Awakened (Book 1)

It starts with a very sunny day, the trees are gently moving in the calm breeze. I am sitting on the soft, green grass waiting for him.

'He will come to see me just like he always does. Every time I see him my heart stops beating for a couple of seconds. Why do I always react this way with him?'

I can sense him standing very close as he suddenly comes up behind me. He sits down beside me and I cannot help but turn to look at him. That thick blonde hair of his is shining bright in the sunlight. I look into his gorgeous blue eyes and smile.

'He is very good looking and it is so hard to quit smiling every time he looks back at me with that look on his face.'

He takes his hand and moves my hair back away from my face to look into my crystal blue eyes. My hand moves and caresses his soft, smooth face. When I try to move my hand away from his cheek, he grabs it and gently lays it back against it. He starts leaning in toward me as I do the same. Our lips are just an inch apart when I suddenly smell something. A strange smell hits my nostrils, opening up my senses to a scent that smells delicious like rich chocolate. I look down at his throat as my mouth begins to water. He smells so nice, just one taste is all I need. I bend down to lick his throat, testing his delicate skin. My teeth break through the contact to feed on his delicious blood. I grab him by his shirt, throw his body on the ground and pin him down with my hips so I can reach his throat better.

He groans, "Audrey, you are hurting me."

"No I am not, so stay still," I harshly whisper against his ear.

Defying my command, he tries to move underneath me. I grab his throat and start to squeeze as my eyes pierce his.

"I said stay still or I will kill you."

Tears start running down his face.

"What has happened to you? You are a monster."

I growl, "I am not a monster, this is just who I am now."

I bite down on his throat again and start sucking the life from him.

"Audrey, wake up."

I look back up at his face with complete confusion.

"Audrey, wake up right now," the voice says much louder this time.

I gasp as I snap out of it and realize I was just having a bad day dream while still in class. Lately my dreams have been getting worse by the day. I used to get nightmares all the time when I was younger due to my mom telling me some supposed legend and prophecy of our family right before bed. I never believed her because what she spoke of was some magical world and creatures of the night; stuff that cannot possibly be real. I always assumed it was just a fake story she told me to get me to go to bed every night.

'Until recently I have not been bothered by those thoughts or dreams, so why now all of a sudden am I having these dreams again?'

I try to push my thoughts out of my head as I look up to see Mr. Matthews standing right by my desk, frowning down at me.

"Audrey, I would appreciate it if you would not doze off in my classroom."

"Yes Mr. Matthews, it will not happen again."

The bell rings and it is finally time for lunch. After waiting in the cafeteria line, I grab my lunch and make my way over to sit down at my usual table. I look up to see my two best girl friends on the other side of the cafeteria. Lauren and Stephanie walk over to join and sit down on either side of me.

"What was up with you in science today," Lauren asks.

"Yeah, you were totally spaced out," Stephanie chimes in.

I look over at Lauren and then to Stephanie. These girls have always been with me through thick or thin and are like sisters to me but some time they can be a bit much. I know they mean well but sometimes it can be too much for me especially when they want to get personal.

"I guess I doze off and started daydreaming again without meaning to but science was so boring today."

Lauren smiles at me.

"Oh my goodness, I bet I know who you daydream was about."

I immediately reach over to put my hand over her mouth.

"Shhh, do not say it out loud."

"Fine, I will not say it then," she says smiling.

Lauren is usually the one with the big mouth and says things without thinking beforehand, but it is Stephanie this time who is the one to speak up.

"Your daydream was about Josh, was it not?"

My face immediately turns red as I remove my hand from Lauren's mouth to cover my eyes in shame.

'Of course they would know who my daydream was about because he is one of my other good friends. My whole entire life, people have always told me that Josh would be the perfect guy for me. After years of being told the same thing, eventually you start to believe it. I do like Josh and sometimes have daydreams about him but it has to be because everyone thinks we will make a great couple. The girls like to tease me and say I have a little crush on him, but I feel it is actually because those two really want us to get together.'

My eyes scan the cafeteria as I sigh, making sure no one can hear her.

"Will you guys keep it down, I do not want anyone to hear you and chime in on the whole Josh thing. It is bad enough I get it from you two but please do not include the rest of the student body," I say chastising them.

"I hear my name."

Josh appears out of nowhere smiling as he comes walking up to the table. He sits down followed by his best friends, Daniel and Adam. Josh is still smiling when he looks over at me.

"So what were you guys talking about," he ask.

"Nothing," Lauren and Stephanie both say simultaneously.

The three of us exchange nervous glances. What are we supposed to say to him? He has always avoided it when people mention us being a great couple.

"Let me guess, Audrey was telling you how she is madly in love with me," Daniel says wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

I roll my eyes at Daniel's comment but heave a big sigh of relief, thankful for the distraction. Daniel's comment helps me relax as everyone at the table starts laughing at him. This is not the first time Daniel has made a comment about me possibly liking him. Daniel is the average golden boy of the school, a total jock by definition. He plays almost every sport and every girl wants to date him, well except for me. I only see Daniel as a friend which drives him crazy because I am one of the only girls who is not head over heels for him. I try to play off his comments every time; some times are more successful than others.

"You wish," I say laughing.

"You know, I do not really see how you three are like best friends when you guys have nothing in common. Daniel you are the jock of the school, Josh is smart and is into fantasy things, and Adam is the guy who throws the most craziest parties I have ever seen," Lauren says, effectively changing the subject.

Josh smiles, "that is why we all get along so well. We are all so different and unique in our own way. Adam and I support Daniel at his games while they both like to hear all my fun facts about mythical creatures. Also there is the fact that we all get to enjoy the parties Adam has and can relax every weekend. Somehow our friendship works out very well."

I, of course, just smile and glance over to silently thank her for the change in subject discussion.

"So what are you guys doing tonight," I ask Adam.

Stephanie is the one to answer first, "I will probably be staying home to watch television by myself."

"You girls cannot just stay home. It is Friday, we should be all hanging out and having fun together," Daniel replies.

"Yeah, you guys should come over to my house tonight. I am having a party after all."

Adam always has parties at his house almost every weekend. It is what he does since he is a big party animal, it also helps that his house is big and is the best place to hangout. Not to mention he usually has the house to himself because his parents are gone for business trips.

"Yeah, we will come to your party. We always do," Lauren and Stephanie both say simultaneously.

"How about you Audrey," Josh ask.

I look from him to the others, trying to decide what I want to do. Looking at everyone's hopeful faces, it is hard to refuse the party invitation.

"Sure why not. I do not have any homework or anything else to do so yeah."

The bell rings and we all scatter to go our separate ways to class. The rest of the day goes by pretty fast for the weekend coming up in the next few hours. It is finally five o'clock and I am at home when I realize I agreed to go to Adam's party tonight. There is only one problem; what am I going to wear? I look at the clock to see I have three hours until the party, which I hope is plenty of time to figure out what I am going to wear. I go up my stairs to take a nice hot shower. When I am done, it is only six o'clock and I still have to pick out a killer outfit to wear to the party. In my house robe, I walk into my room and start going through my walk in closet.

Finally after what seems like hours but is only twenty minutes, I decide on a tight black mini dress. I walk back into the bathroom and blow dry my hair as fast as I can before straightening it. When I am completely ready, it is eight o'clock and I know the party will start anytime soon. I get into my car and drive the ten blocks to get to Adam's house. Upon arriving, I notice there are multi-colored lights shining throughout the windows, indicating the party has already started. I park in the front area of his driveway marked with a 'reserved' sign that Adam always saves for his closest friends then walk my way up to the front door of the house. The door opens as I approach the porch and come face to face with Adam himself.

"Hey, you made it. I was getting worried when no one said they had seen you yet."

"Well, I told you guys earlier at lunch that I was coming tonight, right?"

"Yes and you did, Come on in and join everyone else for the fun."

I walk through the threshold of the door and look around the room that is completely packed with students from school. Lauren catches my eye and rushes right over to my side.

"There you are. I was starting to think you were not going to come hangout with us tonight."

I smile, "what? You mean I would rather stay at home and miss all of this fun, no thank you."

"Well, I have been talking you up to someone's ear all night and he finally asked me if you were coming tonight."

'Is she serious? I have a feeling I already know who she has been talking to all night about me and I can only imagine how suggestive she was about us being together in the future.'

I am just about to ask her who she has been talking to about me to confirm my suspicions when I see Josh walking toward us. I feel like with how much everyone talks about him and me being a potential cute couple, my heart should be pounding right now with him wearing tight blue jeans and a red polo shirt but it is not. Maybe it is because I only see him as a friend or maybe it is the fact that I am scared to hurt our friendship and ruin it. I guess only time will tell with us.

"Hey, I was wondering if you were coming to hangout tonight," he says with a smile on his face.

"Well, I am here now. So what do we do," I ask.

"We party," Stephanie yells out, suddenly appearing by my side out of nowhere.

Lauren grabs my hand and leads me over to the middle of the living room, where everyone is already dancing. I start dancing and laughing with Lauren and Stephanie as we all have a good time together. I am very glad I came to this party, I do not know why I wanted to stay at home all by myself in the first place. After dancing to five consecutive upbeat songs with the girls, I cannot take it anymore and decide I have to take a break and get something to drink.

"I will be right back. I just need a little break to get a drink," I tell the girls before heading into the kitchen.

Luckily for me, the kitchen is the only place that is not too crowded here in Adam's house. This is awesome for me especially since I want to get away from the noise and chaos for a little while. I go over and look in the refrigerator to find something to drink but have no such luck. I give up and close the refrigerator door to see Daniel standing right on the other side of it in front of me. I jump at the surprise of Daniel appearing out of nowhere.

"Geez Daniel, you almost scared me to death."

"I am sorry, I did not mean to scare you. Here you go I figured you were looking for one," he says handing me a can of Pepsi.

"Thank you so much. So are you having fun," I ask, opening up the soda to take a drink.

"Not really up until right now at this very second," he says with a big grin on his face.

I try not to roll my eyes at his non subtle comment about his feelings.

'Daniel is that guy in school that always has a thing for every girl he thinks is remotely hot and has to always make a move until he gets what he wants. I guess it goes along with being one of the most popular boys in our school along with being the most athletic and liked jock as well. Why did I have to be one of the girls he thinks he likes just because he finds me good looking? I just want to stay friends but no matter how many times I tell him, it is like he does not hear a single word. Maybe I can direct his attention to another girl instead so he will focus on someone else instead of me.'

I frown, "look Daniel, I know you think you like me more than a friend because you think I am pretty but the truth is I do not like you that way. I am sorry. I think we should remain friends."

He looks upset at my comment which makes me start to feel guilty. Hopefully he will hear my next comment and go along with it.

"Oh, okay. I am sorry."

"No, I am really sorry. I love being your friend and would hate to ruin the friendship we have between us but I will tell you that I heard Michelle thinks you are hot."

A smile suddenly appears on his face.

"Wait really? You heard that she thinks I am hot? Do you think I have a chance with her?"

I watch as he turns around to see Michelle on the dance floor. She smiles and waves at him to join her. He waves back before turning back to me.

"So are we still friends," I ask.

"Yeah, we are still friends."

"Good, now go ahead and go talk to her. Have some fun tonight."

"Thank you Audrey. You really are a great friend."

He turns around and walks over to join Michelle on the dance floor with the rest of the student body. They start talking and look very happy as they dance together. I feel a sudden relief that I do not have to worry about Daniel hitting on me anymore. Lucky for me, he does not like being alone as much as he likes getting attention from girls who think he is hot. I walk out of the kitchen to try to find Lauren to tell her what just happened. Instead, I accidentally run into someone else on my way out of the kitchen into the living room.

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry." I apologize before looking up to see Josh standing right in front of me.

"Hey Audrey, are you having fun," he ask me.

"A little, I guess."

'There is absolutely no way I can admit or tell him what just happened with Daniel especially since they are best friends and I do not want him to get the wrong idea in his head.'

I watch as he looks down at the floor like he is embarrassed all of a sudden.

"Would you maybe like to go get some fresh air with me? We can go up to Adam's room and watch the stars from his small balcony."

My mouth drops open as I am completely taken back with surprise.

'Go look at the stars on Adam's balcony? Why does it sound like such a romantic thing to do? Do I even want to go with him upstairs?'

I ponder a little more before deciding that hanging out with Josh for a while will not hurt anything.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun I guess."

He looks up and smiles at me before making his way through the crowd to the stairway. I follow him up the stairs to Adam's room where we make our way to the balcony to sit down in the chairs he already has laid out.

"So how did you know that this was here?"

"What do you mean? Are you talking about the balcony?"

"Yeah, how did you know that this was here? We all have been friends since we were little and I had no idea that Adam had a balcony attached to his bedroom."

"The guys and I use to camp out up here all the time together when we were kids. We would even try to make a tent or fort out of blankets and use sleeping bags to keep warm."

I look up at the sky trying to imagine what it would be like to be a kid again and look at the world with a more simple perception of things around us. A smile crosses my face as the stars twinkle and shine brightly above me.

"So, what were you guys talking about during lunch," Josh ask suddenly.

I look over at his face, surprised he has remembered and asked about it once again.

'What am I going to tell him? I cannot possibly tell him that we were talking about how he was in my day dream and that everyone thinks we should be a couple. He is very touchy about the subject as it is whenever someone mentions it and I do not want to make him feel uncomfortable about our friendship.'

"Well, we just talked about how I doze off in science class today."

Technically it is true so I am not necessarily lying to him about what happened or what the girls and I talked about earlier at lunch today.

"Oh yeah, I heard about that. Was the class really that boring or were you just tired?"

"Yeah, I thought the class was super boring today but I had no idea I was going to doze off in the middle of the class though."

He smiles, "so what were you daydreaming about then?"

'Wow, that is definitely really personal. Josh has never asked me something so personal before so why is he so interested in this? I do not think I should tell him the whole truth about what the girls and I were talking about or my daydream. It would ruin our friendship and I would hate for that to happen.'

"Nothing really interesting, just me sitting on the grass in the sun," I say technically lying once again.

"That sounds like a very plain dream," he says looking away toward the sky before turning to smile at me.

"So what were you saying about me during lunch then?"

I let out a big sigh, realizing it was dumb to hope he had forgotten about it.

'What am I going to do now?'

"You thought I forgot, did you not," he explains, smiling.

"Oh we were just wondering if you were going to sit with us at lunch today."

He laughs, "Audrey you do not need to lie to me, I always eat lunch with you guys. I already know what you were talking about at lunch to the girls anyways."

"What are you talking about? You could have changed your mind and not sat with us today and what do you mean you already know what we were talking about?"

"I know you were talking about how everyone is saying we would make a great couple together and I am wondering why we have not done anything about it yet. Maybe we should go along with what people say and give us a chance."

'Is he serious right now? Since when does he want to talk about this? What made him change his mind all of a sudden?'

"Wait, what are you talking about? You want us to listen to everyone and be a couple?"

Instead of answering me, he shifts forward to lift my chin with his finger and kisses me softly. The atmosphere around me seems to move fast as my world is now turned upside down suddenly.