Walking Among the Shadows: Awakening: Revised Edition (2 page)

M
y name
is Aiden Storm and I will be your guide on this dark and amazing journey that
has become my life. So before we get started, remain seated, fasten your seat
belts and please don’t feed what lurks within the shadows….they may bite your
arm off.

Along this odyssey you will
experience pain, violence, hatred, betrayal and despair; but you will also
experience unconditional love, and learn just how blind love can be. I
understand better than most that love is truly blind. It doesn’t care about the
color of your skin, your social status, religious beliefs, or even the concept
of good and evil. Love exists whether you believe or not. It doesn’t matter if
love finds you or not, it’s still out there, choosing the unworthy to
experience its miracle. Many that have loved and lost consider themselves
victims. But love doesn’t create victims….we do. We force ourselves and others
to feel ashamed for being chosen by love’s graceful embrace. We hide or deny
our true feelings; too afraid to take a chance and without faith in love we
prevent love from becoming a permanent part of our lives. We freak out at the
idea of happiness because we’ve been taught if it’s too good it isn’t true.
Influenced by negative people and their bad experiences. But what do they know?
Nothing, they are just jealous that love didn’t find a more colorful way to reveal
her existence to them. Poor hateful bastards!

Love found me eighteen years
ago to the day and it has been an epic battle to keep her in my heart. There
were times I felt like the universe was against someone like me being in love.
Through it all I’ve been heartbroken, tortured, and discouraged, but I never
gave up on love. The thought never crossed my mind. I was willing to move
heaven and earth and the only thing that’s changed is I’m willing to do more.

I’ve learned a few important
things about love as I embarked on my journey in life. One is sacrifice; I have
to be willing to sacrifice all my selfish hang-ups and fears to allow real love
into my life. Two, trust; I have to trust that love is the reason for our
actions and not selfish motives and mind games. But most importantly I’ve
learned never  play with love; because if you joke with love she may not stay
around long enough to hear the punch line.

In order for you to fully
understand my decent into the shadows you must first know who I am and where I
come from. I am the middle son of three siblings: two boys and a girl. The
oldest being Manuel Storm Jr., or affectionately known to us as Manny. Back
then he was twenty-six years old, I was sixteen, and Sarah, the baby in every
essence of the word, was fifteen.

My family lives in Deerfield,
Illinois; a small well-to-do suburb about forty minutes outside the city of
Chicago with beautiful homes, premium shopping, and corporate complexes. We
moved here when my dad got stationed at the naval training base in North
Chicago, Illinois, which is about twenty minutes from our home. Neither Manny
nor I were born here in Illinois. We were both born in Hawaii. But I never got
the chance to take full advantage of Hawaii’s beautiful weather because I was
just a toddler when we moved here. Manny did and he and Mom really hated the
winters here but strangely we never moved back. Sarah, on the other hand was
born here.

 Our heritage hails from three
different continents; with Spaniard, Native American and Brazilian blood
running through our veins. Dad’s side of the family carried the Spaniard and
Native American lineage and my mom lending the Brazilian side. My Dad was a
towering well-built man with dark brown hair, chiseled facial features, and
light green eyes. Mom would say that our dad was so attractive; calling him
cute or handsome was an insult. Monkeys are cute, the actor Brad Pitt is
handsome, Dad; she would say, was beautiful. The only man she felt confident
calling beautiful but Dad didn’t share in her relaxed demeanor of referring to
him as beautiful. He was a harden “Frogman” and being called beautiful didn’t
reflect well on his many military accomplishments.

Manuel Storm Sr., our dad died
back in 1994. His plane was shot down during a so-called “routine” exercise
over Iraqi airspace. The Iraqis claimed they did not fire on any aircrafts and
the U.S. government denied any operations over Iraqi airspace that day. His
body was never recovered and the details of his mission have never been
revealed to us.

I vaguely remember my dad
because I was so young but his absence and the effect it had on me was still
prominent. Sarah never got to know him because she wasn’t born yet when we lost
him. Manny and our mom took his death the hardest because they got to live with
and know our father and love the man he was. Manny wanted to be so much like
our dad so to honor his memory Manny joined The Navy Seals. My mom was so proud
of him; we all were. He’s always been like a piece of Dad left behind to look
after us. Sarah and I, on the other hand are more like our mother because she’s
all we’ve known.

Manny has been our father
figure for as long as I can remember. I have to admit it was a lot to put on a
teenager’s shoulders and he had such a hard time adjusting over the years.
Getting into all kinds of trouble and rebelling over the loss of our father but
eventually he came through it stronger and more determined. Mom feels sometimes
he pushes himself too hard and they argue constantly about him being an
individual and not a carbon copy of Dad. Manny couldn’t stomach anymore of
their confrontations and decided to stay away as much as possible and only
visited during our birthdays and major holidays. It was hard at first not
having Manny around but eventually you either have to adjust with change or
fight it. We decided to adjust.

My grandfather would often say
that Mom was a Brazilian witch that put a love hex on my dad. To a stranger it
appeared his description of her indicated he didn’t approve of our mom. But my
grandpa had no ill feelings towards her. Grandpa was kinda weird and when he
had a few drinks in him he would rant on for hours about witches, warlocks, and
other forces fighting for the souls of mankind. I thought this old man was on
his way to the nut house in a straitjacket. But I would learn later in life
that even while tipsy he was the sanest of us all.

If my mom was a witch she
didn’t need spells to capture any man’s attention. She is the younger of two
girls, my late auntie Gloria being the eldest. I know this may sound
self-serving being that I am telling my own story and it would benefit me to say
my mother is a very beautiful woman, but truthfully she is and her former
career as one of the world’s top super models validates my claim.

So there
…(insert
me sticking my tongue out here)

Sarah, the resident gremlin
was a spitting image of our mom. Possessing her caramel colored skin and long
silky black hair. You could almost say they were twins. Almost…because although
they may look alike their personalities were like night and day. Mom was humble
and never used her beauty as an advantage over others. Sarah on the other hand
was arrogant and sarcastic; she knew how attractive she was and she used it to
her advantage every chance she got.

I am a mixture of both of my
parents. I have my dad’s light brown skin color, well defined facial features
and green eyes. From my mother I have her hair color and texture; minus the
length of course. My mom says my brooding nature scares off a lot of girls
because they assume I’m unapproachable. Which isn’t true, any girl can approach
me. Well…wait a second not any girl. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any
self-esteem issues. I know what I’m working with. I look in the mirror every
day and get more compliments than the average teen. But I must admit back then
I was so introverted I had a hard time feeling comfortable talking to girls and
the ones I was comfortable talking to were friends or friends’ of friends.

Talking to girls I knew made
it easier for me to open up and being that I kind of knew them, I already had
an idea of what kind of situation I was getting myself into. But then again
dating wasn’t that important for me. I like girls a lot but they were just not
a big priority in my life back then. I wanted to get into Harvard Law School
and even though our family’s money could get me in, I still wanted to graduate Valedictorian
with honors.

There were a lot of
ultra-exclusive clubs and fraternities at Harvard and the ones I was interested
in only wanted those with the best academic resume. I needed to focus and girls
have a knack for breaking that focus. I was only sixteen and I wasn’t willing
to sacrifice my future on a girl and a possible “Mom, I got something to tell
you” conversation. My mom would’ve killed me if I ever came home with that kind
of drama.

Manny didn’t share in my
enthusiasm in going to college and wanted Sarah and I to enlist. He began his
grooming early by enrolling Sarah and me in self-defense classes. I’d been
practicing Thai Boxing and other martial arts for twelve years and by the time
I was sixteen I’d already won several regional tournaments. Sarah on the other
hand, fell in love with Ninjutsu. Go figure, huh? With her personality it was a
perfect fit. Try and steal a kiss and have a Ninja star lodged in your ass. I
pitied the fool who tried to make her do something she didn’t want to…the image
was horrifying.

Sarah was excited about
joining the Navy and hopefully becoming a Navy pilot. Me, on the other hand—I
wasn’t going to the military. Manny and I argued constantly about my decision
but I would not budge. I wanted to be more than a grunt. I always wanted to
help the world around me. Be more significant than normal and make a real
difference, not just some token contribution. Thinking back on the fall of 2009
when everything I believed was turned upside down and the world became a much
darker place; I had no idea how significant I would be.

On the surface it would appear
that we had the perfect life; wealth, stability, and family even after the loss
of our Dad. But nothing is rarely as it seems and what’s on the surface usually
covers something much darker and my family was no different. We had our secrets
too. They just hadn’t caught up with us……yet.

F
all
2009—It was the first week of September and the start of the school year.
Usually Sarah and I would go clothes shopping for the new school year, updating
our wardrobe so that we kept current with the latest fashions. Hey, our mom was
an ex-model and even though she was somewhat of a modest woman she still
refused to send us out looking like last year’s leftovers. This year though, I
didn’t do as much shopping with the money she gave me.

I was
planning a trip to Spain to visit our grandparents during the Thanksgiving
holiday season. I wanted a little more spending money so that I could really
enjoy myself. My mom protested me going alone. She wanted me to wait till
spring break so that Sarah and I could go together. No way! I wanted to go
alone. Sarah was high- maintenance and would run our grandparents ragged trying
to keep up with her demands. I hadn’t been there in years and even though
Grandpa was weird, he was still a lot of fun to be around. Also, Spain was just
awesome period! I was really looking forward to that trip.

With this new school year came
a particular change I wasn’t looking forward to; Sarah joining me at Deerfield
High.  My mom initially wanted her to go to a private school in Lake Forest but
just like Sarah, she begged and pleaded until my mom gave in. She fed our mom
this load of crap about feeling safer going to the same school as people she
knew. The real reason she wanted to go to Deerfield started with a T and ended
with a Y. Tony, my best friend, on whom Sarah has had an almost “stalktistic” (
yes,
I know that isn’t a word but as a teenager we always create our own words and
here’s my contribution
) crush for years. For most, the attention from such
an attractive girl would be heaven but Tony wasn’t having it.

As much as she tried, Tony
made sure he was extra mean when she made any advances towards him. I knew he
found her attractive, I mean she’s my sister and as much as she repulses me I
couldn’t deny how beautiful she was. But to Tony our friendship was so
important that the thought of ruining it for Sarah made her ugly. I know it’s
strange for some to comprehend that kind of friendship nowadays, with people
having lower standards and a higher tolerance for depravity….but there you have
it.

Another major reason I wasn’t
looking forward to Sarah and me going to the same school was Sarah had a bad
temper and not an ounce of patience. Combine that with Sarah being so sensitive
and anything said that she didn’t like could land her in the principal’s office
and the offender in the nurse’s office. To this day I can’t understand how my
mom controlled Sarah’s temper the way she did. I knew with all of Sarah’s issues
I was going to have my hands full trying to look after her and listen to all
the complaints from lovesick boys and jealous girls at the school…..lucky me.

After getting up and preparing
for the first day of school, I headed downstairs towards the kitchen to see
what Mom had prepared for our “first day of school breakfast.” The first day of
school every year was a big deal for Mom because she never had the opportunity
to go to school when she was our age. So she would prepare a special breakfast
for us. The house was filled with the delicious smells of waffles, eggs, and
breakfast sausages. I didn’t wake up hungry but now my mouth was watering. The
closer I got to the kitchen the stronger my hunger became and by the time I
walked into the kitchen my stomach felt like it was pushing towards my back.

My mom was busy with a skillet
of scrambled eggs and didn’t seem to notice I’d just walked into the kitchen;
so I quickly tried to reach for a sausage from the plate on the island. Before
I could get a good grip on the sausage, my mom quickly spun around from the
stove and smacked my hand with her spoon.

“Ouch!”

“Good morning, Aiden!”

“Morning, Mom.”

How is she that fast?

“Wash your dirty hands and
have a seat. Where is Sarah?” Mom asked in her heavy Brazilian accent.

The sound of her name and the
idea of her going to my school made me slam my hand on the granite countertop.
The silverware on the island slightly jumped off the surface sending the sharp
sound of metal clashing together straight to my mother’s ears. She quickly
turned to face me while giving me a look that spelled warning; “eruption is
imminent”. I could imagine her tropical blood boiling as her anger built up at
my reaction to her question about her “baby”. Sarah was fifteen for Pete’s
sake…but she was still mom’s baby and her fiery stare let me know that it
wasn’t going to change anytime soon. Her look should’ve given me the hint I
needed but I was hard headed and determined to try and insult Sarah.

“Mom, I don’t know I can’t
keep up w-”

She quickly gave me another
look that clearly said if I didn’t want to play “dodge the cook’s spoon,” I
wouldn’t finish that statement. After seeing her look while holding the spoon
in a way that appeared she was weighing it to see how far and hard she could throw
it, I instantly grew a brain and changed my approach immediately.

“I don’t know Mom. She’s
probably still getting ready.”

Smiling with a glow in her
eyes she turned back towards the stove, satisfied that she’d gotten her point
across. But I knew she wanted much more from me. I knew the talk was coming. I
could feel it…

“Aiden?”

“Yes, Mom?”

Here it comes…wait for it…wait
for it…wait for it…

“Son, I really need you to
keep a close eye on your sister…”

BOOM! The watch-your-sister
speech.

“I don’t want her getting into
trouble with those fast girls at that school and I definitely don’t want her
getting involved with those hormone-driven boys either.”

“Mom, Sarah is a handful and
she doesn’t listen to anything I say.”

“That’s because when you talk
all I see is your mouth moving and garbage pouring out of it,” Sarah cut in
while she pranced into the kitchen. I gritted my teeth while shaking my head as
she gleefully sat down on the stool next to me.

“You see what I’m talking
about, Mom!?” I protested.

“Aiden, not even Mom knows
what you’re talking about and she gave birth to you.”

“Don’t hate on me Sarah
because I wasn’t born in a test tube.”

“What?! Mom!”

“Hey, both of you stop it now!
Sarah you need to start respecting your brother and paying closer attention to
your actions. Aiden can’t clean up your mess at that school.”

“Thanks Mom! That’s what I’ve
been saying.”

“I’m still talking Aiden.”

“Sorry Mom.”

“Aiden, you need to start
being more involved with your sister. I know you’ve always been a loner but she’s
fifteen going on sixteen and she’s going to need you now more than she cares to
admit.”

“Mom, I don’t need Aiden
babysitting me, it’s embarrassing.”

“Speaking of babysitting, I
want you home at the same time during the school week, no exceptions!”

“What?!” we both protested.

“Mom, I want to try out for
the girls’ soccer team and practice is always after school.”

“Really? Well, I guess Aiden
will be your escort.”

“Mom!”

“Wait, no!”

“No what, Aiden?”

“Why do I have to sit out two
or more hours of my life for…”

“Aiden!” My mom gave me that
“watch it” look; she always could sense when I was about to say something to
make things worse.

“Okay, wait for Sarah.”

“Aiden, you have two options.
Wait for her or try out for a team so that both of you are in practice after
school together.”

“Oh Mom, come on!”

“What Aiden? You need to try
something new. You’re constantly working out, you’re in great shape, you’re an
extremely fast runner, and I think you will do great in sports.”

“Mom, that may be true but the
jocks at my school are not the nicest bunch to be around.”

“Most jocks aren’t Aiden, but
you need to start learning how to work with others and to thrive in a hostile
environment. You never know when you’ll need those skills. So just think about
it; otherwise you’ll be watching your pretty little sister kick a ball around
for two hours.”

“Oh God no! I’ll look into
football then.”

“Great! Sarah?”

“Yes, Mom?”

“I don’t want any games from
you, do you understand me?”

“Yes, Mom.”

After breakfast I sat there in
awe when I finally figured out what just happened. My mom for the longest has
been trying to get me into sports at school. I’ve always managed to get out of
it…until today. I love sports and I play football at the park all the time, but
I just didn’t like being around the buffoons on our school’s sports teams. Some
of them were bullies and some of the people they bullied were pretty cool. They
tried me once and only once during my first year here with the starting senior
quarterback.

I was only fifteen and while in
the lunchroom, Adam the starting quarterback and “head bully of the buffoon
squad” cut in the line right in front of me. Okay so what, no problem. Then he
kept reaching back over my tray. Now he was pushing it. I didn’t like people
too close to things I was going to put in my mouth. After about three attempts
of him reaching over my food, I could tell he was trying me, so I politely
stepped out of line to avoid a confrontation. With my back towards him he
pushed me…hard. He was much bigger and stronger than me but I knew even with
his size and strength advantage I could seriously hurt him. So I tried to avoid
it; but he wasn’t in the lunchroom to eat. His mission was to punk the new
freshman; the attractive and quiet boy that all the girls was talking about. He
wanted to make a mockery of me and put me in my place among the bullied. I can
take a lot of things but physical aggression is a big problem for me. So after
the push I quickly turned and demanded he apologize.

I was less than a foot from
him, staring directly in his eyes waiting for his response. He smiled and told
his crew I had heart and he was going to tear it out of my chest and leave it
on the lunchroom floor. I was in my comfort zone being this close to him.
Close-quarter combat was always my strong point. He pretended to walk away but
suddenly turned intending to push me in my chest and cause me to fall backwards
onto the floor. A very old and lame trick—I saw through this from the
beginning. I knew he had a reputation to keep up and he wasn’t going to walk
away from a “freshie” demanding an apology. Too many people were watching this
exchange.

While spinning around and
reaching out with all his strength to push me in my chest; I quickly and calmly
stepped back to my left and placed my left foot directly in front of his shoes.
The force behind his missed push paired with my perfectly placed foot propelled
him down and across the lunchroom floor. The lunchroom immediately erupted in
roaring laughter as they watched the starting quarterback glide across the
lunchroom floor on his stomach.

Cherry red with embarrassment
the quarterback decided to have another go at me. It never dawned on this dummy
that if I was fast enough to avoid that push I might know some things he
didn’t. But I guess he didn’t see it that way. So I calmly stood there waiting
for him to dust himself off and try again. As he rushed towards me with violent
rage in his eyes, I stood there contemplating how quickly I wanted to end this
confrontation. Did I want to show off and completely embarrass this jackass?
Did I want to instill fear in his buddies and other bullies to prevent future
retaliation? Or did I just want to do all the above by ending this with one
shot? I decided on the latter. As he got within range I struck his throat with
the outside of my left hand and punched him in his solar plexus with my right
fist at the same time. I made sure the blow to his throat was a mere tap, not
enough to kill him but enough to constrict his air supply.

The force of the air rushing
from his mid-section and his throat closing up from the tap caused him to black
out instantly. I quickly stepped to my right and let him crumple to the floor.
Complete silence fell over the noisy lunchroom. No one moved as the entire
lunchroom took a deep breath watching the toughest student go down in less than
a minute at the hands of a freshman. I could feel the fear in the room; it
seemed to make time stand still.