“You know, Gabriel, it’d be so much easier if you’d just talk to me. You could tell me what I’m supposed to do. I would happily do it.” Eden sighed.
But her room remained quiet, as it had all weekend. Andrew had hung out at Eden’s house on Sunday and, as Eden watched him play Uno for the fifth time with Brendon, she decided relationships were hairy. On Saturday, she’d felt this crazy excitement over Micah liking her, and she had to admit, that even today, she still was elated over the idea, but then there was Andrew. She stopped. Now, five days later, she was realizing again how wonderful and kind, not to mention good looking, Andrew was. Why does he want to be with me again?
“Now what do I do?” She yanked a brush through her hair. She knew she needed to leave soon or she’d be late for school. “You can’t give me the silent treatment forever, you know.” Setting her brush on her dresser, she added, “Maybe you want me to decide for myself.”
The peaceful feeling washed over her. It still amazed her when it happened. Talking to Gabriel was such a habit that when she’d feel his confirmations, she was once again reminded he was real, not just her imaginary friend.
“But that’s an interesting point, you know. You want me to decide for myself, but Micah had a vision that I marry Andrew, so it seems like it’s already decided. Of course, I wasn’t supposed to overhear that part,” she admitted.
When she heard or felt nothing, she grabbed her bag. As she came down the stairs, her mom called up, “I hope you’re ready to go. You’re going to be late.”
She kissed her mom’s cheek. “I am ready. Bye, Mom.”
She thought she was doing a pretty good job hiding her emotional confusion, but Caitlyn’s long, appraising stare, made her wonder if she was masking it at all. She was grateful she didn’t ask anything, as Andrew sat down next to them.
“Eden, don’t feel bad about going over,” Caitlyn stated, as if they had been in the middle of a conversation.
“Feel bad about what?” Andrew asked.
Took the words right out of my mouth. She stared at Caitlyn, dumbfounded.
“Don’t feel bad about just showing up. Micah made it pretty clear it’s an open invitation,” Caitlyn continued.
Oh, Eden thought, smiling, so this is your way of saying resolve your issues.
“Yeah, you should go swim. Micah won’t care. You guys are old friends,” Andrew agreed.
Feeling guilty, Eden nodded back at him.
“Why don’t you go today while I’m at the hospital?” he offered, poking his soggy piece of cafeteria pizza.
“Ok, maybe I will.”
Andrew spied Caitlyn’s lunch. “Why does your food always look so good?” he asked innocently.
Caitlyn tore her sandwich in half. “Here.” She handed him a piece. “Stop giving me those puppy dog eyes.”
Andrew gave her a lopsided grin. “You’re the best, Caitlyn, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered. But her eyes were smiling.
If Micah thought seeing visions of Eden was bad, he was wrong. Being around her in real life was way worse. Now he could smell her scent, like flowers after a summer storm, and it was about to drive him insane. Then there was her softness of her skin, the way she felt in his arms when they hugged, the tickle of her hair brushing his face… and the accidental grab in the pool. He had to double his efforts to not dwell on that; his desires would take over if he did. He’d never felt this way for any girl before. Usually he was in control, or at least didn’t care if he wasn’t. He left Rome, determined to remain close friends with Eden, sure he could rein in his own feelings. She was happy with Andrew and since not being around her wasn’t an option—he sort of needed his Awakener on his team—he figured he would have to control himself.
He shoved one hand through his hair, exhaling. Trent glanced over at him from the passenger seat.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing. Just frustrated,” Micah stated.
Trent stared at him. “It was your idea. I say we just tell them and get this over with.”
Micah glanced over. “What?”
“The trip, getting everyone to Illinois without them suspecting a dang thing. What were you talking about?”
“Oh, yeah, that,” Micah answered. I’m not telling Trent I’m about to cave…
Trent’s forehead wrinkled as he frowned at him. “So? Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
Micah mustered forced confidence. “I think we have a good plan. Sage said we can’t just blab to everyone what’s happening. No one will volunteer to go if they know. We know we have to wait until schools out, so a few more weeks at least. And then we need a reason to all go there. Who knows, maybe we’ll win.” Micah shrugged.
It was long shot. They’d just entered their names in a drawing to win tickets to Great America in Illinois. It was a random competition they’d stumbled across while out today. Micah had jumped on it, even though the tickets were only good after the middle of July.
Trent gave a low whistle. “Well, if we don’t win, we’re going sooner. I hate the thought of twiddling my thumbs for two and half months.”
Micah nodded. “Agreed. I don’t like it either.”
Pulling into his driveway, Micah’s stomach dropped. Eden’s Jeep was parked in the semi-circle. He could feel his resolve melting away, replaced with excitement to see her again. It’d felt like forever since the pool party, though it hadn’t even been a week.
I’m so screwed, Micah realized as he slammed his truck door shut.
Climbing up the front porch steps, Trent beat him in, and Micah slowed his step, pausing at the door.
“Sage,” he said quietly, “why can’t we go sooner? I find out the location of the temple and then we just wait?”
He didn’t move, not that he expected her to appear. His answer was purring up his driveway, in a black Honda.
The engine was silenced and the driver’s door opened. Micah walked to the edge of the porch as the driver stepped from the vehicle.
Ah, now I get it. Maybe someone else needs a little time to prepare.
Damon’s brown eyes stared back at him, obviously hesitating to move forward.
Micah waved him up. “Come on in, Damon. I think it’s time we talk, don’t you?”
Eden was under water when it rocked back and forth. She shot up, hoping to see Micah, but instead of black hair, it was light brown and poking up in all directions. Trent.
“Finally, it’s just you and me, babe.” He grinned.
“What? Me come between you and Jessie? I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Trent chuckled. “Where’s Dr. Andrew today?”
“At the hospital—he volunteers twice a week.”
“Really? So you’re all by yourself then, huh?”
She wondered why Trent was giving her a strange look. “I wanted to swim. Why aren’t you with the love of your life?” she probed, wanting to know what Trent’s intentions were for her friend. Poor Jessie was infatuated and still waiting to hear from him.
“Good question. Micah’s got me on a short leash,” Trent said. Wondering if that were true, she hoped he’d mention where Micah was, but he didn’t. Since swimming with Trent had not been her plan, she debated on what to do.
“Bet I can do a better cannonball than you, hot shot,” he taunted.
She faced him. “Ok, prove it.”
Damon scanned the bookshelves lining the walls and said, “There are a lot of books in here.”
Micah chuckled. “Yeah, not sure why, since no one in my family reads much. Guess it just looks good.” Micah pointed to the two leather chairs. “So, let’s sit for a bit. Unless you’re here to swim?” Micah already knew he wasn’t.
Damon shook his head and sank into one of the seats.
“You aren’t getting much sleep, are you?” Micah asked.
Damon appeared startled and then slowly shook his head.
Taking a deep breath in, Micah slowly exhaled.
“Ok, Damon, I’m going to tell you a few things. I want you to hear me out. We both know there’s something going on with you. Something you haven’t told a soul, not even your parents.”
Damon shifted in his seat, his eyes widening.
“But I saw it myself. I,” Micah gave a small laugh, “have this ability to see things. It can be very handy at times, and other times, it just freaks the heck out of me. Know the feeling?”
Damon’s lips flickered into grimace. “Yeah, I do.”
“The reason I see things is I’m the Seer for the Captain. He’s the one who lets me see what’s going to happen and sometimes what has happened.” Micah glanced over at Damon. “I saw the stump move.”
Damon stiffened, and then slowly his shoulders lowered. “How? How did it move?” he asked, shaking his head.
“I’m still figuring you out truthfully. Tell me about it. What do you feel, see, hear…”
Damon pursed his lips together. “I hear everything, all the time. It never stops.”
“What exactly do you hear?”
Damon’s brown eyes were electric. “I hear ants commanding their ranks to march, I hear birds chirping about their nests and where to find food, I hear the trees sighing for their buds to grow and blossom. It’s like I’m tuned into Mother Nature and I can’t turn it off, ever.”
Micah didn’t miss the growl in his last word.
“I’m sure that’s exhausting.”
“You have no idea.”
Micah grunted. “I sort of do, you see, I can’t really turn off my visions either.”
Damon glanced over at him and grunted back with a nod.
Micah clapped his hands together. “So, I guess the trick is to learn how to control this new ability of yours. ‘Cause whether or not you like it, it is a gift. And it’s pretty incredible.”
Another grunt from Damon, but Micah noted how eager his eyes became when he talked about learning to control it.
“You hear things, what else?”
Damon peered around the room, and then spoke a string of fluid words, none of which Micah understood.
Micah was about to ask what he’d said when he noticed his chair was no longer attached to the floor.
Gripping the armrests, he gazed down at the rug a few feet below him. He was floating in the air.
Micah whistled and then said, “Wow. Trent’s really going to like you.”
Eden climbed back on the board. “Ok, let’s see you do this.”
She glanced up and froze; Micah was walking out on the deck.
She forced herself to wave at him, and then followed through with her dive. Doing a forward flip, she came up, hoping he’d be halfway into the pool, but he was gone.
She was crushed.
“Oh Micah, all work and no play,” Trent said.
“Work?”
But Trent deflected her question with, “You need to make Micah play a little more; the kid gets too serious sometimes.”
There was no sarcasm in his voice this time. She studied his face, thinking of how Trent had watched them ‘play’ in the pool on Saturday. Maybe Trent had been happy to see Micah kick back for a minute.
“I don’t know, Trent. You seem like you’d be better at teaching him that. You always know how to stay,” she paused, “not serious.”
But he didn’t laugh or smile. He appeared to be debating something, like he was on the verge of confiding in her. She waited, hopeful.
He must have decided against it, because he jumped out of the pool. “I try. What can I say? It’s a talent of mine.”
He grabbed a towel, and she decided she’d get out as well. Wrapping her towel around her waist, she threw her shirt back on, knowing it would be drenched in seconds by her swimsuit and hair. Following Trent back into the house, she was deflated to see Micah wasn’t around.
“Well, I’m getting in the shower and, unless you want to join me, this is good-bye,” Trent said, strolling toward the stairs.
“I’ll pass. See ya, Trent.” She waved.
He disappeared, and she stood for a moment in the empty great room, debating what to do. Should she wait, hoping Micah would show? Feeling silly dripping on the carpet, she grabbed her keys, put her flip-flops on, and shuffled toward the entryway. The office door opened as she passed. She glanced over as Micah stepped out.
“Glad I didn’t miss you. Sorry about earlier, I wanted to jump in with you, but I can’t today,” he explained, coming closer to her.
Her heart began a series of strange hiccups. “Don’t worry about it. Trent kept me company.”
“I know. I’m even sorrier about that.” He grinned. “I had a friend stop by.”
She wanted to ask who, sort of afraid he might say Megan. Then Damon came out of the office.
“Hey Damon,” she said, trying to recover from her shock. He was the last person she’d been expecting to see.
“Hey Eden.”
The dark circles under Damon’s eyes were gone, and Eden realized as he ran his hand through his black hair, that his face had a healthy glow again too. How’d I miss that before?
Micah and Damon were both staring at her, and feeling her hair dripping down her back, she knew she was a mess. “Well, I better take off. I’m sure your mom won’t appreciate me dripping all over floor.” She turned, calling over her shoulder, “See you at school, Damon.”
Damon nodded. “See ya.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Micah offered, as he followed her out the front door.
Stepping across the porch, she asked, “So Damon and you are getting close now, huh?”
Micah gave her a quick side-glance. “Yeah, well, we sort have a lot in common.”
She glanced over at him. Like what?
There was a black Honda in the driveway. “Damon’s?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Do you still hang out with Chase and Jake?”
“Unfortunately, no. Wish I could, but I just have other things I have to get done now.”
She gazed at him, wondering what he meant. They were by her Jeep now.
“I like this.” Micah placed his hand on the hood.
“Me too, although, I don’t do anything fun with it, according to Brendon.” She leaned against the front bumper.
He smiled and leaned against the charcoal gray bumper too. “How’s Brendon? Feel bad I haven’t been over much lately.”
“He’s good. He has a girlfriend, so he thinks he’s the bomb now.”
Micah chuckled and, facing her, said softly, “Girls do that to us guys.”
Again, her heart squeezed, as she searched his face. Was this the moment she’d been waiting for? Should she tell him how she felt about him?
“I don’t know. Having a boy like you, does a lot for a girl too.”
Micah’s gaze was playful, his smile crooked. “Oh, really?”
“Yes,” she barely got out. He was close enough she could feel his breath on her skin, but then something flickered across his eyes, and he glanced away.
“I’m glad Andrew makes you feel good.” His words came out stiff.
Her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth. “Yeah, he’s been great,” she answered lamely.
He kicked at the loose gravel, sending a few rocks flying. “That’s good.”
Silence engulfed them, and she stared at her toes, dimly aware she needed to repaint her peeling polish. Bolstering the courage, she blurted, “You’ve always made me feel good too.” She cringed. That sounded so corny!
He frowned, lines creasing across his forehead.
Not understanding why he didn’t believe her, she gushed on, “Being best friends made me feel special my whole life, like I mattered. When we moved to Portsmouth, I lost that. You always made me feel like I was your favorite person.”
“I know,” he gazed into her eyes, “as friends I did. But, I mean, I wish I could’ve been the one to make you feel special in a different way, tell you how beautiful you are—” he stopped, his f
ace agitated with… what she wasn’t sure, almost like he was kicking himself.
She gaped at him and stuttered, “I… uh…”
His lips grew tight. “It doesn’t matter either way.” His eyes were agonized now. “You and Andrew belong together, and I don’t want to mess that up.”
She shook her head, “Micah, Andrew and I don’t have what you and I—”
He cut her off, whispering, “Eden, I can’t.”
Can’t? He leaned back against the bumper next to her and stared at the ground. She was tempted to grab his chin and make him face her, but she didn’t.
“Have you ever wondered how much of life is in our control?” Micah’s question caught her off guard.
She gazed at his profile, hoping he’d turn to face her.
“Yes, I have, actually,” she sighed, resigning to the shift in conversation.
“Do you think we shape our own destiny? Or do we just play our part like actors in a movie? Just following the script?” He mumbled the last words.
She studied her flip-flops. “I don’t know.”
She didn’t want to admit she’d struggled with this very concept, ever since she’d eavesdropped. When Micah remained quiet, she decided to say something.
“Does this have to do with one of your visions, Micah?”
He faced her. “Yeah.”
“Can you tell me about it? Maybe I can help,” she offered. Starting with how you know I marry Andrew?
He hesitated. “I saw something I’m having a hard time accepting.” He looked away.
Undeterred, she pushed, “What was it?”
“It’s probably the right thing. I should be ok with it, be stronger.”
“Micah—”
He flipped around, bringing his face close to hers again. His warm breath tickled her skin. “Eden, there’s so much I want to tell you, but I can’t yet. You just have to trust me.”
She wanted to argue, but was too distracted by his close proximity. Hoping he’d make his move or at least hold her, she waited, but all he said was, “I should get back to Damon.”
Damon? He’s worried about Damon? A lump formed in her throat. Panicked her voice might crack, she nodded, glaring at her toes.
“Hey, what do you think of a little road trip?” he asked, his tone sounding forced.
Still trying to grasp what was happening, she gaped back at him. His face inches from hers again.
“I’m thinking Great America, maybe in July.”
Great America? Where’s that? She thought the words, but her mouth wouldn’t move.
“We could go with friends, drive around. It’s not far from Chicago, maybe check out the city. What do you think?”
For some reason, it all felt rehearsed. Trying to pacify her throbbing heart, she asked, “You want to drive to Illinois?”
He nodded, his blue eyes sweeping her face.
“Ok,” she replied slowly. “That sounds fun.”
“Great!” Micah startled her with his sudden enthusiasm. “And don’t worry, I’ve already told Andrew about it and he wants to go too.”
She felt her insides drop. “Fabulous,” she said woodenly.
He seemed surprised by her response, or at least her tone. “I better get back,” he murmured, his blue eyes growing closer, and then he bent over.
Her breath caught as his lips brushed her cheek. He lingered, sending goose bumps all over her. Then his lips were gone, and he pulled her into a hug.
“You’ll always be my favorite person, Eden,” he whispered, his lips touching her throat just below her ear.
Their bodies were close, his arms securing her against him. She could feel a pounding in her chest, and wasn’t entirely sure if was from her heart or his. She was insanely tempted to kiss him, and deal with the consequences later, when they heard the front door open.
Micah released her abruptly, taking an obvious step away. “I’m coming,” he called over her shoulder.
She turned around, Trent stood on the porch. She expected a smirk on his face, but his raised eyebrows and wide eyes read surprised or shocked. I thought he knew Micah liked me.
“I better get going anyway,” she said, turning around. Her flip-flops crunched in the gravel as she rounded the Jeep and reached for her door.
“Come swim again, ok?” Micah said, as she climbed in and shut the door.
She nodded and threw her Jeep into reverse. Trying to control her rapid breathing, she somehow made it into her garage before the tears exploded down her cheeks. She killed the engine, and laid her head against the steering wheel. All the suppressed emotions bubbled out in sobs.
She didn’t stop until her nose was stuffed, her eyes puffy, and she had the hiccups.
“Gabriel, I don’t understand. Is this how it’s supposed to be?”
A peace spread over her body and she knew he was there with her. Maybe even feeling sympathetic for her situation.
Taking a deep breath, she exhaled. “I just can’t believe God wants us to be this unhappy.”
She felt the warm, comforting feeling again but this time, she could have sworn she heard, “You’re right. He doesn’t.”
The Awakener Page 34