Awakening

Chapter Four

Once they were far enough away from the library, they huddled together to discuss their plans.

“We can shower and then meet at the girls’ dorm.” Jackson sniffed at his clothes. “I smell like smoke and sulfur.”

“Us, too.” Tristan looked down at Sophie. His eyes held a teasing light.

Her lips twitched. It surprised her that he could make her want to smile despite the fact that she felt like her mind was breaking into a million pieces. “The only problem is how late it is. It’s after co-ed hours.”

“Yeah, how are we going to get past the dorm supervisor?” Aidan asked. “She probably won’t let us in.”

Sophie bit her lip. They needed to talk about what happened, but they didn’t have anywhere else to go.

“Is your dorm near the front or the back? Does it have a window?” Jackson’s smile was wicked.

“Back and yes.” Lilli shivered against a cold wind that blew past them.

“I have an idea. Guys, meet me at the back of their dorm in half an hour. Lilli, open the window when you hear us knocking.”

“Jackson, we’re on the fifth floor,” Sophie couldn’t help but point out. She shook her head at his wide smile.

“Don’t worry. I got this.”

After explaining to the dorm supervisor why they were late, the girls took turns showering and making sure no trace of their night remained. When they were done, they met in the living room and waited.

Sophie sat on the couch and glanced at the window every few moments. “This is so weird. We’ve finally met people who are like us. I knew when we met them in class that there was something about them. It hit me hard that we were connected, but I didn’t realize they had gifts, too.”

“I know.” Lilli’s smile spread across her face like sunshine. “Isn’t it awesome? How do you think we all have these gifts? Is it from God? Were we just born this way?”

“I don’t know. Professor Whittaker seems to know enough about us. Maybe she can answer that question.” Sophie wrapped her arms around her knees and set her chin on top of them. She wasn’t shaking anymore, and the echoes from the creature had dissipated, leaving a sharp headache behind.

Something pinged against the window. There was a pause, and then pebbles rained against the glass.

Lilli stood, crossed the room, and peeked outside. “It’s them.” She unlocked the window, slid it open, and came back to sit next to Sophie. “I don’t want to be in the way for whatever is about to happen.”

A second later, a brown and white speckled bird flew through the window. It circled above their heads and headed into the bedroom.

“Ouch!”

Sophie looked to the window.

Aidan hit his head on the sill. “Jackson!” He floated into the room. His body hovered before whatever invisible force held him disconnected. He hit the floor face down and groaned.

“Sorry. I’ve never used it on another person before.” Jackson came gracefully through the window and landed on his feet. He helped Aidan up.

“I never let him do it to me.” Tristan strolled in from the bedroom. He stopped at the doorway and stood with his hands on his hips. “It’s too dangerous.”

“You could have warned me. I thought we were friends.” Aidan sighed. “I’m hungry.”

Sophie blinked at the abrupt change of subject. “We can order a pizza or two.”

“I know just the place.” Aidan took a poll of what they liked on their pizza and then grabbed the phone.

Sophie settled onto the couch and wrapped her sweater tighter around her. This whole situation made her edgy. She almost felt like Alice, diving into that hole, traveling to Wonderland.

Tristan and Jackson took the chairs situated on either side of the room and Aidan sat on the floor. Everyone stared at each other and tried to figure out what to say.

“That’s it, I can’t be quiet anymore.” Aidan jumped up and began to pace. “I have finally found people who have gifts like I do. I’m not alone.”

“Were you the only one you knew with a gift?” Sophie asked. She glanced at Lilli and was grateful that she knew her. She couldn’t imagine growing up with this gift alone. Thankfully she had Lilli and her brother, Todd. Both had been rock steady support.

“Yes. There wasn’t anyone else.” Aidan ran a hand through his hair.

“Tristan and I grew up together,” Jackson said. “We discovered our gifts at the same time.”

“When was that?” Lilli asked.

“We were both five, I think, and were playing in the woods at the hunting camp,” Tristan answered. “There were coyote cubs splashing in the river. I had this unbelievably strong urge to join them, and the next thing I knew, I was a coyote puppy.”

“I was jealous.” Jackson grinned at Tristan. “I wanted to turn into a puppy, too.”

“Then the mother coyote returned. She didn’t like Jackson standing so close. She went to attack, and that’s when Jackson discovered his telekinesis. It was like the coyote hit an invisible wall.”

“Sophie and I were also five when we discovered ours,” Lilli said. “It was over my pet cat. I was heartbroken that Suki disappeared.”

“I had a dream that Suki was attacked by a dog but was still alive underneath a neighbor’s shed. I told Lilli the next morning, and we went straight to the shed.” Sophie smiled. “Lilli was so upset that her cat was hurt, she started glowing. Like she had sunshine in her body.”

“That’s what you told me.” Lilli laughed. “And I healed little Suki. It wasn’t until a few years later I realized that I could heal humans, too.”

They turned to Aidan. “It’s your turn. How did you discover your gift?”

“I had a nightmare and burned down our house.”

“What?” Sophie put a hand over her heart. Aidan’s guilt still swallowed him from that incident. “It was a nightmare. You had no control over that.”

“Was everyone okay?”

Aidan nodded. “It was just me and my mom. My dad left right after I was born.”

Jackson’s mental walls were a fortress in his mind. Sophie bit her lip to keep from questioning him about it.

“We all have these gifts, and I feel like it’s connected,” Sophie told them.

“Do you think we should listen to Professor Whitaker?” Tristan asked. Jackson stared out the window. Sophie knew he was halfway lost in a painful memory.

“Should we? I mean, what if it’s a ploy to give us over to the government?”

They each looked at Aidan. He put his hands up, palms out. “We’ll worry about that if it happens.”

“We should be careful in any case. What happened tonight isn’t over.” Pressure weighed on Sophie’s mind.

“That is so creepy how you said that,” Aidan said. Someone knocked on the door. “Your body and voice went into dead mode.”

“Thanks, Aidan.” Sophie laughed. She couldn’t help it when she saw Aidan’s sheepish face. After grabbing the pizza from the delivery guy, she brought it into the living room. Lilli had already grabbed Cokes and paper plates.

“Hungry, Aidan?” Tristan asked as Aidan reached over and grabbed four slices.

“Always,” Aidan said around a mouthful of bread and sauce.