Awakening Book One of the Trust Series

Chapter 1

Caitlyn Young lovingly caressed the crimson brick that made up the foundation of the academic building where she had spent so much of her college career. Her tired fingers rested on the rough edges one last time, a final farewell to an old friend.

While most were thrilled with the idea of commencement, she still felt as if there was so much more to do, so much more she had not yet learned. She turned away from the building, looking out at the harsh world that awaited her. Caitlyn only hoped that the answers she sought were there.

A voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “Don’t look so sad. This is only the beginning.”

Caitlyn smiled softly at her friend Nora. “I know.”

But was it really? An illness that she had developed over the past six months had made a noticeable uptick in the past week. The past few mornings it had taken most of her energy just to get out of bed, never mind the long hours she had spent studying in the library for her last two finals. But she was not about to burden her friends with that. They were already concerned enough for her as it was and they had their own lives they needed to attend. They did not need to know that she was worried that her own beginning would be cut dangerously short.

As the two roommates walked away from their college campus to the apartment they had called home for the past two years, Nora gently reminded her of their plans for tonight. Caitlyn pretended that she did not forget, inwardly cringing that she did not remember. Typically, a night with the girls would have been what got her through finals week. But between her thesis, the tests, and her sickness, the soon-to-be graduate had been more distracted than normal.

Nora glared at her knowingly. “You forgot! I can see the deer in the headlights look in your face, no matter how much you deny it.”

A sigh fell from her lips as she resigned herself to the fact that she could hide nothing from the brunette that had been her friend since the very first day of their freshman year. “I can’t believe Shannon is leaving tomorrow. I feel like I’ve barely seen any of you or talked to you in weeks.”

“You’ve been distracted. We understand.” Nora nudged her as they walked along. “You’re going out tonight, right?”

Caitlyn paused. The three best friends she had for six years urged her to go out for one last night of drinking and general debauchery before they took their own separate paths and moved away from each other, and she was debating whether or not to go. She was ashamed at herself for even questioning it and cursed her health for what seemed to be the millionth time.

No. She was going to let loose like they used to over the past few years, downing a few beers and saying a proper goodbye to this portion of their life.

“Of course,” she replied as she nudged her friend. “There is nowhere else I would rather be.”

The bar they had often frequented during their academic years was a typical college town bar, cheap décor and even cheaper beer. McHale’s was packed from the completion of finals, and it seemed that many students were out celebrating their upcoming matriculation.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen McHale’s this busy,” Shannon commented as they fought their way to a recently evacuated table.

“Everyone is feeling nostalgic,” Caitlyn offered.

“For this?” Rachael dryly commented, frowning as she used her hand to wipe off the puddle of beer the previous occupants had spilled. “Ugh. Disgusting.”

Caitlyn produced a napkin from her purse, which Rachael gratefully took. “Well, we are here for the same reason, aren’t we?”

Nora’s lips turned upwards in amusement. “She has a point, Rach.”

Rachael rolled her eyes. “Oh, let’s just get drunk already, shall we?”

Caitlyn had never been a heavy drinker. She had certainly participated in her fair share of college parties, and there were several occasions she could recall spending the night sleeping on the bathroom floor. But those, she was happy to report, were few and far between. No, Caitlyn typically was the designated driver. She usually enjoyed watching her friend’s drunken antics from the sober side.

Tonight… well, tonight was different. She needed to forget about the world, and perhaps for one night, she could pretend her life was normal again.

Three shots and a beer later, Caitlyn was well on her way to letting her stresses go. So much so that she uncharacteristically let Shannon lead her out on the tiny dance floor.

It felt good to unwind with them, as they found themselves singing a cheesy song that played over the decade’s old stereo system in the corner of the bar. Her friends grinned at one another as they increasingly became off key; ignoring the annoyed looks of those that were trying to talk around them. When the song ended to the relief of the other patrons of the bar, the four women headed back to their table.

Caitlyn’s friend Shannon took a swig of her beer. “This is our last night.”

Nora raised her glass. “To new beginnings.” Shannon, Rachael, and Caitlyn all followed suit by raising their various beverages. “May we all be happy, successful, and exceed everybody’s expectations.”

The others did not notice the cracking in Caitlyn’s voice as they clinked their glasses and repeated, “To new beginnings.”

When she turned so her friends would not see her wipe a tear from her eye, she noticed a man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties watching her curiously. He gave her a brief smile before looking down at his drink. Her friends noticed the action and began whispering amongst themselves.

Rachael murmured, “New beginnings, Caitlyn, remember? And that is one fine beginning sitting there at the bar.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Caitlyn responded before excusing herself to walk over to order another drink. She ignored the catcalls that her supposed friends made to her back. Despite Rachael’s comment, Caitlyn was not looking for that kind of beginning. At least, not yet. Perhaps someday. She smoothed her top down as she leaned over the counter, holding a ten-dollar bill in her hand, attempting to get the bartender’s attention.

The blonde collegiate could not help but sneak a quick glimpse at the man, considering him. At first glance, she verified that he was indeed handsome and could at least admit to herself that she liked the way his dirty blond hair was long enough to fall just slightly in his eyes, which had met hers in that instant.

She turned from him quickly, embarrassed at being caught staring. Caitlyn grabbed her drink from the barkeep, and after a moment, couldn’t help but to try to catch a better look at him. She squinted her eyes. It was as if she could not quite focus on him, the outline of his body appearing fuzzy. Caitlyn sighed internally. Failing eyesight. Just another thing that is going wrong with me, she thought to herself bitterly. She was falling apart.

She smiled coyly at the stranger, realizing she had been caught yet a second time. He took that as a sign of encouragement and got up from his seat, moving over to her. She took in the full appearance of him then. The man was taller than she by a good six inches and his build indicated that he was athletic, or at the very least attended the gym on a regular basis. Yes, Caitlyn surmised, he was definitely one of the more attractive guys she had seen recently.

His eyes lit up at her. “Hi.”

She figured a little conversation wouldn’t hurt. “Hello.”

“I’m Garrett.” He extended his hand, and Caitlyn gave it a firm handshake.

“Caitlyn.”

“Nice to meet you, Caitlyn.”

“Thanks. You too. Are you from around here?” She thought he looked a little older than someone who would be a college student in this town, but it was possible he was working on his master’s or doctorate.

“I moved here recently for my job.”

So he was not a college student. Her eyes were still having difficulty being able to focus on him. Perhaps it was only the alcohol that was impairing her vision. “Do you like it here?”

Garrett shrugged. “It’s alright. What about you, are you from these parts?”

Caitlyn shook her head as she placed her drink back on the bar. It would be best to stop drinking temporarily to keep her wits about her. “I’ve been here the past six years but grew up in Virginia. You?”

“I’m from Colorado originally, although I had lived in New England for the past eight years, until I was relocated.”

There was a slight pause. “So what do you do for a living? This is mostly just a small college town.”

“Recruiting mostly.”

“Military?” She was surprised. His hazel eyes carried a certain mischievousness that did not seem to match a military persona.

He took a sip of his beer. “You could say something like that.”

She eyed him appraisingly as she pondered over his cryptic response. She thought about asking him exactly what he meant by that, but he followed up with a question of his own before she could do so.

“Caitlyn, what is it that you do?”

“Well, my official career for the past six years has been professional college student. In four short days though, I will officially be a graduate from the university with my master’s degree.”

He smiled again at her. “So beautiful and smart. That is a lethal combination. Any job prospects?”

Although it was hard to make Caitlyn blush, she did just that at his compliment. There was something in his stare that made her do so. “Not yet. But I haven’t been looking.”

Garrett leaned closer to her. “Really? Why is that?”

“I decided that after eighteen years of studying, I deserve a long vacation.”

“Understandable. Where to?”

Caitlyn could tell that she had genuinely peaked Garrett’s interest. She shrugged. “Honestly? I have no idea. I’ll pick a place over the next couple of weeks and then just up and go.”

His eyebrows rose. “Up and leave. Just like that?”

“Just like that. My three best friends-” she pointed to the girls who were still whispering at the table as they were at sneaking glances over at Caitlyn, “have all received job offers from all over the country. So within two weeks’ time, we will all be separated. Shannon actually leaves tomorrow and is going to miss the graduation ceremony. So why stay here twiddling my thumbs when I can be off on an adventure of my own?”

He looked impressed, but she could tell that he was mulling some things over in his head. “You have a point. Sometimes adventures lead you on a path you never quite expected though.”

“Honestly? That is what I am counting on. Right now, where I currently am, I am stuck in neutral, not moving forward. I’m hoping this summer, whatever it is I end up doing, will set me down that path I am meant to be on. Pretty stupid, huh?”

“Not stupid at all.”

He watched her carefully as she spoke, taking it all in. She did not feel like being under a microscope this evening, which was how he was currently making her feel, and decided to turn the tables on him. “So are you planning on living here long?”

He began to peel the label off his bottle of beer. “Well, that depends.”

“On what?”

“On how well my recruiting goes. If it goes well, then it will be a few weeks, if not, then it will be longer.”

“So what is it you would like to do while you’re here? I mean, outside of recruiting.”

With complete sincerity, he simply responded, “I have nothing…”

Her lips turned slightly down. “That’s sad. You’re wasting an opportunity. There are lots of wonderful things about North Carolina.”

“Well, I know I would not want to disappoint you. Perhaps… if you have time, that is, you could show me around and let me know what I need to experience before I leave the area.”

She laughed gently. “That is a tall order, but seeing as I am done with school, I suppose I might be able to show you around a little.”

“I would like that.” They continued to volley questions back and forth until Caitlyn finally noticed Rachael waving at her, tapping her wrist, indicating that it was time to go and hit the next bar.

Caitlyn nodded at her friend in understanding. “Garrett, I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

“No problem. If you were serious about your offer of showing me around, I would like to take you up on it.”

She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. She was sure she was completely red. “Absolutely. Do you have your phone? I’ll give you my number.”

Garrett handed her his Smartphone and she typed in her number before giving it back. “It was nice talking to you.”

“Would you like to have breakfast tomorrow? That is, if you are feeling up for it.”

Caitlyn bit her lip, uncertainty clear upon her face. “Garrett… I’m leaving in a couple of weeks…”

Understanding dawned on his face. “Oh! I didn’t mean it like that! I mean, you are beautiful and seem like a great person, but I am not looking to get involved with anybody. I am just kind of focused on my job at the moment. I hope you’re not offended.”

She attempted to hide her relief. “Well, in that case, I would love to have breakfast.”

Breakfast led to a lunch, which led to tours of the campus and surrounding towns, which led to a trip to the beach. Caitlyn knew her friends were having difficulty believing that nothing of a romantic nature was occurring between Garrett and her. She couldn’t really blame them for making assumptions. After all, when a handsome guy shows up, starts spending copious amounts of time with their friend, even attending their graduation ceremony to cheer said friend on, it is natural to think that there is something going on. But true to Garrett Stevens’ word, he had not attempted anything outside the bounds of friendship.

The friendship was a comfortable one, and different from her other relationships. While she had always gotten along well with men, she had gravitated towards the girls in her inner circle to keep as close confidants throughout her college years. The entrance of this blond haired recruiter changed all of that and she found herself opening up to him in ways that she had only opened up to Nora, her closest friend.

Garrett always seemed intuitively to understand how she felt. He understood when she talked about her desire to be something more than she was. Her new friend had also admitted that he had felt very much the same way as she had only a few years back about needing to do something more with his life. It was that very feeling that helped prompt him to make the radical changes he needed to make to his life.

It was nice knowing that she was not alone. She had even opened up about her illness, and how for the past few months she had been feeling sicker as the days passed. When she described the many futile visits to the doctors, who despite the many tests, all stated that she was in good health, Garrett never once even insinuated that perhaps she was a hypochondriac. On the contrary, Garrett had taken a keen interest in her illness, and unlike her physicians, did not think that she was exaggerating.

He asked her questions about how she was feeling, if she was tired, even how her vision was. She was so grateful that he did not laugh when she described him as being somewhat blurry to her. Instead, Garrett wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug and assured her that she would probably be good as new soon. Something in Garrett’s voice made her believe that, she wanted to believe that.

Before Caitlyn knew it, one by one, she had said goodbye to Shannon, then Rachael, and then finally, Nora. All of them had said their farewells with promises to keep in touch, promises to remain friends. Each had advised her separately to keep her heart open to the possibility of love. She did not need them to elaborate that they were referring to a certain blond that had recently entered her life.

The night before she left, she sat in the middle of the bare apartment, surrounded only by her duffle bag, backpack, sleeping bag, and half-empty container of Chinese food. The emptiness of the apartment bothered her tremendously. There were so many happy memories here and after tomorrow, she would never return here. She would never arrive home to hear the three girls blasting music way too loud, or giggling about some inside joke.

It had been difficult to fall asleep that night; she tossed and turned, finally succumbing to a fitful sleep around two am.

When Caitlyn opened her eyes to greet the day, she knew something was off. Very off. She shivered, snuggling deeper into the too thin sleeping bag trying desperately to get warm. The meteorologist had predicted that it was going to be a picture perfect eighty-two degree day. Her body reacted as if it were ten degrees inside the apartment.

Caitlyn considered staying in bed for a while longer. Maybe if she just rested a little more… No. She determined. She had promised Garrett that she would see him one last time, and besides, Caitlyn was not going to let her illness dictate her life on today of all days. It was too important and she had waited so long. She earned this.

Finally wrestling out of the sleeping bag, Caitlyn slowly prepared for the day, savoring one last hot shower in her apartment, relishing the heat that enveloped her. She rubbed her arms for warmth as she dressed, mourning the fact that she had already packed all of her sweaters, instead choosing to throw on the only long sleeve shirt that she had.

“Good Morning, Kit Kat.” Garrett greeted her by the nickname he had given her as she opened the apartment door. Her friend frowned as he took in her appearance. “You don’t look so hot. Are you okay?”

“Well, good morning to you too.” She took the cup of coffee that Garrett pushed in front of her, drinking in the hot liquid gratefully. It warmed her insides briefly. “I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep well last night is all.”

Garrett’s eyes rose. Caitlyn could clearly tell that he did not believe her but did not try to push further. “So today is your last day…”

“My last day. I can’t believe it is here.”

“So, have you finally decided where you are going?”

She was ashamed to admit it, but she had not given it much thought since she met the recruiter a little over two weeks ago. Sure, she thought about it now and again as she had packed, but could not decide on a place that was alluring to her. “No. I suppose I will just have to get on the first flight and take it from there.”

Garrett grinned. “I was counting on that. Well, I have an idea. You have no limitations, right? You have your passport?”

“Of course I do. No limitations.” She failed miserably in attempting to appear excited as she cast her eyes downward towards the floor. The room had begun to spin, the crisp lines of the room blurring, and she blinked hard, trying to get through what appeared to be vertigo. Caitlyn knew she could push through this. After all, she always did in the past.

She heard Garrett continuing the conversation in the background. “Well, why not let fate decide?”

Caitlyn looked up, surprised. “What do you mean?”

“Come back to my apartment and you’ll see. Besides, based on how fine you appear to be feeling, it’s probably best if we make breakfast there.”

She did have to admit that being on a comfortable couch sounded much more alluring than being in a restaurant or sitting on an old diner bench.

Within minutes, they had hopped into his car and traveled through the college campus. She took in the sites of the familiar buildings, knowing they would be a faint memory soon enough. The old side streets led away from the campus and soon gave way to the big house that was made of old brick with ivy travelling attractively up the side. Caitlyn was envious when comparing it to her tiny place.

“I still can’t believe you live here.”

“Well remember, I did get stuck with the third floor.”

She scoffed. “More like lucked out. It is the only apartment on that floor and it is huge.”

It was her third time entering the apartment, and she was still enamored with it. The apartment was warm and comfortable, filled with rich tones and beautiful hardwood floors. Not what she expected for an apartment that was so close to the college. She was used to second hand mismatched furniture and decorations that consisted of posters and empty drink containers.

“I still haven’t asked you, how did you find this place? I love the traditional architecture.”

He shrugged. “I wish I could take credit. But the company already owned the building and had it furnished. All I had to do was move in. Honestly, my taste is a little more modern.”

The company. Caitlyn had been surprised to learn that he was not actually military, but instead a recruiter for one of the largest computer manufacturing firms in the world, Trust Corporation. From what Caitlyn gathered, he was recruiting recent and soon to be graduates for open positions. Caitlyn figured he would not have difficulty with that task, as Trust Corporation was one of the most renowned technology firms in the country; most college students would give an arm to get their foot even in the door for that company. Trust Corporation was known for being very exclusive.

“So what are we doing here? Besides breakfast I mean.”

Garrett pointed to a large globe standing on a pedestal in the corner of the room. Caitlyn immediately understood. Before she could respond, another bout of nausea overtook her. She turned away quickly from her friend, bending over. As much as she tried to make it look discreet and hide it, she could not completely, and he placed his arm on her shoulder to steady her.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe you should wait a few days to leave. I know your lease is up, but you can always stay here. I can sleep on the couch.”

She stayed bent for a minute before standing back up to look at him with determination. “Thank you, but no. The doctors have run every test imaginable and have come up with nothing. I am not delaying my life any longer.”

Garrett scrunched his face, but nodded nonetheless. “Well, if that is your choice…”

“It is.”

He sighed before beckoning her with his hand. “Well, then come over here.”

Caitlyn hadn’t even realized he had walked over to the globe. As she walked over to where Garrett stood, he stepped out of the way of the globe and moved behind her. She couldn’t help but note the close proximity of his body to hers. He instructed her to close her eyes and point her finger on the globe.

“I am going to give it a spin and wherever it lands, you go… provided it’s not the middle of the ocean.”

It was a good idea and she did as directed. She heard him spin the globe. The steady rhythm of the turns calmed her mind, and she found herself leaning into Garrett’s chest, enjoying the hint of pine that lingered in his clothing from the cologne he wore. Caitlyn couldn’t help thinking how nice his touch felt when bright colored spots suddenly appeared behind her eyelids. She felt the globe come to a slow stop under her finger. She faintly registered Garrett telling her somewhere in the background, “Open your eyes, I think you will be happy with where it landed.”

She tried to comply and focus her eyes on where her finger landed, but non-distinguishable blurbs of color of white, blues, and greens greeted her instead.

And then everything went to hell.

A million flames felt like they were scorching her body, coursing through every muscle fiber, consuming her whole. Her body then plunged into an icy depth as if drowning into the coldest seas. She shook violently, her head erupting in pain.

Caitlyn heard herself scream. She was dying. She thought fleetingly that she would never go on that great adventure, would never use her degree, and would never get to see any of the people she cared about again. The last thing she would ever feel was a strong pair of arms catching her as she finally gave into the darkness that surrounded her.