Awakening (Awakening, #1)

Chapter 6

After a conversation about what "happened" to me went completely nowhere, Violet and Elijah go upstairs and claim they'll be right back. I tilt my head to the side and examine the room. I believe them when they say something is either wrong, or off-balance with me though.

I can hear everything. Smell everything. There's this dried up piece of bone lying in a crack in the corner to my right. I wonder why it's there. Maybe they hunt and butcher their game down here. I do smell remnants of what I believe to be deer blood. I know the smell well from when my Uncle Lyle would take Sam and I hunting when we would camp in the woods.

We would shoot down a deer or whatever my Uncle was in the mood for, and we would take it to our garage and butcher it. I could hardly stomach it, but Sam was always on the frontlines helping Uncle Lyle cut up the animal. He was always odd, nonetheless.

But then I start to think about Sam and Mom. Even Teegan. They all must be worried sick about me. Suddenly, this feeling washes over me. It's an indescribable feeling, a need. I need to leave this place and go home. But where is home? I have a nagging feeling that it isn't here.

A few moments later, Violet walks down the stairs in this graceful way of hers. I slowly bring up my eyes to meet hers.

"I know you might be confused right now. But you need to know that something terrible happened to you..," she trails off. And at that moment I realize I haven't told her my name.

"Jonah." I tell her.

"Right. Well you're not who you used to be. You're different now."

I'm waiting for her to reiterate what she means, because I have no idea how I'm different. I feel like how I've always felt, just...more. Before I say anything else, Elijah trots down the stairs. He looks at me with this look of distaste like I've done something to him. But I haven't. Angel shoots him a look, almost like a warning. It's like she's protecting me from some unknown harm.

But maybe that particular harm is Elijah. He leans against the far wall to the left and crosses his arms. He has this signature smug look on his face everytime I see him. I hope he doesn't look like this all the time.

These things binding my wrists to this pole are extremely painful. I feel a surge of pain, but then it subsides into a dull ache then starts up again. 

"Why don't you just tell him already? There's no reason I can find as to why you need to keep this from him. He's a fucking leech like the rest of them." He says as he kicks my feet and spits at me.

I try and lunge at him, completely forgetting I was chained up or whatever the hell I am. And I feel something puncture and protrude through my gums.

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It hurts. I would be lying if I said it didn't. Violet jumps, and I feel a pain inside of me knowing that I frightened her. But what did I do? I feel so helpless and vulnerable just sitting here chained up like this.

"See?" Elijah points.

"Shut up, E." she hisses.

"He needs to eat, so don't treat him like a damn lapdog. Stop salivating all over him. Just kill him and let the shit go, Vi!" He's yelling now. Violet doesn't look scared, she looks angry. I wish I could do something to help her, especially since this whole argument is because of me.

"No." she says simply. "I refuse to give up on him like you gave up on me. Now get the hell out of here."

He throws his hands up in the air and lets out a growl mixed with a huff and storms up the stairs. Angel kneels down to my eye level, and I take in a silent, deep breath. Breathe her in. She smells so odd, but it's completely intoxicating. She smells of autumn leaves, only it's not autumn. And on top of that, she smells like fresh, outside air.

It's a sickly sweet smell, and I think I'll remember it forever. She's so special and I feel like I would do anything for her in this moment, or any other. And at that, she reaches behind me and undoes my bindings, gently. I'll never be able to wrap my mind around how she manages to do everything so gently. Speaking, walking, breathing.

She's like a delicate, rare flower. One that only blooms once every thousand years, and disintegrates at the touch. Once my bindings are off, I just let my hands slump behind me, relishing in the circulation coming back to them.

"Come on," she says. "Let's go."