The Awakener (The Watchers of Men)

by Amanda Strong

  “Wait,” she slurred, her mind feeling sluggish. “Let me go wash first.”

  Andrew nodded. Willow and Caitlyn followed her.

  Eden was sure they’d be bursting with questions, but neither girl said anything as they wadded up paper towels and got them wet in the sink.

  Willow worked on Eden’s back, gasping every so often.

  “How did you know, Willow? How did you know Andrew would find me?” Eden asked, breaking the silence.

  Willow stopped swiping at the blood and stepped in front of Eden.

  “I had a feeling you were in trouble, like scary trouble. I told Chase and he just rolled his eyes at me. But I convinced Andrew to go look for you. We checked the bathroom and then,” she paused, “I just knew you were in the woods.”

  Eden didn’t miss the way she shuddered when she said woods.

  She gazed her friends. “Thanks guys. I…” Her words choked off.

  Willow threw her arm around Eden’s side. “I owed you one. You sort of saved me too.”

  Eden stared at her, confused.

  She grinned, and rotated Eden back around. “Come on, you’re still a mess.” Willow grabbed another paper towel.

  Caitlyn rejoined in helping; Eden caught her hazel eyes studying her in the mirror a few times. First time I’ve wished Caitlyn wasn’t quite so reserved with her thoughts.

  “Caitlyn,” Eden probed.

  There was a moment of uncertainty and then Caitlyn blurted, “I didn’t think the woods had bears… What the heck happened to you, Eden?”

  Eden stalled. Guess I asked for it.

  “I don’t know.” Total lie. “I think I sort of passed out. I don’t remember anything after that.” That much is true. “I woke up with you and Andrew there. Did you see anything?”

  Caitlyn shook her head quickly.

  Willow’s eyes were wide as she gazed at Caitlyn. “There was definitely something sinister in those woods tonight. Maybe not a bear, but Eden’s still lucky to be alive.”

  Caitlyn agreed. “Very lucky. What are you going to tell Jessie?”

  Eden bit her lip and scrunched her eyebrows. “Nothing?” She looked to them for understanding. They both nodded.

  “Probably best to keep this to ourselves,” Willow confirmed.

  She was as clean as she was going to get; her red dress masked a lot of the blood.

  Coming out, they heard Chase say, “Maybe Willow’s right. It’s not safe. We should get out of here.” He said it chuckling, but Eden saw his eyes dart to the trees behind them.

  The sound of sirens cut through the night.

  Andrew draped his coat around Eden. “I think the party’s about to be busted up because of the fire in the woods.”

  “Fire?” Chase and Willow asked together.

  “Yeah, it’s big,” Caitlyn replied.

  “Let’s go,” Andrew stated.

  As they passed the dance tent, Caitlyn ducked inside. There was a loud announcement from a fireman with a megaphone.

  Everyone had to leave. Jake and Megan stepped out of the tent, as there were moans and complaints from students.

  “This is crazy,” Jake muttered.

  Caitlyn and Dave came out of the tent as Chase pulled out his phone.

  “Micah just texted; he wants us to come over still. How about it?” Chase asked.

  “Heck yeah,” Jake exclaimed. “At least the night’s not a total bomb.” Megan was quiet next to him.

  “Not us, I think I’m going to get Eden home, but tell him hey for me,” Andrew said.

  Thank heavens. I’m in no condition to face Micah and Andrew together tonight, Eden thought.

  Caitlyn and Dave decided to head home too, and rode back with them to Andrew’s, where Dave’s Protegé was parked. No one said much.

  Once at the house, Caitlyn and Dave hopped out, telling Eden and Andrew good night. Even after the Protegé pulled away, Andrew continued to let his Bronco idle in driveway. He reached for her hand. She offered it, glad to feel his warmth. She was chilled to the bone.

  “Are you ok?” He sounded concerned.

  “Yeah, I’m good. Just wish I knew what happened. I went to the bathroom and then,” she hesitated, “walked into the trees a bit. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but it was such a pretty night. And then, I don’t know, I can’t remember. I must have fallen down, hit my head or something.”

  “Maybe you passed out. It happens. And an animal scratched you up pretty good while you were on the ground.”

  She knew her story sounded lame, unbelievable. He didn’t sound like he believed his own solution either. He put his Bronco into reverse and, in silence, drove her home. His fingers squeezed her hand periodically.

  It was 11:30 pm. She wasn’t sure if anyone would be up; the house was dark and quiet. She unlocked the door and invited him in.

  “Why don’t you go upstairs and change? Bring me your dress. I’ll take our clothes to the dry cleaner tomorrow,” he said, sitting down on the couch.

  “It won’t help. My dress is ripped pretty bad.” She ran the shredded material through her fingers.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s ok. It’s just a dress. I’ll go change real quick.” She was anxious to get out of the bloodstained clothes. Once in her bedroom, she stripped down, fishing out a white t-shirt and her favorite red boxers. Not wanting to be alone long, she jogged back down to find him waiting for her, his eyes sweeping her up and down.

  “You look beautiful,” he whispered, as she crawled onto the couch next to him. She’d pulled the clip out of her hair, letting it fall onto her shoulders in curls.

  His lips found hers; she responded briefly, but then had to stop. She felt dizzy.

  He held her close. His heart thumping against her ear was relaxing.

  “Eden,” he mumbled into her hair.

  “Mmm,” she hummed back.

  He brushed her hair back, kissing her forehead. “Never mind. Just sleep. You need it.”

  She tried to respond, but it came out muffled. She wanted to ask what he was going to say, but her body was too drained. She was half-asleep, when she felt him lift her up and carry her to bed.

  Rolling over onto her side, Eden peeked through her eyelashes at her hand. I can’t believe it doesn’t even hurt. She rubbed her eyes. Sitting up, she pulled the covers off her legs. She did a quick examination of her body, finding only a few scrapes remaining on the middle of her back.

  Staring at her empty bedroom, she dangled her feet over the edge of her bed.

  “Gabriel, you here?”

  She knew she shouldn’t be disappointed that he didn’t appear, but she was. So it’s back to the one-sided conversations. But seeing him last night solidified for her that he was actually there, listening to her now.

  “How am I ok?” she asked. “Did you do it?” She felt nothing. “Or maybe someone else helped me?” Remembering the extent of her injuries, she added in a whisper, “Maybe healed me?”

  A warm feeling washed over her.

  “Someone healed me?” she repeated, shocked, and again, the good feeling came.

  “Who was it?”

  Nothing.

  “I’m sorry. I know now how stupid it was to be in the woods alone. I should’ve been more careful.” She paused. “Thanks for saving me. If I’d had any other guardian, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

  She wanted to say more, but there was a knock on her door.

  “Come in.” She stood up.

  Her mom poked her head in the door asking, “Late night?”

  Eden peeked at her clock; it read 10:07. This is becoming a habit.

  “You have a visitor waiting for you downstairs, so get dressed.” Her mom disappeared again, shutting the door behind her.

  Must be Andrew, she thought as she debated whether to run downstairs as is. It’s not like he didn’t see me last night… but Mom wasn’t there, and she won’t be happy to see me in ‘boy’s underwear’ as she so lovingly calls my PJs.

 
She threw jeans on, remembering how after seeing Gabriel the first time, she’d hid when she dressed for almost a month. Finally, she had realized he’d already seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, and she was being silly. So, she found it interesting that after seeing him last night, she felt no need to run and hide now, while she changed. Something about almost dying in his arms, and him pleading with her not to die, made her feel pretty comfortable with him around, no matter what.

  She debated on changing her white t-shirt, but decided to leave it since she had slept in her bra anyway. Peering in the bathroom mirror, she saw she’d left her makeup on too. She wiped the black smudges under her eyes away and ran a brush through her hair; it still retained some curls.

  Good enough. She jogged down the stairs. It wasn’t until she waltzed into the living room that she wondered why her mom had said visitor and not Andrew.

  Her answer sat on the couch next to Brendon. Instantly, she wished she’d spent more time cleaning up. Micah was joking and laughing with Brendon, like he’d never left. His hair was longer, his body somehow even more muscular than she remembered. She entered the room and he stood; for a split second, they stared at each other.

  “I told your mom not to wake you. I know you had a late night,” he apologized.

  Eden’s mom cut in. “He’s been here over an hour. I figured you’d had enough sleep.” To Micah, she added, “Besides, she would’ve killed me if I hadn’t woken her and you left like you wanted to.”

  “That’s right,” Eden confirmed as she smiled. “Welcome home; sorry I didn’t come over last night.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. I understand.” Micah grinned back.

  Her heart hammered against her ribs.

  Her mom glanced at them, and then Brendon. “Come on, we need to help dad at the house today.” Brendon moaned. “It’s good to see you again, Micah,” her mom said, ignoring her brother. “It sounds like you had an amazing time abroad.”

  Brendon grudgingly stood up and followed her mom.

  “Good to see you too, Mrs. McCarthy. Count on my family to help out with the move next week. See you around, Brendon,” Micah called after them.

  Eden watched them leave, and then glanced back at Micah.

  The door clicked shut and he asked, “Are you ok? I worried about you all night.”

  Recalling the woman said Micah sent her to help, she wondered how much he already knew.

  “I think I’m fine.”

  Micah’s eyes continued to scan her up and down. If I didn’t know he was worried about my health, I’d think this means something else, but I’m not even going to go there.

  “You look good, Eden.”

  He just means I look well. “So do you.” You look more than good. There was an uncomfortable lull, and she pointed to the couch. “Do you want to sit down?”

  He sat back down in the spot he’d been in, and she chose the chair across from him.

  He rested his elbows on his knees. “Willow assured me you were ok, but I had to make sure.”

  “How did you know?”

  “Another vision. Saw you walking into the trees, your guardian fighting countless demons, and then the demon prince stabbing you.” He paused, his eyes clouding over. “I know your guardian could’ve fought them off eventually, but you didn’t have a lot of time, so Sage came to help.” He stared down at his fingers. “She has a way with demons.”

  “The woman’s Sage then? My guardian’s Gabriel.”

  “He told you his name?”

  “Yeah, I think he was trying to keep me awake.” She stared at him. “Why do you sound so surprised; you know Sage’s name.”

  “Did he tell you anything else?”

  “No, why?”

  “Oh, nothing.”

  “I really hate that answer.”

  “Sorry.” He grinned. “You have a pretty special guardian, Eden. Maybe you’ll learn more about him one day.”

  “Doubt it, took months just to get his name.” She debated whether to admit she knew about Gabriel being in the Garden of Eden, but his laugh caught her off guard.

  “Don’t I know the feeling! The whole time I was in Rome, I felt like I had to unravel a puzzle layered like an onion. I wanted nothing more than a straight answer.”

  “Did you figure it out though, the puzzle?”

  “Yeah, we did.”

  “Do I get to know any of it?”

  “Soon, I promise.”

  She made a face at him, and he threw his hands up. “You have my word! I’ll tell you everything really soon.” His grin widened. The effect melted her resolve.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess that’ll have to do, then.” She hesitated. “You said you saw me last night, right, with Gabriel? Then what happened?”

  “You don’t know?” His blue eyes widened.

  She shook her head. “I think, somehow, someone healed me, but I don’t know who. Do you?”

  He was quiet a moment and then nodded slowly. “Yeah, but I don’t think I should be the one telling you.”

  “But you saw it all?” she persisted.

  He gazed at her, his eyes penetrating. “Yes. Did you tell Andrew what happened?”

  She sighed. “No, I wanted to last night. He brought me home but we…” She stopped short. “I fell asleep.”

  He continued to study her. She wanted to look away, but for some reason, she couldn’t. There’s something different about him now. He seems older somehow. Although, logically, she knew he’d only been gone a few months.

  “How was Rome?” she asked, changing the subject. She made a point to examine the pillow she’d pulled into her lap.

  “Amazing.” He leaned back into the couch. “We’ll have to go there someday. You’d really love it.”

  There he goes again, throwing those curve balls at me.

  “Let me know when you buy the plane tickets.”

  He gave her a crooked grin. “Deal.”

  Her pulse was ringing in her ears, the very thought of going anywhere with Micah made her dizzy.

  She peeked up from the pillow to see he was still staring back at her.

  She swallowed, mustering the courage to ask something she’d wondered. “So you see things, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How does it work?”

  He cocked an eyebrow at her.

  She fiddled with the ruffle on the pillow. “Do you see whatever you want? Or do just random things pop up?”

  “I wish I could control it more, to tell you the truth, but most of the time it just comes to me. Like yesterday, I was thinking about you, and then I’m seeing,” slightest hesitation, “you in the woods. Why do you ask?”

  He was thinking about me? Ok, focus. “So do you know what’s going to happen before it does?”

  “Sometimes, yeah, almost like a warning. Why?”

  “Um, I guess since you saw me last night, I sort of wondered if maybe you had other visions of me too?” There, I said it! “It’s stupid to ask.”

  “No, it’s not. It has to be unnerving to know someone is watching you, although maybe that’s not a foreign concept to us anymore.” He raised his eyebrows as he exhaled. “Yes, I saw you while I was gone. I probably saw you more than anyone else.”

  Eden felt her face heat. What did he see?

  He leaned forward, his face earnest. “I discovered a ton in Rome, but the biggest surprise for me was what I learned about myself. It’s funny; I thought I was good at making people feel comfortable around me. I thought it meant I was good at communicating. I didn’t realize—” Micah stopped as the house phone started ringing.

  Engrossed in what he was saying, Eden was annoyed with the interruption. “Ignore it.”

  Micah continued, “I wasn’t one to think too deeply about things before,” he made a low chuckle, “that sure changed. Well, I had more time to think things through and… see things clearer. I didn’t know what I had back here at home. I took,” he hesitated, “things for granted.”


  He stared at her.

  Ok, I’m lost.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  He sighed. “Man, Trent was right. I totally stink at talking about this stuff. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I—” This time her cell phone buzzed.

  She glanced around and spied her purse on an end table. Curses. “It’s fine, I’ll get it later.”

  “Are you sure? It might be Andrew.” He leaned back into the couch.

  He’s probably right. She dug in her purse and found her phone. It was Andrew. She wasn’t sure what to do.

  “Go ahead.” He nodded her on.

  “Hey,” she answered, walking into the kitchen. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t want to talk in front of Micah.

  Their conversation was brief and, when she returned to the living room, Micah was standing. The moment of openness was gone, and she was disappointed.

  “Is he on his way over?” he asked.

  “How did you know, another vision?” she teased.

  “No, I just know that’s what I’d be doing if you were my girlfriend,” he replied, his eyes not leaving hers.

  His words did funny things to her insides.

  “I better go,” he said, walking to the door.

  “You don’t need to leave. Andrew would love to see you.” She followed him, not wanting him to leave yet. We have so much to talk about still.

  “Did you tell him I was here?” He faced her.

  “Well, no,” she replied. Am I trying to hide it from Andrew?

  “Then let’s just talk later, ok? Besides, Trent’s probably having a fit that I’ve been gone this long. I swear, he acts like we’re married sometimes.”

  “Trent’s here? He didn’t go back to Texas?”

  “He’s moved in with us, going to go to college here. He’ll be happy to see you again.”

  “Oh, I bet. He’s probably dying to tease me since last time I jumped into his arms.”

  “He might. You sort of changed his life with that hug.” Micah chuckled.

  She didn’t get the joke, but grinned. “Whatever.”

  “Speaking of which, can your old friend get a hug good-bye?” He opened his arms to her.

  She hesitated long enough for her heart to jump into her throat, and then stepped into his arms. It felt like January again, standing in the tree house. Her pulse was pounding so hard she was afraid he’d feel it through his tight hold. She expected him to let her go, but he didn’t.