Awakening (11 page)

She silently observed him in interest for a few moments. His eyes held a hardness to them that she only encountered in moments such as these, his normally serene facial features weary and tired. She wondered what it was that burdened his mind so that it made him look like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was such a grand departure from the Garrett she typically saw.

“You clean up well.” Caitlyn stated as she resumed her walk over to him. Garrett was wearing a hand tailored suit, the straight lines of the jacket fitting him very well.

He looked up, startled at the voice that greeted him. It was rare she caught him off guard. He rose to welcome her, his mask coming back once again. He bent over and kissed her cheek softly. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

She twirled around, showing off the navy blue chiffon dress that Trish helped her purchase. She felt beautiful in the gown, but at the same time, just a little self-conscious, the low draping exposing much more of her back than she typically would have been comfortable with. “Oh, this old thing? I just went to the closest thrift store and hoped for the best.”

He snorted. “Well, then, remind me to remind you to shop there more often, because you look exquisite.”

Caitlyn’s cheeks flushed at the compliment. “Thank you. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes.” Garrett led her out of the lobby, his elbow linking with hers. Garrett opened the front passenger door for her and she slid in. Caitlyn couldn’t help but fidget as the car got closer to their destination, her restlessness overtaking her. Garrett put his hand on hers briefly, giving it a slight squeeze before returning it to the steering wheel. “You will be great and fit in just fine. Just remember, these are regular people and all of them have gone through the exact same thing you have. That instantly creates a bond. There is no need to worry. I’ll be by your side all night.”

Caitlyn smiled in relief at that. A few minutes later, they were pulling into a long winding brick driveway. She let out a low whistle as the Cape Cod style mansion and the ocean came into view. “Wow.”

“Not bad, huh?”

“I thought we were going to a regular reception hall. I should have known better.”

Garrett handed his keys to the Valet and opened her door. “Always expect the best when it comes to the Trust.”

As they entered the house, two glasses of champagne and an older woman who claimed to be the caretaker of the household immediately welcomed them. The string quartets music wafted over the growing crowds, and Garrett maneuvered Caitlyn around the rooms expertly, familiar with the layout. The amount of Actuals was overwhelming. She recognized several people as congressmen, two governors, and a person she was almost positive was a CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

It was obvious to her that the Trust was well connected and was very involved in the inner workings of the government. She thought that smart, especially considering the information that Garrett had advised her. They would need a strong contingency to plead their case, as there would be obvious uprisings in the future and a division among people.

When it became apparent that they were not going to be able to think, let alone talk in the current area of the mansion they were in, Garrett brought her the other side of the space, which was far less crowded as the buffet was not located there. Garrett nudged Caitlyn, pointing discreetly to an older gentleman and a young man in the back left corner whom were clearly having a deep discussion. “See those two over there?”

“Yes.”

“That is Councilman McPherson and his son, Declan. The Councilman was the one who was trying to persuade me to end my mentorship with you early to pursue other interests.”

Caitlyn looked at them appraisingly. The older man, with salt and pepper hair, seemed at ease. His head was resting against a wall, listening to his son in earnest. The son, however, stood erect and was waving his hands as if to bring home a point. The son was taller than Garrett was by a couple of inches, with fashionably unruly black hair. The father smiled at her companion and Garrett waved in return. With his hand on her waist, he began to move her away. “There are a couple of people I would like you to meet.”

Before she had fully turned away, the son twisted around to see whom the father smiled to in greeting. For a brief moment, his ice blue eyes locked on hers before he turned back to his father and continued talking. She felt like he was evaluating her, the same way she was evaluating them, she supposed.

She shook off the feeling and focused on the people that Garrett was trying to introduce her to. She was conscious of the fact that even though they were now no longer navigating the crowds, he kept his hand gently at her waist. Caitlyn was not ignorant of the fact that she liked it and leaned slightly into his touch to see how he would respond, if at all. He responded by tightening his hand around her waist, pulling her the tiniest bit closer. She chastised herself at being pleased with the results of her little experiment. It would not do for these developing feelings to continue to evolve for her mentor.

She pulled her head out of the clouds to hear Garrett state- “And this is Caitlyn.”

“Nice to meet you.” She focused her thoughts to Garrett.
“I'm sorry, my mind was elsewhere. What were their names again?”

Garrett continued talking without pause, answering her question out loud but in a way the two people in front of her would not realize she had not been paying attention. “Isla and Caleb have been friends of mine for years. They are two of the best people you will meet in this entire place.”

Isla grinned waiving her glass of champagne in air. “You flatter us to much, Garrett.” She turned to Caitlyn. Caitlyn could not help but take in Garrett’s old friend. She was beautiful and from her eyes, she was sharp as well, but they were not unkind. Caitlyn thought that she would need to inquire later about what Garrett was like as a young teenager, as she was sure that Isla would have some stories to tell her. Caitlyn was positive they were speaking to each other telepathically. She wanted desperately to know what he was saying.

“So, what kind of stories can you tell me about Garrett? Because so far he pretends like he is perfect when I know that can't be the case.”

Caleb smiled what Caitlyn thought he knew to be a winning smile. “Well, trust me when I say he is not perfect.” Caleb put his hand around her shoulder, effectively separating her and Garrett. He then walked off with her, announcing in a loud voice, “Let me tell you some things about Garrett...”

Garrett laughed, catching up to them easily. “Lies, all lies, I tell you. Don't listen to Caleb. He just makes up stuff if he thinks a beautiful woman will speak to him.”

“So I’m beautiful, eh?” she stated batting him playfully with her arm.

Garrett looked at her, surprising her with the intensity in his gaze. “Yes, you are. Very.”

Caitlyn was speechless and neither spoke for a minute. It wasn’t until Caleb, who was merrily watching the exchange cleared his throat loudly. “So Caitlyn, Garrett says that you are a quick learner.”

She blushed, her thoughts still on a moment ago. “Well, I don’t have anything to compare it to, so if that is what Garrett says…”

“He stated that you mastered blocking telepathy the first full day of training he tried to teach it to you. That is practically unheard of. I only know of one other person who did that.” His head turned in the direction of Councilman McPherson and his son.

Garrett grimaced just a little. “Ah, yes. The prodigal son.”

Caitlyn paused, trying to remember the son’s name. “Declan?”

Caleb gladly answered. “Declan is quite the reluctant celebrity around here. Not only is his father one of the most, if not,
the most
, influential member of the Trust, but Declan is also known for being one of the most talented among us. His capabilities far exceed almost all of us, there are very few that are in his elite status.”

Caitlyn frowned. “He looks so serious.”

It was Garrett’s turn to laugh. “Declan is always serious. Supposedly, when he is not working, he is training. I mean even now, you can tell that he is not just enjoying the party, he is discussing something pertaining to the Trust.”

“Yes.” Caleb frowned slightly at the man on the other side of the room before leaning into Caitlyn, whispering in her ear loudly so Garrett could still hear. “I’ve known Declan since we were children. We grew up together. I love him like a brother, but I keep telling him he needs to relax or get laid.”

Caitlyn couldn’t help but slyly respond, “Isn’t one inclusive of the other?”

Caleb gaped at her surprised, before laughing at her blunt retort. “Garrett… This one is such a keeper!”

Isla caught up with them at that point, sashaying across the room, only catching the end of the conversation. She wagged her finger playfully at the two boys, who looked as if they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. “Stop gossiping like old women, both of you. So Caitlyn, how are you handling everything? All the changes I mean?”

“Pretty well. I mean, at first I was obviously overwhelmed, but it has been two and a half months now and I think I am adjusting okay considering.”

Isla almost choked on her champagne, covering up the faux pas with a discreet cough. “Has it only been two months?” She turned to Garrett. “Didn’t you tell me she is close to taking the Threshold?”

Garrett nodded proudly. “I would say in the next few weeks.”

Caleb whistled. “Wow. Caitlyn, he told us you were a quick learner, but not that that quick.”

Caitlyn had shrugged it off. She was getting used to random people telling her what an accomplishment it was. To her it felt normal. “I guess it just comes easily to me. So Caleb, Isla, what do you do?”

Caleb was the first to answer. “I actually have a degree in computer programming. So I work for the Trust in their computer programming department for their new software, but… I also am a hacker.” He grinned slyly. “I get paid to hack into the Cine Tofa’s computer systems.”

That was actually pretty cool and she said as much. “What about you, Isla?”

“I work for the Trust’s public relations department. My job is to make the Trust look as perfect as possible, and make sure that nothing inappropriate is leaked. Right now it is a sweet job, but when the Inception occurs, it is going to be hell.”

Caitlyn thought they both somehow resembled their jobs. Caleb was just a little rebellious with his messy hair and crooked tie, while Isla in contrast, looked like perfection and completely business like even though she was in a cocktail dress. Caitlyn could tell she was always on the job, as this Declan McPherson apparently was. That was something she could respect about Isla.

A gentleman tapped Isla on the shoulder, whispering in her ear, with Isla nodding in earnest. She grabbed Garrett’s arm. “I have to speak to you about something in private. Can I borrow you for a moment?”

Garrett looked at Caitlyn as if he was unsure if he should leave her. She gave him a playful shove towards Isla. “I’ll be fine. Go. Discuss.”

“Thank you.” Garrett followed Isla’s lead into the crowd.

Caleb shrugged at Caitlyn as the two walked away obviously as confused by the exchange as the Potential was. “This party needs some excitement. I think it is time for some refreshments. Do you want me to get you a drink?”

A drink sounded perfect in that moment. She was hoping it would ease her nerves that were creeping back in. “That would be great.”

“What would you like?”

“Some kind of white wine would be terrific.”

“No problem. I’ll be right back.” He winked and took off in the direction of the bar across the room. She stood there in the corner, enjoying watching the various people talking. Most were laughing and having a good time, but there was still a good number that seemed to be discussing business. Caitlyn eyed the floor for people that she knew, but it seemed like a lot of people at this gathering were high level Actuals and therefore her knowledge of whom people were was limited at best.

Caitlyn jumped when she heard an unfamiliar voice come up next to her from nowhere. “Hi.”

She turned to the sound of the voice, and was again greeted by those blue eyes that Garrett had pointed out earlier. “Hello.”

He stuck out his hand. “I am Declan McPherson. You must be Caitlyn.”

She shook it, giving a firm handshake. “I am. How did you know who I was?”

Declan gave that appraising look she had caught him giving earlier in the evening. “You have a reputation.”

This Caitlyn knew already. Everyone she had met this evening thus far had made some small remark about how remarkably well she was doing. “So I’ve heard.”

He smiled at that response. “It’s not a bad thing. People are just impressed and excited is all. What do you make of what they are all saying?”

She absentmindedly tugged at a strand of her hair as she thought briefly on his question. Her instinct told her just to go with the truth. “I don’t think what I am doing is remarkable at all.”

He arched his eyebrow. “You don’t?”

Caitlyn shrugged. “No, I don’t. I mean, it comes so natural. The blocking, the telepathy, the telekinesis. Everyone has been going on and on about how difficult it is preparing for the Threshold and being up to par, but I almost feel as if I am not being challenged enough.” She paused, realizing perhaps that comment could be misconstrued. Her eyes widened and she rushed to clarify. “Not that I am saying that Garrett is not doing a wonderful job. Because he is. He is a terrific mentor. But I guess what I am trying to say is that deep inside I know that there is more to what I can do, more to what I am capable of. I just feel like I am barely scratching the surface. Wow… That sounds very arrogant, doesn’t it?”

“No, it sounds like you are telling the truth. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

“Thank you.” She looked down, staring at the floor for a moment before looking back up in his face. “I appreciate that. I am beginning to feel like a freak among freaks, if you know what I mean.”

“Actually, I do… I saw Garrett pointing out my father and myself earlier to you, so I am guessing he filled you in on my history. If not… well, I have the same reputation as you. You get used to it after a while.”