Awakening Book One of the Trust Series(101)

Councilman McPherson placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Son, why don’t you show Garrett your room?” He bent down to whisper loudly in his son’s ear. “I bet Mom will even bring milk and cookies up to the both of you and you can have a sleepover.”

Declan grabbed the younger boy’s hand. “My name is Declan. Yours?”

“Garrett. Garrett Livingston.”

Caitlyn then turned to look at Garrett’s face and squeezed his hand. There was no recognition that he even felt the comforting gesture. His eyes held a faraway look in them, and she knew that he was absorbed in whatever memory he was currently thinking of. As if on cue, the current memory faded into the distance, and was replaced by Harold’s Pond, the first place that Garrett had ever shown her.

Garrett was now a couple of years older, Caitlyn would estimate around eight years old.

He was peering around the house, watching his mother. His mother was drying laundry on the line, but instead of picking up one piece at a time, she floated the sheets and towels to the line, hanging them without laying a hand on them.

“Mom, how are you doing that?”

Mary jumped. “Garrett Stevens! You scared me!”

He shrugged. “How did you do that? Can you teach me? Is it magic?”

His mother laughed lightly. “Magic? No. That was not magic.”

“Well, what is it?”

Mary stepped away from the laundry, looking as if she was contemplating something over. “Garrett, come here. I think you are old enough now to learn some things.” Garrett walked over to her, and plopped down next to her on the grass. “Can you keep a secret?”

He nodded eagerly. She smiled before continuing. “Good. Garrett, we are special. We are not like most people.”

Garrett’s eyes were large. “How?”

“Well, when you get older, you will be able to do things.”

“What kind of things?”

Mary threw a pebble into the pond. “Well, I don’t know yet. You may be able to move objects, or read minds, or maybe heal. It depends. We won’t know until you change.”

“I’ll be a superhero? Like superman?”

His mother ruffled his hair playfully. “Not exactly. But you will be able to do things that others cannot.” Her face got serious. “Garrett, I will tell you all about our families history and our abilities, but you need to keep this very quiet. Remember when I told you that we needed to change our names and move? Why was that?”

“You said so the bad people that were after us wouldn’t find us. It’s why we needed to leave Dad.”

“Right. Well, it’s the same in this case. We need to keep our true identities secret. If other people found out… well, let’s just say they wouldn’t understand.”

Garrett then morphed into a teenager. This Garrett was just past that awkward stage, and it was apparent even back then that he was going to be a very handsome man. She watched as Garrett sat on a bed. Current day Garrett, motioned for Caitlyn to walk over to the bed, peering over his teenage self’s shoulder.

Garrett had multiple letters laid out in front of him, but he was reading one in particular.

Son,

I hope this letter finds you well. I know that it has been a few months since my last letter. I hope you had a wonderful sixteenth birthday and I am sorry that I could not be there to celebrate that milestone. I hope you like the ring. This ring has been in our family for over three hundred years. It is the Livingston family crest, and symbolizes the strength and leadership that our family has always had. My father gave me this ring on my sixteenth birthday, and now I proudly get to pass it on to you. Wear the ring with pride. You are becoming a man, and I am positive that I will be so proud of the person you have become. I am counting down the days till you are able to come back and visit your old man. Until then, know that I miss you and love you.

Love,

Dad

Garrett glanced at the letters once more before stashing them in a box. He stood up, fingering the ring that was on his hand, admiring it. His mother walked into the room.

“Garrett, did you clean out the gutters like I-” Mary stopped mid-sentence as she noticed what Garrett was doing. Her face visibly paled. “Where? Where did you get that?”

Garrett hastily moved his hand down. “Get what?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t play dumb with me, Garrett. Where did you get that ring?”

“My father sent it as a sixteenth birthday present.”