Awakenings (Elemental Series - Book 1) Read online

  “Yeah, I guess.” But I really didn’t. I was confused for two reasons: One, Hudson answered a question with more than a one—word answer, and two, when he said we were all where we were supposed to be, my heart suddenly fluttered.

  My conscience from last night decided to choose that moment to speak up. Hello…feeling a bit guilty are we? You need to tell Hudson your dream in full. Nothing left out. So what did I do? I did what any other completely rational and sane sixteen-year-old would do—I ignored it. It was just a dream. What’s the worst that could happen?

  Hudson’s voice brought me back to the sidewalk. “Jacey, what aren’t you telling me?” He grabbed onto my arm.

  “Nothing, we’re going to be late,” I snapped, pulling my arm away.

  We walked on without a word between the two of us until we got to school.

  “Hey—you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

  “Yeah, I know.” I paused for a second, taking on the full intensity of his gaze. I turned away before I burst into flames. Okay, a little dramatic, but it was the exact thought that popped into my head the minute his stare seared through me.

  I moved away, calling back over my shoulder. “See you at home tonight. I’m gonna be late.”

  “Yeah, see ya,” Hudson said, standing there staring at me inquisitively. He knew something was up. I walked into my first period Chemistry class with my head down, completely oblivious to anyone else in the room. I moved to the back, where I shared a lab table with Jen. I had just got my butt into my seat when her voice and a light tap on my arm got my attention.

  “Helloooo, Jacey, anyone there?” Jen asked.

  “Sorry, Jen, I was—”

  “Hey, you’re in a different zone, I get it. Are we still on for Starbucks at lunch, though?”

  “I got to find Hudson and talk to him after class. I didn’t tell him something this morning and now I think maybe I should. But, I’ll be back by lunch—so ya, we’re still on.”

  “Do you want help finding him?” Jen offered.

  “This is something I need to talk to him about alone. I’ll meet up with you after…”

  “No worries, I‘ll wait for you in the front after first bell.”

  When I realized I had to spill everything to Hudson, my stomach started somersaulting from an upsurge of instant anxiety. It made the lone muffin I’d consumed for breakfast feel like it was sitting at the base of my stomach, ready to make a not-so-nice re-appearance.

  Chemistry went on forever. Jen could sense my unease. She tried a number of times to draw me away from my thoughts and into a conversation, but I was pulling a Hudson, only offering one word answers. At the end of class, I was up and out of my seat. “See ya at lunch.”

  I knew Hudson had a spare second period and he’d be in the cafeteria. I scanned the room quickly. He wasn’t there, but Carrie was. I went over to her.

  “Have you seen Hudson?” I asked, hoping the panic in my voice wasn’t evident.

  “No, is everything okay? You look kind of pale.”

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just need to talk to him,” I replied, taking three deep breaths to calm myself. The tension of not telling my family everything this morning was having a sickening effect on me.

  “There he is.” She nodded toward the main doors as Hudson came into view.

  He made his way over to the table and looked at me. “What’s up?” He knew it was odd for me to come and see him during spare. I had a second period class, which he knew I was skipping right now.

  “Hudson, I need to talk to you.” I waited. He didn’t say anything. “In private.”

  “Okay, Jace, where to?”

  I grabbed him by the shirt sleeve and led him to the back doors of the cafeteria. Outside, I turned to him. The confusion on his face was more than I could handle, making me wish I’d listened to my inner voice earlier.

  “Remember this morning when I told you about my dream?”

  “Yeah…”

  I paused and felt stupid for making a big deal about leaving out the blackness part.

  “Jacey, you’re freaking me out. What else did you see?”

  “I was honest about the field and Mom and Dad being all over one another.” My head was swirling and I felt like I was going to puke. “But what I kinda left out was a wall of…blackness. It completely blurred out Mom and Dad until I couldn’t see them anymore. They started screaming for one another and I tried to follow, but I couldn’t keep up and lost them.”

  “Was there anything else?” he demanded.

  There was. But I didn’t want to tell him about the blue eyes I’d seen. There were no ominous feelings when they appeared and I’d been dreaming about them for some time now. “No,” I snapped back.

  Hudson stood motionless. His silence made me feel uneasy.

  “Hudson, what’s wrong?”

  “We need to go home. I forgot my third-period trig books.”

  “Give me a minute. I’ve got to go tell Jen I can’t meet her for lunch.”

  “Jen can wait.” He left no room for argument.

  The walk home was quick and silent. When we got to our driveway, neither of our parents’ cars were there.

  In the house, Hudson called, “Mom, Dad, you guys here? Mom…? Dad…?”

  “Hudson, they’re at work. Didn’t you notice their cars weren’t here?”

  “Yeah, but Mom said she and Dad had planned on being home ’til twelve today. I have to get my books. Back in a sec.” He went to his bedroom and was back in a minute.

  “You couldn’t find them?” I asked

  “I think they’re downstairs.” He left and came back, empty-handed again.

  We went into the kitchen and he grabbed the phone. “I’ll try them at work and on their cells.” He called both of their work numbers. Neither one had been in today. He tried Mom’s cell phone. “Mom—hey, it’s me. Did you happen to see my trig books anywhere?”

  I couldn’t believe the relief I felt when Hudson got a hold of her. He took the phone and started to move away from the kitchen. I wasn’t sure if he was doing it because he was pacing or if he was trying to get out of earshot, but before he got out of the room, I overheard him say, “Blackness…”

  Blackness? Blackness! Why did Hudson choose that word to emphasize?

  “Is Dad with you?” Hudson asked, returning to the kitchen.

  “Okay, we’ll get everything ready and wait for the two of you here.” He handed me the phone.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Jacey, we’re going on a road trip. Dad and I were going to surprise you guys this morning with it, but we were running late. As luck would have it, you’re home, and Dad just called the school and told them you won’t be returning. We’ll pick you up at home in about an hour.”

  “Mom, does this have anything to do with my dream last night?”

  “Jacey, this is something Dad and I’d planned nearly a month ago. We forgot to tell you about it.”

  “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you, Jace.” The line went dead. I looked over to Hudson.

  “Time to move, Jace.” He ran upstairs calling out, “Don’t just stand there, Jacey, move! Start packing!”

  I stood in the middle of the kitchen, numb and frightened. Move! Where to this time? It was happening again. Whether I wanted it to or not, we were leaving…again.

  I went on autopilot, packing up, leaving behind what wasn’t deemed important, and fleeing yet again.

  Two hours later, the robe Aunt Grace had given me was stuffed into my suitcase, everything else was stacked by the door. Hudson and I stared at one another, silently waiting. Time seemed to be the enemy today, passing slowly for the second time. Hudson, normally the calming beacon in any room, was getting fidgety. I swear he pretty much wore a hole in the living-room rug. At two o’clock we both jumped when there was a knock on our front door.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Revelations,

  From the enchanted family
/>   To Hansel and Gretel in a flash.

  Hudson moved first and opened the door before the person on the other side could finish knocking. Standing on the front stoop were two policemen. One was taller than the other with dark, cropped hair. The shorter one had brown hair and was standing slightly behind his partner, not making eye contact with either Hudson or myself. The taller one spoke first.

  “I’m Constable Grant. Is this the Adison residence?” he asked.

  “What’s wrong?” Hudson asked.

  “Can—” The buzz in my mind drowned out whatever the officer said next. It seemed like someone turned on the radio and it was stuck between stations. My ears were filled with a loud, unchanging static. Hudson was all I saw. The look on his face mirrored the emotions which had overtaken my mind.

  Both officers entered the house. I automatically followed them into the living room. Neither of us even dared to breathe. We knew having two policemen show up was not in Mom and Dad’s plan. Something was horribly wrong.

  Constable Grant broke the silence. “There’s no easy way to say this. We’re here to notify you about your parents. Today, around twelve–thirty, they were involved in an accident on Old Foundry Road, just east of the city limits.”

  “Are — are they dead?” Hudson stuttered.

  “No. They’re both at Our Lady of Saints Hospital, but it doesn’t look good.”

  “Can we see them?” I asked, finding my voice.

  “Of course. Is there anyone you want us to contact to take you? If there isn’t, we’ll take you there,” Constable Grant offered.

  “There’s no one,” I said, surprised I had a voice at all.

  We followed the officers to their car. Hudson and I sat in the backseat, and for the first time since we were children, we held each other’s hands. No questions filled the silent interior of the car. The only sounds were the steady hum of tires on the pavement and the occasional squawking on the police radio.

  When we reached the hospital, Hudson and I followed the officers through the entrance reserved for police and hospital personnel. We stepped directly into the emergency ward. Nurses and doctors attended to patients in curtained rooms and even in the hallways.

  Constable Grant approached a nurse and had a quick conversation with her. We were out of earshot, so I couldn’t make out their exchange. When Grant started back towards us, the nurse he’d been speaking to gave Hudson and me a sorrow-filled look. My knees went weak. If Hudson hadn’t been holding my hand, I would have fallen on my face right there.

  Constable Grant told us our parents were on the second floor. He guided us to the elevators. No one said a word during the ride. We reached the second floor and the doors opened. I hadn’t yet caught my breath. The most inexplicable feelings came over me as we walked off the elevator, a sense of calm and peace, which were the polar opposites of what I should have been experiencing.

  We went to the nurses’ station. Constable Grant advised the nurse of our arrival. The nurse’s expression mirrored the sadness we’d seen on the face of the emergency room nurse.

  “My name is Heathe. I’ve been taking care of your parents. They’re in room five,” he said, directing us down the hallway to his right.

  We made our way to their room. Inside, we found our mother and father, unconscious, side by side, connected to all sorts of tubes and a number of machines. The only sounds coming from the room were the buzz of the overhead fluorescent lights mingled with the constant beeping of the machines.

  Constable Grant stepped back. I stepped between the two beds.

  Tears blurred my vision. I could only make out what was directly in front of me and the same buzzing which had taken over the conversation when the police had first shown up on our door step began to ring in my ears. With Hudson beside me, I shunted my distress to the back of mind and was able to focus on my parents. They were battered, bruised, and bandages covered both their faces.

  “Mom…Dad.” I let go of Hudson’s hand and grabbed both of their hands. The voice which answered was neither my mother’s nor my father’s—it came from Heathe.

  “They haven’t regained consciousness. The paramedics on scene said they were asking for the two of you.” He paused briefly. “Right now, they can’t talk to you, but from my experience, they can hear you.” He backed away from the foot of the beds and went to tend to their machines.

  “M-m-mom…” Hudson said, choking up.

  “We’ll be outside if you need us,” Constable Grant interjected. With the nurse in tow, the Constables left the room.

  I was holding onto Mom and Dad’s hands when I felt it. I looked down at the source and nearly fainted. Hudson steadied me, holding onto my shoulders and giving them a reassuring squeeze. My hands were aglow in a bright white light, quivering from an energy source coming from within me. The flow of light moved from my hands into the hands of my parents.

  Hudson and I stood there in awe. We knew somehow ‘it,’ whatever it was, was supposed to happen. Strangely, I found myself okay with it. As the light moved through their bodies, seeming to consume them, my parents opened their eyes and looked at us.

  Mom spoke first. “We love you both, never forget that. We tried to keep you safe and live by chance, but fate finally caught up to us. I love you with all my heart, Jacey and Hudson. Know everything we’ve done has been for the two of you. We’re going to be moving on without you now. We’ll be with you in spirit.”

  Dad spoke. I was amazed by how clear his voice was. “Hudson, you know what needs to be done. Your mother and I would have done anything to stay with you, but that’s not the destiny we’ve been granted.” His eyes were clear and direct, his voice stronger. “Jacey, never, ever doubt yourself.”

  My mother’s voice was clear and strong, from the light shining within her. “Jacey, you are the One we have been waiting for. You will be The One…All…will take chances for.” She took a deep breath, looking up at Hudson. “Son, you have always understood. Now it’s just the two of you. Be her Protector. Travel to Nemele. All there know we tried to return. We were simply too late.”

  Both Hudson and I openly sobbed. We knew we would be grieving forever for the family we once were. Our parents, the center of our universe, were dying, and there was nothing that could change that.

  They turned their gaze to one another and pulled their hands from mine, reaching out to each other. I placed their hands together. Even in the state their bodies were in, the love emanating from each of them was palpable. I let go of their hands. The light which had encompassed all of us slowly left their bodies. As it dimmed, they took their last breaths, like they did everything in their lives—together.

  The monitors they were connected to began to decelerate and soon resonated a slow, steady hum. I watched, sobbing. I turned to my brother and clung to him.

  “Hudson, they’re gone. I can’t believe they’re really gone. What have I done? What are we going to do? I don’t get it. What happened? It’s just you and me now, isn’t it?”

  The monitors sounded the steady tone of death. There was a flurry of activity as several nurses and a doctor entered the room. We were led out of the room by a couple of nurses, but not before I saw the doctor place a white sheet over each of my parents. There was nothing either of us could do. Once in the hallway, I fell into the numb reality of my parents’ end.

  “We’re going to be okay, Jacey. I’ll never let anything happen to you,” Hudson said, holding onto me.

  “I want Mom and Dad.”

  “Me too,” Hudson whispered back. As we walked past the nurses’ station, Heathe approached us.

  “Give me a minute,” Hudson said, letting go of me. He and Heathe walked over to the nurses’ station.

  There was something about the way they spoke which gave me the impression they knew each another. I tried to remember if I’d ever seen this guy before. He was tall and had the aura of a stereotypical high school quarterback. His eyes mirrored the color of his wavy, short-cropped hair, golden brown.
He glanced up and looked at me, making eye contact. A feeling deep within told me I knew this guy, yet I couldn’t place him. I didn’t stop staring until Hudson returned to my side.

  We slowly walked to the elevator with both policemen in tow. While waiting, Hudson took my hand in his. I turned to him with a questioning stare and asked, “Do we know him from somewhere?”

  “No, why?”

  “Well, you looked like you knew him and—”

  The elevator doors opened and the police officers ushered us in.

  “Hudson, are you sure we don’t know him?”

  “No, I don’t know him, Jacey. I was finding out what we have to do now and how we’re supposed to do it.”

  I stared down at my feet and felt a trail of tears start to flow down my cheeks. I tried to wipe my eyes, but it was useless. The flood gates had been opened and I didn’t care who saw them.

  We left the hospital in the backseat of the police car, both aware of the undeniable fact that all we had left in this world was one another.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The memories of yesterday burn hot,

  The tears of regret bring absolution,

  A memory of comfort.

  The ride home was quiet until we turned onto our street.

  “Do you have any other family you’d like us to contact for you?” Officer Grant asked.

  “No, there’s no one,” Hudson replied, numb.

  We pulled into our driveway and had to wait for the officers to let us out of the car. The back doors had no handles and locked automatically, something I hadn’t noticed before.

  My family had been ripped apart. Mom and Dad would never be coming home again. Hudson and I would be forever affected by watching our mother and father die.

  Officer Grant asked us again, “Are you sure there’s no one?” I knew there was only one answer to his question. Aunt Grace.

  Officer Grant’s partner opened my door. Hudson and I slipped out. He handed Hudson one of his cards.

  Hudson mumbled, “We have an Aunt who lives two hours away, we’ll call her.”