The Awakener

by Amanda Strong

  After twenty minutes of waiting idly, Eden jumped into her Jeep. The wind pushed against her vehicle as she drove to the grocery store. A summer monsoon was on its way. In a few hours, the pewter sky would bring a downpour. She had just parked when her phone rang. She fumbled to answer it.

  “So?” she asked, knowing it was Jessie.

  “You were right. He wants to go out.” Her tone sounded ticked.

  Eden tried to ignore it. “I told you he did!”

  “So why didn’t he call me? I knew he was just a flirt. I’m only doing this for you. I don’t even think I like him anymore actually.”

  “Thanks, Jessie, I really owe you. What are you going to do?”

  “Dinner and a movie. He’s getting me in a couple hours.”

  “Cool.” She was thrilled it’d worked and hoped Jessie just sounded more put off than she felt. She seemed to like Trent at the pool party.

  “So why do you want me to go out with Trent all of sudden? It’s not like you haven’t listened to me mope over him for the past few months,” Jessie stated.

  Jessie’s right. Why didn’t I? I’ve been completely selfish. “I’m sorry, Jess, I should’ve done this sooner, but I wasn’t sure how he felt.” Chagrined with herself, she added, “But I’m sure now and I’m so excited for you!”

  There was a pause, and then Jessie said, “Well, I still think Trent’s a player but like I said, you’re my friend. So I’ll suffer through it.”

  “Thanks, Jessie,” she repeated. Redirecting back, she asked, “So what are you going to do until then?” They both had a couple hours to burn.

  “Are you kidding? I hope I have enough time to get ready! Do you know how long it takes to flat iron this hair?”

  Eden laughed. For all her complaining, she could tell Jessie was excited about the date still. A few minutes later, they hung up.

  Mm, what to do for the next few hours? She grabbed some snacks at the store for tomorrow’s long ride and opted not to go home, having a better idea. Making her way onto the Turnpike, she headed for the building that used to be her best friend, the library. Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting cross-legged in a chair, tucked behind bookshelves, with a copy of The Importance of Being Ernest. She’d read it multiple times, but thought it might keep her mind busy, which it did.

  She was shocked when she heard a woman walking by tell her son, “It’s almost five o’clock. We need to leave soon.”

  Really? She pulled out her cell phone. Time to go.

  Driving back to Micah’s, she said repeatedly, “Please don’t let Damon be there. Please don’t Damon be there.”

  Approaching Micah’s home, she felt a rush of adrenaline. The driveway was empty.

  So this is it, she thought, as she pulled her Jeep in. Turning the key, she took a deep breath and tried to remember what her plan was. No words came to mind. Before she could chicken out, she threw the driver’s door open. The first few large raindrops hit her face as she hopped up the porch steps and knocked firmly on the door.

  Mrs. Hawkins face appeared in the doorway. “Eden, how are you dear?”

  “I’m good, thanks.”

  “Come on in.” Eden was about to ask if Micah was home, but she beat her to it. “Micah’s up in his room packing. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you. Why don’t you go on up?”

  Perfect, she thought while she said, “Thanks.”

  She jogged up the stairs, her heart banging against her rib cage. Her stomach was rolling with nerves, and her fingers were ice cold. Micah’s door was open a crack, and she could hear music coming out. Taking a deep breath, she hit her knuckles against the door, pushing it open further.

  “You don’t have to knock,” Micah called out.

  She stepped inside, her eyes adjusting to the dimness, since the light was off. Micah, who’d been sprawled on his bed with his hands behind his head, saw her, and immediately bolted up. His suitcase lay open and empty next to him.

  “Hey, Eden.” He sounded surprised.

  “Hi, Micah. Your mom said to come up.”

  Panic flickered in his eyes, and his smile looked forced. Stomach sinking to her toes, she asked, “So are you all packed, ready for tomorrow?”

  She knew her answer was painfully obvious as his bag was empty, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say at the moment.

  He gazed at his bag. “No, and no.” Glancing back at her, he asked, “How about you?”

  “Yeah, I packed a few things. Not much. We aren’t going to be gone long.”

  Wondering why Micah had failed to invite her in, she forced her legs to enter the room. His eyes followed her like she might have the plague. Not prepared for his reaction, she shuffled to the recliner, plopping down before she lost her nerve completely.

  Not talking about the elephant in the room’s going to be harder than I thought. She didn’t want to think about what tomorrow meant. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was even here.

  She stared at his stereo. “I love this song.”

  “Yeah, me too.” After a moment of listening, he added, “You know, I never noticed before how many songs are about God and life.”

  “Yeah, especially country.” She glanced at him. “Is that what you’re thinking about?”

  Micah pulled his knees up and rested his elbows on them. “It’s never far from my mind.” His eyes locked on hers, and she was slightly confused by his expression.

  “So speaking of which, any new visions?” she asked, hoping he’d found the solution to their problem.

  He gazed back at her. “Nope.”

  They both fell silent. The awkward pause was interrupted by a clap of thunder and the tapping on the window grew steady. She walked to the window. The rain was finally here; she loved the pounding on the roof, the dampness in the air, and the clean smell it left behind.

  The glass felt cool against her palms.

  “You just missed Trent. He’s going to go out with Jessie tonight.”

  “Oh really? That’s good,” she said nonchalantly.

  “Trent said you gave Jessie his number.”

  She leaned her back against the window and faced him. “Trent’s so tense lately. I thought it’d be good for him to have a night of fun. Sorry, is that ok?”

  Micah strolled toward her. “Yes, it’s a great idea actually. He didn’t want to go, but I told him he’s no good to me here just moping around.” Micah gave her a crooked grin.

  Her pulse was aware of his close proximity. “Didn’t he want to go? I thought he liked her.” Poor Jessie! She’s going to kill me!

  “No, he does. It’s not that.”

  Uh oh, the elephant’s here again. “He just didn’t want to leave your side, right?”

  Micah nodded, staring out the window, and then he reached by her face. Her breath caught, but he was only unlatching the window behind her. She moved over as he hefted it up a few inches. The drumming of the rain intensified.

  She inhaled deeply. “I love rain.” She placed her hands on the sill, the drops splattering on her skin.

  He placed his hand next to hers and glanced over. “Did you hear from Andrew again?”

  Her mouth went dry. “No. As far as I know, he’s still not back.”

  Listening to the rain pelting the glass, she wished she could freeze time. Make this moment with Micah last forever.

  She cleared her throat. “So, are we just actors after all? Or do we make our own destiny?”

  His blue eyes registered surprise. He smiled, and she was relieved to see it was warm. “What do you think?”

  “Maybe a little bit of both,” she said, noting his interest. “Maybe we make our own decisions. Sometimes good, and sometimes bad, but if we’re trying, doing the best we can, maybe our choices land us right into the role that was written for us.”

  Micah’s eyebrows came up as he considered her words.

  “Maybe we misread things. Sometimes not everything is what it appears to be,” she added.

&nb
sp; “So in other words, you’re saying maybe I misread my vision?”

  She swallowed. Now that depends on which one we’re discussing. She was about to admit to overhearing his private conversation with Trent, about her marrying Andrew.

  “I wish that were it,” he admitted. “I really do. But sometimes what we want is just not for us to have. Maybe I need to learn to just accept whatever is supposed to happen, as is.”

  Feeling panicked by what that implied, she was surprised when a Sunday school lesson came to mind. It was from one of the random churches her family had attended a few months ago.

  “If a child asked for some bread, would you give him a stone instead?” she blurted.

  Micah stared at her. “Say what?”

  “Or if your child asked for fish, would you give him a serpent?”

  “I didn’t know you quoted the Bible.”

  “Me either. Not sure why I just thought of that. But, it’s still true. If we know how to give good gifts, why wouldn’t God know how to give even better ones?”

  Micah’s eyes danced. “I’m impressed.”

  “You aren’t the only one who knows how to read the Bible.” She grinned at him and then asked, “Don’t you think God wants you to be happy too?”

  “You sort of sound like Trent now.” He sighed.

  “Well, not everything out of his mouth’s completely crazy.”

  He chuckled and then was quiet. Listening to the rain, she was aware of how close they were now. Facing the window, his arm kept brushing hers, making her stomach flutter with butterflies.

  Then the thought of the weekend awaiting sickened her.

  “Micah, tell me what you saw. What’s going to happen to you in Illinois?”

  He turned, bringing them face to face. He hesitated and then said, “I get hurt, pretty bad.”

  “Can’t you avoid it? Since you see how and where, can’t you just not go?”

  “I have to go. I need to do something that only I can do. Eden, remember my vision?” he asked, when she sputtered in protest. “Everyone’s going to die in that fire if I don’t complete my mission. This is bigger than me and what I want.”

  “But you’re the Seer! How can you complete your mission if you’re dead?”

  “Maybe I just have to get you all to that point. Maybe that’s all I have to do…”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He shut his mouth. “I probably shouldn’t say more.”

  Her mouth fell open. Anger was giving way to tears and her reflex to run from the room overcame her. Nothing she could say would change his mind. He seemed bent on carrying through with this.

  Tears were rolling down her face as she hustled from the room.

  Micah was behind her though, taking her shoulder, and turning her around to face him. “Wait, where are you going now?”

  She was embarrassed to cry in front of him. She stared at the carpet, her vision blurring.

  “I can’t watch you die, Micah,” she whispered.

  His hand was under her chin, making her look up and face him.

  “Caitlyn told you to talk to Andrew, right? That it’d all work out as it should?” he asked.

  “How did you—”

  “I just know.”

  He sees way more than I thought. “Yes, she told me that. Why?”

  “And you did what you felt in your heart was right?”

  “Yes.”

  “And we tried to fix it ourselves, even though it shouldn’t have needed fixing, and it didn’t work. You called Andrew and he’s not even in town.”

  She stared at him. “Ok, you’ve lost me.”

  Then his eyes stared just past her, his pupils dilating until the black almost overtook the blue. She gaped at him; his breathing was rapid now.

  Oh my gosh, he’s having a vision.

  She waited, each second feeling like an eternity. Slowly, his breathing became even again, and his eyes focused on her.

  “Caitlyn was right all along,” he exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face. “I just needed to have a little faith.”

  “What? Micah, what did you see?”

  Now his face was inches from hers. “Don’t worry, it all works out.”

  “Do you mean you live?” But he didn’t answer her, only took a step closer. “Micah—” she began, but his hand wrapped around the base of her neck.

  His mouth landed on hers. Shocked, she staggered back, losing her balance, but he grabbed her, holding her against him. Finally registering that this was real, not some daydream, she kissed him back. He responded by kissing her harder, faster. She could understand his hunger—she felt it too. Every part of her body was tingling and numb at the same time. She found her fingers running through his hair, enjoying how silky it felt, while his kisses became frantic. His hands came back up her body and, reaching her neck, he tilted her head back, his lips making their way down her jaw and throat. His warm kisses on her skin left her lightheaded, and she closed her eyes. She had goose bumps everywhere as his lips made their way back to her mouth. Once his mouth was again pressing hard against hers, she realized they were now standing next to the bed. When had they moved?

  One of his arms crushed her body against his, while his other hand was tangled in her hair, cradling the back of her head. She knew there was no escaping his strong arms, even if she wanted to. She felt her knees go weak, and she found herself lying down on the bed, Micah next to her. Being so close to him, she could smell his skin and feel how warm his body felt next to her. Somewhere in her mind, she was trying to understand what was happening still, and she was beginning to wonder if lying down was a mistake. She wasn’t prepared for the rush of new feelings it brought. She was telling herself to pull away, even though she was afraid she’d be waking from a dream if she did, when he stopped kissing her.

  He gazed down at her, resting on his elbow, his eyes searching her face. Lying on her back, aware of his warm arm across her stomach, she smiled up at him. “So you did want to kiss me.”

  He brushed her lips with his, murmuring, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop now.”

  She giggled and threw both her arms around his neck, knocking him off balance and down on her. He quickly propped himself up again with his elbow. Then he was standing up. “We should probably go downstairs.”

  “What? Why?” she asked, sitting up. Does he regret it?

  His eyes roamed her face and, instead of answering her, he was knocking her back down with his mouth. She was beginning to understand his reason, when he stopped and practically jumped off the bed. “Yeah, we can’t stay in here. Come on.”

  She wanted to disagree with him, but she knew he was right. She let him pull her up to her feet. As she lumbered toward the door, grasping his hand, she asked, “Can we just talk for a bit?”

  He raised an eyebrow at her. “Just talk?”

  She smiled, hitching her shoulders up. “Please. I promise to be good.”

  “Ok, but I’m going to hold you to it, ‘cause I can’t guarantee anything on my end.”

  Once they were sitting down on his bench, he pulled her hand into his and began tracing her fingers with his. She watched his hand and then peeked up at his face. “So are you going to tell me what you saw?”

  “I live. I see me in the temple now.”

  “You do! Wait, what temple?”

  “Oh, guess I didn’t tell you about that.”

  She waited and he grew quiet. “So?”

  “It’s Enoch’s temple. We need to find something inside of it. I promise I’ll tell you more but, right now, I don’t want to think about it.” She was going to ask why not when he kissed her again, leaving her breathless when he stopped.

  Kissing him felt so right. Like she’d found something she’d been missing.

  “So this is ok, then? I don’t have to be with Andrew now?”

  He pulled her into his lap. “Not unless you want to be.”

  She pressed her head against his chest, lis
tening to the pounding of his heart. “No, I want to be with you.”

  “Good.” He squeezed her around the waist playfully and she squealed at the pressure. “Because I’m not giving you back.”

  She laughed and then faced him. “So what changed? Why’s it all fine now?”

  “The miracle came.”

  “Huh?”

  “You have to have faith before the miracle can come. I was doing it backwards, thinking I’d have faith after I’d seen the miracle. That’s not how faith works. Once I let myself truly believe it was going to be fine, I saw me in the temple with all of you, including Andrew. He’s going to show up tomorrow.”

  She stared at him and then grinned. “So is this part of the miracle too?” Sure feels like it to me.

  “You are my miracle.” His lips brushed against hers, sending fire through her veins. He cocked his head to the side. “Or maybe you’re my little loaf of bread.”

  “Ha ha! Very funny. Now you’re mocking me. I made a good point, you know.”

  “Yes,” he kissed her lips, “you did. I wasn’t making fun, I swear.” He winked at her. Then he had that look again, and she loved the rush it gave her to know what it meant. He wants me. As his lips found hers, she thought of all the times she’d pictured how this would feel. They paled in comparison.

  Micah stopped abruptly. Feeling disoriented, she asked, “What? What’s wrong?”

  He arched an eyebrow at her. “You aren’t keeping your end of the bargain.”

  “Yes, I am! Besides, I’m not the one starting all the kissing.”

  “True, but I can’t help it. You look too good, so it’s really your fault.”

  “Nice try.” She detangled herself from his arms and stood.

  “You better not try running away again,” he said, as she crossed the room.

  “I’m not. You always catch me anyway.”

  He chuckled behind her.

  She pushed the door open all the way. “There, that should help us be good.”

  “Maybe,” he admitted as she turned around. “Now get over here.”

  She waltzed back and stood planted in front of him. He grabbed her hands and pulled her close, nestling his face into her stomach. She giggled and ran her fingers through his black hair. He tugged down on her arms, but she decided it might be safer to sit next to him instead. He made a funny face at her.

  “What? You told me to behave!”

  He snorted and lifted her into his lap anyway. “Like you didn’t plan this tonight? You sent Trent away on that date on purpose, didn’t you?”

  She bit her lip. “Maybe.”

  She pressed her face into his chest, enjoying his scent. Tucked under his chin, she kissed his throat softly. His breathing sped and he turned her neck until her lips met his. His mouth moved with hers. Eventually he stopped, cradling her in his arms. She felt like she was panting, trying to catch her breath.

  He grunted. “Poor Trent’s been going crazy babysitting me.”

  “It’s been good for him.”

  “I’m not so sure. You don’t know how crabby he can get.”

  “Well, at least he’ll be in a better mood tomorrow.”

  “Who knows, either way, I don’t want to think about Trent right now. I just want to enjoy you.”

  “Ok, deal.” She hesitated and then asked, “When did you know… I mean, when did you realize—?”

  “How I felt about you?” he asked, finishing her question.

  She nodded.

  “I hate to admit it, but it was in Rome. I liked seeing you before I left, but I didn’t really think it through, you know. When I started having visions about you and Andrew, I was insanely jealous. It surprised me, but you were with my friend, so what could I do? Besides, I—” he stopped. “Well, you know. I thought you were supposed to be with him. I thought I was ok with it all, but then I see you the morning after prom. Man, I knew I was in trouble then. You walked in and it felt like my heart stopped.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. When you told me you broke up, I about kissed you right there, but—”

  “I know,” she interrupted, not wanting to talk about that.

  “I thought I’d done it, you know. Trent’s been glued to my side for the past month. Damon’s been over almost every day. Then you show up here tonight and I’m going crazy inside…” His words trailed as he kissed her again. There was something in the way he kissed her this time that was different. He wasn’t in a hurry. It was gentle, soft, and left her feeling like a puddle in his arms. Dizzy, she leaned her head back, wanting his lips to find her throat again. He did, kissing behind her ear.

  Taking her face in his hands, he peered into her eyes. “Eden, we need to go downstairs. As much as I want to stay here with you, I don’t really trust myself right now.”

  She wanted to protest, but she knew he had a point. She followed behind him, clutching his hand, afraid this would all disappear the moment they left his room.

  At his door, he stopped. “Before we go downstairs, you have to tell me when you knew.”

  Her eyes shifted to the floor. “I knew before you, sort of the moment I saw you in the locker hall.”

  He was thoughtful and then grinned. “You always were the smart one. I really don’t deserve you.”

  She shook her head. “You have that one backwards.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  She wanted to turn it into a joke, but his eyes were so sincere that all she could feel was the happiness bubbling within her. She pressed her lips on his, closing her eyes, his hand slipped behind her neck, tickling her skin, and her lips parted. He pulled back, his breathing ragged.

  His brow was wrinkled.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He took a deep breath. “Wow… nothing… you’re just… we need to go downstairs.”

  She bit her lip, smiling back at him. “Oh. Ok.”

  They entered the great room where Micah’s parents were about to start a movie. Eden sank into the couch, pulling her knees up. She shot a text to her mom, telling her she was at the Hawkins watching a movie. As her mom sent back, Oh good! Have fun! Micah sat down next to her. She was wondering if he wanted his parents to know about them, when he grabbed her hand.

  So, I guess he’s not hiding us. This can’t be really happening, can it?

  As the movie neared its end, the front door opened and Trent strolled in. She caught the surprise in his face at seeing her there. His eyebrows shot up when he spied their hands clasped together. He plopped next to Micah and slapped Micah’s leg hard, saying nothing.

  When the movie ended, she overheard Trent whisper, “I can’t even leave you alone for one second. So now what?”

  “It’s all good,” Micah replied.

  Trent stared at him, his face doubtful.

  It was late and she needed to get home. They had a big day tomorrow. She stretched and told Micah’s parents good night as they left the room. Trent stared at her; she could see the unasked question in his eyes.

  Micah stood up and held his hand out to her. “Are you going to be ok driving home?”

  She half-yawned, half-laughed. “It’s only a hundred feet away. I think I’ll be fine.” She took his hand and landed on her feet.

  “You shouldn’t be out at night by yourself,” Micah said.

  She wanted to argue, but he did have a point.

  “I’ll drive you home,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  “Micah—” Trent began.

  Micah cut him off. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Remember what Sage said to us. You think you’ll walk back or something? I’ll follow you.”

  As Micah nodded, she thought how ridiculous this conversation would sound to an outsider. She only lived one street over, but they all had a very good reason to be more cautious at night now. Nobody was anxious for another run in with a nasty demon.

  When Micah opened the passenger door of her Jeep for her, she realized he wanted to drive. H
e gave her a boyish grin as they climbed in. “Do you mind? I love Jeeps.”

  She smiled, noticing Micah’s truck following them out of the driveway. Trent could joke about a lot of things, but being attacked was not one of them. They were at Eden’s house a minute later.

  “Acting like this didn’t happen tomorrow is going to be hard for me,” he said, touching her lips. “But I think its best we keep this quiet.”

  She pressed her lips against his finger. “Ok. But just for this trip.”

  He leaned over and kissed her gently. Somewhere in her mind, she knew Trent could probably figure out what they were doing, since the truck’s headlights were shining into the Jeep, but she didn’t care enough to stop.

  Micah pulled away. “It might be better for Andrew if we waited a little longer than that.”

  She wanted to protest, but she knew he was right. She didn’t want to pour salt into that wound by flaunting her new relationship with Micah. “Ok.”

  Micah saw her to the front door, where he gave her a warm hug. “See you in the morning. Maybe you can come a little earlier than everyone else.”

  She smiled. “Maybe I will.”