Airel: The Awakening (Airel Saga Book One)

Chapter XXIV

I SAT ON YET another exam table wondering what it all meant. Perhaps I was sicker than I knew. The dream of the cage—now that I was alone—mocked and haunted me. I could feel black dust filling my nostrils, the stench of the demon as it hovered just inside the fringe of my memory.

I felt really bad about Kim. She was a good friend and I was probably being unfair to her, but I wanted to keep her at a safe distance from this—from me—for a while.

Fluttering.

The sound of pages turning in a book.

She, I called her. Kind of like Mom, but not. More like a feminine voice of wisdom, as if those who had preceded me in this life were a cloud of witnesses in array, waiting for me at critical points on my path, ready to counsel me. Whenever I heard She speak, I felt like I was hearing truth. And I could not deny that I was indeed changing. I knew the change would be permanent, whatever it was, for better or for worse.

What the heck was I going to tell Kim? Where in the world would I start? I knew that no matter what, she would always be my best friend. But I hesitated. I felt like there was too much at stake. It wouldn’t be long, I could feel it, until these fears—fears that were unspeakable now—were made real.

Michael. I could tell him, couldn’t I? Not that I had any logical or sane reason to trust him, other than the fact that I was beginning to fall for him. That wasn’t it, though. There was something in the way he looked at me that made me feel like I could tell him anything without reservation. 

Miss Parks, the school nurse, flashed a bright light into one eye and then the other. That brought me out of my daydreaming. I normally liked to daydream, but lately I had lost control of my thoughts. “You look fine,” she said. “Nothing more than a bump on the head, as far as I can tell. Are you feeling better? Do you have a headache?”

I didn’t have a headache or even feel bad. A terrible thought came to me. What if the nasty throbbing welt on my forehead heals and disappears right in front of Miss Parks? I figured it would be smart to fake a headache, because most people in my situation would have a whopper. I winced and put my fingers to my temples. “Yep. My head feels like it’s stuck under a school bus. Do you have anything for that?” Hey, Miss Parks, don’t worry about it. It’ll heal here in the next few seconds … just watch.

She smiled a school nurse’s smile, conciliatory and shallow. “I’ll get you some Tylenol. That should help.” She hurried into the other room. 

I stood up and walked toward the door so that when she got back, I could get out of there as fast as possible. 

Miss Parks came back into the room, handed me a little packet of Tylenol, and put her hand on my shoulder. “Take two now and two more in a few hours if you still have a headache. And try not to faint the next time you see a bunch of boys in football uniforms.” She giggled.

I faked a light laugh. “Thanks for the Tylenol,” I said, turning to go. 

I opened the door. First I saw green and gold, then a football jersey, then Michael. He must have hurried back from practice after it ended. I grinned compulsively at him like an idiot and then tried to wipe it from my face, hiding behind my hand. But that only made it worse. 

He looked incredible. I tried to tear my eyes away from his, but did a double take. Something in his eyes refused to release me. It was shock, amazement—and then fear. “Airel,” he said, “wow. You heal fast.”