The awakening hc-1

by Stuart Meczes

  “Leave me alone!” I hissed, which earned a collective “ooooooohhhh” from the rest of the class. I turned back around and fumbled through my bag, producing a dog eared copy of Rebecca. I pretended to look through, my face burning.

  The door opened and Mr Hanley padded back in. “Okay everyone, playtime’s over, back to your seats please,” he said. Lots of shuffling and order was restored. “I have just received some news. It would appear we have a new pupil joining us.” He frowned down at a piece of paper in his hand. “A Miss Gabriella De Luca from Italy.” A murmur waved across the classroom as the information was processed. “She should be here shortly. In the meantime, I want to turn your attention to Rebecca. Now I trust you’ve all managed to read pages one hundred to one hundred and fifty over the weekend. If you haven’t, now is the time to panic, because…” he drummed his fingers on the desk, “…there will be a test for last part of the lesson!”

  The revelation was met with groans and nervous glances. It appeared the majority hadn’t even opened the book, let alone read fifty pages of it. A satisfied smile spread across my face. I’d read it from cover to cover twice already. Then I thought a little more morosely, it’s not like I have a social life to get in the way.

  Mr Hanley put a hand up to silence the class. “I’m in a generous mood, so for the next twenty minutes I’ll let you… refresh your memories,” he chuckled. The class relaxed and silence descended on the room as everyone scanned through the chapters. I thumbed the relevant pages, looking for key scenes. Mr Hanley used the time to finish writing the questions on the board. After a few minutes there was a soft knock at the door.

  “Come in.”

  The door opened and all the air left the room.

  Standing in the doorway was the embodiment of perfection. Thick hair — iron straight and the shade of dark ink, spilled down to slender shoulders. Eyes like sapphires on ice, contrasted full red lips. Skin the colour of fresh honey. A slim biker jacket and figure hugging jeans emphasised a body most girls would kill their best friend for.

  Flawless.

  The class fell into a stunned silence. Even Mr Hanley seemed a little taken aback by the new girl’s undeniable beauty. After a few seconds he composed himself and addressed her directly, peering over the top of his glasses as he spoke.

  “Ah Miss De Luca I presume. Welcome dear, I’m Mr Hanley,” he fawned.

  Gabriella De Luca dazzled the room with a smile. “Thank you, sir.” I could hear a faint hint of an accent in her voice, wrapping her words in silk.

  “Everyone is re-reading pages one hundred to one hundred and fifty of Rebecca. Do you have a copy with you by any chance?”

  Gabriella responded by deftly pulling a pristine copy of the book from her leather handbag and holding it in the air.

  “Ah fantastic. Well now, there will be a test on those pages later, but you’re excused of course. Just start the book and catch up in your free time.”

  “Actually Mr Hanley, I read the book on the journey over, so I’m happy to take the test too,” the new girl replied in her subtle tone.

  Mr Hanley beamed; his round face appearing worryingly close to bursting. “Oh that’s wonderful! Take note people, this is what we call a dedicated student! Well now Gabriella, take a seat, I believe there’s a free one next to Andrew there at the back.” He pointed towards my tormentor. The new girl smiled again and made her way over to the back of the room.

  Then something weird happened.

  As Gabriella neared me, everything went into slow motion. Something ignited in the depths of my chest and an immense heat ripped through my body, racing through my veins until it reached my fingers and toes. It was followed by a thousand miniature electric shocks which crackled along every follicle of hair on my skin. Then I felt myself being unwillingly drawn towards her, as if she were a human magnet. I gripped the side of the desk to stop myself falling off the chair, but not before it tipped onto two legs. The new girl shot me a confused glance and hurried past.

  As she moved away, the sensations stopped and my seat clattered back to its correct position. My mouth dropped open.

  What the hell just happened?

  Behind me I heard several loud sniggers and realised glumly that my bizarre behaviour hadn’t gone unnoticed. I was clueless when it came to girls, but even I knew that it had not been a normal reaction.

  I heard shuffling behind me and hushed words of greetings being exchanged as the girl took her seat. I could hear people from other desks turning to speak to her. I kept my head fixed forward.

  “Okay, okay everyone, let the poor girl get settled!” Mr Hanley said. He tapped the whiteboard with his marker. “You have a test to fail.”

  All eyes shifted from Gabriella to Rebecca.

  Revision didn’t last long. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see several classmates craning their necks to catch a sly glimpse. I had a worrying impulse to do the same thing. A stupid idea — it wasn’t like she would notice me anyway. But as much as I tried to ignore the urge it got the better of me. I inched my head around to catch a quick look at Gabriella.

  She was staring at me.

  My stomach lurched as if someone had applied the brakes. There was no question about it. Her eyes locked with mine. She didn’t look away or turn her nose up. Just kept calmly looking at me and I even saw the corners of her mouth inch up into a smile. A low squeak escaped my throat. I felt flames rising to my cheeks. I wanted to turn back, but couldn’t bring myself to look away. I felt powerless.

  I could sense people focusing on me, wondering what the weirdo was doing no doubt. Andrew leaned over and mouthed the word ‘Loser’ into the new girl’s ear. At that point she mercifully detached her glance from me and flashed a smile at Andrew instead. I whirled my head back around. My face burned with embarrassment. I could actually hear my pulse hammering away in my ears. Oh my god! Why did I just stare at her like an idiot? After almost falling on her? Jesus! The new girl had probably just been looking around when I had optically attacked her. Nice work Alex, the girl’s only been here two minutes and I’ll bet she already thinks you’re a complete psychopath! That’s got to be a new record.

  I tried to drown out the disapproving internal voice by filling my head with Daphne Du Maurier’s words, but I couldn’t concentrate. I kept reading the same sentence over and over, unable to make sense of it. After an eternity, Mr Hanley plodded over to each desk in turn and placed down some blank sheets of lined A4 paper. When we all had one, he made us put our copies of the book away and begin the test.

  I stared at the first question on the whiteboard.

  Q1. Why do you feel that the narrator of the story struggles to fit into her newly appointed position of power?

  I frowned. I could understand the individual words, but my brain refused to comprehend the question. Looking away and looking back again made no difference.

  My mind had gone blank.

  The bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson. On my desk lay a piece of paper with my name on and nothing else. Mr Hanley walked around and gathered the answers. He raised his eyebrows when he picked up mine but didn’t say anything. I was one of his best students; I guess that entitled me to a bad day or two. I watched as people gathered around Gabriella like moths to a flame. I made sure I didn’t catch her gaze again, busying myself with packing my folder into my bag, while Mr Hanley spoke.

  “Okay people, I want you to make sure you’ve read the next fifty pages by the end of the week. And actually make sure you do this time! You know, it’s only your education at stake.”

  I battled my way through the crowded corridors, trying to shut out the roar of noise that came from hundreds of over energised students. I made my way through the main building towards my locker. A poster pinned to the noticeboard in the hub caught my attention. I stopped to look. It was black with little white snowflakes dotted all over. In the middle, an exterior photo of the school had been photo-shopped to look as if it were covered in snow. I scanned the wh
ite print running underneath, my heart sinking.

  TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

  SIXTH FORM WINTER WONDERLAND BALL

  FRIDAY14TH DEC, 7.30PM — 11.30PM

  THE EXTREMELY POPULAR XMAS BALL IS BACK!

  WITH GREAT MUSIC AND GREAT PEOPLE, IT’S BOUND TO BE A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!

  TICKETS?10.?2 REFUND ON THE DOOR FOR THOSE IN FANCY DRESS

  ALL PROCEEDS GO TO CHARITY

  USE IT AS AN EXCUSE TO FINALLY ASK OUT THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE

  WHO KNOWS, THEY MAY SAY YES!

  I shuddered and hurried away from the notice board. There was no one in this entire place who would ever consider saying YES! to me. So like the year 11 Christmas ball at my last School, I would spend the night with a book or gaming on the PC. Better that than the mortification of arriving on my own and spending the night alone.

  I reached my locker, a thin grey affair which some kind soul had scratched ‘bender’ on. I battled with the padlock for a few seconds, before the door released. I traded my English folder for my Science and Maths textbooks. Swinging the door shut, I almost jumped out of my skin.

  Leaning gracefully against the locker next to mine was Gabriella. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was regarding me with the same faint suggestion of a smile. She used her shoulders to push herself upright and moved closer to me. Instantly, I felt the charges popping under my skin again. I didn’t react, not wanting to look like even more of an idiot in front of her. My heart smashed against my ribcage as she surveyed me with her brilliant blue eyes.

  “Hi” she beamed, “I didn’t get a chance to meet you earlier. I’m Gabriella De Luca.” She extended a perfectly manicured hand and I paused for a beat, before offering my own, clammy version. As our skin connected, the sensations went off the chart. A sound similar to someone pouring popping candy into a glass of water filled my ears. If Gabriella could hear it, she made no comment, just held the greeting and I realised that she was waiting for a response.

  “Uh h-hi there, I’m Alexander Eden,” I stammered.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you Alexander.”

  Gabriella released my hand and the sensations dulled. Pausing for a second, she added, “listen, I wonder if I could ask you a favour. It’s my first day here and this place is pretty big. I could really use someone to show me around and help me find my classes.” She fanned a slender hand through her hair as she spoke. “The problem is that a lot of the people I’ve met so far seem a bit…immature.” The new girl gestured over her shoulder. I followed the direction and noticed for the first time a small gathering of people watching us talk, sharing a look of bemused interest.

  I hurriedly looked back as the Gabriella continued. “You seem…different. So could I ask you to be my guide until I get settled?”

  She’s asking if it’s okay to spend time with me. It took a while to process the illogical request. My throat dried up and I had to swallow a few times before I was able to speak. “I–I uh yeah, that’s not a problem,” I croaked. “Uh, what class do you have now?”

  Gabriella retrieved a fold of paper from her jacket pocket and scanned her eyes along its content for a few seconds.

  “This says that I have Art now.” She looked up and smiled. “So I guess Art.”

  “Okay, well…that’s this way,” I gestured, my heart still thumping a rapid bassline in my chest. I motioned for her to follow me and we wound our way down the corridors, much to the confusion of everyone we passed. We walked in silence for a while. I kept my mouth shut, convinced that anything I said would be absolutely the wrong thing. But Gabriella didn’t give me much of a chance to stay silent. “So, how long have you lived in Chapter Hill?” she asked. “Not long,” I replied. My companion gave me a sideways glance. “Is that it?” I swallowed hard, and mentally made sure my answer was embarrassment free before replying.

  “Well, I grew up in Wimbledon but moved to Birmingham when I was about eleven. We stayed for about five years. Then my stepdad got offered a better job in Chapter Hill.” I swung my bag to the other shoulder. “We moved back down about a year ago. My half-brother Mikey and I joined the school. He’s finishing his GCSE’s and I’m doing A-levels. Uh, which I guess you already know.” Gabriella nodded. “It seems really nice here. You must really enjoy it.” I gave a strained laugh. “Ha…yeah.” In an effort to shift the attention away from me I asked, “Uh, so what’s your story then?” The new girl drew a deep breath. “A very good question, but not one for right now.”

  Her odd response caught me off guard. I slowed my step, eyebrows arched. Gabriella hung back and placed a hand on my arm for a fleeting moment, sending the charges spiking again.

  “Sorry, that made me sound a bit strange,” she laughed. “What I mean is that it’s a long story and I can explain when we have more time.”

  I decided not to press the point, if she wanted to tell me she would. Besides, it was rare that anyone other than Tim even spoke to me, never mind someone this insanely beautiful — I wasn’t about to make it uncomfortable for her. Not to mention that her answer had implied we’d be spending more time together. I liked the sound of that.

  Silence descended as we continued through the maze of hallways. We passed through the year seven Geography section. The walls were lined with colourful flow charts relating to world trade and drawings of the planet, scrawled with bright pens. We pushed through a set of side doors that led to the school grounds. The fierce wind rushed in to greet us. Invisible tendrils of ice scratched at my face. I pulled my scarf from my bag and wrapped it around my neck, deflecting some of the cold. Gabriella’s clothes were pretty inappropriate for the weather, but she didn’t seem to be bothered much by the cold.

  To our left was the packed lunch area — a large grassy recess, set between two protruding sections of the school. Worn picnic benches, warped and bleached from years of facing the elements lay scattered around in no particular order. On the opposite side, a small bank of grass sloped up onto the school football pitch. I pointed towards it.

  “If we cut across there, it’ll be quicker than walking around,” I explained. “The art block is across the road.”

  “Sounds good.”

  We climbed onto the pitch and made our way across, aiming for the gated exit in the northeast corner. As we neared the opening, I realised the shortcut had been a huge mistake. Coming through from the other direction, followed by his gang, was Terry Burton.

  Adrenaline surged through my body. What do I do? Half of me wanted to turn back, but the other half didn’t want to look like a coward in front of Gabriella. My legs kept walking even though my mind screamed at me to leave. Time ran out. We were spotted. TJ nudged Terry and pointed in our direction. A dark smile spread across my tormentor’s face. Gabriella seemed to sense my unease and stopped to look at me, concern etched on her face. “Alexander, are you okay?”

  I nodded and kept my head down as we started moving again. Maybe he’ll leave me alone because I’m with a girl. I was kidding myself. There was no way, Terry wasn’t a gentleman. It would just be twice as humiliating this time.

  Their crude banter died down as they reached us. They stopped short in a curve, barring our way forward. Once again there was the gasping of breath and the exchanges of glances as the gang took in Gabriella for the first time. Terry, ever the classy guy, stared directly at her chest. After a few seconds he managed to prise his attention away. He took a final blast on the joint he was smoking and then crushed it under his boot heel. He stared at me through bloodshot eyes.

  “Eden! What a lovely surprise! And there I was thinking you’d had enough for one day.” My body stiffened. “And who’s this stunner?” he said, leering towards Gabriella. Instinctively I grabbed the new girl’s wrist and pulled her behind me. I had no idea where my courage was coming from.

  Terry leaned back again and narrowed his eyes. “No, wait…don’t tell me that this hot piece of ass is actually with you?’ He started snorting with laughter and his gang joined in, bayin
g like a bunch of demented hyenas. I could feel the rage growing inside my stomach, like someone had lit a fire. I tried to relax, knowing that if I lost control and hit him, I would get destroyed. So I tried to keep my response calm, but my words came out shaky and flecked with anger. “Gabriella and I are not together. She just asked me to show her around. Is that okay with you?”

  Terry's mouth shrunk into a thin line. When he spoke, it was through clenched teeth. “A little bit feisty today ain’t we Eden?” he hissed. “Trying to impress the bird? Might want to watch your mouth though mate, else it’s liable to get smacked.”

  I felt Gabriella tense behind me. Her hand squeezed mine, probably a comforting gesture, but it was stronger than expected and I almost cried out in pain.

  Terry’s expression relaxed and his tone lightened. “What you said does make sense though,” he mused, “there is no way a fine thing like this would be seen dead with a freak like you.” He moved to the side so he could see Gabriella clearer and regarded her with a flick of the chin. “So babe, since you and this loser ain’t hitting it, how about you come with me and find out what a real man can do?” On cue his gang started whooping and making crude gestures.

  Gabriella shook my hand off and paced towards Terry. She cut right through his personal space and stopped inches from him. Even in heels, she only reached his chest, but her bare faced confidence unnerved him and he took a step back.

  Gabriella crossed her arms and rested on her back leg. “That’s funny,” she said, scrutinizing Terry first and then his friends, “I don’t see any real men here, apart from the one behind me,” she turned and winked. “I also know you cacacazzi wouldn’t have a clue what to do with me if you got me alone. So if you’ll excuse me boys, we have classes to get to, so move!” She shoved Terry out of her way and walked through the space where he’d stood. He made no effort to stop her. The others were silent and parted like the Red Sea, allowing her through. Turning, she gestured for me to follow. I gave a confused shake of my head, but followed, thankful.