Walking Among the Shadows: Awakening: Revised Edition (9 page)

“Dude, my cousin’s gonna have
the whole club clicking. VIP treatment all the way. But the big thing is will
your mom come through with the ride?”

“She’ll come through.”

“You sure? It’s a recession
you know.”

“Tony, you of all people
should know my family isn’t hurting for money.”

“True, true. Dude, it’s gonna
be off the hook tonight!”

“Yes sir.” I agreed.

“Happy Birthday again,
brother.”

“Thanks, man!”

As we approached our house I
saw another vehicle in the driveway, which I figured was Jason’s. I inhaled
deeply, preparing myself for this meet and greet. I could tell Sarah wasn’t all
that enthused about meeting him either. Jason’s car was a beautiful
black-on-black 2009 Bentley coupe convertible. The license plate read “SHADOW
6.” Even though I didn’t want to give props where they were due, the license
plate name was dead-on for the kind of vehicle it was attached to. From his car
I could tell Jason had taste and money and had no reservations in showing them
both off. So at least my mom didn’t land a leech.

“OOOO WEE!” Tony yelled,
admiring Jason’s Bentley while doing a silly dance next to the driver’s side
door.

“Aiden, you have to admit the
dude has got great taste in cars; those black 22s are banging hard!”

I quickly glanced over the
car. It was badass, I nodded in agreement.

“Wait! You know most of the
time dudes with cars like this are butt-ugly. I mean can you imagine your mom
dating a white Flavor Flav?”

Sarah was standing next to
Tony admiring Jason’s car. When she heard the Flavor Flav comment she
immediately punched him in his shoulder.

“Ouch!”

“Hurt didn’t it? So did that
comment,” she complained.

“My bad! I’m just saying let’s
hope he looks as good as his car.”

“Dude, stop!” I warned.

“Stop? Remember Reginald? Yeah
playa, payback’s a bitch in a badass car.”

Sometimes Tony could be such a
boob and using this situation as payback for the jokes I made the other day in my
room was ultimate boobish behavior.

“Well, I’m heading home. See
you in a minute.”

“Aw, hell naw! You are coming
in too, Tony,” I demanded. “Clearly Jason is rich and rich people aren’t always
the most tolerable people, so walking a black dude in might throw him off his
game.”

“Oh, so I’m the bait?”

“Yep, that’s you. If he
doesn’t like black people he’s gotta go,” Sarah advised.

“I agree…hmm. You know what,
you’re right. Let’s see what’s up with Mr. Bentley,” agreed Tony.

When we walked through the
door we were greeted by possibly the most handsome older man I have seen
outside of a movie. He possessed a regal yet inviting aura. My defenses
immediately lowered and I found myself pleasantly surprised to be smiling at
him. Sarah’s eyes were sparkling with admiration and Tony was equally
impressed. He greeted us all warmly and by name. His voice was deep and
penetrating yet possessed a gentleness in it that seemed to massage all the
apprehension from inside of us. I felt like I could immediately trust him with
my life. Was I under a spell? Sarah and I agreed to give this guy a hard time
for at least ninety days. It was rare that we agreed on anything and this was
one of those occasions. But here we both were totally forgetting our pact. He
seemed perfect, not too perfect, but everything I would want in a father figure
physically. No one wants a beautiful mother and an ugly father or father figure
in their lives. Again, impressions are important to most but to a teenager it’s
everything.

So for your single mother to
find a very attractive man to date is a win on many levels. He was about six
foot two, tanned, with a well-groomed haircut. He had some gray sprinkled here
and there, but it added to his appeal. Blue eyes, and from his accent he
sounded like he was Greek or maybe from somewhere else around the
Mediterranean. I could see my mom looking on with a huge smile on her face,
watching our warm exchange with Jason.

“I’ve been anxiously waiting
to meet you,” Jason revealed. “All of you. I’m so happy to finally get this
chance. Thank you Aiden, for allowing me to share this special day with your
family.”

“You are welcome,” I answered.

“So Aiden, did you make the
team?” Jason asked.

“Yes I did,” I answered with
complete surprise.

“Your mom told me about you
trying out for the team. I’ve never played any sports when I was your age.
Always wanted to but never got the opportunity. In my village in Greece we
didn’t have much time to play sports…”

Gotcha! I knew it,
I
thought.

“But I love sports and I try
to go to as many games as my time allows. Congratulations again on making the
team, I’ve heard the Warriors have a real chance of winning the state
championship this year.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that too.”

“Well, with you on the team
I’m certain their chances just got better.”

“That is a beautiful car you
have out there,” Tony interjected.

“Ah yes, the Bentley. Thank
you, Tony.”

“So Aiden,” my mom
interrupted. “I guess it’s time, huh?”

A huge smile grew on my face.
Yes! I could barely contain my excitement.

“You’ve kept your end of the
bargain and even exceeded my expectations with your academics. So since you
went that extra mile, I did too. Let’s all go to the garage.”

We sprinted towards the door
leading into the garage from the kitchen. As I  opened the door I got a glimpse
of something I needed to wipe my eyes to believe. I nearly fainted when the
garage door opened, revealing a most beautiful sight. There it was in all its
splendor, the car of my dreams exactly as I dreamed it would be: the 2010 Chevy
Camaro, and it was the SS model with the sickest ground effect kit on the
market. The exterior was jet black with blood-red graphics. The Camaro sat on
twenty- inch rear rims and custom nineteen-inch rims in the front. The rims
were jet black as well with a blood-red two-inch lip.

I took a step back as tears
immediately started filling my eyes. I slowly walked over to the car and opened
the door. The interior was black and red leather. It came equipped with a
seven-inch touch screen entertainment unit. It was perfect in every way. As I
slowly sat in the driver’s seat, tears kept rolling down my face. I placed my
hands on the steering wheel and exhaled. This day couldn’t get any better. How
could it? The keys were already in the ignition; I glanced over at my mom and
she nodded, giving me the O.K. to turn the ignition. The roar of the engine
filled the garage and the house. It was beautiful.

“Mom, I…I don’t…thank you so
much.”

She walked over to the car as
I got out and held me in her arms crying as she whispered in my ear, “You’re
welcome, no mother could wish for a better son.”

“Man, this is so emotional,”
Tony protested. “I can’t be crying like this.”

We all started laughing at
Tony’s silly ass.

“Thank you, Mom. This is the
best birthday gift ever!”

“You’re welcome, but there is
one more thing,” my mom said. “Look in the glove compartment, there’s something
else there for you.”

I quickly hopped back in the
car and reached over to open the glove compartment, and after a quick pull of
the handle the door swung down and out popped an envelope. Opening the envelope
revealed a birthday card with a Visa gift card worth one thousand dollars.

“Oh sh…” I quickly looked at
my mom catching myself, and from the look on her face I just sidestepped a
disaster.

“Okay, be careful. Don’t get
grounded on your birthday Aiden,” she warned.

For several weeks prior to my
birthday I was trying to figure out what I was going to do concerning spending
money for this night. I wanted to buy something new to wear and also have some
money to spend at the club. I considered dipping into my savings for my trip to
Spain but I wasn’t enthused about going that route. Robbing Peter to pay Paul
is what my mom called it. I didn’t want to ask my mom for any money because I
was preparing to get a new car and I knew she would be spending a lot on it,
but nothing like what I was sitting in now. This was well beyond what I was
expecting. Yeah, I was dreaming about this car but realistically I wasn’t
expecting it.

“Mom, can we…?”

“Yes Aiden, you can take it
for a spin,” my mom answered before I could get the question out fully.

“We’re gonna go to the mall
real quick to get some clothes for tonight.”

“Okay be careful, the
insurance papers are in the glove box, don’t lose them. And do you have your
license with you?”

“Yes!”

Then from behind me I heard
Sarah ask, “Can I come with?”

I was in a really good mood so
I replied she could. I was feeling too good to actually tell her no right now.
“Yes!” Sarah yelled and quickly hopped in the back seat. As we pulled off we
all yelled our byes and nice meeting you to Jason. I put my foot on the gas
pedal slightly and the Camaro responded like the jewel she was, the roar of her
engine could be heard loud and clear down our street.

On the way to the mall we
discussed Jason and how cool he seemed. Tony expressed caution, citing it was
still too soon to give him the keys to the kingdom. Tony had a point, but we
all had to admit being around Jason made us feel uncannily comfortable.

A
fter
doing some showboating and shopping, we headed back home to get ready for the
night’s festivities. Sarah was downstairs playing with Mom and Jason on the Wii
and I could hear they were having a ball. I looked at myself in the mirror. I
was glowing with energy. Everything fit perfectly and the way I looked brought
a smile on my face. Yeah, I looked great. I wasn’t the player Tony was but I
definitely had swag tonight. I could get used to this. Being a little popular
shouldn’t hurt. And with that car, whew! When I get to school on Monday it’s
going to be mayhem! I smiled to myself at the thought of all the attention I
would get in that car. Tony called me about fifteen minutes ago saying he was
on his way. It was around 10:30 p.m.; it would take us around forty minutes to
get to the club. In anticipation of our arrival Tony’s cousin let security know
we would be coming.

My mom knew where we were
going and I knew she felt uncomfortable about letting us go but she knew it’s
better to allow us to go than to force us to sneak. She just advised me not to
forget who I was while I was out having a good time.

There’s the doorbell.

Tony’s here. I could hear Tony
boasting about how he could beat Jason on the Wii. I took one more look at
myself and popped my collar, but the image that glared back  at me was one I
wasn’t too comfortable with. Some things weren’t for me and popping collars was
one of them. When I got downstairs to the media room, I walked in to Tony
getting served on the Wii. Jason was pretty good.

“I see you got skills, Jason,”
I said.

“I have a lil something,”
Jason teased.

“Oh, I see I’m gonna have to
school you because Tony isn’t a challenge.”

“Oh, is that so?” protested
Tony.

“And you know this!”

My mom and Sarah were sharing
the loveseat while Sarah leaned on my mom’s shoulder. This picture was kind of
shocking because Sarah hadn’t been this affectionate since she was a toddler.
Jason definitely had a relaxing effect on our family, like he was the missing
piece and now that he was here the puzzle was complete. But watching this made
me miss my dad and Manny. Every year I would get an email or call from Manny on
my birthday. But today I got nothing.

“Mom, did he call?”

She shook her head no as she
walked over to me smiling.

“Listen, I know if he didn’t
he has a perfectly good reason. Don’t let this dampen your mood, baby, have fun
tonight. And watch your back and behave! I’m not in the mood to go to the
police station and bail you two out. You hear me?”

“Yes!” we answered. “Okay,
we’re gone! Have fun. Good night, Jason.”

“Good night Aiden. Have fun
and it was a real pleasure finally meeting you guys. I see why your mom is so
happy. She has some amazing children.”

“Thank you!”

“Ah Jason stop sucking up,”
demanded Sarah. “Come on, so I can beat you again.”

“Oh, a challenge?” Jason
responded.

“Yep!”

“You’re on.” I liked seeing
Sarah like this. Even Tony was shocked at her behavior. “Okay, we’re going.”

“Happy Birthday, baby!”
“Thanks, Mom.”

Our ride to Chicago consisted
of a lot of whistles from cars full of girls and envious looks from guys wishing
they had a car like mine. It was glorious! When we arrived to the club the
security guard immediately recognized Tony and valet parked the car. We walked
straight in, no lines and no charge.

Just awesome!

When we got inside the club
the energy was unbelievable—the music, lights, the people—it was just amazing.
I looked like a little kid in the biggest candy store in the world, wide-eyed
and hungry. Tony’s cousins walked over to greet us. Chris was one of the most
successful club owners in the city. He was a very large and intimidating man
that used his physical appearance to his advantage when he faced some of the
unsavory characters that frequented the club scene in the city. He successfully
ran his club without any violence and code violations since he opened it three
years ago. So it was a big deal that he allowed us in his club because of the
risk. He considered Tony’s dad a father figure and he loved Tony like a brother
and this could explain him taking such a big risk. I’ve met him before but only
briefly and he treated me like a close family member even though he barely knew
me.

“Hey cuz!”

“What’s up, Chris!”

“You see what’s up! It’s jumping
in here tonight. What’s up birthday boy?”

“Hey Chris, what’s up?

“Been a long time!”

“Yeah, about three years.”

“Yep, well tonight’s your
night, so let’s make up for lost time.” Chris looked over toward the bar and
gestured for four of the most beautiful and sexy women in the club to come
over.

“Ladies!”

“Hey Chris,” they all said in
unison.

“Listen, why don’t ya’ll
escort these two gentlemen over to VIP. Take real good care of them for me,
okay?”

“Sure!”

“And special care of this one,
it’s his birthday.”

“Oh really? Happy Birthday!”

“Thank y—”

Before I could get it all out,
each one of these beautiful women kissed me on the lips one after the other.
The shock and sexual awakening caused my knees to tremble. My senses were
heightened and their lips sent chills down my spine. Tony almost fell over
laughing at my reaction.

“Dude, I should’ve taken your
picture just then. Tony then started mocking me by shaking like he was having a
seizure.

Over in the VIP the girls
waited on us hand and foot, periodically sitting on our laps and keeping us
company in between serving drinks and running errands for Chris. Eventually
Tony decided to order us some drinks. I immediately felt uneasy and Tony
noticed my change in attitude when he handed me a shot of some unknown liquor.

“Dude, you think I should?”

“Why not?”

“You know?”

“Damn Aiden, is Jasmine here?
No okay, we are forty-five minutes away from her. Let’s get it in, bruh. It’s
your night!”

He was right. I made the team
when everything seemed lost. I got my dream car, and my mom’s new boyfriend was
actually a really cool dude. A celebration was in order. You only live once,
right? After three hours of countless drinks and dancing with all kinds of
women, we were having the time of our lives. The DJ was spinning his ass off
and every woman in the club looked like supermodels. Yeah, I was drunk off my
ass and it felt so good! The room’s energy was addictive similar to the feeling
I experienced waiting in the hall at school for the tryout results. But it
seemed the alcohol made the feeling more forbidden and sexual. Before I knew it
I was on my back on a couch in VIP in a deep and passionate tongue wrestling
match with one of our vixen waitresses. I didn’t know how old she was but I
could only guess she was older and more experienced than I was by the way she
moved her body in rhythm with the music in ways I never knew possible. We both
were out of control as the music became the soundtrack to our passion. Her skin
was so soft, so warm, and alive. I could hear Tony yelling over the loud music,
“Look at my boy getting it in!”

The room was spinning and this
nameless vixen and I were spiraling out of control. Her touch was so soft yet
so experienced, she knew exactly where to touch me to send my nerves into
frenzy. She was definitely more experienced than any of the girls at Deerfield
High. My skin was getting warmer, and the warmer I got the wilder she became
until I could barely contain myself. The DJ sent a shout out to me, wishing me
a happy birthday, and the whole club joined in. That unified energy hit me like
a bat and I became dizzy with lust and I wanted more.

“Are you ready, baby?” she
whispered in my ear.

I shook my head yes. I was
ready for whatever she was giving. I wanted her so bad and she knew it.

“Mmm, baby. Yes…” she
whispered in my ear.

Her hands began moving under
my shirt, rubbing my chest as she started to move her hands down towards my
belt buckle. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me right here in VIP. I
had no idea what she was planning to do to me but I was willing to find out.
She started to undo my belt buckle and I just relaxed my body in anticipation
of the pleasure she was about the give me. The music became louder and the
lights in the club seemed to flash faster and more intensely. I looked at her
as she smiled, licking her lips. Oh my God! The energy was building inside me
more and more as  each second passed. I looked in her eyes and I saw the look
of desire and lust, and then without warning I blacked out….

Where am I?

I
t was
pitch-black, with a downpour so heavy I could barely see my hands right in
front of my face. Straining my eyes, I started to slowly make out images of
what appeared to be massive stone hedges surrounding me in the darkness. I’d
only been standing there for about ten seconds and I was already soaked down to
my underwear. The raindrops seemed to possess an eerie glow to them and they
were much larger than usual. They fell around me with force and purpose as if
an unseen master commanded them to break everything in their path. As hard as
the rain fell on the ground and the stone slates, they made no sound after
impact. Everything around me was quiet; too quiet. I then had a terrifying
thought, Jasmine was here with us in the club and I was experiencing another
waking nightmare. But somehow this felt different, like it had a purpose beyond
fear and malice. It was strange but I felt I was supposed to see or experience
something very important. I looked around to get my bearings and started moving
through the night and rain trying to navigate around these large stone
structures.

What is this? Where am I? And
how did I get here?

The last thing I remembered
was being at the club in the VIP section with the waitress about to receive a
most exhilarating birthday gift.

The more I moved, the deeper
it seemed I got into this maze of stone and water. Eventually the fear of the
unknown and the rising waters now around my knees sent me into hysteria and I
opened my mouth to call out for help; but nothing came out. The more I tried to
force sound from my mouth, the more I felt as if someone or something was
tightening its grip around my neck. I started to panic as my air was
immediately cut off causing me to fall to my knees. Tears filled my eyes as my
chest burned with a feeling like it was going to explode in any second. A
searing hot pain started moving inside my chest and throat. I couldn’t scream
or breathe, all I could do was endure this torture. I started having stomach
spasms and the exact same acidic black filth that I threw up during tryouts
exploded out of my mouth like a volcano. It fell to the ground and instead of
burning the ground it started behaving like a cancerous virus infecting
everything it came in contact with; moving and growing like a living plaque,
consuming the rain, the stones, and everything in its path.. The more it
consumed, the darker and thicker the night around me became, and a feeling of
hopelessness and doom began to invade the air.

As I broke out in a feverous
sweat I tried to inhale again and to my surprise and relief I succeeded. The
rush of air into my lungs caused me to collapse on my back and I started coughing
uncontrollably. I was hot, as if a deadly fever had taken hold of me. The air
around me was hot as well and was getting hotter as this black filth consumed
more and more around me. The air coming out of my mouth was hot, but as it came
in contact with the infected air it behaved as if the temperature was below
freezing. The confusion going on in my mind was nothing compared to the chaos
happening around me.

In the faraway blackness of
this sinister night I could hear the screams of life being consumed by this
filth, which came from within me.

I have to get out of here, I
thought as I slowly stood up.

I thought about yelling for
help again but decided against it. After the torture I just endured I wasn’t
taking a chance for a repeat. The rain was changing into the same black evil
filth I coughed up, and as it fell it took hold of everything. I was covered
in  it; its smell was like raw sewage and felt alive moving along my skin,
trying to find a way inside my body. But for some strange reason it couldn’t. I
held my hands out in front of me, watching it move up and down my hands and
arms.