The Awakening by K. E. Ganshert Read Free Book Online Page B

she won the election in November. My dad had us all stay up late so we could watch it together as a family. It’s a tradition—something we’ve done every four years—for as long as I can remember, a lot like Dad’s morning newspaper read-aloud routine. The Ekhart children will be nothing if not informed. But November had been a dark period—the month Dr. Roth asked me to keep a dream journal in exchange for information about my grandmother. I’d been so consumed with the quick deterioration of my life that I hadn’t paid much attention to anything our new president had to say.
    Today, however, I find myself leaning closer to the screen, straining to hear the president’s words through the static. Everything she says sounds good on the surface, but my current circumstances have prompted me to turn her face-value statements inside out, and what I find underneath does not bode well.
    “In these increasingly turbulent times, with the threat of war looming and political unrest abroad, we need to set down our differences. We need to cast aside those things that burden us. Those things that hinder us. We need to step past party lines and rise up together—united as one country. For we will only be as strong as we are united, as powerful as our weakest links.”
    The crowd—democrats and republicans alike—rise up for a standing ovation.
    She begins speaking about new initiatives and lofty plans and a fresh vision for our country. The audience is enthralled. They eat every promise from the palm of her hand. I vaguely remember my dad being impressed after it aired the first time, and he’s very rarely impressed.
    Luka jabs the power button on the remote and the television shuts off.
    President Cormack’s declarations must have rubbed him the wrong way, too. I stare at the black screen, chewing over her words. Is our president really concerned about weak links, or is she simply afraid of anyone who is different? It’s that kind of philosophy that got me locked up at the Edward Brooks Facility. It’s that kind of philosophy that birthed a place like Shady Wood. I recall the rooms filled with the living dead—rows upon rows of emaciated adults lying comatose in hospital beds, all in the name of rehabilitation. The image haunts me.
    Luka peeks out through a crack in the vertical blinds, letting in a sunbeam. It’s not a common thing in Northern California. I lift up my hand and place it in the thin stream of light. I’d give anything to be outside. When Luka lets go, the blind swings back and forth, chopping apart the sun, then extinguishing it altogether. He joins me on the bed, sitting on the edge near my feet. I’ve never seen Luka’s wrist without his hemp bracelet. So when he slides it off and thumbs the three small stones woven in place, I’m a little more than attentive.
    “Where did you get it?” I finally ask.
    “My mom gave it to me when my visions first started.”
    “What are the stones?”
    “Jade, onyx, and red jasper.” He touches each one as he gives their name. “They’re supposedly protective stones. Red jasper is known to protect against fears in the night. Jade guards against misfortune. And onyx …” His green eyes meet mine. “Some people believe that the absence of light can be used to create invisibility.”
    I can only imagine what my dad would say to that. “Did she believe it would work?”
    “I think she wanted me to feel safe.”
    I wait for him to slip the bracelet back on. Instead, he folds up the hem of my jeans and wraps it around my ankle. The feather light touch of his fingertips against my skin has my pulse skipping several beats. “Maybe you can borrow it for a while.”
    My body goes warm. I can’t tell if it’s an emotional reaction from Luka’s sweet gesture, or if the bracelet really does have protective powers. I touch the stones, then fold down my jeans. The warmth remains.
    We feast on dry cereal and raisins, talking about everything and nothing. Luka