled over at him. “Did you threaten him?”

  “Threaten? Oh no. I promised him.” He said with a wink and a mischievous grin.

  Five

  The next morning came quickly and I woke to a rapid tapping on my door. “Bea!” I heard mom say. She was slightly muffled but her voice sounded urgent.

  I groaned. Why was mom knocking? She hadn’t woken me up like this since before dad went missing. Panic flooded through me. Was someone else missing?

  The door knob turned. “Bea, it’s time to get up. The elders have called for a meeting.” She walked over to the window and threw open the blinds.

  My eyes snapped open at her words. My palms began to sweat, and my stomach churned.

  “A meeting?” I asked, trepidation filling my voice.

  “Yes, with the elders and the young ones.” She met my gaze. “Honey, you aren’t in trouble.” She said reading my facial cues. “You have twenty minutes.”

  I nodded, and mom left the room. Despite her assurances, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was in trouble.

  Crawling out of bed, I tried to push the thoughts out of my head and focus on getting ready. I threw open my closet, trying to figure out what to wear.

  I settled on a royal blue dress and a pair of flats. If I was in trouble, at least I would look good. It wasn’t often the Elders called a meeting like this.

  I quickly french braided my hair into one tight neat braid, and threw on some mascara, blush and some lip gloss.

  I met mom and Jake downstairs, clearly he was taking his recent job as guard seriously. I gripped my phone tightly in my hand, Jake was dressed as he normally did. It was mom who took me by surprise. She was wearing her typical elders' council suit. I hadn’t seen her wear it since dad disappeared.

  I felt a pang of sadness thinking about dad. I shook it off, “you look great mom.” I said with a slight smile.

  “Thank you, dear.” She said, smoothing her already pristine skirt.

  We headed out then, making our way to the car. Jake climbed into the backseat. I was tense the whole way to the house of the Elders. The building was a three story brick building with a large parking lot out front. Right behind the building there were thick trees.

  Mom pulled to a stop, and I took a deep breath. I reached for the door handle and realized how much I was shaking.

  Mom didn’t notice. She was sure to be facing her own demons right now.

  I looked out the window and saw Salem. She was pacing in front of the steps. Every once in a while she would stop and stare up at the building. I could feel the nervous energy rolling off of her.

  That’s all it took for me to reach for the door and open it.

  Stepping out of the car, I felt the rain spatter on my cheeks. Sighing, I made my way towards Salem. When I reached her, I placed my hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned to me. A look of shock and terror on her face.

  “Come on. We will go in together.” I said, giving her a slight smile.

  She said nothing but nodded, looking slightly less terrified.

  Mom and Jake came up behind us and we walked in together. Mom led us into the sanctum, the meeting room. It was set up like a courtroom, but with more chairs on the “judges” side.

  Mom nodded to me and then took her seat with the rest of the clan Elders on their side of the room. Atticus James was front and center. He was the highest of the Elders. Very few people spoke with him directly.

  On his right side was Malcolm Mason, Mitch’s father. He was second in command and was the spokesperson for the clan. His inky hair was combed neatly to one side, he was very put together in a black, grey suit and tie. He was in his late thirties or early forties, his eyes were the same shade exactly as Mitch’s. He looked young for his age, looking like he could be Mitch’s older brother.

  Elders were often those of us in the clan who were over twenty-five.

  There were several other elders sitting up with the rest of the Elders. Including Emma Richardson, she was a healer; I knew her well. I would often babysit her four-year-old daughter Harley.

  Also, up with the Elders was Mr. Chambers, he was the highest century, more or less he was captain of the guard.

  Delia was sitting with the Elders. She nodded to me when she saw me, a slight smile lighting her features.

  We sat with the rest of the young ones. Mya and Brisa were sitting in the front row. Salem, Jake and I sat in the second row, Salem on my left Jake on my right.

  I watched as other clan members filed in, Adam walked through the door nodding as a way of greeting. He wore a baseball cap low over his eyes. He grabbed a chair and turned it around, sitting on it backwards.

  I glanced at Mitch, his lips were pressed in a tight thin line. Standing up, he made his way over to Adam, “what have I told you about professionalism?” He hissed.

  “Fine.” Adam said, turning the chair around.

  Mitch reached forward, snatching the baseball cap off his head.

  “Dude, chill.” Adam said, slouching down in the chair.

  He would regret that remark later, I was sure.

  I heard the tapping of heels before her shrill voice. “Ha! Of course the two troublemakers would be together.” Merina Chambers scoffed as she walked towards us. “Or shall I say three?” Her eyes drifted to Jake. She smirked slightly. “How was juvie anyway?”

  When he didn’t respond she scoffed again and then walked away.

  “Juvie?” I asked, my curiosity spiked.

  “I’ve never been to juvie.” He whispered.

  “Why didn’t you tell her that?”

  “Because I would rather her think that, then throw herself at me like she does everyone else.” He said with a smile.

  At that point Malcolm stood and said. “Welcome. We’ve called you all here today to discuss several things. First, we will start with this pendant.” His voice was clear and direct as he raised his hand, and the pendant levitated off the table. “The rebels are using it to drain clan members' magic!” His eyes narrowed. “We think those who have gone missing, have had their magic suppressed and are being held captive.” Malcolm glanced over his shoulder to gage mom’s reaction, his brows furrowing slightly.

  Knots tied in my stomach as images of dad flooded my memory. Tears threatened to come, I held my breath trying to hold them back.

  Mom held her composure, though I’m not sure how

  Malcolm continued, “These rebels are after one thing, control. Power, the more time that goes by the more people are taken. Either kidnapped,” his expression dropped slightly, “or killed.”

  Murmurs flooded through the young ones. “I know it's hard to hear,” Malcolm said, raising his hands to quiet us. “You all know how the clan works. Our centuries, our warriors will protect us from the evils of our world.”

  He gestured to Delia. “Our healers,” his eyes flickered to me. “Helping with energy work and other injuries when we need it.”

  I dropped my gaze, not liking his eyes on me.

  “Now because of recent events.” his eyes bore into Salem, she shifted under his gaze. I reached over, placing my hand on her leg. “You young ones, need to up your training, no trips into the woods alone, and if you go, you need to have a century with you. We believe the rebels are planning an attack, the more of us they can pick off one by one the easier it will be. This is something they are already doing, or at least trying to do. Salem can attest to that.” He glanced back over at her, I felt her shudder under my palm.

  “Now lucky for us Bea was there to save her and bring her back to her fami
ly.” He gestured to Salem’s family who were sitting with the rest of the elders. A few people around the room clapped, “Yes by all means.” He said, joining in on the applause. Salem’s mom wiped a tear from her cheek.

  “Now I know this is daunting, however we have something they don’t have.” His eyes settle on me. “A secret... weapon if you will.”

  Weapon? My heart throbbed, and my hands shook. Images of Zeeda chained up being used to terrorize the Rebels and anyone else who got in the way flooded my mind. Did they know about her?

  “Bea will you join me up here, please?” It felt more like a demand than a request.

  I stared at him for a few minutes. Time almost seemed to stand still. Jake placed his hand on my wrist, prompting me to go.

  “Now you well know that the seers don’t come to meetings like this. So I will speak on their behalf. The seers have many predictions for young Beatrice.” I shuddered as he said my full name. “One of which has recently come true.” He gestured to me, eyeing me from head to toe. “Bea is our weapon. You all know she chose to do enchantments and protective spells.” He steepled his fingers for a moment, a grin coming to his face. “By all rights at seventeen years old, that should be all she can do at this point.” He turned to face me, his eyebrow raised. “However, that isn’t the case, is it Bea?”

  I wiped my clammy palms on my dress, feeling my breaths getting closer and closer together.

  “Okay Bea, show them what you had to do to get the pendant.” Malcolm said with a smile.

  “I... can’t... I just…” I balled my hands into fists and released them a few times. Trying to expel my anxious energy. “Can’t I just,” I tapped my temple, “show them?”

  “No.” He said thickly, his smile slipping momentarily. “Physically show them.” He said. “This is an order from your elder.” He said the words sharply.

  I looked at mom; she was sitting forward in her seat. She nodded her encouragement.