finally

Awakening - Chapter Twenty-Fiv

For Disclaimer see Chapter One.

Reality

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When the dreams are gone, all that left is reality.

A place of not dreaming, that is reality.

But what if it really was nothing but a nightmare?

Would it still be real when everything becomes unreal?

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Next day began with Hasana being woken up by her mobile phone in the very early morning. Hasana took the phone, still sleepy while sitting up in her bed.

"What?" She spoke into the phone, yet a little bit cranky mood but she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Who would call her at a time like this and on her mobile, no less?

"Dominique, it's you." She replied and moved to a better listening position, leaning to wall behind her.

"Really? A demon?"

"Yes, Dominique, we will return as fast as possible." Hasana answered in a hurried way.

She could hear the tension in Dominique's voice and she listened intensely. That Dominique Vida would call her on her mobile phone that alone showed Hasana, that something wasn't right at all.

"How's Mikhail?" Hasana held the phone tightly in her hand, almost shutting it off in the process. "Is he … all right?" Her voice was trembling. No, Mikhail had to be all right.

"Thank the Gods," Hasana replied with a deep sigh and hung up.

"Caryn, plans have changed. We will take the plane now." Hasana explained in a grave voice.

"The plane? What had happened, mother?"

"You remember the council I mentioned before we left for Erinna's?"

"Um, yes, I do." Caryn agreed slowly for she had really forgotten that part over all what had happened in the last few days. "I guess it really wasn't an ordinary meeting?"

"No, indeed it wasn't, Caryn. This is very serious and Dominique had requested my, our return at fast as possible."

"When do we leave?"

"As fast we can catch a flight." Hasana said deadpanned.

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xox

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A day and several flight hours later they were back, but their home seemed to be very different place now.

Why did Dominique have to settle down here, she wondered with growing dread as Caryn watched Dominique in her rant. Of course she could understand that Dominique was irritated and upset about what was going on -- but did she have to behave like that?

"Search and destroy," Caryn thought, "that is all Dominique seems to have on her mind." She shook her head. What happens if for once she cannot destroy it? Like the demon? From what she had heard from Jager a demon wasn't exactly a being you could kill at all for it wasn't exactly alive. All you could do was vanish it but Dominique seemed to think otherwise.

Well, she couldn't do what Dominique had on her mind -- destroy.

"Caryn, we need every asset we have right now!" Dominique Vida all but shouted.

"I know, but I cannot do this, Dominique." Caryn said sadly. "I won't become a living weapon - not even now." She added and steeled herself for the storm to come.

"You said what, I didn't understand." Dominique Vida queried, rage only barely contained.

"No, I said no." Caryn repeated, her voice now calm and defiant. "I not becoming a tool of destruction for you." She stood still. Pale blue eyes starring into another pair of ice blue ones. She would not move in this.

"Why can't you understand that I can't do that? I literally can't, it's against my whole nature." She explained further. "You, Dominique Vida, have no idea of what you are asking me of." Caryn sighed heavily. Truly it was not that she didn't want to help but she could not do what was Dominique wanted.

"So, this only about Smoke Law," Dominique drawled, which she normally never did.

Caryn raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Then I have to call a trial." Dominique finished.

"No…" Caryn uttered.

"Ah, yes I have to." Dominique smiled at her. "You can go now, Caryn"

Trial.

When she left she felt shaken. Shouldn't she have expected Dominique to do something like that, yes she should have but still she was surprised when it really happened. "What about mother?" she thought worried. "Mom already has enough to bear with me."

How am I going to survive this? She wondered as the familiar fear took hold of her, her fear of being discovered -- thrown away, which she deserved, didn't she? After all she was hiding this from her friends, family -- from her own mother.

But I have to, what other choice have I?

So she'd left their house, true it was kind of foolish, but she needed to be away for a while. Caryn shook her head. "I'm back for not even a week and I can't stay it at all." Okay, she knew that had a lot to do with the presence of Dominique, all, if she was honest to herself.

So she walked, walked absentmindedly in the dark and didn't know if she even wanted to go back any time soon. Home felt not really like home to her, with Dominique waiting for her there.

True she didn't felt like going home but eventually she did but she tried to be as quiet as possible because she wanted to avoid Dominique. Caryn really was quiet but not quiet enough because someone heard her.

"Hello?" She jerked around and sighed in relief. The voice belonged to a tall young looking man standing in the kitchen, making himself a cup of coffee as it seemed. "He's not vampire," she thought in relief for she had way too much surprise encounters for her taste.

"Hello." She replied but continued stared. Who was this man? She'd never seen him here before. He looked familiar somehow then gasped because she caught sight on his golden eyes. The man was a Triste, like Ivory.

"Who are you?" I'm Caryn." She tried again.

"Oh, right you don't know me. I'm Alexander Weatere and I'm here to help Dominique."

"Looking for that demon?"

"Yes, exactly like that." He motioned her to follow him. "Do you want a cup?"

Coffee, she thought and then nodded. She couldn't sleep anyway so why not?

"You're away weren't you?" She asked after sipping on her coffee for a while.

"Yes, I've been doing research on cars." He smirked light-hearted.

"On cars?" She hadn't expected this. What had cars to do with demons?

"Yep, on cars. That guy might be a demon but he's one caged into a human body and as such restricted on using human technology for transport and so are his followers." He explained.

"Okay, that sounds logically." She nodded. "Did you found anything?"

"You can say that again. Yes, I found something and I think it's going to bring us a big step forward in this." Then he shrugged. "But I've to report to Dominique first."

"It's all right. It's her mission any way, isn't it?"

"Yes, mission," Alexander answered, "you're right it's her mission." His gaze had turned far away -- and Caryn somehow didn't thought he would say anything more about this.

"It's late," she said finally. "I think I try to catch some sleep, yet."

Caryn went up and left for her bedroom, feeling somehow that she should at least try.

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xox

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Two days have gone by with a very uneasy truth or so it felt to her. Seems like Dominique kept quiet just because for her mother's sake and because Alexander brought back some good information and she was busy with that.

Well, what ever Caryn could still not sleep well and went on doing nightly walks ignoring any danger there might be. Yes, she knew her mother wasn't fond of her doing this but the times she simply couldn't stand being in the house were growing.

Now, this was another night she spend walking under the moon and thinking. Her thoughts were keeping back on the research she had done as she fiddled with the stone she now wore on a band around her neck. Caryn had done some hidden research too, using her mother's book when she was at the bookshop. This stone, it would be all she needed to do a scrying spell although the whole idea of that was rather foreign to her.

So, she kept walking until she got the feeling of being watched. She looked around but couldn't find anybody. Now, she couldn't help remembering; remembering what had she agreed on. "Strange, he could persuade me into that when Dominique could not but that was different. Jager hadn't wanted me to kill anybody, just to help him finding that demon."

Caryn shook her head. "Caryn Smoke get a grip on yourself. It's nothing, you only agreed to help for the greater good." She went up and down, now back at their house. Her mother had gone to sleep hours ago, but she couldn't find any sleep after her talk with Dominique, after Dominique's threatening her with trial.

"He said he'd come back for me." She murmured. "He needs me for this." She muttered, still in disbelief of the latter. "He's got more power then most, even Aubrey." She shivered at that, realizing what that might mean. "And still he can't do this alone … or doesn't want to." She shivered.

"Caryn?" she heard a whisper. She swirled around.

"Jager." She realized surprised that he found her so fast.

"Thought, I would forget about this?" He asked her and chuckled.

"No, I had no doubt about that." Caryn objected. "Whatever you are, you are known to stick to your word, Jager."

"Yes, I am." He agreed in his smooth voice and gestured forward. "Do you have all the things you need?"

"Yes, I do." She said after a short while, padding the focus stone, she was wearing hidden under her blouse. It was a search stone of she was sure now and more wasn't needed.

They finally reached their destination; it was a park, but it looked like the remnant of a forest's dream of centuries ago.

"It is beautiful." She said but smiled an uneasy smile because this place reminded her of that dream of hers, her last one she had in Vancouver, the one about that weird forest.

"Yes, it is." He agreed. "One of the few places humans were wise enough to leave in peace."

He gestured to an opening just a few leagues in front of them. "This is the place."

"Wow…" Caryn felt her skin tingling.

"It's all right, this is a place of power." He grinned at her reaction. "We are safe here."

finally she did her search spell, guided by Jager's memory about the places he'd been.

After a long hour, she found it. Only it found them as well.

She felt that it had done something to them, but she didn't know what.

"Jager," she murmured, "I found it. It's in New York."

"New York," he repeated slowly.

"Yes, New York. It looked like that." She was facing him now.

"Then New York it is." He found himself whispering back. He thought to catch a demon, but now he himself felt like being caught. Caught by a pair of blue eyes.

She found herself staring him in the eyes, feeling trapped by those dark sparkling embers.

"This is wrong," she thought but she couldn't stop herself.

Then they heard laughter, demonic laughter. "You think you are smart, don't you, vampire?"

Caryn felt frozen by that voice; it was so evil. That was the only word that fit, not devious, not bad but downright evil. It wasn't ugly, no indeed it was downright beautifully soft, but it was the sweetness of poison.

"Caryn," Jager muttered, "Close it."

"I'll try." She responded, while shaking softly.

"Oh, this interesting," it whispered again and sniggered. "Yes, really interesting." It said and suddenly they felt assaulted, it grabbing for their minds. It hurt, a lot and then all went weird.

She felt something grapping at her mind, twisting it making her feel dazed.

"It's that demon," she thought with dread and tried to stay, to keep her senses even it was pulling at her, filling her with a unknown feeling.

And then she felt trapped, staring into a pair of bright green eyes. The feeling intensified, pulling her forward -- to him.

He felt the same pull, feeling drawn to her and pulled her closer, feeling her trembling in return. He wondered briefly what it would feel, to kiss those tender lips just in his reach and leaned forward.

He almost kissed her.

And suddenly the weird feeling was gone, as was the connection was gone. Somehow, Caryn had managed to cut the connection and now they were alone again.

The demon's influence was gone and the night around them looked like before.

Yet, she felt dazed and strangely interested into the pair of emerald eyes so close to her.

"J-Jager…" She was staring and for some unseen reason she couldn't move.

"Caryn." He stared right back. He could feel being sucked in by her pale eyes.

For a long moment they remained just like that. Standing there in the middle in the night, staring at each other – as if frozen in time.

"Caryn," he whispered as he touched her cheek with his fingertips, feeling her trembling beneath his touch. "Please, believe me … I didn't plan on any of this." He smiled warmly at her, trying to apologize.

"Nor did I," she replied while reaching out to touch his hand. "Why did this have to feel so good?" she wondered silently. She'd never felt like this before.

He pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her close to him. And she melted into him.

They remained like this for what seemed an eternity.

But it was him who finally let her go. "Caryn," he whispered. "You have to go."

"I know." She replied, trying to avoid his gaze now when she finally left to go home.

He felt himself staring at her leaving form.

"Well, you got yourself into a fine situation here, Jager." He muttered to himself.

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Thank you for reading.

Please review, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

Miarath