She Awakens Read online

  “What do you want? I’m trying to sleep.”

  James clamors slightly up to my window and sticks his head through the crack. “Attina, can I come in?”

  “No, James. I’m in bed, and you should do the same. It’s been a long day,” I spit out through gritted teeth.

  I push on the window to try to close it, but he pushes violently back and slams my window open.

  “Attina, I genuinely need to talk with you. Please let me in.” Panic laces his voice.

  I stare out the window at his face in the moonlight. Something about it seems different, broken almost. I open the other window and back up to give him room to crawl through. He awkwardly climbs into my room and walks over to me, wrapping his arms tightly around me. I let him hug me for a second, only because of how pitiful he's acting. Then I push him away.

  “What do you want James? I don’t really feel like being around you right now,” I snap coldly.

  James flinches like I’ve physically slapped him. ”About earlier at the town meeting—” his voice cracks.

  I hold my up hand to stop him. I’m too tired to have this conversation, and honestly, I’m still pissed about earlier. But, of course, he ignores me and pushes on.

  “No, Attina. I need to get this off my chest. Today what I said, I didn’t mean it. You are the most capable person I know. I lost my family all those years ago, but as soon as we met you became my new family, whether you know it or not. But you don’t need a man in your life for you to be happy which scares me. The fact that you don’t need me makes me feel useless, like I could disappear, and you wouldn’t notice.” As he finishes his appeal, he peeks back up at me searching my face for something. Acceptance maybe? Now I can see fear scrawled on his features. The look breaks me.

  I instantly forgive him for any mean or rotten thing he’s ever said to me in the past. I walk over to him and wrap my arms around him. “James, I will always need you. You are like family to me too. You disappearing would break me,” I whisper, and I hug him as tightly as I can, hoping the force of my hug will help him realize he’s not useless.

  As the hug ends, he pulls me away from him an inch. His eyes meet mine like they’re searching for an answer. Then, he leans in and kisses me slowly, tenderly. This is only our second real kiss. Over the years there have been a few stolen kisses between us, but those kisses were between children, this one means something more.

  His lips are soft against mine, and there’s a sense of urgency in his kiss. He pulls my body toward him tighter and wraps his arms around my waist while he urges my lips apart with his tongue. He starts walking me backwards until my thighs push against the side of my bed. His arms slowly move from my waist down to my thighs. He picks me up and lays me gently on the bed, his body following me until he is on top of me, owning my mouth. My heart races. Several conflicting emotions settle into my bones as we kiss. Whether I acknowledge it or not, I know he’s right and we will end up together some day.

  His mouth is hard on mine as I start unbuttoning his pants, but before I can get the first button undone, James stops and jerks away.

  “No, not in your father’s house. Not like this.”

  I gawk at him, embarrassed and angry. I can’t believe I thought he wanted me. James must be able to read my thoughts because he stumbles, “Attina no! It’s not like that! Trust me, I honestly would love to do this with you, but it’s not the right time.”

  His words ease me, and I kiss him softly one last time, all the fire and anger instantly leaving me. “Then you should get going before we give in to temptation. We have to hunt tomorrow, so we could both use the rest.”

  He nods his head and retreats for the window, but I grab his thickly corded arm, my insecurity rearing its ugly head.

  “Still meet you at the entrance at dawn?” I ask.

  A smile slowly spreads across his face. His eyes light up and he lifts my hand to his lips, kissing it gently. He gazes up at me under his brows with his lips still touching my skin and whispers against my skin, “Always.” Without another word, he pulls away and crawls out of my window disappearing into the night.

  4

  Attina

  After James leaves, I crawl in bed and think over what happened today. It’s a huge blow. I feel like the whole town kept so much from all of us who grew up here. The Solis are real? How is such a thing even possible? It’s like they just told us the monster under the bed is real.

  I think back to what I know about the Fae…

  Even as a child I consciously knew they were out there—the Fae, the beings with magic flowing through them. Although I hadn’t ever seen one for myself, I knew everything a human girl like me could know about them… or so I thought.

  Growing up, all the children in our town were told stories about the Fae. I guess you could call them scary stories. Stories where a Fae drags a fair maiden back to its’ realm and she doesn’t ever return. What a simpler time when fairies were only characters in a story. These stories were even called fairytales. Those were the good ole days when the monsters weren’t real; now it seems like they are.

  These fairytales also came with a history lesson…one which I’d memorized by heart. It was the history of how humans and Fae became open enemies during The Day of Destruction. A day when one world crashed into another, when the age of man and metal relinquished its reign and the age of Fae and magic dominated. Magic, like all things, can bring light or dark into the world.

  Preceding The Day of Destruction, fairies were thought of as something out of one’s imagination, up until one rich, ignorant man decided to build a railroad line. This railroad line had to pass through a huge mountain, a mountain whose peak was so high it passed through the clouds. The mountain was named Shadow Mountain.

  Shadow Mountain was covered in deep, dark, ancient forests full of strange creatures and archaic magic. Stories from the few people who survived entering that ancient magical forest said it was filled with deadly creatures, which couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world. The floors were covered in so many tiny creatures, from ants to lizards, the floors seemed alive. If you didn’t watch your step, it could be your last.

  Only one Indian tribe was known to live in these conditions; somehow living harmoniously at the base of the mountain with the terrifying creatures inhabiting the forest. Creatures of such disarming beauty covered in scales and venom tipped wings, their bodies so iridescent and beautiful, it was hard to believe they could be so savage.

  It’s said men who wandered into the forest and ran into these creatures would be stopped cold in their tracks by the creature’s beauty and by the time they realized they were the prey it was too late.

  There were even rumors of flying bats bigger than a house and capable of eating a human whole. Even the ants crawling on the forest floor were deadly; if someone were unlucky enough to step on one barefoot, the ant’s blood was poisonous enough to kill a child and make an adult violently ill. Still, Shadow Mountain stood between the old world and the new. The railroad would connect the previously built railroad tracks and the biggest town on the coast.

  Being a man of destiny, the proprietor wanted more than anything to be remembered for changing the world. Many people told him of the dangers and pleaded with him to take the long way around the ancient mountain instead of blasting through it, but the proprietor wouldn’t hear of it. Fears grew exponentially the closer the railroad came to the mountain.

  The workers for the railroad were all average, poor men, but not stupid, and legends ran wild throughout their camp. Many of the workers grew up hearing stories of the beautiful creatures that inhabited the woods, but even worse were the stories of the people who lived underneath Shadow Mountain.

  According to legend, an ancient race of mystical people lived under the mountain. It was said these people were twice the size of a normal human and had ragged, sharpened teeth which could rip out the throat of any man unlucky enough to fall into their clutches. The proprietor’s advisers tried to talk some
sense into him and ask him to simply go around the mountain instead of through it, but the proprietor would not listen.

  He would scream at his advisers, “It will cost twice as much to skirt around that damned mountain you superstitious fools!”

  “Sir, the workers are, and will be, scared out of their minds the whole time or we’ll have a large number quit completely.''

  This didn't give him a second thought. “You idiots! Men are a dime a dozen out there and I will not be bullied into this idea.”

  “We’re not trying to bully you, sir, we’re only trying to say, sometimes superstitions aren’t simply superstitions, and leaving things we don’t understand alone is sometimes the best option.”

  The proprietor wouldn’t hear of it though, he just rolled his eyes, annoyed at the foolishness around him.

  “My decision is final.”

  It was a decision he would regret for the rest of his life. Legends or no, the lure of the mountain was too strong for him to turn away or alter his path. He wanted to make it his prize conquest. The irony was the fact his greatest wish would come true, he would become a legend, just not the way he wanted to.

  The Day of Destruction happened when the railroad builders used dynamite to blow a hole in the face of the mountain, all the way to its’ heart. The day started off with three colossal booms followed by an ominous silence. Then all hell broke loose.

  The chaos that ensued was as if the miners had opened up a door to the underworld itself, and once opened there was no escape. The Fae were everywhere in an instant. When the dust cleared, the massacre had already started. The Fae were slaughtering every single man in sight, like ghosts in the wind. There was no way the humans could defend against them; the Fae were incredibly strong and incredibly fast. After the melee had ended all the men, including the proprietor, had fallen.

  For the Fae, blowing out the side of the mountain, and in turn their home, was an act of war. The Fae's goals from then on was to get back at humans, to repay them for blowing up their home by killing or enslaving every single human.

  By the end of that infamous day, the age of man had also come to a conclusion, and a new age, the age of the Fae, had risen and would cover the world like the night itself.

  After the Day of Destruction, it was like someone had knocked down an angry wasps’ hive. Fae were everywhere around the world and humans had to scatter to stay alive. Some stayed hidden in the big cities, but most decided to move to small towns secluded from the rest of the world. Towns much like my own hometown.

  Nowadays, I know humans aren’t being actively hunted by the Fae anymore. From what Father has told me, one day the hunting suddenly stopped. They were hunting humans and taking them for slaves one day, and the next the Fae were nowhere to be seen. I hadn’t even really thought about the Fae growing up. They were just some evil darkness in the world towering over us from afar. Now I know that isn’t completely true, the darkness is a lot closer than I ever thought possible.

  While the Fae might not be actively hunting humans for slaves anymore, they unleashed the Solis to kill and change each and every last remaining human. As I drift off to sleep, my last thoughts are of the realization that someone will have to stop the Fae before our species gets wiped out completely.

  5

  Attina

  The next morning at the crack of dawn, I’m lost in thought as I walk to meet James at the town entrance. This morning the flying objects were worse. Instead of small objects floating around the room, I woke up to my desk chair whizzing erratically around my bed. I panicked again and sailed out of bed yanking the chair down as fast as I could, which seemed to fix the problem.

  I'm starting to worry. Whatever this is, it's getting worse, not better. Before it was only the small, light objects in my room. I could deal with those things. Now whatever this is moving on to chairs? This can’t be good news.

  But even with all of this craziness going on, I woke up nervous for a completely different reason. I’ve been nervous since I opened my eyes this morning. I’ve been thinking over and over what happened last night between James and me. Will things be awkward between us?

  I see him in the dewy morning light walking to the edge of town and my breath hitches. Today I see the light bouncing off his beautiful black hair, pulled back in a leather thong like usual. He walks up to me and without hesitation gives me a hug like he does each morning, but this time the hug is a little longer and a little deeper.

  As we walk out of town, things between us are a little tenser, quieter, but after a few minutes together, everything goes back to normal, and I feel myself settling back into our normal routine.

  The morning air is brisk and chilly against my skin. Clouds cover the sky, and the air smells heavy and sweet like it constantly does before it rains. As we walk out of town side by side, I peer up at James.

  “It smells like rain.”

  “Yes, it does, we’ll have to check the traps quickly if we don’t want to get stuck in it. All the bigger game will be bedded down out of the rain, but we still need to find out if they're stocked for the townspeople.” I nod and let James lead as we head to our first trap of the day.

  It feels marvelous being out in nature. It’s a calming sensation listening to the birds chirp and the leaves rustling together. Everything would be perfect if I didn’t have James’s eyes on me constantly.

  The heat rises to my cheeks each time I notice him staring intently at me from his peripherals. I don’t want to chase off any game around us so I whisper, “Why do you keep staring at me like that?”

  “I’m just appreciating how completely gorgeous you are when you’re in your element,” he whispers back. The heat rises with a vengeance in my cheeks, shattering the calm feeling I had moments ago. James must see this happen because as soon as I glimpse away from him, he releases a deep chuckle.

  We continue checking the traps one by one, until we finally make it to the last trap, which also happens to be the trap farthest from town. Today’s haul has been meager at best. So far, we’ve only caught one squirrel, which is so skinny it can only be of use for its pelt, but today wasn’t useless. The squirrel’s pelt will be made into a fur muff or maybe fur socks for one of the kids in town to use during our cold winters.

  Walking up to the last trap, I can already tell it’ll be empty. I can see the sad, and empty loop we left yesterday. Something came and munched on our bait, but whatever it was it was smart because it hadn’t set off the snare in the process. Leaving nothing but an empty trap.

  “We’ll just have to re-bait the snare and try again tomorrow.”

  I glance up at James as I bend down and re-bait the trap. When we make eye contact, I see all the love for me in his eyes, but there is also something else behind his stare. It's like his eyes and the rest of his face are telling two different stories. The tilt to his eyebrows and the almost snarl of his mouth makes him seem almost envious of me, but that can’t be possible. Maybe what I'm seeing is more of a possessive expression? No that can't be, James wouldn't be envious or possessive of me. I shake myself out of those thoughts and continue my work on the snare.

  “Well, today was a bust,” I say, trying to clear the awkward tension in the air between us, but as I finish my sentence, I hear a branch snap behind us. We both spin around in surprise and I see a deer speeding away from us at a dead run. Without thinking, I whirl so I’m kneeling on one knee, pulling the bow off my back and knocking an arrow nearly simultaneously. My vision zeroes down to nothing but my target.

  I can hear James snapping out something, but I can’t make out his words, all I hear is my heart pounding, filling my chest. I pull back on my bow, the string groaning with protest. I have to pull the bowstring to its max. The deer is running fast and gaining more distance by the second.

  My shot has to be perfect, and the deer is too far away for me to even be a hair off. I breathe in deeply, calming my racing heart, putting all my energy into this shot. The deer is out of range now, but I have t
o try. We provide food for the town and I don’t want to head back with only a measly squirrel. A strange heat courses through my body spreading through my shoulders and arms, the warmth giving me confidence and reassuring me. I release the arrow and it soars through the air.

  Thunk!

  My arrow hits its mark, sinking deep into the deer’s neck. The arrow hits the deer so violently, it trips and falls hard to the ground with a loud crash, breaking branches as its weight settles on the forest floor. I’m not sure how my arrow hit the deer with that kind of force when it was so far away, it shouldn’t have been physically possible, but I don't care. I made the shot!

  A big grin spreads across my face until I glance up at James’s face. Immediately the grin disappears, and I regret my snap decision to fall the deer. His face shows disappointment. I thought he would be proud, since I made such an amazing and difficult shot, however, I see nothing but dismay written all over his face.

  “Did you even think before you made that shot?” he snaps.

  “What do you mean?” I say, taken aback.

  “There’s no way we’ll have time to dress that deer before this rainstorm hits.” His voice sounds frustrated and defeated as he grimaces and pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think… I just—” I stumble out, but the words are left on my lips when James turns around and walks off to the carcass calling over his shoulder.

  “Let’s get started, it’s gonna to take a while to gut and quarter this thing.”

  Almost as soon as we finish gutting and quartering the deer the sky opens up and pours down on us, meaning we will have to stay out here until the rain clears. I carried the bow out here and James carried the machete and the satchel with our supplies for the day. In his bag we have a knife, ropes, water, a small first aid kit, and a canvas tent barely big enough for one person. Alas, this is an emergency and it’ll have to do.