The Awakening

The Awakening Read Online Free PDF Page A

Book: The Awakening Read Online Free PDF
Author: K. E. Ganshert
Tags: Fiction
maintain eye contact.
    “Tess?”
    “Hmm?”
    “If me sleeping in the bed makes you uncomfortable …”
    “It doesn’t. Honestly .” Look at him, Tess. Stop acting like you’re eleven. I force my chin up, as if to prove I can handle this. “Really, I’m fine.”
    He studies me for a moment, as if assessing the validity of my words. It reminds me of the way he used to look at me when I first moved to Thornsdale and he was the completely-out-of-my-league, massively popular kid at my new school. Whatever he finds in my expression must convince him that I mean what I say, because he switches off the light and the mattress springs squeak as he lies down. He stays on his side. I stay on mine. It’s entirely opposite from last night, when our bodies were tangled up in a knot. Yet somehow, I’m more aware of him—his breathing, the warmth radiating from his skin, the crisp clean smell of his shampoo. I swear I can even hear his heartbeat.
    Is it me, or is the heater working exceptionally well in here?
    “Luka?”
    “Yeah?”
    “I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess.”
    “Tess?”
    I pull the covers up to my chest.
    “Before you label me the martyr, you should know that breaking you out was as much for my well-being as it was for yours.” The mattress lets out another squeak as Luka turns over on his side. “I didn’t know the true meaning of insanity until those men dragged you out of school.”
    The confession turns the air in my lungs all light and fluttery. I bite my lip and blink up at the ceiling. What exactly am I supposed to say to that? There’s nothing adequate, that’s for sure. I want to ask him why. Why do I matter so much to him? It doesn’t make any sense. Instead, I scratch the tip of my nose and turn my thoughts to less confusing topics. Like who killed Dr. Roth? Or maybe it’s not who ; maybe it’s what killed him. The term demon sounds incredibly archaic, like it belongs to the time period of medical leeching and a flat earth. My father would be the first to scoff. Science has disproven God, and demons pretty much come with the God-territory. But how can I deny what’s right in front of me?
    The question that has been circling my thoughts ever since we crawled out of his apartment creeps its way to the tip of my tongue. “What’s going to happen now?”
    “We find a way to get to Detroit.”
    I pick at a loose thread on the sheet, wishing I could communicate with Leela. Maybe, if I could talk to her and tell her everything that has happened, maybe she would believe me. Maybe Leela could help.

Chapter Five
    An Ally
    I ’m standing on a grassy knoll with noise all around me. Kids chasing kids in a game of tag, younger ones rolling down the hill. There’s a field and players in uniform—one in blue and gold, the other in red and gray. Referees in black and white. Bleachers filled with spectators. The scoreboard at the end of the field displays a large red dragon.
    I’m at a Thornsdale football game.
    A tall, lanky kid walks toward the bleachers with two cups of hot chocolate in his hand. My brother! My legs take off, sprinting after him. “Pete!” I yell, my voice drowned out by the mixture of cheerleaders chanting and the crowd cheering and children giggling and referees whistling and coaches yelling. Closing the distance between us, I call his name again. My voice rises above the din, but his stride doesn’t falter. “Pete,” I say, grabbing his elbow.
    But it’s like he doesn’t feel my grip on his arm. He doesn’t even look at me. I wave my hand in front of his face. “Pete?”
    He walks up the bleacher steps. Clank, clank, clank.
    I stop and watch him go, baffled and hurt. How could he ignore me like that? I know Pete and I haven’t been on the best terms lately, but things seemed to be getting back to normal in the hospital …
    Wait a minute.
    Pete was really banged up the last time I saw him. They moved him out of ICU, but he still had a long road to recovery
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