Awakening (The Way Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  I looked to the front of the classroom as the teacher began to call roll.

  She was coming to my name, "Way–" The door flew open suddenly, cutting her off. I turned to look at the door with my hand still raised and my eyes flew open wide.

  "Sorry I'm late!" Raven gasped breathlessly.

  Her hair was wind tossed and her face was slightly flushed from running. Her backpack hung loosely from one shoulder pulling the collar of her shirt down around her shoulder. It was all I could do to snatch my gaze away and not stare.

  As I turned, I felt a strange warm feeling on my cheek and immediately tried to hide my face without being obvious.

  "It's quite all right, Miss Veil just take your seat." The teacher replied with a slightly dreamy sound to her voice. I glanced, uncomfortably, at the sixty–something year old woman. That wasn't a tone you expected to hear directed at a student.

  I caught my reflection in the window as I looked up: Thank God. You're not blushing.

  Raven sat down next to me, shooting me a momentary glance and smile. "Hey, you didn't tell me you were coming to my school." She whispered.

  "I didn't know." I whispered back.

  Another student came in a split second later.

  "Sorry I'm late; I got held up in traffic and–"

  "THAT'S NO EXCUSE!" The teacher roared, making me jump. "DID YOU CHECK IN AT THE OFFICE!?"

  "Um, a, no ma’am."

  "GET DOWN THERE AND DO IT THEN!" She shouted.

  "Holy…" I swore under my breath. "What just happened?"

  "Oh, it's just my magical personality," Raven and Goth boy chuckled like they were remembering an inside joke. "I get along with all my teachers."

  The class began and we didn't talk again until the bell rang.

  "There you go again, Raven!" Goth Boy laughed as we left the room. "You don't get in trouble for anything do you?"

  "Oh, I get into trouble a lot," Raven laughed mischievously. "I just avoid the consequences better than you, Trevor." She turned on me suddenly. "And why did you not text me?"

  I was taken aback. "Oh, I, um," I stuttered lamely. "I forgot."

  "Wait, you know each other?" Goth Boy, or Trevor, as I now knew him, asked.

  "Yeah, we go way back." She laughed.

  "Yeah a good sixteen, seventeen hours" I replied sarcastically.

  My dangerous air, and even my awkwardness, was all but disintegrating next to this girl. I was joking and laughing and being...myself? Or was I being someone else? I didn't even know at that point.

  Trevor was still looking at us, confused, as Raven and I laughed at my stupid joke.

  "We met at the mall yesterday." Raven clarified for him.

  "Ooohhh," Trevor responded. "That makes more sense."

  I realized suddenly I'd been following them without knowing where exactly we were going. "Um, guys," I pulled up short. "Tell me one of you has Latin Four next."

  "Yeah I do," Raven smiled grabbing my wrist. "Come on we're gonna be late at this pace!"

  She took off running, snatching me along behind her. I stumbled, and nearly fell, but got my feet underneath me and ran along with her. We tumbled through the doors of a classroom just as the bell rang.

  "Cutting it close there, Miss Veil." A balding older man said from the front of the classroom.

  "Sorry, Mr. McRobert," she replied, all smiles. "Just showing Way how to get here and that took a little longer than I expected." I felt that strange warm feeling again and stepped away from Raven for a moment. Just like that, it was gone.

  "It's quite alright," Mr. McRobert said with the same dreamy quality as the algebra teacher. "Just take your seats."

  I pushed it out of my mind. I was crazy after all. This was just a new symptom.

  "Now, in ancient times many people believed in–" Mr. McRobert was writing a word on the board all dreaminess gone from his voice. "–demons." He paused to look around the room. "What can anyone tell me about these?"

  Raven raised her hand and Mr. McRobert nodded at her. "Depending on the culture, they have different names and appearances but they're almost always some kind of fallen servants of higher beings."

  "Well, said," He replied. "Anyone else want to add anything?"

  No one did, so he went on. "Demons are spiritual beings, usually with the ability to possess people. Who knows what possession mean?"

  Another student responded, "When a spirit takes control of someone’s body."

  "Exactly!" Mr. McRobert pointed at the student and wrote: ‘possession=taking control’ on the board. "So, in our mythology translation today we have a character possessed by a demon. Let's see what happens, shall we? Buddy up, buddy up, buddy up."

  I felt like someone had just injected ice into my veins. Buddy? As in 'group work'? Haha you're screwed. "Shut up." I growled softly.

  "Yeesh, I haven't even said anything yet." Raven laughed, snatching a desk up next to mine. "So, do you not want to work with me?"

  The ice melted a little. Maybe you're not screwed. "I said shut up"

  "Hey," she punched me in the arm. "Quit talking to yourself so we can work."

  I stared at her for a second. "I said that out loud?"

  "Yes, yes you did." She replied. "Now, you two done in there or should I come back later?"

  Why is she being so calm about that? "I don't know." I made sure I didn't say it out loud. "Maybe she's crazy too?" Are you sure you're crazy? I thought crazy people didn't know it. "Well, the doctors say I am right?" Whatever, I'm taking a nap. I'll be back later. "You can stay gone for all I care."

  "Yeah, I'm good," I said aloud. "Let's get this done already."

  My mom had been a Latin professor when I was young and Raven had clearly been paying very close attention in class, so we flew through the assignment together.

  The rest of my schedule for the day was pretty easy to follow, thanks to Raven’s instructions. At the end of the day I reached P.E.

  I met up with Trevor at my locker and we walked to the locker room to dress out. About half–way there, Trevor fell oddly quiet.

  "What's up?" I asked.

  "It's just," He gestured to the door. "Meat heads, ya know?"

  I nodded. I knew what it was like to get pushed around. It’s why I usually tried to scare people off.

  "It's alright," I didn't know where this was coming from but I knew I meant every word. "I'll keep them off you."

  I pushed open the door before he could respond and led the way inside. The stench of sweat hit my nostrils hard but I ignored it and put on an air of ‘don't mess with me’.

  Heads turned from the lockers as I went to the one I'd been issued. I grabbed my gym clothes and changed in an instant, including taking out my earrings. Walking out, I saw one of Clint's goons from earlier creeping up on Trevor from behind. A towel was twisted in his hands ready to snap.

  A loud crack echoed through the tiled room, instantly silencing everyone. I had managed to catch the end of the towel just a split second before it hit Trevor's back. I slung the towel away and shoved the goon backwards and over a bench. He hit the ground hard and stared at me shocked.

  "Listen up.” I growled at him. “Actually, first, what’s your name?”

  He glared at me so I stepped forward onto his ankle putting a quarter of my weight on it. It wasn’t much but it was enough to twist his face in pain.

  “David,” he grunted in pain, so I let a little weight off.

  “Ok, David. Listen close, bud. You and your little gang are gonna step off.” I leaned my weight in twice as hard as before and he let out a gasp. “Or I’ll have to deal with it.”

  I stepped off. “Understand?”

  He nodded.

  I cocked my head at Trevor and we walked out of the room into the gym. Our first chore of the class was to run a few laps around the gym as a warm up. I held myself back and stayed in the middle of the pack.

  Meanwhile Clint busted out of the gates sprinting. He hadn't been in the locker room when I threatened
David but I knew I'd bought myself a whole mess of trouble when he heard. I wasn't scared, just irritated that I'd have to put up with it.

  Next, the coach brought down a climbing rope. Twenty feet from the ground to the roof, I watched as the coaches pulled a huge crash mat out and underneath the rope.

  "Alright, we can't make you to do this but it's either this or twenty pull–ups," The head coach drawled. "So each of you make a choice."

  Most of the quiet kids went to the bars and start struggling through pull–ups that they would never actually finish. The more confident guys stayed around the rope to wait for their turns. Some of the climbers were so slow it hurt me and when it came to Clint's turn I was less than impressed. Compared to the others, he flew but it was only decent where I was from.

  He slid down and stepped of the mat before smirking at me. "Let's see you beat that!" He spit at me.

  "How long did he take?" I asked the coach as I stepped up under the rope.

  "Don't hurt yourself kid." The coach said. "Clint set the record here at the beginning of the year. 8.011 seconds. Just climb the rope."

  "I'll do it in six." I grabbed the rope with my hands.

  “Sure, you will.”

  "Time me." I rolled my eyes and climbed. I flew up the rope hand over hand. My palm smacked the bell and the gym fell silent. I let go with my right hand and hung there by one arm, to look down at everyone.

  "Time?" I called down.

  The coach fumbled with his stopwatch dropping, his clipboard in the process. Mouths and eyes were wide looking at me and even the group doing pull–ups had stopped.

  "I can't believe this." The coach gaped up at me. "Six seconds. Even."

  I lowered myself down the rope and hopped off of the mat. I winked at Clint and hung my tongue out of the side of my mouth, "Hope you were watching, babe." I winked at him in mockingly.

  You into him or something? I checked myself to make sure I wasn't speaking out loud. "No, you know I don’t swing that way." Hey, opinions change. I was just checking.

  I made my way through the sea of shocked faces in complete silence. "Why do you even have to ask?" I demanded silently. "You're in my head, shouldn't you already know?" I'm in your head not your heart. I know what you think, not what you feel. "Leave me alone, would you?"

  "Hey man," I said aloud, stopping in front of Trevor. What if I don't want to? I ignored it. "Not bad right?"

  "Not bad?" He gaped at me. "It's your first day here and you just set a new school record on that thing!" His eyes went wide as someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. I spun and saw Clint glowering at me.

  "You are so dead."

  The voice in my head laughed with me, "Good luck!"

  Chapter Four

  Raven found me in the parking lot as I walked to my Yukon.

  "Hey!" She called, running up across the parking lot to me. "You can't leave without saying, 'bye' jerk!"

  I laughed. What is happening to you? "I'm sorry I didn't know where you'd be."

  "Well, I know where you'll be tonight!" She pulled to a stop in front of me.

  "At home, wishing I could make this school disappear like a quarter?" I asked sarcastically.

  "Nope, at Old Grove Cemetery with me," she handed me a folded piece of paper. "Wait, you do magic tricks?"

  I ignored her as I unfolded the paper. I was greeted with a digitally drawn picture of a graveyard full of zombies lit only by a full moon. In red script, the lyrics to part of a Ghost Town song called ‘Party in the Graveyard’ were written along with an address and time.

  The invite read: "Calling all monsters, zombies, and creeps. Tonight's the night for dreamers and true believers in the afterlife. Let's get this party started!" Under that was the address for what I guessed must have been the Old Grove cemetery and the time: seven o'clock.

  "Um, why would we have a party on a school night?" I asked. “And in a graveyard for that matter?”

  She laughed at me. "Right, right you’re new. Tomorrow’s a day off. It's supposedly a PTA meeting day but we all know, it's because the school knows, we'll all be too tired to get anything done."

  "And why's that?" I asked leaning against the door of my Yukon.

  "Cause around here," she gestured with her arms. "We take Halloween very seriously."

  I couldn't help but smile mischievously, "I'm glad I'm not the only one."

  UUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH LAME. "Shut up!"

  "Ok, you're confusing me so badly," Raven said touching my forehead. I felt a strange warm tingle as her finger met my skin. "Oh, you're schizophrenic."

  I pulled back quickly. "How could you have known that?" I glared at her.

  "Well, you told me for sure just now." She took my hand gently. "But why else would you randomly tell yourself to shut up?"

  I fell silent for a second. Technically, you told me to shut up. "You're not helping." I growled in my head.

  "Are you mad?" She asked. “That I found out?”

  "No," I said honestly. "You just surprised me."

  "Good cause you know I don't care right?" She asked smiling. "You're you and I like it."

  My heart skipped a beat. I couldn't speak. Dude you are so in there.

  I shook my head to clear that last little side note and smiled at her. "Thanks Raven" I scrambled for a change of subject. "That means a lot." I folded the paper into a small square the size the size of a playing card. “So, how do we get permission to use this graveyard to have a party? Or is it one of those ‘you see blue lights start running’ kind of deals?”

  She laughed hard shaking her head. “No, no. It’s a historic site that’s opened for public use. The guy who organizes the party every year just rents the place out. It’s so old most of the graves can’t even be read anymore.”

  “Oh that’s cool.” I stared away awkwardly for a moment then rushed to fill the silence. "Wanna see something cool?"

  She didn't reply. Instead she just raised an eyebrow curiously. I flourished my hands and with a flick my wrist the invitation disappeared into my left jacket sleeve. I waved my right hand in the air to draw her attention and with another snap of my wrist I threw the paper spinning into her half open back pack.

  "Ok that was cool," Raven was staring at me intently. "Roll up your sleeves." I did as she asked and her eyes got wide. "Wait, where’d it go, then?"

  I stepped back and snapped my fingers. "Check your backpack."

  "Only if you'll come tonight." She winked at me and leaned against my car to rest her back pack on her knees.

  "I have no idea how to get there," I said lamely. "I know how to get here, to church, and to Taco Bell"

  "Then meet me at Taco Bell and I'll give you directions in exchange for a ride," she winked at me again then gasped. "Ok that was pretty cool!" She held up the folded invitation.

  Raven was about to go on when her phone vibrated distracting her. She checked the number and sighed twisting her head back in forth like she was trying to pop her neck. I would come to learn this was a sign of frustration in her.

  "I gotta take this." She looked awkwardly at me and slid her finger across the touch screen to answer. "Hey...yeah...yeah ok I'll be there in a second."

  The tone of voice she used, said she was ready to be done with whatever she was about to do before she even started it. She hung up.

  "Listen, just meet me at Taco Bell at 6 and I'll ride with you so that I can give you directions." She gave me a flirty look before turning to walk away, "You'll have to take me home after the party though."

  "Yeah," I called after her reeling like I'd been punched in the jaw. "Ok."

  That afternoon I got home and went straight to my room to try and wrap my mind around the fact I was going to a party with a girl in a couple of hours.

  My mom came up from the kitchen to see what I was doing.

  "How'd school go honey?" She asked.

  "Not bad," I replied. "That girl I met at the mall goes to school with me."

  "Raven?" She sounded genuinely e
xcited for me.

  "Yes, ma’am." I replied sitting down at my computer. I nervously fiddled with it and opened it.

  "Um," I snapped it shut and spun in my desk chair to face her.

  She was a pretty woman, at forty years old. She had reddish brown hair and was only about 5'4".

  "Can I go to a party tonight?" I asked. Well, that was sudden.

  "What?" My mom seemed as shocked that I'd asked, as I was that I'd been invited.

  "Raven invited me to come to a Halloween party with her tonight," I said quickly. I was nervous and talking a mile a minute. "I was gonna meet her at 6 at Taco Bell so we could eat and then go to the party and I don't know how to get there but she does so she's gonna give me directions so can I go please?"

  "Um..." She stared blankly at me for a moment then continued as she attempted to process the word soup I'd just cooked her. "Sure ah...I'm glad you're making friends."

  "Thank you." I sighed, relieved, and slumped into my chair.

  "When will you be home?" She asked.

  "I have no idea." I replied honestly.

  "Well, you don't have school tomorrow so just be safe." She was catching up after the initial surprise of me going out. "Your dad and I have to go to that conference the next few days so try not to wake him up when you come home. I'll leave the alarm off for you, just don't forget to set it when you come in. We'll probably be gone before you get up in the morning so make sure to say ‘bye’ before you leave tonight." She started to leave but then turned back and smiled at me. "I really am happy for you."

  "Thanks, mom." I smiled back and she shut the door.

  "Now" I turned to my closet. "What to wear?"

  Chapter Five

  Six o'clock rolled around and I pulled up to Taco Bell. I hopped out of my car and my feet touched the ground softly. My black jeans were accompanied by a red band T–shirt. In my ears were my black mini hoops and the silver cartilage ring. I walked through the door and stopped in my tracks.

  Raven. Looked. Amazing.