Book Title: Falling Awake III: Requiem
Author: Kristoffer Gair
Publisher: Self-Published
Cover Artist: Kris Norris
Genre/s: M/M Suspense, occult
Trope/s: Love can conquer all.
Themes: Reincarnation, friendship, sacrifice, love
Length: 149 000 words
There are two prior books, Falling Awake and Falling Awake II: Revenant.
Buy Links
Smashwords | Amazon US | Amazon UK
He will turn what is into what can be.
Blurb
They targeted him before he was ever born. They will hunt him. They will execute anyone around him. They will rip his innocence away, corrupt him, and twist him into an instrument of terror. He will give the world reason to fear, fear the unknown, and he will do this lifetime after lifetime after lifetime.
Except this time, Daniel Davis hasn’t come back alone.
Four souls have returned with him, would-be protectors who’ve vowed to shield him from this fate. If they succeed, Daniel will turn what is into what can be. And if they fail, his light will dim and fade…forever.
I thought long and hard about what I could share from Falling Awake III: Requiem that readers might enjoy and read all the way through. I obviously can’t give away spoilers, but I did want to show off a piece of the story that represents the humanity of the characters. I happened to write the chapter this section is from while my mother was in hospice, so it was bound to be a bit emotional to boot. I felt it important that each of the three young men have some sort of flashback with their mother.
In this particular scene, the character of Daniel is 3 ½ years old, his parents have recently been murdered, he himself was almost killed, and his future adoptive parents have just witnessed a mini-meltdown after meeting the boy for the first time. Jillian asks permission to go back inside the room where Daniel is.
The wailing in the bedroom slowly quieted. Jillian pulled an item out of the plastic bag they’d brought with them and had left outside in the hallway before they’d gone in to Daniel’s room. Plan B.
“If it’s okay with you, Dr. Thompson, I’d like to take this to him before we go.”
The man glanced at the item, at the door, and then back at her. He took a deep breath, and, after a moment, nodded.
“If he starts to react like he did before, please come back out immediately. Less is better with Daniel.”
“I understand.” She gave Jason’s arm a soft squeeze, then entered the room and left the door cracked open just enough that they could listen in and intervene if necessary.
Daniel didn’t look up at her. Except for his breathing, which appeared to have returned to normal, he didn’t move.
She approached him one slow step at a time, then kneeled down in front of the bed. He did glance at the item in her hand. No childhood wonder or happiness. Rather, he seemed to size the item up and make sure it wasn’t something that might be used to hurt him.
“I’d like to tell you a little something about me before I go, if that’s okay.” No response, but nothing negative either. “I grew up with two brothers, and while my parents made sure we had clothes to wear and food to eat, they didn’t love us the way other families did. They believed things should be done a certain way in life, that we should believe the very same things they did, and if we didn’t—” She caught herself. “We didn’t have a lot of happiness. My parents also didn’t believe in me and my brothers having many toys.
“My grandfather, though, my mother’s dad, thought the opposite. He picked me up one Saturday afternoon when I was six years old, and drove me downtown. He said it was a surprise, and he took my little hand in his huge one and steered us into a toy store. I wish I could remember the name of it or even where it was, but I do remember staring at all the dolls, games, and things I’d never have, and wondering what we were doing there.
“He led me to an aisle with every stuffed animal I could ever imagine. All colors, shapes and sizes. So many, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a store with as many stuffed animals as I did that day. He walked up to one section with bears, then leaned down and whispered into my ear, ‘Jillian, every child needs a special toy, a best friend who will always be there for them. A bear. Someone you can whisper your secrets to, share your dreams, your fears, and your pain with. But this bear has to be one-of-a-kind, just like you. The bear has to choose you as much as you choose him.’
“My grandfather and I looked at every single bear on the shelves until we found just the right one. The bear’s left ear was a little bit lopsided, but instead of looking like a mistake, it made me smile. He was perfect exactly like he was, and I loved him the moment I saw him. And when grandpa picked him up, the bear slipped out of his hand and fell right into my arms. I caught him. That’s when we knew the bear chose me too.”
She knew she had tears in her eyes. Perfectly fine. Let him know she cried too and it was okay. Maybe they’d cry together one day.
“When your friend, Dr. Thompson, invited us to come meet you, I asked Jason to take me out to all the toy stores in Chicago. I wanted to bring you something. Even if you don’t come to stay with us, I think you need what I needed back then, a best friend. And like my grandfather, I believe every child should have a bear too. Jason and I spent hours looking, and then we saw him.”
She held up the white bear, which she guessed stood half of Daniel’s height, and set it on the bed. Don’t hand it to him. Don’t reach towards him. Let him decide if he wants to come to it, to us. She and Jason chose Daniel, but Daniel had to choose them, which might come through the bear.
“He has blue eyes, just like you, but he’s the only one who has a red nose. The rest of the bears around him had black noses. And his nose is just a tiny bit crooked, which makes him seem like he’s giving you a funny look. We laughed the moment we saw him, and we knew he’d be perfect for you. The bear chose you, Daniel. You just have to let him know if you choose him back. If you do, then you have a new best friend, and he’ll never let you down.”
No reaction. Not a peep, and no movement.
Maybe he thinks the bad things won’t see him if he stays perfectly still.
“I’ll leave him with you so you can think about it.”
She smiled, slowly stood, and returned to the hall where Jason and Dr. Thompson waited.
“Why don’t we step down into one of the consultation rooms here so we can talk?” Dr. Thompson motioned for them to follow.
They followed him into a small room with a round table and took a seat while he shut the door behind them. The man laid out several folders, opened a couple of them, and updated them on the latest reports from the doctors who’d been treating Daniel. None of them sounded promising. Too many big words whose meanings eluded them, and too many suggestions for prescriptions. Why was so much emphasis put on drugging the boy? Why not something more practical? The treatments didn’t sit well with them. Not at all.
The door opened and a female police officer stepped in. This must be Amanda. Jillian and Jason rose. This woman had sway with Daniel. She had saved him. She knew him. And he opened up to her.
“Amanda?” Dr. Thompson extended his hand, which she shook.
“I dropped by to see how things are going.” She smiled warmly. “I just left Daniel’s room and it looks like everything’s fine. I walked in and he was hugging a teddy bear. He was even whispering to it, then looked up and told me its name is Ralph, and that he chose it.”
Kristoffer Gair grew up in Fraser, MI and is a graduate of Grand Valley State University. He is the author of 7 novels—some written under the pseudonym Kage Alan—been a part of 6 anthologies, and currently lives in a suburb of Detroit.
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