Awakening Book One of the Trust Series(12)
Caitlyn was dumbfounded. There was a group basically wanting to take over the world? She tried to imagine why they think they would be great enough to try to take down governments. It was an absolutely absurd idea and a very dangerous one at that. She was not positive what the capabilities were of being an Actual, but she was pretty certain it was not stopping a nuclear bomb. “They surely cannot all believe that.”
“No, of course not all. But a lot of them have unwavering trust in their leadership.”
She had another question she had wanted to ask, but it seemed so insignificant now. Garrett read her mind.
“Ask whatever. There are no small questions when it comes to being an Actual.”
“How are the organizations able to afford all this?”
Garrett ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t lie when I said I worked for Trust Corporation. The Trust depended for centuries on it benefactors and generous donations from its members. For years that was purely enough to sustain them. In the nineteen fifties, the Council decided that it should get involved in the technology that was coming out. So they got involved in mainframe computers, and with the pull that the Trust had been creating for centuries with governments around the world, they had more military contracts than they knew what to do with. When the nineteen eighties came around, they had enough foresight to move from mainframes to personal computers. The Trust exploded and became the technology powerhouse it is today. The Cine Tofa took the expertise of the Trust and became several smaller corporations throughout the world. While individually, those companies may not make as much as the Trust, together their profits are just as high and they do not need to worry about the public eye to the same extent. Does that answer your questions?”
It did, for now. Caitlyn knew she would need to keep an open mind and she knew she was going to have a lot more questions that Garrett would need to answer.
“Are you ready to learn or would you like to know more?”
She jumped off the bumper of the truck. “At this point, I think I need to see for myself. Answers can wait. Show me what I can do.”
Chapter 4
Garrett watched Caitlyn walk down the rocky path to the shore, the full moon looming over the both of them. He followed behind his new student slowly, paying close attention to any concerning reactions she might have. He had discovered over the past several weeks that Caitlyn’s face was difficult to read at times, and this was one of them.
Caitlyn plopped down on the beach, staring out at the waves crashing angrily on the rocks. He sat down next to her, letting silence sit between them. The past couple of hours had been overwhelming to say the least on Caitlyn, and she deserved as much time as she needed to absorb everything that she was told. In a matter of one day, her life had been flipped upside down.
She did not have the luxury of what he and some of the other's had. They knew what they were years before they went through the Awakening. Garrett was always grateful for that. Most however, had to endure the shock that she did, because their families did not go back multiple generations.
After a half an hour of continued silence, she glanced over at him briefly, her blonde hair falling in her face as she turned back towards the water. Garrett thought Caitlyn was a bit more beautiful than he should have. When he had first encountered Caitlyn in the bar, he was struck by her strong features, her athletic build, but most of all, her intelligence. When they were here at the beach the last time, his intent had been to get in her good graces, and earn her trust. He felt that was an important aspect of the mentor/student relationship the Trust set up. However, as the day had progressed, he discovered that Caitlyn had an uncanny ability to make you relax and let down your guard.
He found himself confiding to her, something that Garrett did not usually do. On the outside, he was a very outgoing person, making people feel welcome and at ease. But in actuality, he was a very closed off person by nature, and kept his feelings close to his chest. There were only a handful of people whom he genuinely considered a friend, and it took a long time for them to be part of that exclusive circle. It was unsettling to know that after just a few weeks with Caitlyn, he had disclosed so much about himself. Before her change, Garrett had decided it was dangerous to consider continuing the friendship at that intensity.
The previous week, he knew he was going to be able to distance himself from her, where she wanted to travel. He would only talk to her enough to check on her and let her know he was there if she needed him.
Unfortunately, her Awakening had happened quicker than he anticipated. He had known the day would come when she would Awaken, but he figured by that point, he would have been strong enough to maintain the mentor/student relationship. He could not have Caitlyn fall into the category of a quick affair, something to pass the time. Garrett did have a tendency to fall into shallow relationships with women; a fact he was rather well known for. But looking at Caitlyn now, he was not sure if he would be able to resist.