The Awakening (2 page)

“Do you have another name besides Boss?” I asked.

“No,” he said flatly.

I had a difficult time believing a mother would name their child Boss. Yet, I wasn't going to press the subject with the strange man. No need to piss off the only person helping me.

The ringing in my ears intensified, irritating the hell out of me. I massaged my ears, hoping it would lessen. It didn't. I glanced up and saw Jonas eyeing me in the mirror.

“Do you hear a ringing?” I asked.

“Jonas, stop,” Boss said.

Jonas lowered his eyes. Within seconds, the ringing disappeared.

I lowered my hands to my lap and closed my eyes. Trying to ignore the ache in my belly, I breathed in the scents of leather, metal, and old takeout food–McDonald’s if I guessed right. What the hell was wrong with me? I could distinguish a scent, but I couldn’t remember my name. Every time I searched for an answer to my own questions, I ran into a brick wall. Nothing made sense and I knew nothing.

Boss, what are we going to do with her?

Not sure. Just drive.

She doesn’t even think she’s a vampire.

My eyes jumped open. Jonas faced the road while Boss stared out the window. Neither of them had spoken, yet I knew I heard their words. At least, I thought I had.

I crossed my arms. “I’m not a vampire, and I’d like to know where we are going.”

Jonas gripped the wheel and stared straight ahead.
Do you think she can hear us?

“Yes Jonas, I can hear you,” I answered. Like a splash of cold water, I realized what had happened. He’d never moved his lips.

Boss twisted in his seat, making the leather moan underneath him. He stared at me.
What are you afraid of? What are you hiding?

My eyes enlarged. Oh my God! He had asked me questions through his thoughts.

“How...how can you do that?” I shook my head, astounded. “How can I hear thoughts?”

“Vampires can communicate through thoughts. You hear them because you are a vampire. I hear them because I am one too. There are a few other breeds that can hear thoughts as well.”

“You’re a vampire?” I asked in disbelief.

He twisted around to face the front. “I said I was.”

“But I’m not...” I paused and swallowed. “I can’t be a vampire. I can’t kill people. I can’t even kill a fly.”

Jonas chuckled.
Boss ...

“Speak Jonas,” Boss said.

“What if she doesn’t remember? How is she going to know... ?”
Before it’s too late.

Boss faced the open window, letting the wind blow his hair away from his face. “She’ll know.”

Vampires? Hearing thoughts? Too unreal, too impossible. Yet, I heard both of them communicating with their thoughts. What did they expect me to know? After staring out the window for several minutes, pondering, I realized the answer. Vampires drank blood.

Nausea crept up on me. The pain in my stomach worsened. I wrinkled my nose and curled my lip. The thought of tasting blood made me want to gag.

I stared in the mirror, waiting for Jonas to look. When he didn't, I asked, “Are you a vampire too, Jonas?”

“No, I’m not. I'm–”

“Exit downtown and drive around the circle. Let’s see if she remembers anything,” Boss said.

I waited for Jonas to finish what he started to say, but he never did. If he wasn't a vampire, how could he communicate with his thoughts? Maybe I was like him. But what was he?

Silence lingered in the car. I listened for thoughts shared between them. They said nothing more.

Leaning back in the seat, I gazed out into the night. Tall buildings with bright, glowing lights painted a picturesque scene of the city. The hour must've been late since few cars passed by us on the interstate.

“What city is this?” I asked as the car exited the highway.

Jonas peered at me through the mirror. “Indianapolis.”

I returned my attention out the window, searching for some clue to help me remember. Had I lived here my entire life? Did I have a family here? Where did I live? Did I have a job? I wanted to remember something, anything.

We passed old apartment buildings, fast food joints, and businesses in a rundown area of the city. Exhaust fumes lingered in the air along with the stench of sewage. Ahead, a large monument stood in the middle of the road. I leaned forward between the seats for a better view.

“Does anything look familiar?” Boss asked.

“No,” I replied softly as I scanned the area in search of a memory.

The paved road gave way to bricks and forced a small vibration through the car. Jonas slowed the vehicle as we circled a tall limestone sculpture with statues of soldiers on each side. I tilted my head, looking at the figures and the fountain surrounding the large sculpture. “Nothing looks familiar, but I have a feeling in my gut I've seen these statues before.”

As the car traveled around the monument again, I scanned over the buildings. The businesses, a chocolate shop, Starbucks, and radio station failed to jog any memories.

“Head toward the capital,” Boss said.

Halfway around, Jonas veered down the brick road to a dome-shaped building with a statue in front. The capital, I presumed. Again, a slight sense of awareness stirred within me.

“I think I have been here before,” I said.

“Do you know when?” Boss asked as Jonas turned, passing the statue in front large building.

I leaned back and stared out the side window. “No, I can't quite explain it, but I have a feeling I have been here before.”

We passed by the capital, and I swiveled my head to the front. Boss stared at me from between the seats. The centers of his eyes expanded, giving him a frightening look. A second later, a sharp pain pierced my skull and the ringing in my ears returned louder than a bullhorn.

“Stop it!” I snapped. The ringing grew louder; swallowing all my thoughts and making my teeth ache. I covered my ears and raised my voice. “Stop it, please!”

Clenching his jaw, Boss turned around and leaned back in his seat. “Damn it, there’s nothing there.”

I lowered my hands as the pain in my head ebbed. Half-angry, half-confused, I sat mute. The arrogant prick had tried to invade my mind. Every time one of them looked into my eyes, the annoying sound blared. Did they think I had lied to them about not knowing my name or having memories?

“I know you were trying to get inside my head. I’m not stupid. I’m telling you the truth. I don’t know my name or why I was at the dump. I can’t remember anything.”

Boss turned around and faced me. “You have to remember something in that pea brain of yours. There has to be some memory, childhood youth, first love, school, something.”

Glowering at him, I crossed my arms. “And what did you find in my
pea brain
?” I fought the urge to punch him.

“Nothing.” He grumbled. “Not a fucking thing.”

“Maybe someone knocked her on the head and she can't remember anything.”

“If someone had hit her hard enough, she would most likely have an abrasion and I would smell the blood. I don't smell any trace of blood on the outside of her body.”

I ran my fingers along the side and back of my scalp, searching for a bump or a cut. It didn't take long to come to the same conclusion as Boss.

“What about stress?” Jonas asked. “Doctors say stress can cause people to forget.”

Boss shook his head. “I would still be able to find a memory embedded in her head. Think of the brain as a computer. Viruses can cause damage, but they don't destroy. There's a motherboard. All you have to do is access it and find the areas with the damage to fix the computer.”

“Can you access my motherboard?”

Boss glanced at me. “I did.”

I felt a sense of defeat wash through me and I didn't like it. The list of possibilities for my lack of memories was dwindling. If science couldn't offer an explanation, what else could there be? Memories couldn't simply disappear. There had to be a reason.

“What else could cause my memory loss?”

Jonas looked at Boss. “Could someone have taken them?”

“A vampire can erase certain parts of one’s memory, but not the entire memory. I’ve never heard of a vampire cleaning out a mind before.”

“What about a demon?” Jonas asked.

“What?” I asked, horrified. “Did you say
demon
?”

“Demons alter memories and reality. They can’t wipe out memories,” Boss answered.

My heart fluttered. Demons? Like, from Hell? Was he for real? No freaking way. First vampires. Now demons. What next? Too unreal.

“Could you pull over?” I asked.

Jonas met my gaze in the rearview mirror. “Why?”

“I need more air.” And a chance to escape the loony men claiming supernatural creatures existed.

Boss twisted around. “You still don't believe you're a vampire.”

“No. I don't.”

“Give me your hand.”

“What?”

“Give me your hand.” He held his palm up. “I'm not going to hurt you.”

After a heavy sigh, I reached forward. He took my hand and pressed it to his chest.

“Tell me, do you feel anything?”

I felt a layer of fabric and a solid chest.

“Do you?”

Something was wrong. I moved my hand over his chest, in the area of his heart.

“You don't feel it beating because it's dead. It stopped pumping centuries ago.”

I yanked my hand from him. The beat of my own heart accelerated with shock. He didn't have a heartbeat. Realization slapped me in the face. He told me the truth. He was a vampire.

But, was I?

I put my hand over my chest. Beneath my blouse, I felt a thump. I wasn't a vampire, couldn't be. He lied to me.

Anger boiled in my veins. “If I’m a vampire, why is my heart beating?”

“You’re a half-breed.”

“A what?” I snapped.

“Half-breed,” Jonas answered. “Someone who hasn’t fully passed over.”

“What, like died?”

“Exactly,” Jonas replied.

“So, I’m not really dead, yet according to you, I need warm blood. Did I get it right?”

Jonas looked at me through his mirror. “Yes, and you still need human food to survive too.”

“Well aren’t I just the freakiest pig above the grave.” I snickered, shaking my head. “How do you expect me to believe such crap?”

“We have no reason to lie to you,” Boss said.

I shook my head, confused and full of doubt. How could a half-breed creature exist? How could someone take my memories? Both seemed too impossible to believe. Yet, there were a few facts I couldn't ignore. Boss didn’t have a heartbeat, and I heard him communicate with his thoughts.

I leaned my head back on the seat and stared up. Too many questions needed answers. Boss and Jonas had provided me with some answers. I just didn't agree with some of them. Maybe I needed to push aside my doubt to find the truth. They did seem willing to help me.

“So who would want me this way and why?” I lifted my head

Jonas shrugged. Great effort on his part.

Boss twisted around. “First off, I’m not aware of any creature able to erase all of one’s memories–”

I jolted forward. “And leave me with some knowledge. How can I recognize sights and scents that are familiar?”

“Right. And since she knows how to speak, there has to be some memories,” Jonas added, and I frowned at him.

“Knowledge is not necessarily associated with a memory. Whoever stripped her of her mind did a clean and thorough job. They knew specifically what to remove. I’m not sure what creature can do such a thing. More importantly, I don’t know why.”

My heart sank a notch. How could a person wipe out my memories? Why would they? What did I do to deserve such punishment? I thought about Boss's words. What
kind
of person would do such a thing to me? Whomever took my memories had to be cruel and downright evil. And he or she couldn't have been a human, as Boss suggested.

Silence passed between us. Jonas drove along the streets, turning every couple of miles. We were outside the city in a more suburban part of town. Still, nothing jogged my memory.

“I counted at least four breeds back at the dump,” Jonas said, ending the silence. “Why would so many breeds meet in one place?”

“We need to check for any clan or council meetings when we get back. I don’t recall one in this area, but it’s worth investigating.”

“Thirty, Boss? Wouldn’t they just send one member from their clan?”

“What's a clan?” I asked.

“They're communities of breeds. Werewolves. Demons. Fae. Shifters. Warlocks …”

More supernatural creatures in my strange world? Great. I should've known demons and vampires weren't the only freaks walking around.

“Any ideas who killed the people at the dump?” I asked as I leaned closer to the gap between the seats.

Boss twisted around and glared at me. “Maybe you did.”

“You honestly don’t believe she could have, do you?” Jonas questioned.

I stared at Boss with a relentless gaze. “I don’t kill people. I know it in my heart. I didn’t hurt any of them.”

Boss turned away, and I leaned back against the seat.

“I don't have a clue who destroyed them. However, since there were multiple breeds, it could suggest more than one person was involved with her memory loss,” Boss said.

“Do you think it could be someone powerful? An ancient perhaps?” Jonas asked.

“Maybe. Search the groups and find out who has gone missing from clans recently. Check for leaders who may have disappeared too. Their roles will have to be replaced by someone.”

“Should I make a posting about her?”

“No. Someone else might be looking for her. I don’t want to draw attention,” Boss replied in a firm tone.

I drew in a hesitant breath. “What if I have family searching for me? Is there a way you can check?”

They both paused and glanced at each other. Surely, someone knew me. Family, a friend, or a boyfriend perhaps. Maybe they were trying to find me now.

“Search the databases for anyone missing with her description,” Boss said.

“Shall I contact the council?” Jonas asked.

“Contact them. Let them know what we found at the dump, but leave her out of it.”