Stuart Meczes - The awakening

I thought about the night before. It hurt my head to try and remember, but I managed to catch fleeting images of us all watching a film together. That had been the day that I’d confided in Gabriella. I thought about the lessons I’d had before lunch. That had been a Wednesday. Therefore today must be:

“Thursday,” I said with confidence.

Mikey shook his head, looking concerned. He flicked the television onto Satellite. The blue bar popped up below the program and my eyes went wide as I read the date.

Sunday November 18th

“No…” I whispered.

Mikey switched the television off and threw the remote onto the couch next to me, before sinking down into the adjacent chair. He was wearing tracksuit bottoms. They crinkled against the seat as he settled in.

“So where have you been?” he repeated.

I buried my head in my hands. “I don’t know.”

Mikey leaned forward, raising his voice. “What do you mean you don’t know? How in Christ’s name can you not know? Do you think this is a joke? Mum and Dad have been going out of their minds. Especially Mum, she has been acting mental. Calling up anyone she could think of who may’ve known where you were. She even called the Police. She was convinced something terrible had happened to you! Dad thinks you ran away. You didn’t even take your phone! You — argghh!” He threw up his hands in exasperation.

Tears of frustration were spilling onto my hands. I wiped them away and looked up at my half-brother. When I spoke, my voice sounded thick and throaty.

“I really don’t know Mikey. You need to listen to me. Something weird is going on.”

I told him everything I knew. About waking up in Providence Park in strange clothes, about the accident and running home way too fast. When I had finished, he folded his arms across his chest. “Bollocks.” “Mikey I’m telling you the truth. I mean look at me. How do you explain my extreme makeover?” He nodded, thinking. “Okay, prove it.” “How?” Mikey jumped up and headed for the door. “Put something on your feet and meet me outside.”

I ran upstairs into my room. Everything was as I remembered it. Nothing had changed, except that my normally neat bedcovers were screwed in a heap at the end of the mattress. Also someone had cleaned out the bin.

Stopping at the mirror, I had another look at myself. My full length reflection showed that the subtle changes hadn’t been limited to my face. For one, I seemed taller, even though I was sure I hadn’t grown. It was like I carried myself better. Taking off the top showed the rest. I was still slim, but underneath my skin were the faint definitions of muscles. I tensed a bicep and was shocked to see a respectable sized lump appear. Overall, the changes weren’t drastic but still noticeable. Like I’d become an alternate version of myself, who’d spent his life dedicated to health and fitness. Not knowing what to think, all I could do was shake my head in wonder.

I threw the grass stained vest in the wash basket and changed into an old hoodie and a pair of trainers. As I headed for the door, I noticed my phone lying on the desk.

I’ll check it later.

A few minutes later we were standing on the street, illuminated by the overhead glow of a streetlamp. They continued all the way down the road at even distances, casting little pools of orange onto the pavement. Mikey pointed into the distance. “Run down to the fifth light and back and I’ll see how fast you are.” I couldn’t see any reason to object, so I turned and faced the gloom, waiting for his signal. “GO!” he shouted and I sprang forward as he was still finishing the word.

My trainers slapped mercilessly against the pavement as I sprinted forward. For some reason, it didn’t feel fast enough; I was still moving at a normal pace. “Come on!” I shouted at myself.

Then something happened, a mental switch flicked inside my brain. Everything went into overdrive. I could hear the steady thumping of my heart and the pounding of the blood swimming around my temples. The thuds of my soles hitting the concrete sounded like echoing booms. The Streetlights flashed past and I had to remind myself to stop as I rocketed past the fifth. Hopping around on one foot, I turned and charged back. Mikey was just a little blob in the distance, but as I rushed forward, slipping in and out of the light, he grew until he was a full size teenager. I could see his face, frozen in shock. Then I was past him, skidding to a halt about twenty yards further up the road. The strange sensation stopped as fast as it had started. I was barely out of breath as I reached my half-brother.

He stared at me and blinked.

“So how did I do?” I asked, anxiously rubbing the back of my neck.

He made a spluttering noise and backed away from me. “I–I don’t know what to say. That was impossible! No one can run that fast!” He pointed to the spot next to him. “When you passed me you were a blur. I mean seriously, you were a blur Alex!”

“Okay not so loud!” I hissed and tried to pull him towards me. Instead, he went sailing past and flew to the ground, sliding along the pavement.

“Mikey”! I gasped, running towards him. He groaned and rolled over.

“Oh crap! Are you okay?”

He nodded. I was afraid of what might happen if I tried to help him up, so I let him stand by himself. Apart from a graze on his left hand he appeared unharmed.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Oh god, what’s happening to me?”

“Relax, I’m fine,” he assured me, dusting himself down. Then he smiled. “I guess we can put a tick next to super-strength. Guess that would explain the car crash.” A thought came to me. “The car crash! I bet it’s on TV!” We both ran back into the house and piled into the lounge. I switched on the local news and waited. The headlines and even filler news came and went. Nothing about a crash. Mikey looked at me and shrugged as I powered off the set. “Maybe they didn’t report it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Mikey, I was hit by a car doing at least fifty. It folded in half and I walked away without a scratch. In what world would that not be news?” I sat down on the couch and rubbed a hand against my head. “None of this makes any sense.”

The sound of a car rolling into the drive caught my attention.

“Mum and Dad,” said Mikey stating the obvious.

Somehow telling them seemed like a mistake. I stood up and walked close to my half-brother. I whispered as if afraid my parents would be able to hear through the outside wall. “Mikey, I don’t want you to tell them anything okay? Let’s keep this between me and you.” He arched his eyebrows. “Where the hell are you going to say you’ve been?” I wasn’t sure. “I’ll think of something, just back me up okay?” He stared at me. “Please?” He sighed. “Fine.” I clapped him on the shoulder, making sure to be gentle. “Thanks.”

The engine rumbled to a stop and I heard the thunk of doors slamming, followed by a clatter of keys in the lock. “Hello?” Mum called as the front door clicked shut. “Mum, Dad, in here! Guess who’s back?” called out Mikey. Mum and John came rushing into the lounge. “Hi,” I said awkwardly as they appeared, actually waving at them.

“Alex! Oh my boy!” sobbed Mum and ran over, wrapping her arms around me. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!” As she held me close, I rested my head into the crook of her neck. There was nothing quite like a mother’s comforting to make all of your troubles disappear. Looking up brought me back to reality with a bump.

John had held back, his thick arms folded across his even thicker chest. He was eyeing me suspiciously. “Where in the bloody hell have you been? Your Mother has been going out of her mind with worry!” he growled. “And what’s with the makeover?” He gestured his hand towards me.