Awaken (Awaken Series Book 1)

by Jaime Guerard

  I took in Dad’s concerned face. “It’s good,” I begrudgingly said.

  “Good.” Her tone brightened as she began to eat.

  I looked back to my father and he smiled at me in appreciation.

  There was a brief silence. No one seemed to know what to say. Then I heard the sound I’d been waiting three days for: my cell phone rang from my bedroom. Frantically, my heart started pounding with hope that it was Collin or Austin. I shoved my chair back to get up.

  “Not now.” Dad stopped me from leaving.

  “I have to get this call. It’s important!” The phone rang a second time.

  His face went hard. “It’ll have to wait.”

  “But, Dad…”

  “No,” he boomed.

  The phone rang a third time and then went silent. I felt like I was about to break into tears. This was all Susan’s fault. Why did she have to be here? Why was my father still with her? I sat back down, looking only at my full plate of food. It suddenly looked revolting to me because she was the one who made it. That might’ve been the only time they were able to talk. I tried to calm down and convince myself it was Rebecca or Stephanie, but I knew it wasn’t.

  Then the voice that I wished I never had to hear again spoke, “Breanna…whose call were you waiting for?”

  I glared at her. I couldn’t hold it back now. I couldn’t tell this woman my problems. She had never been a part of my life. That was something a mother earns and not after one family dinner.

  “It’s none of your business,” I hissed.

  “Breanna,” Dad bellowed.

  “What?”

  His nostrils flared. “Don’t talk to your mother like that.”

  “My mother?” I repeated darkly. “This woman is not my mother and hasn’t been for sixteen years.”

  He stood to his feet and leaned over the table. “Breanna Lynn Davis, I said that’s enough!”

  I couldn’t stand it anymore. I shoved the chair back and started walking away.

  “Breanna,” Susan tried to cut in, but my Father interrupted her.

  “Bre, I didn’t say you could leave.”

  I flipped around to face them.

  Susan stood up. “Bre, I’m trying here.”

  “You’re trying? You’re trying?” I rolled my eyes.

  “Yes, I’m trying.” Her words were sharper now. I could tell she was starting to lose this little acting bit she was portraying.

  “Right, well, let me know when this little ‘act’ of yours is over so my father can finally get rid of you!” I glared at Susan, hoping I hurt her like she’d hurt me for so many years.

  “Breanna, go to your room!” Dad yelled.

  “No problem!” I threw my hands in the air and stomped back to my room, slamming my door and locking it behind me.

  I ran over to my bed where I left my phone and looked at the front screen. New message. I rapidly typed in the code. Listening, I thought my heart was going to burst out my chest...and then I heard his voice.

  “Hey Bre, it’s Collin…um…sorry I haven’t called you back but…” his voice was weak and dark and I ached to be there with him. “There have just been so many things to do before the funeral, um…” he stopped talking. I heard a door open on the other end of the line, and someone whispering. It sounded like a girl’s voice. “Yeah, I’ll be right there,” he said to the person. “Yeah I’m fine…I love you too.” The door shut and he began talking to me again. “Um, sorry…anyway, I’ll try back again when I can…bye.”

  I hung up the phone and dialed his number, praying he’d answer. It rang once…twice…three times. Then the same message picked up, “the mail-box for, Collin, is now full.”

  I dropped the phone and it bounced on my bed. I didn’t know if I wanted to cry or scream, but both required more energy than I had. I sat there numb. Then there was a knock at the door.

  “Go away,” I said in a shaky voice.

  “Bre, open the door,” he patiently said. It was my father.

  Unlocking the door, he let himself in and closed it behind him.

  He didn’t talk right away. I prepared myself for the grounding he was about to sentence me with.

  He paced my room for a minute. “Let me just say that I know this hasn’t been easy for you or your brother. I know she’s said some very hurtful things and hasn’t been around while you two were growing up. But…people can change and, whether you think so or not, she is trying.”

  “Dad…” He stopped pacing. “I know this might hurt you when I say this, but I can’t just put on a smile and act like nothing happened. It did and I don’t think I can ever forgive her. Dad, she’s been absent for sixteen years. How can everything miraculously be changed? To be honest, I don’t know why you’re still with her. You deserve to be happy and be with someone who loves you as much as you love them.”

  He placed his hands on his hips and sighed. “I know you don’t understand and for right now that’s okay, but what I do expect from you and your brother is the same respect you show me. I’m not asking for much. Can you do that for me?”

  I looked at him for a long time, thinking about everything. If I was going to do this, it would only be for him, not for her. Not for her in any way, shape or form!

  I took one long, deep breath. “I guess, but don’t think she’s going to start prying into my life. I’ll be nice when I’m around her, but that’s it. And I want to be clear, this is only for you.”

  He stepped up and gave me a hug. “It’ll take time, but one day, you’ll feel differently.”

  I didn’t believe him, but I didn’t tell him that. He knew how I felt. In time, I knew he’d regret this temporary false hope.

  I turned off my alarm clock and sat up in bed. The queasiness in the pit of my stomach wasn’t going away. It tapped on the walls of my stomach, feeding off my thoughts. I slowly forced myself up and grabbed the clothes I picked out the night before. Slipping on my cold pants sent chills over my body, worsening my unsettled stomach. I quickly put on my t-shirt and then my sweatshirt, hugging my body, rapidly stroking my arms up and down so the chills would pass. I threw my hair up in a ponytail and slipped my boots on over my pants. I remembered her driveway being dirt and I wasn’t completely sure if the high cloud cover today would hold. There was still a chance of rain.

  After brushing my teeth, I grabbed my backpack that hid my essentials - cell phone, flashlight, a few of my father’s tools and a lunch. I left my room and headed straight for the front door. No need for breakfast today. I didn’t think I’d be able to keep anything down on account of my nerves.

  Almost to the front door, Susan stopped me. It seemed as if she was waiting for me. “Breanna.” I barely glanced her way. “Have a good day at school today.”

  “Yeah,” I replied as quickly as I could so I could get out of the house.

  “Hey, before you leave…”

  I opened the door slightly, contemplating whether or not to walk out or stay. Then I thought of my father and the conversation we had last night. “What?”

  “We didn’t get a chance to talk last night and I know you have to leave for school right now, but I just wanted to say,” she took a deep breath, “I really want to make this work.”

  I glanced away, knowing she’d read my reaction. Then, when I knew I was okay and my thoughts were clear, I looked back.

  She twisted a kitchen towel in her hands. “I just really wanted to tell you that.”

  “I have to go,” I murmured.

  “Okay, well, I’ll see you tonight then.” She forced a weak smile.

  “Yeah.” I tried to smile back, but it was fake.

  I walked steadily to my car, each step quicker than the last, as gusts of ice cold air blew my way. It took a second to force my key in the key hole that had frozen over, but when it did, I got in and turned the car on, sliding the heat temperature gauge all the way over. It would take a few minutes to fully warm my car up, so I glanced over the items in my backpack to make sure there
was nothing else I needed. I kept hearing myself say, this is crazy! I have completely lost my mind! Finally satisfied, I backed out and headed for the gas station where I told Becka to meet me.

  Approaching the gas station, I searched for her car but didn’t see it. I parked in the farthest spot and kept the car running, watching every car drive in and leave. None were hers. I decided to give her ten more minutes before calling her. When those ten minutes came and went, I reached into my backpack and grabbed my cell phone. I just had a gut feeling I’d be going alone.

  The phone rang twice and picked up.

  “Bre, where are you? The bell already rang,” she spoke quietly so no one could hear.

  “You know where I am. Where are you?”

  “You’re kidding me, right?” She sounded serious.

  “No. I told you what I was doing.”

  She whispered fiercely into the phone. “Bre, this is crazy…I didn’t think you were actually going through with it. Come to school. I’ll wait for you.”

  “I have to do this. Are you coming or not?”

  There was silence and then she whispered, “I can’t. I’m sorry, but I just can’t.”

  I hung my head down. “Fine, see you later.”

  “Br…”

  I hung up the phone and shoved it back into my backpack. It immediately rang, but I ignored it.

  My thoughts were back on the task in front of me. I had never been this terrified. I took the paper with the directions from the night of the party and set it down on the passenger seat. My hands trembled on the steering wheel. I put the gears into drive and began to inch the car forward toward Wimer. My mind began digging up the haunting memories of that night, that unexplainable ‘thing’ that lurked in the dark, dense forest. As I went deeper and deeper out of Rogue River my eyes frantically searched for anything in the shadows. It was easier to see farther into the forest in the daylight. A couple of times I thought I spotted something, but it turned out to be a weird-shaped bush. I forced myself to keep a steady pace of forty miles per hour.

  The sky above was opaque and the forest thickened around me. The deeper I got into Wimer, the darker the morning sky became and the more my tension level mounted. I was breathing quick and shallow. I tried convincing myself all would be okay, but the more I tried to control my fear, the less I believed it.

  I was approaching Queen’s Branch Road and thought I remembered it being farther away than this. Slowing down, I crept up to the stop sign and sat idle as I peered in both directions. The road was vacant and silent. There was nothing around me but a five-foot bush swaying from side to side across the street. To my right the trees separated opening up a perfect view of the clouds, bits of blue peeking in between them. All I had to do was drive down to East Evans Creek Road. That would take me straight to school. I looked to my left into the shadowy forest where all my agonizing questions could possibly be answered.

  I clenched my fingers around the steering wheel and coached myself to breathe and drive. I took a deep breath and unsteadily turned the steering wheel to the left. Applying a little pressure to the accelerator, I moved forward slowly. Again, it didn’t take long to pass all the houses on the road and be in complete seclusion from anyone nearby. I glanced at the paper with the directions and read the street name, Whispering Hallows Lane. It sounded even creepier now that I was alone. I had to be close. Before I knew it, I was there. I stopped at the beginning of the long dark driveway, studying every movement of the wind; the falling leaves from the trees overhead; the darkness that held deep within the forest. I reached over and made sure my door was locked. Silly I know, but somehow I felt safer.

  “Okay,” I said out loud in an effort to reassure myself. “You can do this. I’m sure no one is home.”

  I wished now that I had asked Becka if she had seen Eve at school, but it was too late. Class already started and everyone’s phones were turned off.

  I started down the long, dirt driveway, inching forward, trying to see what was around each bend in the road. I started to see the big opening in the trees and knew I was getting close. My heart thrashed in my chest. To my right I saw a little fork in the road that I hadn’t noticed before. I wondered where it led. If someone was home, they wouldn’t be able to see my car coming. I took it, driving deeper and deeper into the thickening of the forest. Luckily, the narrow road was mostly parallel with Eve’s driveway. It was far enough that I didn’t think I could be spotted by anyone, but close enough to see the house and any cars in the driveway.

  This is far enough, I thought. I turned the car off, grabbed my backpack from the seat and pulled it over my shoulder. Leaning forward, I looked up into the towering trees overhead. The clouds that had been a light gray before were now a deep ominous black. Keeping my eyes glued to the rim of the treetops, I slid out of the car, quietly shutting the door behind me. I intentionally left the doors unlocked in case I needed to get in quickly. I set off for the house, each step increasing in size. The forest was hushed, with only the crackling of the sticks and leaves beneath me. My mouth was dry and my heart beat feverishly. With every step, I tried to place my foot as gently as I could to reduce the sound. Despite my best efforts, I was still so noisy. A bear could probably hear me from miles away. I’m sure it was just my imagination.

  Just then, I froze in place. Something shifted in the distance, about fifty feet to my left. I was only half way to the house, the car was too far away, and the house was probably locked. I didn’t know what to do. I felt my body temperature plummet. The blood drained from my hands and face as I stood unprotected out in the open. I wasn’t alone. The sound of rustling leaves and the swaying of tall bushes crept closer and closer, picking up speed as it approached me. Whatever was out there was coming upon me quickly. My brain screamed for me to run, but it seemed my feet rooted to the ground.

  About twenty steps away from me I could only make out black shadows as the creature swiftly jolted with its dark intentions in my direction. My shoulders tightened every time that ‘thing’ hit another branch. I gasped for air, and my body trembled with fear as I waited for impact. Suddenly, something shot through the bushes and I crouched down, screaming. A huge deer leaped out and disappeared behind me, thudding its hooves into the ground.

  It took me a few seconds before I could stand up. My legs felt like Jell-O and my body was limp. Stabbing pains of fear ran through me. My knees trembled when I finally picked myself up from the ground. I took a moment to get my heart back to its normal steady rhythm. I caught my breath and steadied myself again. What an idiot I was! It was only a deer. I needed to calm down, I told my shivering body. I regretted the idea of taking that road, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I pressed forward, following through with my plan. I was no longer concerned about maintaining silence. All I cared about was getting to the house as fast as I could.

  The house was dark inside, no movement, just the sound of a rickety old house creaking with every gust of wind. I tried the front door first and then the side window, but with no luck. I walked around the side of the house to the back. Everything was securely locked down tight. How was I going to get in? Suddenly, I spun around, thinking I heard something behind me. I waited for a second, sweeping my eyes across the dim forest. I saw nothing but the stillness of the wall of trees that bordered the house. Certain nothing was out there, I walked around the other side of the house. I was just about to give up when I spotted a small window cracked open just a little. It was above the air-conditioning unit. Judging by the size of the window, it had to be a bathroom. I climbed up and peeked in. It was a tight squeeze, but workable. I pried open the window and shoved my backpack in. I placed my foot on the side of the house gripping the ledge of the window frame and hoisted myself up. The metal dug into the palms of my hands as my feet slipped on the wood siding. I managed to get one knee up and fumble it inside, resting it on the toilet. I balanced as I got the other leg in. I was finally inside the house.

  I listened for a second, petrif
ied of the silence. Being inside the house alone was more frightening than being outside. I slowly opened the bathroom door so it wouldn’t creak. I peeked into the dark hallway.

  “Just go quickly,” I whispered under my breath. I swiftly walked through the house and up the stairs. All the bedroom doors were closed. As I approached Eve’s room, I had a chilling feeling like I was in one of those horror movies where a woman is tackled and dragged helplessly down the hall.

  Opening up the door to Eve’s room, I hit the lights. It looked the same as the last time, very dark with the same feeling of heaviness to it. I tried not to look at the strange art on the walls. It was so evil looking, with deep dark reds and blacks. One picture in particular was especially disturbing. The picture had a dark blood-red face with fangs, but it was blurred like someone had drawn it, maybe even Eve. The more I tried not to look at it, the more I felt it staring me down, watching my every move. My breaths were rigid and chills ran down my spine. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I walked over to it, pulled it off the wall and turned it over. The others were still creepy, but I could handle them. I went for the desk first, since that was where I found the letter, transcript and the plane ticket. I rifled through a bunch of papers, but there was nothing else that would help me. I went to her nightstand next, but found nothing there either. Her closet was the same, only clothes and shoes.

  As I turned to her bed, I noticed a wooden box underneath. I crouched down and pulled it out. The carvings on the lid were interesting. They were detailed and intricate, weaving around and through each other. This was probably the only thing in her bedroom that wasn’t creepy. It was beautiful. I opened it up. It was piled with old, worn pictures of a little girl, woman and man. The woman looked kind of like Eve’s mother. Also in the box was a small locket. I snapped it open to find a picture of that same man and woman from the other pictures. There were other little things that looked like trash: an old wrapper from a candy bar and a penny. As I sifted through everything, I found a folded up newspaper clipping at the very bottom of the box. As I opened it up I was afraid it was going to crumble in my hands. The folded up creases at the top were beginning to tear; it looked like it had been looked at thousands of times. It was from Irvine, California, dated July 24, 2006, a little over two years ago.