Awaken (Divine Hunter Series)

by L. J. Sealey

  His research into what kind of creature could be responsible for the deaths hadn’t really pulled up anything solid either. A couple of passages he’d read had caught his eye. The website had written about a spirit who causes un-natural death to those who perform disrespectful acts, cause harm, have affairs etc−known as a Sowin−but he had to look into it further and unless he could come up with something solid on the students there was little evidence to support the theory.

  Damn, he was hitting nothing but dead ends.

  He’d had no luck locating Nina either. He’d found out that some of her classes were in the Micro Biology building which was right next to the Psychology department. He’d asked around but no one had seen her. She hadn’t shown for classes for the last two days. He had a bad feeling.

  Sitting down at his table in the dining hall at the south end of the campus, he read some papers on Humans in Biological Perspective, which he’d printed out from last night in prep for today’s classes, while he finished off his breakfast omelette. He had another half hour until his first lecture and figured he needed the extra run through before then. It was funny how he’d settled into his latest role. It was boring subject matter but he was actually quite enjoying being Prof. Michael Warden. It made him feel like he had a bit of purpose for once; like he was still relevant in a world that was very different to him now.

  He was about to take a sip of his coffee when he looked up to see Nina walking over to the line for the buffet cart. She looked so different that he wasn’t sure if it was her at first. Her hair was pulled back neatly into a slick ponytail, she was still dressed in all black but gone were the heavy boots and long skirt, replaced by skinny jeans, gray converse pumps and a loose woollen sweater that hung off one shoulder. She had half the makeup that he’d seen on her before and no longer looked like the brooding Goth girl with the heavily backcombed hair that he’d met only a few nights ago.

  She looked happy.

  Michael watched as she carried her full tray over to a small table on the other side of the dining room and sat down. He contemplated going over to her but quickly changed his mind when someone else approached her table.

  Jake.

  He spoke to her and when she looked up at him her whole face lit up with an adoring smile. Jake sat down on a chair beside her, they shared a laugh and a joke and then he leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

  Only a few days ago Michael had seen how distraught she’d been over her boyfriend’s death and now she was cozying up to some other guy? The same guy who she’d seemed to have problems with not too long ago. Something wasn’t right.

  A female voice interrupted his thoughts. “Hey. Penny for them.” Lacy stood beside him looking elegant in black leggings with black knee high boots and a royal blue long length sweater that hugged her slim figure. She was holding a juice box and a granola bar−her breakfast of choice it seemed; although, how she could function on that little amount of food was anyone’s guess. Hell, he didn’t even need to eat anymore but still wouldn’t be able to manage on that.

  “Hey, Lacy.” He blinked, realising he’d taken too long to answer.

  “May I join you?” she asked politely.

  “Of course. Please, sit down.” As she did her fresh, rose tinted perfume filled the air around them as it always did when she was near. He couldn’t help himself as he inhaled deeply. She smelt like spring flowers. Her hair was loose today, neatly ironed into place.

  “How are you settling in?” she asked, smiling up at him as she stabbed her straw into her apple juice.

  “Good thanks.” He nodded, glancing back over at the two unlikely lovebirds that were now holding hands on top of the table.

  Lacy must have sensed he was preoccupied. “Is everything ok? You look a little distracted.”

  Michael turned his attention back to her. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just didn’t get much sleep last night.” At least it wasn’t a lie.

  Her expression changed to one of understanding, like she could relate to it. She gave a small sigh. “Well, this job can do that to you.”

  Michael nodded. “Has there been any word on the jumper?”

  “Nothing, as far as I know. They’ve sealed off the area around her dorm and are still interviewing students. That’s about all I’ve heard.”

  “Yeah, it can’t be easy for the cops. I mean, She’s the fifth one now, I’m sure people are feeling pretty anxious.” He noticed Nina and Jake getting up to leave. The guy had his arm flung over Nina’s shoulder as they headed for the door, both still laughing and joking. Michael’s brows lowered as he watched them.

  Lacy followed his gaze and turned around to see what he was looking at. “You know those two?” she asked.

  Michael shook his head. “No. Not really. The girl, Nina, her boyfriend was one of the jumpers.

  “Oh!” Lacy turned back and raised an eyebrow. “Clearly she got over that quickly.”

  “I know, right? Strange thing is, I spoke to her a few nights back, my first night on campus, and she seemed distraught as though her whole world had ended. And she looked completely different too.” He finished off his coffee.

  “Different? How?”

  “Her whole style has changed in the space of a couple of days and she’s acting differently. If I didn’t know any better I would swear she wasn’t the same person I spoke to the other night. And now she’s all loved up with that guy, Jake.” The more he thought about it, the weirder it felt.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing. You know what it’s like being young. These things happen all the time. You’ll never understand it, so why try?” She laughed a little and Michael couldn’t help but smile at her. Perhaps she was right. Maybe he was just looking for something that wasn’t really there. He would keep an eye on them regardless.

  “So, how are you finding it here?” Lacy asked. He was glad of the change of subject. He’d had his head in nothing but this stupid case since he’d got here, well that and studying for his fake job.

  “Classes are good. It’s been a little easier than I thought. I have a couple of lectures today that I’m not quite sure I’m fully prepared for but apart from that, things are going ok.” He watched as Lacy bit into her granola bar then wiped away a crumb from the corner of her mouth. She was certainly attractive. Well groomed with striking features which he guessed would turn any man’s head as she walked into a room. But it was her smile that he liked the most: it was genuine. He could see it in her eyes and he felt comfortable in her company. He had a sudden need to know more about her.

  “What about you, how long have you worked here?”

  “This is my third year,” she replied, her mouth still half full.

  “And I’m guessing with that accent you’re not from around here.” He popped an eyebrow up at her.

  She laughed softly. “Good work,” she mocked. “No. I was born in a place called Chelmsford in England.”

  “So how did you wind up here? If it’s ok to ask, I mean.” Michael was surprised how eager he was to know more about her. It was nice to be focusing on something other than suicidal students and spirits and all things supernatural. Besides, she seemed comfortable enough to answer.

  “I moved over here from England when I was fifteen to live with my grandmother because. . . well, let’s just say me and my mother had a turbulent relationship. It was work that brought me to Maryland; been here ever since,” she explained.

  Michael picked up his cup forgetting that he’d finished his coffee already until he glanced into the bottom to see it was empty. “Do you have to be at class yet?”

  She glanced at her watch, a silver bangle one this time. “Not for another half an hour.”

  “Great,” he said as he rose up from his seat. “I’m going to grab another coffee, would you like one?”

  She smiled up at him. “Yes. Thanks; white, one sugar.”

  As he walked away, Michael smiled to himself. He didn’t know why it pleased him that she took her coffee the same way as him, but it
did.

  He returned with the drinks and they chatted easily for the next half an hour after which he realised one good thing: he’d found a friend here.

  * * *

  Michael sailed through his first half of the morning’s lectures and everything had gone well−all but the last one anyway−which he’d had to cut short before anyone realised he had no clue what he was talking about. It was a little after two thirty in the afternoon and he had a spare hour to kill before a scheduled faculty meeting which he was really looking forward to.

  He decided to see if he could find Nina. She had to be at her classes this afternoon after showing up this morning so, ducking his head down in an attempt to shield his face from the heavy rain, he made his way down the street to the Micro Biology building and headed down the hall. When he reached Nina’s class, he glanced through the small square window in the door and noticed she was sat at her desk in the far corner of the room. Everything seemed to be normal as she sat with her head down writing out her work, so Michael decided to wait it out in the corridor until class was out.

  Fifteen minutes later, and after reading the same poster over and over again on the notice board, something about a Carbon Sequestration Seminar at eleven in the morning, Michael headed back down the corridor just in time to see Nina walk out of the room.

  “Nina? Hi,” he said nonchalantly, acting like it was coincidence that he’d bumped into her. She looked surprised to see him.

  “Mr Warden, right? Hi.”

  Her behaviour was the polar opposite of what it had been just days ago: She wasn’t hunched over with her chin almost on the floor but the exact opposite. She seemed to have more life in her, a spring in her step. Either she’d had a personality transplant or she was just really good at dealing with grief.

  “How are things?” He already knew the answer.

  “Good. I’m feeling much better about things. Thanks.”

  “That’s good. . . good to hear,” he said. “I saw you this morning at breakfast in the dining room; you were with your buddy. . . Uh, Jake isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you two ok now?” She knew he was referring to their little altercation the other night. He waited for some kind of tell in her expression but if she had something to hide, it didn’t show at all.

  “It was a little misunderstanding that’s all,” she explained.

  “Good. You two seemed pretty close this morning.” He was pushing it with that one and expected some sort of attitude back from her but it never happened.

  “Yeah, we kind of are. He’s been so good to me through all of this. I don’t know what I would have done without him.” Her smile looked genuine, and even though it seemed strange for her to have adjusted so well so soon after Danny’s death, he guessed it could have been. Like Lacy said: it was probably nothing. “Sorry sir, I gotta run.” She began to walk past him.

  “Sure. Take care.”

  * * *

  After his last class of the day, and after all the students had left, Michael sat quietly thinking about the dead end he’d walked smack-bang into earlier. He was going to have to start from fresh. He had the list he’d gathered of the students’ friends and associates and would start there then he’d have to look into the investigation, see what the cops were saying. The authorities weren’t treating the deaths as suspicious but there might be something they’d missed, something that they wouldn’t necessarily be looking for that Michael would.

  He opened the top drawer of his desk with a small key and pulled out a file, opened it and pulled out the newspaper clippings that he’d gathered since he’d arrived in Oakland. Each of the victims’ names were highlighted in each article: Claire Miller, aged 19; Kevin Mitchell, aged 20; Ryan Willis, aged 20; Danny Wheeler, aged 20; and the latest was Marissa Jacobson, also aged 20. Like the authorities, he’d established that none of the victims new each other, hadn’t shared any classes together and there was nothing similar in their appearance. No connection; just random suicides.

  Michael wasn’t accepting that. There was definitely something not right. He could feel it.

  He leant his elbows on the desk and pinched the top of his nose with his fingers, heaving a sigh. A knock on the open door caught him off guard and he swung his head around to see Lacy leaning against the jam with a thick pile of folders in her arms.

  “Hey. You look like you could use a drink too,” she said as she walked into the room.

  Michael slowly closed the file in front of him, making sure all his clippings were tucked away inside. “It’s that obvious huh?” He grinned up at her, glad to see her smiling face behind a slender pair of black rimmed reading glasses that he hadn’t seen her wear before. “You wear glasses?” Not really a question, more an observation. They made her features even more striking.

  “Ah. . . yes, but usually only in class.” She removed them as though she felt a little embarrassed. “Tough day?”

  “Not the best.” And not for any reasons he could talk to her about.

  “I was thinking of grabbing a coffee and a bite to eat before I head home, care to join me?” She fidgeted with her glasses before sliding them into her purse.

  Michael smiled as he watched a shyness in her that just positively melted him−which wasn’t good. The last thing he needed right now was any complications, so beginning to like a colleague a little more than he should was really not an option. But he did like Lacy. And besides that, it was just coffee and a bite, and he was in the mood for some food. What harm could it do?

  “Sure. That’d be great.” He noticed her shoulders relax in that instance.

  * * *

  Lacy had insisted on driving them out to a small Italian cafe bar called Carlito’s on the other side of town, a small place set back from the road. Inside, the welcoming cream and red décor felt warm, and the heavy scent of roast coffee and Italian cuisine made Michael’s stomach groan with anticipation.

  They were seated at a small table in the corner by the window. The lighting was dim and there was a tea-light in a red colored glass holder flickering in the middle of the table.

  This is not a date. He thought as he reassured himself that everything about this was okay. It’s just dinner with a colleague. He looked up at Lacy who smiled back at him, the glow of the candle light on her face enhancing her features and creating shadows that made her eyelashes appear twice as long. She was. . . beautiful.

  Oh, hell.

  They ordered food and while they waited, the waitress brought their drinks over: cappuccino for Lacy and a whiskey for Michael. He only wished that the alcohol would affect him in some way so he could relax a bit. Even just a little fuzzy would be great right now. One day he was going to drink and drink as much as he could to see if he could actually get drunk at all. But for now, he’d have to make do with sober-as-a-judge no matter how much of the brown stuff he drank.

  Realising they were both sitting quietly, Michael pulled himself away from his thoughts and tried to look a little more relaxed about the whole situation. “Nice place,” he said, breaking the awkward silence.

  “It is, isn’t it? I come here once in a while, nice atmosphere and no students. It’s nice to relax here after work.” She took a sip of her coffee. “How’s life for you on campus then? I don’t envy you having to live as well as work there. I think I’d go insane.”

  “It’s not so bad, but I haven’t really been there long. I’m not sure I’d be happy with a permanent situation.” And it beat some of the musty motel rooms he was so used to. “My place is bigger than I expected actually. I have my own kitchen, albeit small, and the living area is plenty for me. I’m in a quiet part of the building which is good. There’s just me and another sub on our floor and the other rooms are empty. So you see, I can’t complain.”

  Lacy cocked an eyebrow “I didn’t realise it was so luxurious over there.”

  “Oh, it is. You should see the size of the bedroom.” Shit! He held his breath and shook his head slightly as he
realised what he’d said. Thankfully, when he looked at Lacy she was grinning right at him. They both laughed. “I’m so sorry, I never meant for−”

  “It’s fine. I know you didn’t,” she interrupted. After that, there was no more awkwardness or silence. The ice had been broken and they both began to feel much more relaxed as the night went on.

  An hour passed easily. Michael was feeling well fed after polishing off a large Penne Arrabiata and a tomato and onion salad. He watched Lacy intently as she finished off the last of her tiramisu. “I enjoyed that so much,” she said after swallowing her last mouthful and dabbing at her mouth with her napkin.

  To his chagrin, he’d enjoyed it too, watching her eat the little slice of coffee flavored, cream dessert. He had to stop it. He grabbed the attention of a passing waitress and called her over. “Another coffee?” he asked Lacy who hesitated for a moment before turning to the young girl waiting with her order pad at the ready.

  “Hey. Sarah. Would it be ok if I left my car in the parking lot tonight? I just really fancy a beer.”

  Michael spoke before the waitress had time to answer. “I can drive back.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “Of course not.” He turned to the waitress, “A beer for the lady and. . . ” he smiled back at Lacy, “a coke for me, please.” Lacy mouthed the word thank you so he waved his hand in dismissal, “I was fed up of the whiskey anyway.”

  The rest of the evening consisted of more drinks and plenty of conversation. Michael had done a good job of keeping it mostly about Lacy, wanting to know more about her and her life and figuring now was as good a time as any. Luckily she didn’t mind and, to his surprise, she was actually quite open about things. How her life had been since moving to Maryland, even past relationships. She spoke more about her mother and how they’d never really seen eye to eye which is why she’d come to live with her Grandmother in the first place. She told him how her mother cared more about her job than anything else and she couldn’t stand it anymore. He was quite content to leave her to do all the talking and was sat back in his chair, pleased that he’d managed to avoid her asking any questions about him.