The Awakening (55 page)

“Still can’t work out why Gabriella’s interested in him,” he muttered under his breath, not intending me to hear, but I caught it all right. His hurtful words twisted into my stomach like a knife. I marched over and ripped the paper from his hands.

I grabbed his arm and whirled him around to face me. I had the material of his shirt twisted between my fingers. He looked down in shock and then back up at me.

“Yes you do John. Things are going to be different around here from now on. So why don’t you stop by being a cowardly bully for once in your life and tell me what I’ve done that was so bad you’ve made it your life’s work to make me feel worthless?”

We stared at each other for a while. I gritted my teeth together.

“Because you’re a constant reminder of
him
,” he barked, pushing my hand away.

“No I don’t. Mum is married to
you
. She has been for over sixteen years. How in the hell can you be jealous of a man she’s barely spoken about for all that time - it’s beyond pathetic!”

John stared past me out of the window. “She does talk about him. Every single night.”

I felt my mouth open. “What?”

Tears had formed in John’s eyes. “All I hear when she sleeps is the sound of her sobbing her heart out and repeating his name over and over. Like not having him rips her apart from the insides. She’s never mentioned it. Not once. I don’t think she remembers. I’ve lived with that for
sixteen years
. So don’t you dare tell me not to be jealous! Not when I’m reminded every bloody night that I can never be the man to her that he was.”

I didn’t know what to say. My mouth kept trying to form syllables, but then they slipped away. It all made sense now. After a minute I managed to ask, “b-but why haven’t you left her then?”

He shook his head. “There’s nothing to say. Listen, I’ll try and go easier on you. But you have to promise me that you’ll keep this between us.”

“Good.” He wiped his eyes and then clapped me on the shoulder. “Smile, you’ve going to a ball with a super-hot date.” With that, he walked out of the lounge. “Elaine… hun, can you remember what the Sky pin is for the box office films?”

The doorbell rang. I looked out of the window. Agent Green was standing on the doorway, hopping from foot to foot as if it would help him avoid the rain which was falling in rods. A sleek stretch limo was purring just at the end of the driveway.

I shook away the million thoughts buzzing through my head and put on my game face. I found mum and kissed her on the cheek. John gave me a nod from the kitchen doorway. Shouting goodbye to Mikey, I grabbed the small box off the sideboard and popped it in my inside jacket pocket. I felt the other side to make sure Dad’s picture was there, then answered the door. Agent Green opened an umbrella and held it above my head. As the door closed I heard my mother shout ‘be sensible’. I rolled my eyes and headed for the limo.

We pulled up outside the front door to the Warren. Agent Green opened my door and handed me the umbrella. I took it and headed for the front door. Inside the lobby, I waited at the foot of the grand stairs. For some reason I felt nervous. I could feel my heart thrumming away in my chest. Iralia walked around the corner. A gash on the side of her face - a wound she’d received in the battle, was slowly healing.

“Why don’t you look dashing,” she smiled. “If you and Gabriella ever split, you know where to find me.”

I laughed. She gave a mischievous wink and headed up the stairs. “I’ll let her know you’re here.”

A minute or so later, Gabriella appeared at the top of the stairs. My jaw almost hit the floor. She looked breathtaking. Her hair was piled onto her head, held in place with jewelled pins. Long earrings sparkled in the light. She was wearing a black silk dress, which gathered at the knees and then flared out at the bottom. The dress was cut low, exposing her slender neckline. A matching clutch bag lay nestled between her arm and side. I swallowed hard, marvelling at her as she glided down the steps.

“You look- you...wow,” I stammered.

Gabriella laughed. “You look very handsome too.” She pulled me towards her and we shared a gentle kiss. I always loved it that afterwards, when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the deep blue of hers. It was a sight I prayed I’d see every day for the rest of my life.

“I have something for you,” I said, pulling open my jacket and removing the small box.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have.” She used the tone that I’d seen in lots of movies. Where the girl says you shouldn’t have, but what they actually mean is, they’re glad you did.

“You like it then?” I said, feeling myself grow a little embarrassed. “I went to loads of different shops. As soon as I saw this one, it just felt right, you know?”

“It’s
perfect
,” she smiled. Removing the necklace from its box, she gestured it towards me. “Could you?”

I took the pendant and stepped behind her. Slipped it around her neck and fastened the clasp at the back.

“Let’s see then.”

Gabriella twirled around and a felt a rush of emotion. It
was
perfect. Like it had been made just for her.

*

As we made our way into the Hub, I saw Tim standing with Lucy Healy - one of the girls who’d insulted me all those weeks ago in the lunch queue. They were having their photo taken by a professional photographer. Tim noticed us and waved us over. I could see Lucy shrink the closer we got. Tim gave me a high five.

“Alex, wow it feels like forever since I’ve seen you. Looking good mate. And Gabriella, wow you look…wow.” He received an unsubtle elbow in the ribs from his date.

“It’s nothing compared to yours. It’s so stunning,” Lucy said with an awkward one. She turned to Tim. “Can we go in now? I need to get a drink.”

“Oh right- err ok,” Tim nodded, his mass of hair flopping about. “See you in there guys. Come find me in a bit Alex, we need to have a catch up.”

“Sure thing.”

The two walked off and entered into the main hall, where most of the party was taking place.

As soon as we opened the double doors, we were hit by Christmas. The whole room had been transformed into a winter wonderland. The usual wooden floor had been covered with a soft snow like substance. A machine mounted on the ceiling puffed out artificial snow in a gentle stream. The walls were covered in fairy lights, which flashed in a kaleidoscope of colours. A huge Christmas tree had been erected in the corner. Little red and blue orbs hung on its branches and even more fairy lights looped their way around it. A golden star was perched precariously on the top. A makeshift bar had been set up at the far end. Three barmen dressed as elves were serving eggnog and mulled wine to students with ID. Next to it was a cooking booth. The Chef- a man large and hairy enough to actually be Santa himself was serving fried chestnuts as well as the more common hotdogs and hamburgers. In a booth on the stage, DJ Clawz had his head buried in his decks. Music pumped out of speakers mounted on poles at each end of the raised platform.

The room was pretty full already, some of the partygoers dressed in seasonal outfits. Masses of female elves gyrated with Santas on the dance floor. Others had gone with the more formal approach and were wearing suits and dresses. Many of the girls had abandoned their dates, opting for the safety of their friends. Several glum looking boys were sat on chairs sipping cups of coke and stealth vodka. I saw Grace look at me from her group of friends. We held each other’s gaze for a moment and then she looked away. I felt a moment of shame for never getting back to her.

Within a few seconds of entering the room, most of the girls had gathered around Gabriella like glammed up piranhas. They all gushed over her hair, her dress and - I noticed with a swell of pride - her necklace. I wasn’t on my own for long as Elliot, Richard and some of the other football lads made their way over to me. A torrent of words were thrown in my direction.

“Mate you look dapper!”

“Where’d you get the suit?”

“Are you here
with
Gabriella?”

“So are you guys together?”

“Are you going out after the ball?”

I tried to answer the questions as best I could, but it just provoked more. I gave Gabriella a glance, who rolled her eyes in a ‘what can you do’ way. I pointed towards the bar and did the motion of a glass to the lips. She nodded and gave a smile. I noticed some of the other girls cast looks at me. Then they span back and babbled even more at her, probably about whether or not we were seeing each other.

“I’m going to get a drink,”

We all headed over together. As I reached the bar and several of the guys were trying to talk to me at the same time, I realised something.

Being popular is bloody hard work.

Later, Gabriella and I managed to steal away some time together. We were standing outside the side doors, where a little marquee tent which doubled as the smoking area had been set up. We were standing next to the heater, sipping mulled wine from little red cups - courtesy of some fake ID that Gabriella had in her bag. The rain was coming down in torrents. It pattered angrily against the fabric roof, threatening to rip it down.

I took a sip of the spicy red liquid and savoured the warm glow in my chest. I pointed with my cup towards the party, which was still going strong inside.

“What do you think?”

Gabriella’s smiled. “I’m really enjoying it.”

“I have to admit they’ve really pulled the stops out. I mean I thought it would be some white spray on the window and a couple of balloons. I’m pretty impressed.”

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her wine. Then she turned and pressed her back against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and together we swayed gently to the faint music coming from inside. At the same time a boom of thunder growled from overhead. I cast my eyes into the distance and saw several jagged burst of lighting descend from a blood red cloud.

“Alex, does it look like it’s heading this way to you?” Gabriella asked, but I didn’t answer. I was distracted by Terry stepping outside. He was wearing a tatty looking suit. The collar of his shirt had black marks on it. Not noticing us, he fished a packet of tobacco and Rizlas out of his pocket and tried to roll a cigarette. He couldn’t manage it, because one hand was wrapped in plaster. He kept dropping the tobacco and swearing under his breath. Eventually someone else offered to do it for him. Terry took the cigarette with a nod and lit it up.

“Are you okay?” Gabriella asked me.

I thought about it and realised I felt...
nothing
. Not anger, not hatred, not even pity. Compared to what I’d been through over the last few weeks, compared to all the incredible people I’d met...and lost, Terry didn’t even register any more. He was nothing but a distant, bad memory.

“I’m fine. Let’s go back inside.”

As we moved past Terry, he noticed me for the first time. His eyes widened and the cigarette tumbled from his fingers. It fell close to my foot. I picked it up and handed it back to him.

“Err...thanks Eden,” he said, looking down.

“No worries,” I replied and we carried on inside.

The music had slowed a little. Gabriella took the opportunity to pull me onto the dance floor. We slow danced, her soft cheek pressed against mine. Other couples swirled around us, alcohol helping them to re-discover their confidence. Most of the faculty were standing in a group near the entrance. They were all laughing at a joke Mr Hanley was telling in an animated manner.

Everything went off. There were gasps of panic as we were plunged into darkness. The music screeched into silence.

“No one panic,” I heard Mr Hanley shout. “Just stay where you are.”

A few seconds later the backup generators kicked in and the emergency lights flickered on. They were barely able to fill the large space. Looming shadows appeared in every corner.

“Okay everyone, only a power cut. Nothing to be frightened of.”

“I beg to differ,” said a cold voice from the gloom.

We all turned to look. A dark figure stood just inside the doorway. He was shrouded in darkness. He took a step forward and my stomach heaved.