The Awakening (28 page)

I retrieved my fallen towel and re-established my dignity.

“So I can call on you too?” I asked.

“Indeed. If ever you need to speak with me, simply concentrate your thoughts on me, and I should hear you. Now on to the matter in hand. I was incredibly impressed with your handling of the Rahuman...situation. His focus on you confirmed my suspicions that you are being targeted.”

“Wait, what... you used me as bait?” I barked.

“I can appreciate your anger Alexander and I am sincerely sorry for putting you in danger. It was necessary to ensure Rahuman did not disappear as he has done on previous incidences. His pride would have made it impossible for him to leave without your death. Orion, albeit unconventional is the Warren’s most successful team. I never expected him to get anywhere close to you. It was a mistake on Gabriella’s part.”

I shook my head. “Do
not
blame Gabriella, Sage Faru, or the rest of the team for that matter. We were outnumbered five to one. They did the best they could. It’s a miracle any of us survived.”

The Seelian cast his blank eyes downwards and his shoulders seemed to sag slightly. “Yes, I suppose you are correct. The odds were not in your favour. It never used to be this dangerous. A hunter team would consist of ten or more members. Unfortunately now, it is too risky to have large groups, as the shortfall means another crucial area would be left exposed. I am just relieved none of you were hurt.”

I thought of the hideous Hiveminds that had stalked their way through the trees. Each one salivating at the prospect of sinking their disgusting fangs into living flesh.

“If I’m being targeted, what’s to stop them coming here?”

“I am not going to deceive you Alexander. There is every possibility the SOS know where you live by now.”

I felt a rush of dread sweep through my body as the news sank in. I imagined legions of Hiveminds and Skinshifters pouring through the doors and windows.

“I arranged for the house to be protected.”

“So Gabriella said. But by who?”

“Echo and Trojan, two of our best teams are alternating the duty of guarding your house around the clock. If anything happens, they will be here to help instantly.”

“But for how long Faru? They can’t watch this place forever. And what if the SOS get to my family? They can’t protect themselves against something like this!”

Faru stepped forward and put his hands on my arms. It was bizarre - I could feel his cold touch as if he were actually there with me.

“Alexander, please try not worry. I would never leave you or your family defenceless. I am aware that your Mother and Stepfather are currently in Ireland. Until we understand exactly what is happening, I have taken steps to ensure that they stay there. As for your brother, special conditions relating to his safety have already been arranged.”

Special conditions?
I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that, or exactly how he was going to ‘ensure’ that Mum and John remained in Ireland. But it meant that everyone would be safe. And right now that was enough.

“As for the reason I called on you,” continued Faru, “as I said, I am very pleased with the way you handled yourself under the threat of Rahuman, but as yet you still are not an active member of the Alliance. So if you are ready, I would like you to return to the Warren and complete your training.”

I suppressed a smile and agreed to leave as soon as possible. A sensation similar to a cold breeze rushed through my head and Faru disappeared as fast as he appeared. There was no evidence of him ever having been here and it could have been put down to nothing more than a dream.

Then my phone bleeped with the address of an entrance.

I jumped into the shower and with the water beating down, broke into hysterical laughter at the madness of it all.

*

The Audi’s navigation system informed me that I’d reached my destination.

Mikey had still been fast asleep by the time I left the house. I’d paused at his door, which had been left slightly open. His ‘friend’ had gone and I figured she must have escaped pretty early. Although I couldn’t remember hearing anyone leave. I’d left a note on the kitchen table promising to tell him everything when I got home.
If I can get my own head around it all first
, I’d thought as I closed the front door.

I half mounted the curb and parked outside a shining column of office block in the corporate area of Chapter Hill. The morning rain had dyed the pavements a darker shade of grey, leaving behind an intoxicating smell. Harried weekend commuters skirted around puddles, cups of coffee clutched in their gloved hands. As I slipped out of the car, a man in a black suit headed towards me. He rubbed his hand on his trouser leg before offering it to me.

I stared at it for a second then closed my own around it. His was clammy.

“Good morning Mr Eden, I’m Agent Noble. I’ll take care of the car for you.” He gestured an arm towards the office. “Please head inside and use the furthest elevator on your right. Hold the 2, 6 and 12 buttons together for six seconds. Miss De Luca will be waiting for you in her apartment.”

“Thanks,” I said, passing him the keys and pushing my way through the revolving glass door.

The place was practically deserted. Just a few overzealous business men and women were gathered in a mini huddle to my right, laughing and slurping their coffee from Starbucks cups.

My shoes clicked on the marble, the sound echoing around the vast lobby. A matching marble desk lay ahead. It was manned by an overweight security guard. Beyond were the elevators. The guard didn’t say a word as I walked past, just lifted his hat and dabbed a worryingly sweaty brow with a wad of tissue paper.

The metal doors closed with a dull thud. I listened out for others, before holding down the buttons that the agent had mentioned.

Warren
, said the voice.

The light inside the elevator switched to neon purple. My teeth glowed white in the mirror.

“Cool,” I breathed, then gasped as the elevator cab plummeted diagonally downwards. For the next half minute, my stomach was a pancake, getting flipped in all directions as the metal roller-coaster surged down, forwards then diagonally upwards again. Then like a click of the fingers, the elevator shuddered to a halt. My hands groped the walls as I wobbled out of the opening doors.

I found myself in the grand entrance hall of the Mansion once again. Guardians passed around me. Several paused to throw me a smile or a salute. As before, most of the doorways were guarded by the stony Golems.

I climbed the grand stairs and navigated along the balcony back into the plush hallway. I stopped at the redwood door marked with Gabriella’s name on a gold plate. As I looked at it, my heart started to beat faster.

A small doorbell sat next to the door. Swallowing hard, I pressed it and fiddled with the edges of the plate as I waited for her to answer.

The door clicked open, but no one answered. I nudged it open and entered.

“Hello?”

A frosted glass door to my right slid open. Steam swirled into the hall, curling up towards the wood beamed ceiling. Gabriella’s face appeared in the mist, her hair wet and sticking to her forehead.

“Hi Alex,” she smiled. “Sorry I was just taking a shower. Go through and take a seat, I won’t be long.” Her face disappeared back into the fog and the door swished shut.

I made my way forward into the lounge. Once again, the fire was in full blaze. The chestnut scent filled the room. I made my way over to the large window. It was damp with condensation. I wiped a palm across the surface and stared out. The room faced the front. The winter sun had broken through gaps in the grey clouds and glinted off the rain soaked gravel, transforming them into diamonds. The damp grass on the roundabout shone as if it had been freshly painted.

Everything looked spring clean, as if all the impurities had been washed away. Tabula rasa. A clean slate.

Like me.

I gave a deep sigh as the warm fingers of the crackling fire reached my back.

Turning back into the room, I descended into the seating area, my footsteps muffled by the lush carpet. A couple of pictures on the mantelpiece caught my attention. I picked one up. It showed a beautiful new-born baby girl dressed in red pyjamas. A fine layer of black hair was already present on her soft head. She was reaching up, trying to grab the camera, mouth stretched into an excited grin. Her eyes were shimmering blue jewels. There was no mistaking who it was. I eased it down and picked up the other, which showed a man and woman enjoying a picnic under a tree. Their lips were pressed together in a loving kiss. Even though their faces were side on, I could tell that they were both incredibly good looking - especially the woman. Her long dark hair cascaded down her back. Some draped over the man’s arms, which were locked around her waist.

“They were my parents,” said a voice from next to me.

I jumped. Gabriella was beside me, wearing nothing but a towel. Droplets of water trickled down her honey skin. The material hugged her curves. I swallowed hard and tried not to look at her body.

She held out a hand.

“Sorry,” I apologised, handing over the picture. “I didn’t mean to be nosey. I was just curious.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she smiled. With great care, she placed the picture back in the middle of the mantelpiece, inching it backwards and forwards until it was exactly where it had been.

“You said they
were
your parents?”

Her gaze fell to the floor. For the longest moment she was as silent as the dead. Then she looked up, her eyes clouded. “It...it.” She took a deep breath, paused and shook her head. “I’m sorry; it’s hard to talk about. Can we change the subject?” I could see her pain. It seemed to sit right below the surface, darkening her face like a shadow. I remembered the way she’d reacted when I’d told her that my Dad was dead. The way she had seemed to understand.
Because she did. More than I ever could have known.

I watched the fire while I waited. The flames seemed alive as they danced in the hearth. The fire crackled and shifted occasionally, sending little flakes of ash floating into the air. At first they seemed to disappear into nothing, but I found that if I really focused, I could track them all the way through their journey - from the log of wood, to the thick woollen twists of the rug. My senses really were so much keener since my Awakening.

The door swung open and Gabriella walked back into the lounge. She was wearing the same uniform that she’d worn when we’d intercepted Rahuman and his pack - except this time she’d let her hair spill free around her shoulders. I preferred it like that.

Gabriella pulled the electronic PDA she’d used in the car out of her jacket pocket. Heading for the couch, she sat down next to me, her knee touching mine.

“Okay, don’t move.”

I stared straight ahead, which happened to be right into her eyes. She pressed a few buttons on the contraption. A camera-style lens on the back projected out a blinding green light which she aimed into left eye.

“That’s it. Biomotes are cutting edge technology mixed with fae magic. They can do all sorts of things like tracking and performance assessments. Right now, it’s analysing your brain’s energy outputs. It’ll pinpoint the location where new mass is located. It’s these new parts that control our abilities. Once it identifies your mass, it’ll tell us which one of the five you have.”

My heart was thumping with anticipation.
What if I’m a kinesist like Delagio?
The idea of being able to control inanimate objects seemed beyond awesome.
Or Charm?
I would never have to go through another awkward conversation again. I could even convince John to lay off me.
Or Teleportation?
I could visit anywhere in the world whenever I wanted to.
Or Pyromancy, like Sophia
. I could-

17

D
isappointment swirled around my stomach like bad food.