Wide Awake - Academy of the Fallen Series (8 page)

THIRTEEN

I looked up from his hand softly holding my wrist, to his concerned gaze and wondered again why he was so willing to help me.

Hunter quickly let go of my wrist when he heard the front door open.

It was Andrew.  He came in the kitchen.

“Hey, Kayla.  Is your mom home?”

“Yeah.  She is feeling sick… again.”

He looked at Hunter.

Hunter said, “Hi Mr. Gallagher, I’m Hunter.”

“Hi Hunter.”  He replied and apologized for my lack of manners in not introducing them.

Andrew was a few-words kind of guy.  He went to check on Kelly while Hunter and I finally went to get the dinner out of the car.

While outside, we were able to talk. 

“Hunter, whatever it is that Benjamin wants, must be something to do with Carolyn.  I think he basically kept me from sleeping so that I would need those sleeping pills… knowing that I would no longer be able to help Carolyn.”

Hunter just looked puzzled, as if he was considering all possibilities, but he seemed as if he was in his own little world.  He didn’t even say anything on the way back in.

By the time dinner was over, Kelly and Andrew were nothing less than impressed with Hunter, which rarely happened with any of my guy friends. 

Hunter was actually a few months older than me, he was already 17 and from what Kelly had told me as I helped her put the food away, he seemed more mature than all of my other friends combined.

“He is so much nicer than Justin, Kayla.”

I rolled my eyes.  “Uh-huh… We are not dating if that is what you are implying.”

Andrew walked into the kitchen.  “About time you got a nice friend, Kayla.”

I rolled my eyes at him too.  “Gotta go finish the school project…”

I got out of the kitchen as fast as I could.

We setup a couple of papers and books in the living room to make it look like we were getting stuff done.

Luckily, Kelly and Andrew decided to go out shopping so we didn’t have to worry about making sure they didn’t hear what we were talking about.

I was playing around with the pencil… “So, you said you think you know what he wants… I don’t think I’m wrong about Carolyn, but one of the times that he showed up, he said something-- I think it has something to do with my biological dad.  Before, he kept mentioning how alike we were and a couple of other things, like he knows him.”

“Oh,”
Hunter said, looking uncomfortable.  “Do you know anything about your…umm… biological father?”

“Nope.”

“We have to either find out what he really wants or get rid of him before that baby comes along.”

“Huh?”  I asked him puzzled.

He sighed.  “I don’t want to scare you, but those trapped souls, regardless of what they are, ghosts, or… other things… they can use new life in order to be released from what and where they are… Others, like Benjamin, can use the energy from that new life to become more powerful.”

“You mean like reincarnation?”  I asked, terrified.

“Sort of…. on the first scenario anyway.  I’m afraid things may be quite different with Benjamin involved.”

“How do you know so much?”

He sighed.  “You know how I told you that in the beginning I really didn’t have anyone to help me, like I’m helping you?”

I nodded.

“Much like you, it was because I didn’t let anyone help me.  After a while I started trusting someone.  He was kinda like a mentor.”

“Was?”

“Yes.  There is this place… well, a place where we learn about those things.  That is where I was when I was gone.  My mentor was the one who allowed me to leave and come back.”

“Oh.”

Hunter looked almost as if he regretted telling me so much.  “So, anyway, I have to get going.”

I was really afraid then.  I didn’t know whether the meds were still in my system and if they were, I might not be able to see Benjamin.  I couldn’t exactly ask Hunter to stay…

“What if he comes back?”  I asked Hunter.

“He won’t.  Not tonight.”

“How do you know?”

“Trust me.  He won’t bother you tonight.”

FOURTEEN

As much as I wished I could trust Hunter, I just had a horrible feeling that Benjamin would still be around.

I didn’t sleep again. 

I got away with not taking my meds and being that Hunter left before Kelly and Andrew got back, I went to the store and got a couple cans of Red Bull.

I hoped that just because I couldn’t see Benjamin didn’t mean that I couldn’t feel him. 

I was sitting on my bed watching TV, when at around three in the morning, my suspicions that he was there were confirmed when I felt something brush against my arm. 

I quickly got up, closed my eyes and started trying to send him away.  I couldn’t see him and I couldn’t hear him, but I could feel his tight grip around my neck.  Even if I could have screamed, I wouldn’t have been able to. 

Then I felt him letting go of me.  I stood there, gasping for air. 

The noise and movements were coming from my bed.  I could see the movement of a body on top of my bed, and then, all of the sudden, I could see them both.  Benjamin was on the bed with Hunter holding him down with one hand while punching him with another, warning him that things would get worse if Benjamin ever came near me again. 

Benjamin laughed at Hunter, glanced in my direction, and vanished.  Hunter got up, fixed his clothes and then looked right at me.  My terrified gaze locked on his eyes made him realize that I could actually see him.

He took a step closer to me.

“Don’t come any closer!”  I warned him.

He put both hands up as if surrendering.

I knew he couldn’t be a ghost; there was just no way.  I mean… people at school saw him, talked about him…

“Why couldn’t I see you?”

He shrugged.  “I don’t know.  You are probably just tired.  I knew he was back and followed him in.”

“Sorry to break it to you, but we have an alarm.  True, he didn’t set it off, but you would have, so how did you do that?  And for the record, I’m not that delusional so don’t you even try to blame this on my lack of sleep.”

He took a step forward.

“Please, just stay away from me.”

“Look, Kayla… I can help you, but there are things that I cannot tell you.”

“Fine, then thank you for helping, but I want you to leave.”

“Suit yourself!” he said in an annoyed tone.

He walked out of my room and whatever way he left the house, the alarm never went off.

I ran to the window.  There were no cars outside.  I checked the alarm and it was on. 

I should never have talked to him in the first place.

I figured that Benjamin would stay away if I stopped talking to Hunter, and if sleeping pills were what was supposedly keeping me from seeing or hearing them… well, that was my solution.

FIFTEEN

This time, the sleeping pill had no effect on me, at least not as far as going to sleep.  I guess I just had too much caffeine.  Who knows…?

I did however not see anything or anyone else that night.

Over the next weeks days, things went back to how they used to be.  I spent most of my time at school with Jessica and Emily.  That is right, they were actually better friends than I assumed.  Once I gave them more attention, they dumped Ashley again.  And the most recent news was that Ashley was no longer with Justin, he had moved on to someone else.

My sessions with Dr. Moulder weren’t canceled all together, but I just had to see her once every two weeks, which wasn’t that bad.  She also took me completely off the sleeping pi
lls, saying that it would take two to three
weeks for it to be completely out of my system, so until then, there were no guarantees of whether I would be able to see Benjamin or Carolyn.

As far as Hunter goes, he tried to contact me… he called, left notes on my car… every single one of those attempts were ignored.  He was back to being his usual anti-social self, but Emily and Jess caught him staring at me several times at school.  Of course, they made jokes about him stalking me.  I felt bad and I sort of missed talking to him, but at the same time I was sure that Benjamin was staying away because I was avoiding Hunter and Carolyn at all costs.  Every time I felt her attempt to come through, I kicked her back out.

The most recent note was left on my car that day, and it really bothered me.

‘If you don’t want to talk to me, fine.  But I need to know what Benjamin wants with your dad.  Find out whatever you can.  This is important, Kayla.’

I glanced around, and Hunter was by his car, looking to make sure I got his note.  I ripped the paper into a million pieces.

“Another note?”  Jess asked.

“Oh, um no.  Just some sales junk someone left on my car.”

She looked as if she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t say anything.

We were supposed to go shopping that day but I backed out.  I couldn’t even get the thing about my dad out of my mind.

I went home and anxiously waited for Kelly and Andrew to get back from work.

Kelly was all hormonal and stuff, so I knew that asking her about my biological parents wouldn’t get me anywhere.  I would tell Andrew that I needed help with a
Science
assignment, Kelly hated Science, and I would take the opportunity to talk to him.

My plan worked, but unfortunately, Andrew told me that he and Kelly had discussed this before and decided that when it was time to tell me about my parents, they would do it together.

***

I sat on the recliner, across from Kelly and Andrew.  They both looked uncomfortable and I felt horrible for even asking about it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bug you with that.  Forget it, I don’t need to know.”  I started to get up.

Andrew asked me to sit back down.  Kelly said, “It is okay, hun.  It is only natural that you are curious.  There is really nothing to feel bad about.”

Andrew said.  “We knew this day would come, we just… well, there is no easy way of telling you this, Kayla.”

I sat there, just staring at them.  Kelly got up and came to sit on the recliner next to me, putting her hand over mine, as Andrew started to tell me everything.

And I regretted asking, I still regret…

Andrew and Kelly said that I was a special case.  They needed to disclose everything about my past, about my parents past, because of all the medical
history
involved.

Mom left right after I was born.  Apparently her and dad were having problems, and she was probably afraid I would turn out like him, so she left us both.  Dad managed to raise me until I was a little over three.  A neighbor helped him out during the day while he worked, until that neighbor started seeing him interacting with things that were not there, with people who did not exist.  There was a full record of complaints with social services, but there was no proof.  Of course, by that time the neighbor was no longer helping, but my dad was the one who asked her to take me away that day.  He told her he just couldn’t have me in that environment.

I took a few deep breaths; I was determined not to cry.  I was terrified that whatever mental disease he had, I also had.

“What happened then?  Did he get committed?”  I asked.

“We honestly don’t know, Kayla.”  Andrew said.  “I can look into it if you really want, but I’m not sure that is a good idea.”

“No!”  I lowered my voice.  “No need to.”

“Was there anyone else?  Did I have any brothers or sisters?”

“Not that we know of.  We actually got to speak with that neighbor, and she did not mention anyone else.”

I met Kelly’s gaze.  “Why did you adopt me?  You know, with all this medical history.”

Kelly was all emotional, she had been crying, but as soon as I asked that, she smiled from ear to ear.

“Kayla, we met you before we even found out about your biological parent’s history, and from the moment we laid eyes on you, we knew that you were our kid.”  She giggled.  “Besides, who could resist that little tiny person running and hugging us, asking if we were going to be your mommy and daddy,” and she was back to crying.

Trying to make them feel better, I laughed and said, “I didn’t really do that, did I?”

“You sure did!” Andrew said.  Wish I had caught that on camera.

I smiled.  “So what you are saying is that I manipulated you into adopting me?”

Andrew was really laughing now.  “Kayla, you were
four-
years
-
old
…. Well, almost four.
  I doubt that was the case.”

After we were done talking, I honestly couldn’t tell if I felt better or worse.