The Awakening (23 page)

My eyes were drawn towards a vast set of golden double doors near the staircase. An impressive jewelled display depicted a knight crossing blades with what appeared to be an upright wolf with bat’s wings. The same motif was written underneath in Latin.

Chosen we rise - Allied we prevail.

“I’m guessing something important is behind there,” I said.

Gabriella nodded. “That’s the Feasting Hall of Unity. It’s where all joining ceremonies take place. You’ll see inside when it’s time for yours.”

She peeled away from me, heading towards a guarded door. A gorgeous aroma teased me from the other side. My mouth began to water. Gabriella stopped at the entrance, hands placed impatiently on her hips.

Inside the grand, steam-filled kitchen came the reason for the added security. Numerous miniature creatures flew about on dainty wings, tending to an array of bubbling pots and pans that sat on large hobs. They stirred wooden spoons almost as large as themselves and shook condiments into the various pots with both hands. They were pretty little things, sporting silvery hair and wide eyes with baby pink pupils.

“Asrai,” whispered Gabriella. “They must be preparing for the joining feast.”

I stared at the dainty things as my mind attempted to rationalise the fact that I was casually watching a group of fairies cook. All the while I felt an odd sense of acceptance.
All this hard work is for me.

One of the Asrai noticed us enter. She swooped over to a metallic bench, where a plate of sandwiches sat. Leaning over, she grabbed the edge with both hands and floated back up, plate wobbling between knees and wrists.

“Faru told us to prepare this for Alexander,” she breathed as she drew near. Her voice sounded like tinkling glass. I stared at her.

“It’s quite heavy,” she added.

“Oh, right!” I plucked the plate from her grip. “Uh, thank you.”

“Fresh Quinberry juice is in the fridge.” The fairy gave a little mid-air bow, then without another word, floated off and resumed cooking.

Gabriella grabbed a glass of pinkish liquid from a fridge next to us and handed it to me.

I ate ravenously, tearing off thick chunks of the soft bread with my teeth. The food was delicious. Thick rolls of ham coated in some kind of sweet and sour marmalade, topped with crunchy lettuce. The juice was even more incredible. It tasted like sharp apple mixed with strawberries, and fizzed on my tongue. Afterwards I felt like my insides had been spring cleaned.

“Wow,” I said after draining the last few drops from the glass. “That was good.”

Gabriella nodded. “It’s made from a rare berry that grows in Pandemonia. Should help clear the last of the brain fog.”

I set the plate and glass down on a storage unit behind me. A sudden rush of air forced me to cover my mouth with my sleeve and deliver a sly burp.

*

“Don’t worry, I’ll see you soon” said Gabriella as the elevator doors rolled shut.

Searching the multitude of buttons on the panel, I found the one she’d told me to press. A coiled fist. I pushed my finger on the symbol and it glowed blue.

GYMNASIUM
, said the hidden voice.

My breakfast almost made a reappearance as the elevator dropped into free fall. Bending my knees against the force, I pressed into the corner and lowered myself down, hands gripping the railing above me. I bowed my head into my knees, trying to settle myself as the elevator plummeted through the Nexus. After an eternity it stopped descending and rushed forward, every now and then lifting up and sinking down as if navigating speed bumps. Mercifully after a few more seconds, it rolled to a stop. The elevator beeped and the doors cranked open to reveal an amused Midnight and Sophia staring down at me. A bear like hand was extended and I was yanked to my feet.

“You get used to it”, Midnight grunted in a thick cockney accent.

“I really hope so,” I said exiting the steel death trap.

A cavernous gymnasium stretched out in front of us. All manner of equipment ran along the vast walls; treadmills, weight benches, rowers and punching bags. The roar of whirring and clanking equipment hit from every angle. Several boxing rings were scattered about too. At first glance, it seemed like any other gym. But on closer inspection, it was anything but normal. A pale looking man on a treadmill ran so fast, his lower legs were blurred - the type of thing you’d see in a cartoon. A dainty looking woman bench pressed what seemed to be dozens of solid stone weights. The bar sagged like an unhappy face as it struggled with the incredible loads stacked on either side. I had to stifle a cry when I saw the two fighters sparring in the closest ring. The towering beasts made Midnight look vertically challenged. Their skin was a mixture of shining black and red scales. Skull-like heads topped with a cluster of arching horns. Eyes like dying embers and parted mouths which revealed teeth like hypodermic needles. They ducked and parried, grunting and striking each other with sledgehammer fists.

“Oni,” whispered Sophia. “They’re strong but pretty dumb.” I noticed now that we were closer that she suffered from Heterochromia. One of her eyes was a vivid blue, the other the velvet green of a tree leaf. If anything, it made her even more adorable.

I didn’t know how to respond to the information, so nodded quietly. We weaved through the room, passing all manner of creatures. Sophia acted as visual translator, listing off the species as we walked.

“Pixie, Incubus, Goblin, Bloodlings, oh - that group over there are all Chosen like us.” She pointed to a cluster of guys and girls who looked a few years older than me. They raised their heads in curiosity as we passed. Then they placed both hands across their chests in an X shape before extending them to us. It took a few confused seconds to understand it was a greeting. Midnight and Sophia returned the gesture and I tried my best to emulate it before we moved on.

A colossal thump echoed around the room. I turned just in time to see one of the Oni fighters slam to the mat, eyes rolling up in its head. The other pumped both fists in the air and let out a roar that would have any lion running for cover. Shuddering, I turned away.

Eventually we reached the end of the sizable room and passed through a looming archway. The room on the other side was completely white and about the size of a tennis court. A bench sat at the far end, next to a complicated looking machine. Buttons blinked and screens flashed as if alive. In another corner stood what appeared to be a large metallic fridge. The wall straight ahead was in serious need of repair. Thick chunks of plaster were missing and large cracks scattered out in all directions, some even reaching the ceiling. Sophia plonked herself down on the bench, folding her skinny legs under herself. Her big, multi-coloured eyes were fixed on me and she wore a look of fervent interest.

Midnight pointed to a red spot on the floor I hadn’t noticed. “Stand there,” he grunted.

I shuffled over to it. He walked to the large fridge and returned a second later carrying some kind of injector. It looked like an insulin dispenser, more pen than needle; except this one was see though and full of dark blue liquid.

“Hold out your hand,” he ordered.

I didn’t respond.

He stared at me. I sighed and held out my trembling arm. He jabbed the needle into it. Liquid fire seared up my wrist. I yelled and shook the wounded appendage. The pain kept sweeping up regardless, through my bicep and into my shoulder. My entire arm ballooned and the veins morphed into thick blue worms.

“Damn that hurts!” I yelled, clutching my infected arm.

Midnight rolled his eyes. “Give it time.”

“I’ve had them before. They don’t hurt
that
much,” added Sophia, laughing.

Great, I’m more of a wimp than a little girl,
I thought in between the swear words.

I don’t like the sound of that.

“Face the entrance.”

I rotated so that Sophia and the equipment were to my left and the cracks on the wall were behind me.

Midnight lumbered over to the computer and tapped at the screen. I couldn’t see properly with his large frame blocking most of the screen, but I did notice the words ‘Start training’ appear in flashing green letters.

It arched towards me at an immense speed. I dived out of the way just in time. I felt the wind as it rushed past me followed by the deafening crack of stone connecting with brick. The fractures in the plaster increased. Small fragments dropped to the floor.

“Are you trying to kill me?” I shouted at the giant madman, who looked even bigger from my position on the ground.

“No,” he said simply. “If I was trying to kill ya, you’d be dead.” Then he turned back to the screen and started tapping away again. “Reaction speeds are good,” he muttered to himself.

The ram winched itself back up on its supports.

Midnight tapped the screen one last time with an over the top motion. “Right,” he said without turning. “Let’s do that again, but don’t move this time, k?”

“Don’t move?” I spluttered, picking myself up off the ground.

Sophia shouted encouragement from the bench. “Come on Alex, you’ll do great! If I can do it so can you!”

I was shocked that they had let a little girl take part in something like this. Then I remembered that she wasn’t a normal little girl at all, just like I wasn’t a normal teenager.
Nothing around here is normal.

“Okay,” I said positioning myself back on the spot. My heart punched against my chest. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, ignoring the rational part of my brain, which screamed that I would die in the next few seconds.

The ram came down harder this time. It carved through the air, heading right for my midsection. I shut my eyes and forced myself to stay put.

Smack!!

It felt like a nuclear bomb had hit my stomach. My feet left the ground and I flew backwards, arms flailing wildly. Then there was a second impact as my back smashed into the wall behind me. The air rushed from my lungs and I slipped to the ground wheezing as I struggled for precious oxygen.

I waited to see how I felt. Apart from the initial blow, there was no longer any tangible pain. Only a dull ache which soon faded. I looked over at Midnight who gave a noncommittal shrug.

“Not bad for a first try I guess,” he grunted. “Let’s do it again.”

Three more times we tried and three more times my body was sent careering into the wall. It began to look as if it were in danger of collapsing all together. Midnight was shaking his head in disappointment.

The behemoth composed himself. “You ain’t supposed to know what to do in this training. We like ya to use intuition to work it out. But we’ll pretend pint size didn’t say anythin’ yeah?”

I nodded and stood up. The battering ram cranked up on its chain supports.

“Come on Alex!” encouraged Sophia.

Placing my feet on the red target, I tried to mentally prepare myself. My mind flashed back to when the car had hit me. I remembered how without trying, I’d stayed rooted to the spot, whilst the car folded itself around me.
Sophia’s right, I can do this.

“Okay I’m ready.” I clapped my hands together and jumped a little on the spot. Midnight seemed to approve my change of attitude. He nodded and almost threatened to break a smile.

I was prepared when the ram swung down this time, but my reaction still surprised me. Instead of just letting it hit me, I sprang forward, driving both fists into the stone. There was a thunderous crack and for a second I thought I’d shattered my knuckles. But then several deep jagged lines appeared on the ram’s surface. A second later it crumbled into a shower of concrete rain. I rotated my wrists and was relieved to see that they were fine. There was a light dusting of powder on my knuckles.

Midnight’s expression was one of pure shock. Sophia copied it like a ventriloquist’s dummy, staring at the pile of rubble at my feet.

“That, I have never seen.”

“Whoa...” breathed pint size.

“Better?” I asked trying to keep the smugness from my voice. Midnight nodded and rubbed a large finger on his chin, surveying the destruction. Sophia started clapping like an excited seal. The sound of footsteps approaching made me look over at the doorway. Delagio entered the room. His Stetson hat emerged before he did.