The Awakened

Chapter 15

Time passed in the blink of an eye as droplets of water began to splatter onto the grass. The drops ricocheted off of Chase's slightly tan skin and began to pool along the ends of his hair. The smell of wet pine flooded my senses. Our time outside had stayed mostly silent, aside from a few short conversations exchanged between us. Sprawled out on the grass, Chase had fallen asleep for a period of time as I curled dark strands of hair around my fingers. I could tell he was just as exhausted as I was, the death of Jackson seeming to affect us both greatly.

I removed my left hand from the residence in his hair, softly tapping him on the shoulder. "Chase, wake up," I said in a whisper. "It's starting to rain." He groaned in protest, but his eyes began to slowly blink open, revealing the startling shade of green underneath. He stretched, yawning simultaneously, then looked at me groggily.

"Are you sure it's raining?" He asked as his eyes began to flutter shut. "I'm tired." I tapped his forehead gently.

"Stay awake, we've got to go inside, I'm not even sure what time it is anymore." I stated, attempting to lift him off of my lap. He groaned in response, rustling the grass beneath us.

"I'm up, I'm up," he yawned one more, sitting up as the rain began to fall from small sprinkles into a much more solid pour. He stood up with quick movements holding both of his hands out towards me. I gratefully took them. In an instant, my knees almost buckled beneath me, legs tingling. Chase caught me by the arm, hauling me upright against his chest. "Legs numb?" His voice seemed to reveal genuine concern as he held me.

"Maybe a little," I laughed, a small smile dancing on his lips. The tingly feeling in my legs had arrived as blood began to properly flow into my legs. Pins and needles raced up then down through them. Chase helped me stand up straight then released me from his grasp.

Dense clouds began to heavily douse us in a downpour. My hair dripped water down my skin, causing me to shiver. Chase's raven hair had begun to stick to his forehead as water dripped down the ends.

"I think we should probably start heading inside," I stated as he held out his hand allowing for many of the drops to fall onto his fingertips and palm.

"You sure? I like the rain," He looked up towards the sky, closing his eyes as he did so. In response, I did the same thing, allowing for the droplets to hit my face as I closed my eyes. An extreme sense of serenity washed over me as I did so, all of my worries for those few minutes melted away until I felt a presence by my side. I opened my eyes revealing my father, with a soaked jacket covering his head.

"Makayla, what are the two of you doing out here in the rain? Are you insane, you'll catch a cold?" I lowered my gaze at him in a questioning manner. "Come along now, let's head inside." I glanced towards Chase, an emotionless expression seeming to harden his facial features. With a quick nod, we obediently followed my father inside the house. Chase followed a decent distance behind, purposely giving my father and I distance.

Within a minute we had entered the house, each of us soaking wet. I looked to the left towards the kitchen revealing an ensemble of people, my mother sitting front and center of it all with two empty seats beside her. James, Mrs. Lewis, the man who sat at the table the other day, along with another family who I found to be unfamiliar all sat around the kitchen table. My mother sat a little straighter as she saw me, my father, and Chase all drenched in the summer rain.

Eyes of judgment fell upon us. Each family at the table was dressed in designated attire of black, red and magenta. The family unfamiliar to me wore red, my mother and father wore black, and the Lewis's wore magenta, a color that was almost identical in appearance to Chase's Awakened mark. From the table what I assumed to be the family head for those who wore red cleared their throat. My mother stood up from her seat with ease.