The Awakening (30 page)

Isiodore let out a high pitched squeal and thrust his head forward, stabbing the horn directly towards me. I reacted just in time, diving out of the way - but not before the razor sharp horn caught with my jumper sleeve, tearing through the thick material as if it were tissue paper.

“What the hell?” I shouted, checking my arm for damage. The Unicorn was pacing around its stable, stamping its hooves and letting out harsh snorts. His eyes had turned a dark blue and his lips coiled up into a snarl.

Gabriella pushed me further away from the opening.
“Dio dannazione!”
she swore, “Alex, you have to be more careful! I thought you’d read the handbook!”

“Not all of it! I protested. “Why did he attack me?”

“Unicorns are as fierce as they are intelligent. What do you think the huge spike on its head is for idiot? Before you approach one, you have to gain its approval,” she sighed. “Look, I’ll show you. Stay here and watch.”

Gabriella moved over to a nearby bush and delicately plucked a beautiful white orchid type flower from it. She held it in the centre of her outstretched palms and moved towards the unicorn, which was still thrashing about and snorting as if possessed.

“It’s okay Isiodore, it’s okay boy,” she soothed as she edged closer to the opening. The Unicorn started to slow his movements and eventually came to a stop, although his teeth were still bared and lips coiled into the aggressive grimace.

“It’s okay boy,” Gabriella repeated. I watched as she sank to one knee with her head bowed and pushed her hands through a gap in the fence. The Unicorn regarded her for a second and then its snarl vanished. Like a departing mist, the dark blue seeped away from its eyes and was replaced by bright turquoise once more. He gave a soft whinny. Then I watched as he moved close and gently ate the flower from her hands.

Gabriella stood up, and put a hand over the top of the fence. Isiodore moved forward and pressed the side of his face against her palm.

Isiodore gave a non-committal snort. I kept my head down. Then I felt a light tickle on my hands. I raised my head and drew in a sharp breath as I saw the Unicorn eating the flower from my palms. His eyes were still turquoise and as they met mine.

I knew he had forgiven me.

I stood up and moved towards the Unicorn. As with Gabriella, he pressed his head into my hand. His coat felt softer than the purest cashmere. I ran my fingers through the fine hairs on his muzzle.

I turned to Gabriella and gave her a smile. “I hope you don’t mind sharing a favourite spot.”

We spent most of the morning in the Sanctuary. I saw countless creatures that a week ago I’d never have dreamed could exist. Some cute and some creepy, but each one incredible and unique in its own right. Those that were small and safe enough to be handled, Gabriella carefully picked up to show me. I watched the way her eyes crinkled at the corners as she looked at them. Noticed how she always held them in exactly the right way and acted in the perfect manner so they didn’t become distressed.

She really cares about them.

I’d read somewhere that you could gauge if a person was good or not, by the way they treated animals. If that was anything to go by, then Gabriella was hot on Mother Teresa’s heels.

One of the last animals she showed me was a Welkin – a small fox/catlike creature with yellow fur and two bushy tails that it could move independently. As she passed it over to me, our fingers touched. Neither of us moved. The charges started up, the noise as loud in my ears as a detuned television. My insides buzzed as if they were alive. My heartbeat trebled. When I dared to look up, Gabriella was staring at me. Our fingers stayed pressed together, mine over hers. Underneath, a confused Welkin wriggled about. I tried to speak, but I couldn’t get hold of my voice. The world shifted on its axis and everything slid away.

All I could see was Gabriella.

She didn’t move her gaze, just like that first day in English. Her irises started to expand. Her lips parted slightly.

Those lips. Perfect red lips that you could lose hours kissing...

“Are you guys re-enacting the Lion King or somethin’?”

I turned to see an amused looking Delagio leaning against the inside wall of the barn, a singular silver marble spinning around his hand like a moon in orbit. Instantly, Gabriella snapped her fingers away from mine. A tsunami of disappointment washed over me. My mind whirred in confusion.
Did we just have a moment?
My rational brain told me that the idea was ridiculous.
But why didn’t she move her hand? And the way she looked at me...

The Welkin gave a sharp bark. I looked down to see it writhing about, little paws waggling like it was in a girl fight. I set the animal down and it scurried over to the safety of its pack, sneaking the occasional wounded glance at us.

“Hi Del, what’s up?” said Gabriella.

“Well, Alex here was s’posed to be with me for speed trainin’ bout an hour ago. Scarlett said I’d find y’all here.”

Gabriella glanced down at her watch. “
Mio Dio!
I’m really sorry Del, we lost track of time.”

“Hey, no worries boss, I needed ta get some new toys from the armoury anyways.” He turned to me. “So fella, you ready to come test those stilts of yours?”

Delagio and I headed out of the Sanctuary and onto a new path that headed to the far right of the house. The weather outside of the little paradise was miserable. Dark clouds threatened to spill more rain at a moment’s notice.

“You know what I’m talkin’ about.” He flicked his head in the direction we’d come from. “Lil miss sunshine of your life back there. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

Oh god, is it that obvious?
I cringed internally. Externally, I shrugged. “Sorry Del, you’ve got it wrong. We’re just friends.”

“Agghh!” he threw up his hands in mock frustration. “You Brits drive me crazy! Where I come from, we like a girl, we tell them how it is - day or night. Y'all will deny it to your graves. Unless you absorb enough beer to do the drunken shuffle over and attempt to attach y'allself to their faces.”

I snickered and then let out a defeated sigh. “Okay, maybe you’re right. But it makes no difference; she doesn’t see me that way.”

Delagio made a noise like he was pondering. “I’m not so sure buddy. If there’s one thing I know, its women.” He paused to flash a salesman grin. “And I’ve noticed the way she acts around you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well look, you wouldn’t be the first guy to have passed through and wanted to get to know her a little better if you catch my drift.”

“Hey, it’s not like that!” I bit.

“No, I know, I know,” he appeased. “What I’m tryin’ to say is that she never even gave them a second glance. But with you... look - she freaked out after you escaped. She watched over you the entire time you were resting after your mind merge. She tore through a dozen Hiveminds like they was pups when she realised you’d been taken. And that’s not even mentioning the rom-com scene I just walked in on.”

I felt my mouth gape open. “That
was
a moment?”

“Looked like it to me.” He shrugged. “But hell, what do I know right? I’m just a stupid hick!” We both laughed. It was hard not to like Delagio, even if he was a bit over the top.
He’d get on like a house on fire with Tim,
I thought.

I could tell that he looked set to ask me more questions about Gabriella. I racked my brain to think of something to deflect the conversation away from me.

We walked in silence for a minute or so. Delagio was once again spinning the marble around his hand and through his fingers. He stared at it for a while then looked up, his eyes gleaming. “I almost forgot to ask! What ability did you get?”

A menacing cloud swallowed the pale sun completely and rain began to pour in thick rods. The addictive scent of damp soil rose from the ground.

The path ended. Just beyond, a deep trench had been cut into the ground. We came to the ridge and Delagio jumped down into it. I followed, landing in a large puddle and soaking my trainers and my jean bottoms in dirty water.

“Perfect,” I muttered.

The trench was about three times my height, with about fifteen feet between each wall. It was like a huge scar in the land, snaking into the distance. The beginning of it stood right behind me. A metallic circle about the size of a dinner plate had been set into the compacted mud wall. A black line ran down the middle, suggesting it could open in some way. Next to it was a LED Panel protected by a thin plastic cover.

Delagio stripped the cover off and rolled it into his pocket. Then he tapped his fingers on the screen.

The circle beeped and the sides parted, revealing a pitch black tunnel. I tried to peer in, but Delagio grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

“Probably not such a good idea.”

I cast him a confused look. He breathed in deep. “In about thirty seconds, this hatch is going to release a whole bunch of Venenum.

I thought for a second.
No, haven’t read about those.

“Insect Fera,” he continued when I didn’t answer. “They look a bit like giant wasps. Y’all gonna want to run like you owe money. They ain’t strong enough to kill you, but trust me; their stings will make y’all wish you was dead. When you get to the end, there’ll be something you can use to take them out, but not before.”

Without another word, he ran up the side of one of the walls and vaulted backwards off of it, landing safely outside the trench. He pulled a Biomote out of his pocket and tapped a button. Instantly, thick glass walls shot out of the ground, covering the sides all the way down the pathway. They kept growing higher and then curved together and joined at the top, trapping me inside a giant snow globe.

“I’d start running now if I were you,” Delagio warned. His voice sounded muffled behind the thick glass. He’d barely finished his words before the first of the Venenum flew out of the hole. My breathing snagged in my chest. It was the size of a crow. Six spindly appendages hung from its black and red striped body. The back four looked like an insects, but the front two were miniature black hands complete with spindly fingers. A sharp stinger curled out from its arched abdomen, the tip pointing straight towards me. The bit that really freaked me out was the face. It looked almost...human. Bulbous white eyes, with pulsing black pupils and a large awkward mouth which stretched open to reveal sharp fangs. The Venenum noticed me and let out a high pitched squeal and raced forward. Behind it dozens more flew out, the combined drone of their wings loud and eerie.

“You have got to be kidding me!”

I was racing at an incredible speed before I was even aware I was moving. The rain shower had turned the ground into a mud bath. Hidden roots and rocks snagged on my feet. It took all of my improved balance to keep upright. I surged forward, checking behind me. The swarm were still gaining, their high pitched screams mixing with the steady beat of the rain.

Without warning, a wall shot up straight in front of me. It was too wide to go around. I didn’t have time to stop, so I vaulted as high as I could, using my momentum to run up the side. For a second I thought I’d made it. But in a stomach lurching moment, one trainer clipped the top. I tumbled to the ground on the other side, grunting as I splashed into the mud and slid along the trench. The impact barely hurt at all. What did hurt was the dagger that sunk into the flesh between my shoulder blades. Pain exploded in my back, sweeping up my spine and smashing into my brain. A scream ripped from my throat. I turned to see that the leading Venenum had stung me. Each stab of pain felt like a sharp fingernail raking against an exposed nerve. I jerked out my foot and crushed the insect against the metal wall. There was a sickening pop and then a mess of black and green.

I darted back onto my feet as the others buzzed around the obstacle. I pushed myself harder - the pain still searing in my back - determined not to have a repeat experience. The path became a blur, as I jumped and twisted my way over the various obstacles that shot out along the way. I glanced up through the glass, to see Delagio running alongside the trench, pressing the Biomote in his hand at certain points. With each tap of the pad, a wall or moving barrier appeared.
He’s making the obstacles appear!
I gritted my teeth.