Walking Among the Shadows: Awakening: Revised Edition (31 page)

Some of the images she
described to me were frightening and I felt sorry that she had to see the
things she saw. Sarah no longer looked at people the same because she could see
what and who they really were. Her outgoing personality subsided and she became
more introverted. She rarely had anything to smile about and she would always
look away from people to avoid seeing their little soul creatures for fear of
finding out someone she looked up to was a piece of garbage.

I did all I could to make her
comfortable with the new Sarah, explaining to her my abilities and even
disclosing what happened the night when I rescued them. We both cried about
Jason’s son. Jason was a son of a bitch, but his son didn’t deserve to die that
way and that young. I knew that no matter what I said, Sarah still felt
cheated. Even though I had special abilities, I was still shielded from seeing
the horrors of people’s true character. It was like having the ability to see
ghosts. She said sometimes the soul creatures would curse her and threaten her
when they discovered she could see them. I told her that she had to come to
terms with her ability and also stand up to those soul creatures that
communicated aggressively with her. I tried my best to give her strength but I
understood that she was just too young at this point to understand what I was
saying and how to deal with all of this. She couldn’t even watch television
because she could see them on there as well. It really pained me to see my
sister go through this and I wished for the old Sarah back. The sarcastic,
smart-mouthed, mean, and conceited Sarah. She was much happier then and I
wanted her to be happy.

Manny stopped speaking to me
for a while after that sucker-punch, but eventually we started to talk a little
more. He had a team clean up after the fight at my grandparents’ and during the
cleanup made some disturbing discoveries. The FBI agents that came to our home
in Deerfield and harassed me at the game weren’t actually FBI agents but
Shadows posing as agents. All of them were at my grandparents’ house that night
and all of them were now dead. Jason, like Manny, commanded his own team and
they were like his understudies. They were some of the most skilled and
dangerous Shadow Assassins in their order and when they discovered their
commander had been killed they immediately sought revenge for his death. But
what wasn’t explained was why we were targeted in the first place. I mean Manny
had been in this fight for years according to Jaffrey and not once did they
make an attempt on our lives; so what was Manny up to now that caused things to
escalate? I confronted Manny about my concerns and he told me that he didn’t
know and his team was working on finding that out.

For some reason I didn’t
believe him and almost asked Sarah to use her ability to make him tell me the
truth, but that would have been crossing the line and I didn’t want to create
any more problems for our family. We had enough already. I was still concerned
about going back to Deerfield but Manny assured us that we would be safe and he
had very capable people looking after us now. My mom was very upset and asked
Manny to come home and do the protecting himself. That argument didn’t go so
well and by the time the yelling had subsided Manny stormed out and my mother
was in tears. Manny was finding it hard to forgive our mother for dating Jason,
a Shadow and another man besides our late father. He was upset with all of us
for being so infatuated with Jason and never once thinking about our dad. To
Manny, Jason’s ability to make you fall in love with him and appeal to your
inner soul was no excuse. To Manny, our mother shouldn’t have even talked to
him on a romantic level in the first place. He blamed her for everything and he
didn’t bite his tongue about it.

Soon the time had come for us
to leave. It was hard saying goodbye to Spain, Jaffrey, and my grandparents,
but it was time to go home. I had grown fond of Jaffrey and looked forward to
more training and lectures from him in the future. As serious as he was he
still had a funny demeanor about him that made him pleasant to be around.

D
eerfield,
Illinois, we were back home and the house was looking better than ever.
Everything was repaired and remodeled. The kitchen wasn’t the same anymore; the
first floor had been redone with an open area concept that made the house seem
much larger. It didn’t seem like the same house and it was a pleasant surprise
for all of us. The last time we were here we had experienced a nightmare and I
don’t think any of us would have stayed here one night if everything had been
put back the way it was before. It was smart on Manny’s part to have the house
totally redone with new furnishings, modern finishes, and updated electronics
and appliances. My room was amazing, and they managed to save my car from the
flames so when I stepped in the garage my baby was sitting there still
beautiful and badass. The entire team and cheerleading squad were there waiting
for us to return and out front and center was Tony. My best friend and the one
who pulled me out of the flames. I may have lost my innocence but I regained my
friend again. I wasn’t sure how much he knew but if we were to continue being
friends I would have to bring him up to speed…minus Sarah’s abilities. I made a
promise and I intended to keep it.

After all the hugging and
smiles things settled down and Tony and I went upstairs to my room so I could
tell him everything that has happened to me. After I was done we just sat there
staring at the floor. Neither of us knew what to say to each other and neither
of us wanted to be the first to say something stupid. I decided to go first
because it was I who owed the most to the other friend.

“Tony, I want to thank you for
saving my life and my family’s lives.”

“You’re welcome, Aiden, I love
you guys and I wasn’t going to let anything happen to any of you. You are like
family to me.”

“You are family to me,” I
responded. “I’m sorry for how I behaved before with you that night in the car.
I was afraid and I didn’t know how to deal with everything that was happening.”

“Hey, it’s cool Aiden, I don’t
think anyone in your situation would have been able to handle it any better.
And after all the new stuff you just told me I think you actually handled it
quite well. I mean how are you dealing with all of this?” Tony asked.

“To be honest, I haven’t been able
to sleep or relax since that night at my grandparents’ house.”

“I understand completely but
again as your best bud I have to remind you that had you not killed those guys
they would’ve killed you and everyone you love.”

“I’m aware of that Tony but
having a valid reason to kill someone doesn’t make you feel better about it.”

“I guess you have a point
there,” agreed Tony. “I can’t even imagine how it feels to actually take
someone else’s life. I mean we all talk a lot of shit about killing people and
what we would do to someone if they tried to hurt us or our loved ones, but how
many of us actually have the balls to do it when we are faced with the reality
of it?”

Tony was right; how many
people actually have the temperament to take someone else’s life? Most people,
regardless of offense, will have serious reservations about it but then there
are people like myself that are given the mental fortitude to kill another
human being without hesitation. I was trained but it takes what’s inside a
person to utilize that training to take life. I felt like even if I had the
worst teacher in the world I would still be able to kill someone without
hesitation. This idea of me was not something I felt proud about. I was ashamed
and terrified of what I was capable of and after tasting a small portion of the
horrors of war, I knew that as repulsive as I felt about taking another’s life,
I would be able to stomach the act again if necessary. But Being a super-killer
wasn’t someone on my kindergarten’s “what I want to be when I grow up”
presentation.

“Can I say something stupid,
dude?” asked Tony.

“Sure, be my guest,” I said
with a chuckle.

“I wish you were just a serial
killer now.”

Tony placed his hands on his
head and let out a deep and long sigh. Seconds later He laid back on my bed as
if the weight of the world was placed firmly on his chest and he needed the
support of my bed to help him with the weight. Most would be offended and
others would be taken aback by what Tony just said to me but I understood his
point of view. A serial killer, as horrible as the subject matter seems is
something that can eventually be handled and the serial  killer stopped or
captured; but me possessing powers that only have been documented in comic
books and action movies is something entirely different. I can’t be cured of
this; I can’t be given some kind of medicine or treatment that would make this
all better. Also, the revelation that I wasn’t the only one out there with
similar powers and the world was being controlled by a secret order of evil
super villains addicted to the pain and suffering of mankind was another log in
the fire. I know some would say I shouldn’t have involved him in this; but
because of how close he was to me and my family eventually he would either
become involved or become a casualty of ignorance and I couldn’t have that on
my conscience.

While I was away Tony made
sure that all my class work was done so that I wouldn’t find myself in summer
school this year. We both were juniors and looking forward to graduating at the
same time next year. I was grateful for Tony looking out for me that way and
even though my life was a tornado of craziness, having Tony back in my life
made the craziness less taxing. I knew he would have my back in any situation
and I would have his as well. We had the weekend to kind of pull ourselves
together and try to bring some normalcy back to our lives. Sarah spent a lot of
time in my room talking to me and trying to get as much information about our
abilities as possible. I knew she was afraid of being alone and on Sunday night
I let her sleep in my room with me while I slept on the floor. If anyone would
have described this scene to me three months ago I would have not only laughed
in their faces but also given them a backhand smack across their lying lips.
But sometimes reality can be stranger than fiction and here I was allowing my
little sister to sleep in my bed while I lay on the floor.

The next few days of school
were full of “glad you are back” and “we are sorry” from teachers and students
alike. It was starting to get on my nerves but I just smiled and said more”
thank yous” than I had ever said in my life. Sarah on the other hand was having
a lot more to deal with than a bunch of overly concerned students and teachers.
Sarah could tell and actually see when someone who said they were sorry or
proclaimed they were glad to see her back was not being honest and it not only
disturbed her but also pissed her off something terrible. I don’t think Sarah
has ever been to the principal’s office in her entire life as much as she was that
week. I knew then that Sarah was going to need a lot of help dealing with her
abilities and I was afraid I wasn’t going to be enough. She needed someone like
her or someone that could relate to her to make her feel comfortable with
herself and her abilities. As much as I wanted to be the one to do it, I just
didn’t have what it took to get her to where she needed to be. I was saddened
and angered by this fact and blamed myself for not being the protector and big
brother I wanted to be for her. I needed to do something or Sarah would lose it
completely and would cause a lot of trouble for a lot of people but none more
than herself.

The principal took into
account what Sarah had been through and decided to not discipline her, but he
did let her know that this sweet mercy he was giving her would not last
forever.

On Friday the coach called me
into his office to fill me in concerning the new transitions the team had gone
through in my absence and also to let me know that there were a lot of
top-college recruiters interested in me and his office was being flooded with
letters, emails, and phone calls concerning scholarships and visits to their
campuses during the summer. He told me that I should review the colleges and
pick my top five and visit those campuses during the summer to see if I was a
right fit for their programs. I could tell coach was concerned but also proud
to see another one of his players making such an impact. When I started playing
football I always imagined this happening but now that it was actually
happening it seemed a lot more overwhelming than I anticipated.

He asked me if I planned on
just playing college football or going pro? If I had been asked this same
question at the beginning of the season I would have blurted out “going pro”
without hesitation, but things had changed so much since then that I was afraid
to even consider the notion of playing football on national television. There
were people out there wanting me dead and the last thing I needed was to parade
my wanted ass on television so that they could find me without much effort. But
then what were my options? Live in seclusion like Jaffrey? Hiding away from the
world with no real contact with my family or friends just so that I can stay alive?
What kind of life was that? I understood why Jaffrey had to do it but I’m not
Jaffrey and I wasn’t planning on joining the fight either. I felt like a genie
in a bottle. Possessing great power but greatly limited on living a life full
of happiness and accomplishments.

Jaffrey sacrificed everything
to stay alive and I wasn’t sure I was willing to sacrifice the same. I felt
being limited like that was worse than death; a prisoner of your own greatness
and power because others were threatened by it and hated you because of how it
made them feel. I never asked for this but it was given to me nonetheless and
as much as I wanted to I couldn’t give it back. This wasn’t the movies where I
could take to the streets fighting crime and standing for justice in some weird
costume. I was only seventeen and even though I was capable of causing entire
cities to burn I didn’t have the mental fortitude to do it nor the discernment
to know when to stop. I was afraid of my youthful impulses and the consequences
they could bring. What happened at my grandparents’ house was a direct
reflection of that. I had gone too far and the result was a dead eleven-year-old
boy. I would never get his death off my conscience nor did I want to. His death
was a constant reminder of why I shouldn’t join the fight. I needed to stay out
of it because it wasn’t that I didn’t trust them, I didn’t trust myself.

Evil began because someone
with great power and good intentions didn’t have the discipline of completion
and restraint. I didn’t want to become what I feared and hated the most. Coach
could tell I was dealing with a lot and he told me not to answer that question
right now. Think about it and take your time, he said, even if it takes until
NFL draft day to make my decision, he’s okay with that and I should be okay
with it too.

I wanted this first week back
in school to end quickly and I didn’t want to pay attention to much of
anything. But what I did notice was the absence of Jasmine. She wasn’t anywhere
to be found and trust me, I looked for her. I knew who and what she was now and
she wasn’t going to get the drop on me again. If she tried that darkness curse
on me again I would be ready and as much as I hated to get into another
confrontation, I would with her. Whatever she did to Sarah was ruining her life
and not even considering it was Jasmine’s kind that killed my father, I was in
no mood for charity. I was confused and torn because on one hand I didn’t want
to take a life, but then on the other hand I was always looking for a reason to
take one of those monsters out. Like I said before about youthful impulses. I
didn’t understand the real reason for my confusion until later but at that time
I hated and embraced my confusion. Gotta love teenagers.

It was only April but everyone
was talking about prom and who was going and with whom. Students were already
getting their plans together. Limousines, suits, dresses, shoes, girls, boys,
after-parties, alcohol, and sex. These were the main topics on almost every
student’s lips, except mine because I wasn’t interested in going. Tony on the
other hand was very excited and was planning on taking two girls to the prom,
seniors to be exact; very beautiful seniors. They both asked and he told them
he would go to prom if they agreed to “share the wealth”—his exact words to
them—and just like silly seniors they accepted his terms. It was all over
school about Tony’s arrangement and I was expecting Sarah to become furious but
to my surprise she seemed uninterested. She was losing herself to her abilities
and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it. But who was I to judge? I was
also losing myself to my abilities and as much as our mother tried to make
things easier we just weren’t the same kids anymore.