Awakening (The Way Chronicles Book 1) Read online

Calm down. It was so soft spoken. So calm; confident even. I can help them.

  "How?" I demanded. Even though everything but my mind was moving like syrup, the Alé were still closing on Oliver and Raven. "I'll do anything you tell me to."

  I can't explain it exactly. It said. But, I think, I need your permission for it.

  "Do whatever you have to." I ordered. "Help them!"

  Suddenly, I felt like I was passing out. I was being pulled into my own mind. My vision narrowed to a tunnel, as I flew backwards through the darkness. It felt like I had been thrown into a dark room with only a small circular window to look out of.

  Looking out to what I could see, I watched my arm rise without my control. A strange golden aura interspersed with black swirls formed around my hand and I heard the voice again.

  I need your help to do this.

  "Tell me what to say." I replied terrified. I didn't know what was happening but I knew it was my only chance. I listened carefully, quickly memorizing the strange sounds.

  I closed my eyes and my body responded. I was moving through the darkness again: forward this time. I still wasn't fully in control of my body but I wasn’t out of it anymore. I opened my eyes and spoke.

  My voice rang out, like two people speaking at once.

  "Niis adagita a maelpereji!"

  The strange black and gold energy intensified and filled the room.

  Good work. The voice pulled back and I was in full control again. The light faded and my legs gave out. I collapsed to my knees and watched the three Alé fall to the ground as well. Oliver and Raven were staring at me in shock. As I tried to get up, my vision swam and my hearing distorted.

  "What lang–" Raven. "How– exor–"

  "I–" Oliver. "idea–"

  I felt my body give out and sprawl across my floor.

  "Get– here–" Raven again.

  "Take–" Oliver. "Figure out–"

  "Help– up–"

  I felt them lifting, but I was almost gone. As I slipped into unconsciousness, the last thing I heard was: "Midnight."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Light; not soft and warm but harsh and cold. It filled my vision as I came to. I was laying on a hard hospital bed with an IV stuck in my arm. I tried to sit up, but found myself strapped down with leather belt like bands.

  I tried to call out but I couldn't seem to speak. My mouth wasn't covered but I couldn't make it work. I tried in my head.

  "Hey, voice, what's going on?"

  There was no response. I was completely alone again and this time, it scared me.

  Panic rose in my stomach, but turned quickly to anger.

  "How dare they!" I thought angrily. I didn't even know who ‘they’ were. "They tie me to a bed, take both my voices, and now they don't even have the guts to show their faces.”

  I began trembling as the anger built getting stronger and stronger. I strained against the leather, while trying to force my voice to work. The pressure built and built. My muscles bulged. I shook with the strain and finally it broke.

  I let out a roar as my muscles overcame the clasps. I shot to a sitting position and freed my legs quickly, ripping out the IV in the process.

  As my feet hit the floor, the lights cut off and an alarm began to whir. I dropped low to the floor. I was in trouble. I only knew where the bed was since I hadn't had time to analyze the room before the lights had gone off. Suddenly, a door opened. The lights flickered and I lunged at the shape, silhouetted, in door.

  "Stop." I heard a woman’s voice as the lights came on. She flicked her hand at me and I felt a strange itchy sensation before I stopped dead in my tracks. I tried to step back and found I couldn't move.

  She turned away from me and crossed the room to look at the straps on the bed. Picking one up, she took a close look at it. The leather was still intact but I had bent the metal in the fastener.

  "Well, that's physically impressive," she dropped it and walked over to stand in front of me. "But what's really impressive is that you managed to activate your speaking abilities despite my silence spell. Can you still talk?"

  "Go to hell." I growled straining against the spell. My arms shook and pushed forward an inch and then stopped. Blood dripped to the floor quickly from my IV hole.

  "Amazing," she circled me once and stopped just behind my right shoulder prodding at my arms like I was some kind of science experiment. "You actually broke one hex and you’re fighting, this spell, out of sheer will power." She poked my muscle hard and her finger bent back. "Ow, ow, owie!" She shook her hand like a child.

  "What do you want?" I demanded.

  "You're still speaking?" She looked at me wide eyed. "I have to know. How did you break my silence spell?"

  "Answer me!" I yelled furiously and forced my arm back, hard. I heard a loud popping noise and felt my arm explode in agony that was only, vaguely offset, by satisfaction when the back of my clenched fist smashed into her face. My knuckles shattered her glasses, sending them flying through the air. The spell broke and I sprawled to the floor, screaming from the pain in my arm.

  The doctor had been knocked down and was holding her face in one hand, staring at me wide eyed, almost in awe.

  I forced myself to my feet and tried to run through the door but it slammed shut in my face. I spun on the woman.

  She was standing up, with her hands raised in the universal, ‘Remain calm, let's talk’ position. Blood ran down her face from her eyebrow and she was squinting at me, but she seemed eerily calm.

  "Let me go!" My whole body was shaking from the pain in my arm.

  "Let me see your arm first," she said gently.

  I shied away putting my left shoulder forward to shield my injured side. "Who are you?” She stepped forward and I cocked my left arm back to throw a punch. “Talk or I'll hit you with my good arm!"

  "Fine, fine." She nodded and held up her hands. "What do you want to know first?"

  "Where am I?"

  "You're at the regional base of the Midnight Society," she said sitting down on the bed I'd been strapped to. "I'm sure your friend Raven told you about us?"

  "She may have mentioned you." I hung back still distrustful (as I should’ve been). "Why am I here?"

  "Well, you were unconscious and needed help, according to Raven and Oliver."

  "Why was I tied down and...spelled?" I said awkwardly not knowing the word to use.

  "It was a hex so the proper phraseology would be hexed." She informed me. "And what would you do to someone who's supposed to be dangerous."

  She touched her face and winced and I took a second to actually look at her for the first time. She had straight red hair falling down to her shoulders that and striking green eyes one of which was half shut from the swelling. Looking closer, she looked to be in her late twenties.

  "I'm dangerous?" I asked, then realized how idiotic that question was.

  Of course you're dangerous.

  "I can honestly say, I never thought I'd be glad to hear you again." I said silently and sighed.

  Well, how do you feel now?

  "Kinda like, I'm gonna need you."

  "Yes, you are dangerous." The doctor finally replied as blood began to drip off of her face. "But, so far, it seems you're mainly dangerous to demons, and to the feelings of easily offended humans." As she spoke she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at the laceration. “Owie.”

  "What happened at my house–"

  She cut me off. "Should have been impossible, but was very fortunate.”

  I raised an eyebrow but she waved me off, "We'll get to that later. I know you still have more basic questions."

  "Where's Raven?"

  "I knew we'd get there eventually," she nodded at the back wall and a glowing Eye of Horus appeared. "She's been watching the whole time. She's in the briefing room with Oliver and some of the higher ups." The doctor paused and looked back to me. "So about that arm?"

  I glared at the symbol in rage. Picturing a bunch of people sitting
around, watching me like a lab rat, made me shake with anger but I forced myself to focus on the important things.

  "One more thing," I said taking a step towards her. "What's your name?"

  "Eleria," she smiled at me. "Eleria Pane. And you are?"

  "Way," I stepped up to her. "Way Lekken."

  "Dutch name huh?" She asked taking my arm.

  I let out a scream as the pain reignited. My knees buckled and my stomach turned but there was nothing left to bring up.

  "Uh, oh," she mumbled sliding her hand up my arm. "Looks like you ripped the muscles clean in two."

  My vision swam with agony. Suddenly, I felt a strange, itchy feeling and the pain was gone. I looked up as she released my arm and stepped back. I moved it slowly and found it was perfectly healed.

  "Damn, I've gotta learn that one." I forced a laugh as I got off of the floor. I had decided to play nice if only to avoid getting tied down again. "So why exactly did my bicep just rip in half?"

  "Stop Spells function by directly impeding the contraction and relaxation of muscles," she explained gesturing for me to follow her to the door. I did, but not without reservations. "They freeze in their exact place, which is why even simply twitching should be nearly impossible while under one's effect."

  "Okay," I drug out the word. "But that doesn't answer my question."

  "I'm getting there," she said a little crossly. "Jeez, you're impatient."

  I just shrugged.

  She nailed that on the head. The little jerk laughed at me.

  "Shut up," I replied silently. "I'm remembering why I hate you."

  I realized Eleria was going on. "Magic is the only way to counter a stop spell for most people and if you're a magician, you'll have no problem as they're very easily undone. You, on the other hand, used no magic to break out of my spell which is why you injured yourself. See, you put the muscles of your right arm under such intense strain you managed to tear your bicep causing your tricep, which was equalizing the force from your bicep to hold you in place, to snatch your arm back and punch me in the face."

  "Wow," I gaped open mouthed. "That was so much more complicated than I thought it was gonna be."

  "What were you expecting?" Eleria seemed confused.

  "Something along the lines of," I shrugged and mimicked her facial expressions. "'Eh, ya know, magic.'"

  She laughed as we turned a corner and a group of young boys in dark clothes snapped to attention.

  "At ease you guys," she waved her hand at them.

  "Who's the new guy?" One asked loudly.

  "The only person to ever break out of one of my stop spells without using magic." She replied nonchalantly and just kept walking. I saw their mouths drop open as we walked past and I shrank into myself a little.

  Well, things definitely have changed. The voice chimed in. Think about how much you've put yourself in the spotlight this week. I mean standing up for Trevor, showing up Clint in gym, kicking ass in the parking lot! You're becoming a regular show off.

  "Shut up," I growled. "I was making a point, not showing off."

  "Excuse me?" Eleria asked.

  "Sorry talking to–" I cut my eyes to the side searching for the right word. "–myself I guess? Not totally sure anymore."

  She stopped outside a door and looked at me sideways. "Are you crazy?"

  "More and more with every passing minute." I gestured around.

  She glanced around a second and laughed opening the door. "I guess you have a point."

  Chapter Sixteen

  "Way!" Raven let out a cry and grabbed me in a bear hug. I pushed her off as gently as I could, accounting for the pure, unbridled fury I was experiencing. To her credit she took it pretty well. Ok, she took it about how you’d expect a girl to take getting shoved off of someone she wanted to hug but she only looked confused and maybe, looking back on it, a little bit hurt. So yeah, I was gentle.

  I looked around and found myself in a small conference room. The walls were bare and, again, there were no windows to be seen. Oliver sat near the head of the table and all the seats were filled except for three: the two on either side of the far end and the end seat by me. I guessed, so that they could all keep their eyes on me.

  "So," I threw on my cocky air and flopped into the end seat. "What's on the docket today? Kidnapping? Assault?" I stared straight down the table and made eye contact with the man at the far end. He wore his blonde hair high and tight and wore black military ACUs. "Murder?" I asked accusingly.

  A stunned silence echoed through the room. I guess I'd called out the right guy.

  "So," I kicked my feet up onto the table and leaned back. "Any answers?"

  I'd get ready to do a macaco if I were you.

  I braced and suddenly the chair was shoved out from underneath me. I arched my back hard before kicking off of the table with my right foot and putting my left hand down on the ground. I flipped over, using my hand for support, and brought my feet down one at a time. I righted and glared down the table.

  "Well, that wasn't very nice." I glared at the man sitting next to Oliver. I'd seen him flick his hand at me right before I fell, so I reasoned he must have pushed my chair out from underneath me.

  "I see what you meant, Oliver," the man who’d pushed me said. "There is definitely a secondary presence inside his crown chakra."

  Oliver nodded. "And did you notice it showed itself a split-second before Way needed to react to avoid falling. Whatever it is in there, is either extremely observant or has some degree of psychic abilities."

  "Boy," the military looking man was addressing me now. "Did the voice warn you about that attack?"

  "Hold up!" I growled angrily realizing they hadn't been stunned they had just been waiting till I sat down to experiment on me. "I'm not answering any questions ‘till you start explaining."

  "What's left to explain?" The man who’d pushed me asked. "Didn't Eleria answer all your questions?" He waved his hand and a glowing image like a hologram appeared over the table. It was a recording of the room I'd woken up in.

  "Not even half," I crossed my arms and looked to the ground. "Where do you get off doing this to me? Kidnapping? Imprisonment? I have rights you know!"

  "Monsters have no rights." Another man muttered under his breath from the left of the table.

  "What did you call me?" I growled, slamming my hands down on the table and leaning forward.

  "Way, relax," Raven grabbed my shoulder.

  I snatched away. "Get off me!" She stepped back shocked. I saw hurt in her eyes but I didn't care. "You just sat here!" I completely forgot about where I was. "You just sat and watched as they did that to me! They tied me to a bed and hexed me! What the hell is wrong with you people!" I glared around the room. "I'm a person! Not some science experiment!"

  "Oh, so the freak thinks he's a person now?" The same man as before rolled his eyes. "Great! Just great!"

  Before I knew it, I was half way over the table. When I hit him, my body was parallel to the table with all of my weight and jumping force focused behind my knuckles. He hit the ground first, with me shortly after him. I rolled to my feet and spun expecting an attack but none came. The man I’d hit got up and sat back down in his chair holding a handkerchief to his nose but otherwise no one moved.

  The others around the table just sat analyzing me like a rat in the maze.

  "What?" I demanded. "Now, what're you thinking?"

  "Well, you're certainly not a demon," the man I’d hit said through his hankerchief. "That was much too brash."

  "I agree," Oliver chimed in. "Perhaps something happened in his past that caused an energy damage. The other presence could be a strange version of a split personality."

  "Possible, I suppose.” The military one agreed. “But what are we to do with him?"

  "As I said before, we could certainly use him."

  "SHUT UP!" I screamed. "Why do you keep talking about me like I'm not even here?" My heart was pounding and my fist throbbed with each heartbeat.r />
  "Way," Raven started towards me again but stopped when I glared at her.

  "Listen, kid," the military man grunted. "It's simple. You have abilities unlike other magic users. Those, combined with a lack of control over your powers, make you an easy target for creatures like the demon that attacked you earlier. You were brought here to be protected and in exchange we are going to attempt to figure out what the secret behind your abilities is."

  "And I don't get a say in this." I fought to control my breathing.

  "Well, sure you do!" Eleria replied happily and, practically, skipped to stand by the head man. "You have two choices. Option Number One!" She held out a finger and grinned at me. "Stay with us and learn to protect yourself and everyone you care about from the freaks and monsters that you now know exist." She flipped up her second finger. "Option Number Two you can go home now and let your power attract all manner of 'who knows what' to kill and/or eat you and everyone you've ever cared about." She smiled at me again. "So what'll it be?"

  I stood stunned for a moment before collapsing into the chair next to me. "I don't want this." I was like a three–year–old at the dinner table. "Why is this happening to me?"

  "No one chooses this life, Way." Oliver stood up next to me. "But it's the hand you've been dealt. So tell me boy," he snatched me up by my shirt and shoved his face in mine. "Will you throw your chips in the middle and give it all you've got!?" He shoved me back into the table. I caught myself on the edge and shot my gaze upwards. "Or are you gonna fold and give up cause things got a little hard." He hauled back his fist and swung.

  Well, kid? The voice chimed in. You've had a decent run, I guess.

  "Shut up!" I growled aloud. I blocked the punch and slammed my fist hard into Oliver's chest knocking him backwards a few steps.

  I let my head hang for a second as I caught my breath. After a second of stunned silence I raised my head and looked hard at Oliver through my hair.

  "I'm all in."

  Chapter Seventeen

  Things next happened so fast, I didn't know what was going on. I was lead out of the room for something they only referred to as: ‘placement testing’.