Awakening (The Way Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  "Wow," the voice and I actually agreed on something.

  She winked at me, "You don't look too bad yourself."

  I looked down at myself. I was pretty well defined and spent a lot of time training outside so I had a decent tan but I wasn't anything close to her.

  Listen, we can have this conversation later. You have...things to do. I felt him recede like he used to when he'd say he was taking a nap, but the presence was still there.

  She sat down and crossed her legs on the bed next to me. "So you ready?"

  Now, put yourself in my shoes. You’re into girls and an insanely attractive one, who for some unknown reason is into you, is sitting across from you on her bed and says, ‘So you ready?’ What's the first thing that goes through your mind?

  I forced myself too tuck–and–roll off that train of thought and back to the matter at hand.

  "Um, no," I responded. "How does this work?"

  "Oh, right, sorry," she laughed and winked at me. "I forgot this is your first time."

  I felt a shiver run down my spine and she started laughing. I shoved her gently and laughed. "But for real? How's this work?"

  "Well I need you to lay down, first off," she pushed me back onto the bed and kissed my cheek. "Close your eyes and just relax."

  I did what she said and felt her settle down next to me.

  "Now, I'm gonna walk you through this cause I feel like you're the type to get freaked out when you don't understand what's happening to you."

  "Well, I'm glad you noticed that much," I teased her.

  "You've got to be quiet and try to relax." She instructed me.

  I tried to do as she said and took a deep slow breath.

  "Now, what I'm gonna do here is touch each of your chakra points and try to figure out what caused your aura to shift." I felt her hand rest lightly, two inches short of way too low on my body and almost stopped her before she could start. But for some reason, I let myself trust her.

  Her hand was sitting half an inch below where my belt buckle would normally be. I felt the warmth of her magic as she began.

  "The chakras start at the base of the spine with Root Chakra." Her hand stopped just near my belly button. "The second is the Sacral Chakra." Her hand slid up again. "The third is the Solar Plexus Chakra. The fourth is the Heart Chakra. The fifth is the Throat Chakra. The sixth is the Third Eye Chakra," her finger tips rested on the center of my forehead. "And the seventh is the Crown Chakra." The moment her hand rested on the top of my head she suddenly jerked away.

  My eyes flew open and I sat up. "What is it?" I demanded. "What happened?"

  She shook her hand and the light from the window caught her eyes making them appear to glow. "All of your chakras are pretty messed up, though most of them seem to be healing fine. The best I can explain is it looks like something was dragged through them and your Crown Chakra is, well, deformed."

  "What does that even mean?" I asked, freaked out and confused.

  "Way," she looked me in the eyes. "I have no idea."

  Way, calm down. Do not panic, I don't know why this is popping into...my head? Do I have my own head? Food for thought right there.

  "Future ADD applicant, please get to the point!" I yelled at him silently.

  Ask her about someone named, Oliver.

  "Would Oliver know anything?" I finally spoke aloud.

  She stared at me stunned, "How do you know Oliver?"

  "I don't. I have no idea where that name came from it just popped into my head."

  "Oliver is my teacher," she said. "He taught me everything I know."

  "Then he might know something right?" I asked. "Can you get in contact with him?"

  "I can," she paused shaking her head. "I'm so dead though. I'm not even supposed to reveal my abilities much less get him involved."

  "How bad will it be if you do?" I asked.

  "Oh, I'll get chewed out for a couple of years but I'll survive," she sighed. "Anyways you definitely need more help than I can offer." She pulled out her phone and dialed a number as she left the room.

  "Why?" I demanded. "Why is all of this happening?"

  Something is changing and I'm sure this girl has something to do with it.

  "How so?"

  Well, think about it. The whole Denver thing was bad right?

  "Um, yeah. Yeah, it was." I growled back.

  Yeah, but nothing like this happened then, right? You’ve never kicked me out of your head before. I've never been able to see anything but what you can. But now, it's like I'm so locked into your senses I can see the things you hear. It’s like I can watch your life in third person if I want to. That's how I helped you in that fight. So, it's not just you that's changing. I am too and I'm scared.

  I sat stunned for a moment, "Wait...are you...you're not me at all are you?"

  I'm starting to think, not. I can't remember anything except being with you but I know things you don't. How's that possible? Unless, of course, I'm not actually just a voice in your head.

  "Then what are you?"

  I don't know. But this Oliver might.

  Chapter Twelve

  Raven came back in as the conversation ended and sat down next to me on her bed.

  "Oliver's busy tonight, but he'll be here tomorrow morning."

  "Do you think he can figure out why all this weird stuff is happening to me?" I asked.

  "I honestly don't know." She said. She certainly wasn't one to sugar coat things. "He's extremely skilled and knows more about the supernatural than I probably ever will, but this is like nothing I've ever studied."

  "So explain that to me?" I said. "How exactly does a witch find a teacher? Like did you just put up an ad online or what?"

  She giggled and I smiled at her. She was much prettier when she smiled.

  "We prefer to be called magicians and most of us don't have individual mentors, anymore." She sighed. "I'm not supposed to tell you any of this."

  I cocked my head at her confused and she sighed again. "Ok, but you have to not know this after I tell you." I nodded and she went on. "Oliver and I are members of an organization called 'The Midnight Society'. We're a group of magicians and even ordinary humans who hunt...things."

  "What kind of things?" I asked leaning forward.

  "You're not gonna believe me." She replied looking towards the ground.

  "Try me." I turned her head up to mine.

  "I’m a sucker for a pretty face." She kissed me quickly then pulled back and took a deep breath. "Here goes. They hunt creatures. Things straight out of books and horror movies. Things that you can't even imagine. You remember when you were little and you were told not to be afraid of the dark? Well, when I was little and got scared of the monster in my closet Oliver, handed me a .38 and a spell book."

  “Wait, so Oliver is your dad?” I asked confused.

  “Oh,” she went wide eyed for a second. “Shit, I wasn’t gonna tell you that.”

  I stared at her for a second. “What?”

  “Oliver, raised me.” She sighed again. “My parents died so long ago I don’t remember. Oliver killed that thing that killed them and found me. He could sense I was…special, so he brought me into the fold.”

  “So you lied to me?” I was actually, kind of, hurt.

  “Only because telling you about him would’ve forced me to tell you all of this sooner.” She set her hand on mine. “I’m sorry.”

  It was all a lot to take in at once. Not to mention, it was hard to believe. Then again, I had seen her use magic already...

  "So," I paused trying to wrap my mind around it. “Vampires are real?"

  "Oh, tons of them."

  "Werewolves?"

  "Yeah, but those two don't actually hate each other. Well, at least no more than humans do."

  "Zombies?"

  "Three different types."

  "Rakshasa?"

  She paused and raised an eyebrow, "You're a dork for knowing what that is and yes."

  I kept listing thing
s and she kept saying yes. I finally fell silent for a few moments.

  Then: "God?"

  It was her turn to fall silent. After a few moments she responded slowly. "I don't believe there is one. I've seen lots of crazy stuff but never anything to suggest a god exists."

  "But if you've seen all those things that shouldn't exist how do you discount the possibility of God?" I asked. I wasn't trying to start a theological debate with her. The logic just didn't make sense to me.

  "Because of how awful the world is!" She exclaimed angrily and glared at the roof. "If there's no God then it makes sense. Just chaos and death and a few people smart and strong enough to survive it. But if there is a God–" she looked straight into my eyes. "–then why the hell would he let all of this happen?"

  Chapter Thirteen

  I had always believed that there must be a god of some kind out there, but I’d never really given much thought to it before. That said, Raven's determination that there just absolutely couldn't be one, was a bit surprising given everything else she believed in.

  Raven had a headache and there was nothing at her house for me to cook, so she’d sent me out to hunt and/or gather food for us.

  As I got out of my car, a man approached me. I didn't pay him much attention, assuming he was going to ask for money.

  "Hey, man," he called. "Listen, I need some help."

  I cut him off as nicely as I could. "Man, I'm sorry, but I've got just enough money for dinner; I can't help you."

  "Oh, I don't want your money," he said taking me by surprise.

  I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you want?"

  His eyes. My stomach dropped out and my blood froze. They were perfectly white without even a pinprick of a pupil. He started laughing maniacally as I took a step back. "You!"

  He sprang at me.

  My hand shot out on pure instinct and slammed into his Adam's Apple. He staggered back but almost immediately came at me again.

  What the hell? Side kick, knee joint. Now!

  I followed his advice and kicked hard. I felt the joint give way and snap. He fell and I sprang back.

  That should do it!

  "I'm not so sure about that." I said as the man forced himself to stand up again. He was off balance but he was coming.

  I caught his arm to shoulder throw him but he grabbed me by my shoulders and tossed me through the air like a rag doll. I had been thrown quite a few times, but no human had the kind of strength this guy showed. I was airborne for two–seconds before I slammed into the door of my car with enough force to cave it in and shatter the window.

  I hit the ground and couldn't move. The man staggered towards me and pulled back his broken leg. I felt the unnatural strength again, as his foot connected with my midsection. I hit the door, then the ground, and then my car door hit me. It slid off of my back, onto the ground and I saw where my impact had shattered the hinges. I coughed and watched as blood splashed to the ground from my mouth.

  You're getting messed up! The voice sounded like it was in pain too. You've got to get out of here!

  The man pulled his leg back again and I forced myself to lunge from the ground to slam my shoulder into his chest. He caught me around the chest and hauled me off of the ground. His grip jarred whatever was injured in my belly and I let out another cry of pain.

  Suddenly, he froze holding me above his head.

  "PUT HIM DOWN!" A voice boomed. The arms released and I fell.

  I tucked my chin to my chest to protect my head and hit the ground hard. I wanted to black out but I forced my head up.

  A tall man decked out in full black was striding towards us. He had on a long black trench coat pulled closed over black pants and combat boots.

  My attacker was backing up quickly but the newcomer shot forward. My eyes couldn't follow him; no one, should be able to move that fast.

  Before I knew what was happening, the man in black had my attacker by the throat.

  He spoke quickly in Latin. “Exsurgat Deus et dissipentur inimici ejus: et fugiant qui oderunt eum a facie ejus.” A bright light shown from my attacker’s mouth and eyes as he began to shake violently. “Sicut deficit fumus, deficiant: sicut fluit cera a facie ignis, sic pereant peccatores a facie Dei.” The light stopped and my attacker fell to the ground.

  "What the h–" I coughed hard and blood splattered the ground again.

  The man dropped to his knees next to me. "On your back." He ordered, tossing the car door away from me with one hand.

  I had no other choice. I rolled over.

  He clapped his hands together like he was praying and then laid them on my stomach. I saw a faint glow come from his hands and felt an electric tingle shoot through my body. He rose again to his feet and walked back to the body. I sat up slowly and realized I didn't feel any pain.

  I looked over to see him kneeling over the body.

  "Vade in pace, et Dominus sit tecum." He closed the eyes of my attacker with one hand.

  "Did you kill him?" I asked nervously.

  "No," The man stood up and offered me his hand. "He was already dead. I exorcised the demon that was controlling his body, that's all."

  I stared at him for a second.

  Dude. The voice chimed in. I think that's Oliver!

  Before I could respond, the man grabbed me by the throat and slammed me to the asphalt. "Dimittite eum ut in nomine Christi!"

  I felt an awful ripping feeling like when I yelled at the voice to get out but this time it stayed in my head. I felt like someone was trying to tear my brain out of my skull but nothing would give.

  The man released me suddenly and the pain ceased. My vision swam and my hearing was distorted. I was going out.

  "You're not possessed?" The man said as I faded into black. "Then what are you?"

  Chapter Fourteen

  I came-to lying in my own bed.

  What happened to us, kid? The voice asked. I could almost picture it rubbing its head in confusion.

  "Was it a dream?" I asked, sitting up slowly. I knew better of course. I was sore from whatever the man in black had done to me.

  "Wouldn't you wish." The man in black’s voice came from one side of my room.

  "Why did you bring me here?" I demanded grabbing my head.

  "Well, it's your house isn't it?" He responded sarcastically.

  "Yeah, but how would you know that?" I demanded.

  Probably not smart to be aggressive towards the guy who'd just saved your life and then tried to kill you but, ya know, Y.O.L.O. and all that crap.

  "That'd be thanks to me." Raven's voice came from my opened bathroom door. I turned to see her drying her face. I guessed she must have needed to wake herself up.

  Guess I was right about that being Oliver.

  "Okay. I don't care who does this but, someone needs to get explaining. Now."

  "I'll do it," the man sat down in my desk chair. "In case you haven't figured it out yet: I'm Oliver, Raven's teacher. The man who attacked you was possessed by a lower class demon called an Alé. I exorcised the Alé and that's why you saw a dead body. The man was dead long before I got there."

  "Okay, I followed along about up till there," I said. "But what did you do to me and why?"

  "I sensed a secondary presence in your Crown Chakra." He replied as though that should mean something to me.

  "What does that even mean?" I demanded waving my hand like I was in class. Well, not like I was in class but like some know-it-all kid. "Non-creepy-magical demon hunter, here."

  Oliver shook his head at my antics. "I'm sure Raven explained what the chakras are?" I nodded. "Then you know your Crown Chakra is at the very top of your head. That's where your soul resides, it's what gives you the ability to think and feel and move. When someone is fully possessed by a demon of any kind, the demon takes residence in the crown chakra and forces the human's soul into their root chakra where they have no control of the body. Are you with me so far?"

  I nodded again not sure where t
his was going.

  "I sensed a presence besides your personal soul inside your crown chakra so my reaction was to think it was some form of a demonic possession. Since it was sharing the space, I figured it must be a low level antagonizer, which is why I went with a much shorter exorcism but of course as I'm sure you remember, it failed."

  "Um, I'm not possessed." I said stupidly.

  "Obviously," Raven stuck her tongue out at me and Oliver waved his hand at her.

  "Tease later," he growled. "There are more Alé in this town and I want to get back out there." Raven bowed her head in apology, shocking me almost as much as the rest of this night had. "Raven explained to me that you have a strange condition and the voice seems to have an awareness of its own. Am I correct?"

  "Yes, sir." I nodded showing as much respect as Raven had. "It seems to be able to use my senses to a level I can't. Since it can't control my eyes it's almost like it sees what I hear. The voice warned me about a guy coming at me from behind me, without me knowing he was there."

  Oliver tapped his chin thoughtfully for a few moments. He opened his mouth to respond but suddenly, the voice was yelling at me.

  GET THEM AWAY FROM THE WINDOW NOW!!! I shot off of my bed and grabbed Oliver by the shirt hauling him closer to the door as my window shattered inwards. Oliver broke my grip and threw up his hand.

  Three men with stark white eyes had just smashed through my window.

  "How?" I swore violently. "We're on the second floor!"

  Oliver ignored me and threw up his hand, calling out a Latin prayer. I grabbed Raven and pulled her behind me. One Alé was frozen in place but the other two were moving at Oliver.

  Raven shoved past me and threw up her own hand, calling out a similar prayer to Oliver's. A second Alé slowed down but there was still one coming.

  It was all happening to fast. The third Alé would be on them before they finished with the first two. I wished for more time to think.

  Suddenly, everything around me seemed to slow down, and yet, I still couldn't analyze fast enough. It was like everyone was fighting through molasses but I didn't know what to do. I was panicking.