Awakenings (Elemental Series - Book 1) (28 page)

The contrast to what I’d thought and what was staring me right in the face were complete opposites. No one was paying any attention to me whatsoever. Vincent and I crossed the entire room and made our way to the last two empty seats in back of the room. It was only then I noticed the low hum of conversation, which had been going on before we entered, died down as we passed a few others on the way to our seats.

When we sat, the chatter increased to a low rumble again and we were all but forgotten about. I took in my surroundings and some of the other students. Directly in front of Vincent and I were two very sparkly, petite faeries with delicate wings. Looking at them reminded me of spider webs right after a rain storm. They reflected light in all directions. I caught myself right as I was about to reach out and touch the girl sitting in front of me. She was delicately beautiful. She had pale white skin and golden yellow eyes without pupils. They looked like pools of liquid gold.

She turned around just before I almost touched her wing and looked curiously at me. She turned back to her friend who was just as beautiful with dark brown skin and shining green eyes, and continued her conversation.

I sat back in my chair, feeling the heat rise into my ears and willed myself to relax. I crossed my arms on my chest took in two deep breaths and calmed a little.

There was no instructor or teacher yet. The visionary situated at the front of the room was black, kinda like a chalk board.

The rest of the room had symbols and pictures. Some were familiar but most were like trying to read a foreign language. I had no idea what they meant or said. There were no windows looking out into the school yard. There were two large frames on the wall furthest from the door which looked like large pools of water, shimmering blue with no picture in them.

“Wow, I so wasn’t expecting this,” I said to Vincent.

“What do you mean?” he asked, keeping his eyes glued to mine.

“I was expecting to feel a little more out of place. Kinda like a person who has two left feet and absolutely no athletic ability who’s put in advanced gym class with all the jocks and jockettes, if you know what I mean. I’m surprised I feel okay with this. I thought everyone here would’ve known I hadn’t experienced my Awakening and was given a ‘
come in and visit us for free pass.
’ I’m surprised I can be like I always am at new schools—walk in, go completely unnoticed, find my way directly to the back of the class and plant myself there like a wall flower.”

“First of all, I find it hard to imagine you walking into any room and going unnoticed.” He stated it as though it were a fact and not his opinion. I flinched and looked down, embarrassed by what he’d said. Right away I felt the heat rising into my ears. I was now hoping the teacher would come in so the conversation would move from me to them—no luck.

“And second of all…” Vincent reached over and put his hand under my chin, tilting it up until my eyes were lined back up to his.

“You
are not
visiting, Jacey. You’re here like all of us. You’re here because you are a Nemelite and you belong here. There is no free pass for observations…You’re as much a part of us as I am. You’re a part of this society and everything that goes along with it, good and bad. Believe me, you’re going to be surprised at exactly how many good and bad parts there are—” Before he could finish, a flash of light sparked in the front of the classroom and everyone fell silent. The light dimmed and in its place a human-looking man stood with a green glow emanating all around him.

When the teacher came into the room, Vincent dropped his hand from my chin and sat back in his seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed his attention wasn’t directed to the front of the room like everyone else’s, it was completely focused on me.

“Hello, everyone, I’m Mr. Willow, and I’m your Origins instructor.” He gave a brilliant smile and the room filled with the mixed aromas of freshly cut grass and the crisp cool smell of winter.

With Vincent’s gaze on me, I could feel the blush rise up into my ears yet again. I wrapped my arms around my stomach and tried to bring my flurry of butterflies down to a controllable frenzy instead of the gale force typhoon which was erupting through me. The instant I looked away from Mr. Willow and snuck a glance in Vincent’s direction, our eyes met. His gaze held a calming sensation that completely extinguished all the nervousness dancing around in my stomach and chest.

The feeling was similar to the one I’d get after dreaming about something bad and the crystal blue eyes would show up and restore within me a peace which reassured me everything was going to be okay. I looked away from him and was able to focus all of my attention on Mr. Willow and Origins.

“So what is Origins? Why am I here? Today is the first of our sessions for ‘Origins’ within the course curriculum for everyone here. Some of you have grown up here and I recognize about three-quarters of you, while some of you have been brought here by your guides, through your sleep states, and have had your Awakening in other dimensions,” he said, sweeping his arms out to his sides for effect.

He began to walk through the class, continuing his account of exactly what Origins was.

“This class is one which all Nemelites have been enrolled in at one time or another. Its main purpose is to administer a small amount of understanding in who we are and what our responsibilities are with the gifts we have been bestowed. Some of you are starting to become aware of what those powers are, while others haven’t yet experienced any signs yet. Welcome to where you will find out precisely what those precious things are.” He stopped just short of my desk and cocked his head to the side. He was about to speak when Vincent cut him off.

“Mr. Willow, I’ve been asked by Herecerti to help Jacey transition through her classes for the next little while.”

“Vincent, I was curious as to why you were here.” He looked at me through inquisitive eyes.

“Jacey, it’s nice to have you with us.” He turned away from us in one swift movement, which caused my bangs to stir slightly in the wind he’d created.

I looked over at Vincent. He merely returned a smile with a nod, indicating I should be paying attention.

For the rest of Origins, I listened intently and became completely immersed in the culture and the beginnings of the Nemelites. I was stunned when I found out they’d existed since before Earth was created. I was more shocked and amazed to learn they were a culture that have survived side by side with a number of other beings and humans without having been detected by those who are not of Nemelite origin. How cool was it to know that they’ve been with the human race since before Earth was created?

Every revelation within my first hour in Origins completely erased the reality of the world I’d once known and thought I’d understood. I learned the Nemelites had at one time been the only entities in the Universe. In relation to Earth and human beings, they had been placed there by their Elders as a kind of elemental guide to help the human race develop and flourish.

In their infancy as a race, they were basic functioning elements in their purest form. Once they evolved into the number of different species and beings which they are now, they’d visit a new race or planet to assist in their developments. They would ‘gift’ their powers to the native beings to assist in their evolutionary process. The example Mr. Willow gave was fire. Some Nemelites are able to produce fire from their beings. That was how the human race was introduced to it. So the theory of cave men knocking rocks together to form a spark was completely untrue.

One of the more fascinating facts I found out was Nemelites evolved just like the human race. To date there are as many different elemental types and different life forms which make up their society as there are species throughout the Universe. They range from a human appearance to a wide variety of any and all of the mythological legends, fairy tale and folk lore stories I’d ever heard. They’re a society of beings who are not only unique and magical in their own right, but who also have the ability to be dream walkers.

Dream walkers are Nemelites who’ve been entering the dreams of human kind and other species, revealing their true selves through the R.E.M phase.
This was how I knew Vincent before I actually met him.

Within Mr. Willow’s introduction of the Nemelite ways, he touched very briefly upon the one nemesis they have, the Society of Yietimpi. He described them as the Yin to their Yang. Describing how seemingly opposite or opposing forces are
interconnected
and interdependent in all worlds. They consist of the malevolent beings which most have read about, talked about and wondered about since the beginning of time. Both of the Societies used to walk freely among humankind and influence all of humankind’s societies.

However, in relation to Earth, once human wars and inquisitions began to dominate and threaten the very existence of Nemelite and Yietimpi alike, the leaders of the Nemelite Society decided mankind was not worthy of the gifts and knowledge they possessed.

The Yietimpi Society tried to accelerate the downfall of mankind, relishing in the delights of famine and discord among all the human societies, but the Nemelites were able to banish the Yietimpi and themselves to their original dimension, Nemele.

As I was becoming more entrenched in Mr. Willow’s depiction of the Nemelite society, a voice rang out from the far left side of the room.

“So, you’re telling us Zeus, Dracula, and even Werewolves make up Nemele?” It came from an elven boy who snickered with such obvious mockery I was surprised he’d said that out loud.
Was he not a thing of fairy tale or fables? Was he not exactly what Mr. Willow had just described? Of course I didn’t say a word and only thought it to myself.

“Zacharias, I expected you would be one to pose such a query. In your lifetime, you have only been exposed to the magical forests which make up your world, Rifeas, true?” Mr. Willow paused.

“True,” Zach responded.

“Rifeas is yet another dimension which has existed since the beginning of time. It has been the world where your kind and others similar to
you
live. But looking around this room and seeing all of the other beings here, I would think that mere fact would have made you aware there are more than only Rifeans within the Universe.”

“Yeah, sure it did. But to think the tales and legends of our race and the human race are true is hard to believe. Finding out Nemele actually exists was enough of a shock for me. To trust everything else is true is hard to take,” Zacharias said, this time without mockery.

“And they would think the same of you. Have you not considered that? Open your mind, think of it. Since Rifeas is between Nemele and Earth, you of all beings should realize we are more than what we initially appear. All of us have in some form or another been an observer of the human race since its inception.

“They have always been so predictable, so opinionated and so utterly closed-minded they assumed they were the only intelligent species in the universe. In turn, it has made them most uninformed and vulnerable when it comes to Nemelite society. With their mind set and lack of knowledge, it has made them think even you, Zacharias, are not a possibility. To them you are the same fable
you
think all others are. Yet here you all sit, In the same room, and all governed under the same society,” Mr. Willow concluded.

I thought he had made his point, not only to Zacharias, but to everyone else within earshot, including this very unaware human. However, when he turned and caught me in his gaze, I knew he hadn’t finished. He headed toward Vincent and me.

“Jacey, have you ever thought Fairies were real?” he questioned, stopping short of my desk.

My first thought was to look at Vincent for some kind of direction but Mr. Willow cut that option off when he stood between the two of us.

“Well, I never thought Nemele even existed, never mind Fairies,” I answered, suddenly feeling very foolish and uncomfortable.

Mr. Willow cocked his head to the side and looked at me inquisitively through his intense green-turquoise eyes. He stood there for a moment and then turned away. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding kept my gaze on the wooden desk in front of me.

There was nothing more to add to my exclamation of not believing in anything but the normal human world I came from, therefore solidifying the argument Mr. Willow had presented to Zach.

Way to go, Jacey, way to represent. Could I have not lied at least a little? Why did I have to personify the paper-cut-out of the human race? Why couldn’t I have been different?

Without a glance back, Mr. Willow returned to the front of the room. “In the back cupboards there are books which have our history outlined in them. Each of you is to take one and read chapters one to three for next class.” He paused for an instant and then turned to face the class. He took both his hands and wove them together, reminding me of the hand game we played as kids of Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple.
I know it’s childish but it’s exactly what he did with his hands
.

He put his woven fingers over the center of his chest. I looked around at everyone else in the room and they all had their hands, limbs or whatever they used as arms and hands and mimicked Mr. Willow’s gesture.

“Until we meet again, may the five elements keep you eternal.” He smiled, bowed his head while keeping his hands over his chest and in an instant, the green aura which he’d entered the class in came back, engulfing him in its brilliance and filling the room with the scents of fresh cut grass. Then he disappeared.

Everyone got up and moved to the back of the room, as though Mr. Willow’s disappearing act was as normal as breathing, and collected their books. I was the only one who sat there with my mouth wide open, staring at the spot he’d just disappeared.

“It’s the formal way some Nemelites depart,” Vincent said as he interrupted my moment of shock.

I snapped my jaw shut when I realized it was still hanging open. “Is that how everyone here leaves?” I asked, getting up and following him to the cupboards to retrieve my book.

“The disappearing thing is done only by those gifted with it. The hand gesture is the more formal way all here in Nemele say goodbye to one another,” Vincent informed me.

Vincent grabbed a book and handed it to me as we made our way out of the class.

“Well, does everyone say hello and goodbye the same way?” I asked when I figured no one else was in earshot.

“No. Each Nemelite has a unique yet similar way of saying hello and goodbye. Some say it the way Mr. Willow did in a formal, ceremonial way, but most, when they are one on one, say hello like this.” Before I could react, he grabbed my bookless hand, wove his fingers through it, and placed it in the center of his chest. For a brief second, his reaction mirrored my own, but he was able to react a lot faster and mask his better than I could mine. “May the elements be present with you always,” he said while trying to keep his words from sounding breathy.

The instant our fingers touched, there was a heat between them so intense anyone else would have taken their hand away, but of course I didn’t. The intensity of the heat grew so consuming it spread from my hand and hit my ears and chest, leaving me instantly breathless. I felt like one of those stereotypical teenage girls who come across a little stupefied. My body reacted instantly but my mind was slower, almost numb. I had no idea what to say, which for me is out of character because I’m usually never at a loss for something to say, stupid or not.