Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2021 04:16:04 -0400
From: Myke <Myke@jeffsfort.com>
Subject: Be the One: Awakening Chapter 7

Be the One
By: Myke D
Chapter 7: The Shield

Riley Smith reached out for his backpack as he made his way towards the
front door of his group home. He was tired from studying for his final
exams for the summer, but the fifteen-year-old was happy that it would
finally be over for the year. Riley was also tired due to the lack of sleep
he had been getting recently. The lack of sleep that was caused by the
reoccurring nightmare that had been haunting his dreams for nearly a week.

It always started the same.

He saw a black-haired teen walking through the church sanctuary, only to
have the church collapse in flames around him. Then, Riley always found
himself standing in the middle of a dark alleyway with a group of boys
standing across from him. They were clearly older than Riley, and the one
in front had a gun pointed directly at his face. A woman with white eyes
would then appear, telling Riley to seek out the boy that saves his
life. Riley always begged the woman to tell him more, but she never said
anything else. All he knew was that her voice seemed familiar to him, and
it was always the same words in every dream.

"Find the boy that saves you from the end," she always said eerily. "He
will guide you to your other half."

Then, the boy from the church would appear and touch Riley just as the
other guy fired the gun.

Riley would usually wake up at that point, soaked in sweat and being stared
at by his foster brother.

"Don't worry about it, Ayden," Riley usually told the other boy, before he
would fight to go back to sleep, his mind full of questions. What the fuck
is wrong with me?

Then, Riley would spend the remainder of his nights, tossing and turning as
he struggled to make his mind rest.

"You're studying too much, Riley," his foster-mom told him as he passed by
her on the way out of the house. "It'll be good for you to finally get a
chance to rest. Good luck, today, but I don't think you need it. You've got
this."

"Thanks, Shelly," the boy said before he left for his last day of school.

Riley kept from telling the woman that the real reason he was studying so
much, was just so he would be too exhausted to dream when he finally passed
out. That didn't matter to the nightmares, though. They still appeared in
full force, every time. Riley could only assume that he wouldn't get relief
until he managed to find a way to locate the mysterious boy so they could
meet.

Riley sighed and kept his head down as he navigated the familiar sidewalks
that led towards the high school. He was only a block or two away when the
blond heard the sound of someone shouting his name.

Not, today, the teen thought bitterly as he tried to ignore the voice. I
don't need this, today.

"You better stop, Riley," the voice demanded. Riley stopped and turned
around to wait as Carlos and his thugs decided to give him a tough time. "I
knew you would listen, Riley."

Riley knew better than to say anything as the older teen stopped in front
of him. This wasn't Riley's first encounter with the street gang. Carlos
made it a point to harass Riley on a daily basis, something that had
started when Riley was first assigned to his current group home. Carlos and
his cronies were only one of the reasons that Riley wanted to get away from
New York. Now, all Riley could do, was wait until Carlos and his gang were
finished with him.

"So, Riley," Carlos's tone seemed friendly, but Riley could see the steely
glint in the young man's brown eyes. "Have you given any thought to my
offer?"

"I've been thinking about it, Carlos," Riley replied easily. It was true
after all. He had been considering the idea of joining Carlos's gang, but
he had not made his decision, yet. Riley knew deep in his heart, that he
would never join a gang for any reason, but he also knew that if he refused
Carlos, Riley would have a mark placed on his head by the gang
leader. Then, Riley wouldn't have any options left. He'd only be able to
run if Carlos decided to come after him.

"Don't worry, Riley," Carlos said with a smug grin before he patted Riley's
cheek hard. "I'll give you until tonight to come to the right decision,
Riley. If you don't, well then, I can't be held responsible for what
happens to you. Understand?"

"Yes," Riley replied, not turning away from the young man. Carlos patted
his cheek again before he slapped the boy across the face. Tears sprung to
Riley's eyes immediately, the fire burning across his face. Then, to make
Riley's humiliation complete, Carlos purposely led his lackeys past Riley,
each one bumping into the boy. Riley waited until they were out of sight
before he finally continued on to the school with tears falling from his
eyes.

* * * * * * *

I couldn't move. The dream had relented long enough for me to catch my
breath, long enough for me to know that it wasn't over by any means. The
morning sun was beginning to shine in through my bedroom windows, its
golden glow casting yellow beams of light across the room around me. I
wanted to climb out of my bed, but my body was frozen. I tried screaming
out for my mother or Aunt Madison, only to notice that the only control I
had over my body was my own thoughts, and even those were on the brink of
being taken over by the next dream. I had no idea why it was happening, but
everything about it felt so. . . real. I had even felt it when Riley had
been punched in the lip by the Carlos guy.

I tried to formulate my thoughts, hoping it would keep me from being yanked
into another dream about Riley, but that was clearly a losing battle as the
edges of my vision flickered just before I was pulled under.

Help me, mom!

* * * * * * *

Riley looked at the red mark on his cheek in the bathroom mirror, the
result of his encounter with Carlos and his gang of miscreants. Riley would
refuse to join them, no matter what. He wanted to do something with his
life, not get stuck living in the ghetto of New York City.

I won't be like them, he thought determinedly before he went to take his
first test of the day.  I will get the fuck out of here! No matter what!

Riley reported to the gym, as the note on his homeroom door said to do. His
teacher gave him a look of concern before he handed the teenager the test
packet.

"Do not open the packet, until you are instructed to do so, Mr. Smith,"
Riley's Science Teacher warned. "You are in seat C-7. Good luck, Riley."

"Thank you, sir," Riley said with a shy grin before he took his assigned
seat.

The boy's stomach turned in knots as he watched the gym slowly fill up with
other students. Once most of the seats were filled, one of the teachers
gave the green light for the students to begin taking the test. Riley
immediately set to work, skipping the questions he couldn't figure out
right away, and returning to them after he finished his first pass
through. Then, Riley sat and worked through the problems that he didn't
know, right off hand, and soon found himself sitting there with a completed
test in front of him. He sat there dumbfounded, for a moment, before Riley
decided to go back through the test to make certain that he was happy with
all of his answers. He didn't even realize he was the last person sitting
in the gymnasium until Mr. Richards told Riley that time was up.

"Oh, sorry," Riley said sheepishly as the teacher took the completed test
from him. "I didn't realize everybody else had left, already."

"It's fine, Riley," Mr. Richards responded in an uninterested tone. "You're
permitted the full time to utilize completing your test. I just wasn't
expecting you to be the last one."

"I finished a long time ago, actually, Mr. Richards." Riley shrugged as he
gathered his belongings and stood from the desk. "I just wanted to make
sure that I had done it right. I would have felt like an idiot if I had
missed one of the easy questions."

The teacher looked through the exam booklet for a moment with a surprised
grin on his face. "I'm certain that you did an excellent job, Riley. I'll
make sure the grades are posted by Friday."

"Thank you, Mr. Richards," Riley said before he turned to leave. "Enjoy
your summer, sir."

Riley couldn't help but smile as he threw his backpack over his shoulder
and stepped out into the afternoon sunlight. The teen glanced at his watch
and considered if he had time to stop by the Home to drop off his
backpack. Riley frowned when he realized he was running out of time to get
to work. His boss, David Ramsey, wouldn't give him any problems for being
late, but Riley felt that it set a bad precedence. Besides, if the teenager
went straight to work, he wouldn't have to worry about dealing with Carlos.

* * * * * * *

I gasped out for air as the strange dream released its grip on me. It was
early afternoon, and the light shining in my window seemed to move by
quickly. I still couldn't move, frozen as I lay on my back, wondering why I
was being shown the vision that I was. The teenager seemed normal to me,
yet I felt like I knew everything about him. There was a connection
existing between us. A thread of energy, crossing the distance until it
finally, made it to New York City. Riley was clearly important in some way,
even if I didn't know what it was, yet. It was pointless to struggle as I
felt the world tilt around me, and the edges of my vision seemed to fade
back into the dream.

* * * * * * *

"Oh, honey," the gray-haired woman spoke with concern in her voice as she
stood at Riley's register. Riley paused in dragging the woman's few items
across the scanner and smiled at her in confusion.

"Ma'am?"

"Your cheek, honey," the woman said with a soft smile, her blue eyes were
focused on Riley. "It looks like you got in a fight. I hope you gave them
what they deserve, honey."

Riley smiled, "Thanks, ma'am." Riley quickly resumed scanning the elderly
woman's groceries. He read off her total to the woman before Riley moved to
bag her stuff. "Paper or plastic, ma'am?" He asked with a polite smile,
hoping she wouldn't mention the mark on his cheek, anymore. The owner of
the store had already checked on the teenager multiple times, and Riley was
certain he was going to snap if the Italian man asked him what had
happened, one more time.

"Plastic will be fine, dear," the little-old woman replied as she slid her
card into the reader to pay for her groceries. Riley made quick work of
bagging the woman's groceries and set the plastic bags into her cart.

"Here's your receipt, ma'am," Riley said as he handed the woman her
receipt. "Have a great night."

"Thank you, dear," the woman smiled as she pushed her cart towards the
door.

Riley nearly breathed a sigh of relief as he moved on to the next person in
line. Grateful for the distraction, Riley let his mind focus on work,
refusing to even think about the man named Carlos. Riley's cheek still
stung, and he was going to have to figure out a way to explain it to his
foster-mom. There would be no way in Hell, that Shelly would let a mark
like the one he was sporting, pass by her without notice. Shelly didn't
hover over Ayden and Riley, she just made sure that they were taken care
of.

Riley's shift passed faster than the teen expected, and he soon found
himself in the backroom, grabbing his jacket and backpack, so he could head
back home. Night had fallen when Riley made it out to the parking lot, and
the teenager decided to head home as fast as he could, hoping that he
wouldn't run into Carlos and his gang.

Riley's relief was short-lived, however, when he heard the familiar sneer
of the Mexican's voice coming from behind him when the teenager stepped out
of an alley that he always used. Riley felt his stomach drop when Carlos
said his name, his future forever being held in the hands of some miscreant
that thought he was a bad ass, when all he really was, was a blow hard
loser.

"Hello, Riley," Carlos smiled, trying to put a false facade, but Riley knew
what type of person the man really was. The rest of Carlos's gang were the
real threat. They would do whatever the man wanted, without question. How
the Mexican had managed to gain that kind of loyalty, Riley had no idea. He
just knew the men that stood with Carlos would die for him. "Have you given
any more thought to my offer? I feel like I've been more than generous with
the amount of time that I've given you to consider the proposal. Now, I
want an answer."

"What happens if I say no?" Riley asked nervously as Carlos's gang started
to crowd around him.

"What happens if you say no to my generous offer?" Carlos repeated Riley's
question before he started laughing obnoxiously. Then, one of Carlos's
goons punched Riley in the stomach. Riley instantly, cried out and doubled
over in pain as he clutched his stomach. "You're missing out, Riley. I
could have given you protection, freedom, the security of a family. You
know, the things you've always wanted? But you've decided to refuse my
offer. . ."

"But. . ." Riley tried to say before someone slapped him hard across the
face, forcing the boy into silence. Carlos glared at him for a moment
before he finally continued.

"I can see it in your eyes, Riley," Carlos told him. "I've been around long
enough, to know what true loyalty looks like, and you, my dear friend, do
not feel loyalty towards me." Carlos's brow narrowed. "I can tell that you
fear me, Riley, and fear makes people do crazy things, sometimes." The
gangster glanced at his companions. "Do you guys remember Tyler?" The
laughter that the gang members responded with sent a chill down Riley's
spine. Carlos grinned smugly at the teenager in front of him. "Tyler was
afraid of me too, Riley. Just like you are. He was so afraid of me, that he
went to the cops and tried to nark on me and my boys here, for something we
didn't even do, allegedly."

Riley felt his stomach drop as the gangsters all started laughing again. He
didn't like where this was going. The voice in the back of Riley's head was
telling him to run, to get away from the dangerous situation before it got
even worse. Riley sent a mental "goodbye" to Shelly and to his roommate
Ayden. Those were the only two people that would miss him. Riley didn't
have anybody else. Satisfied that he had done everything he could to live a
decent life, the teenager began to make a plan in his head. He doubted that
it would work, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't try. Carlos was still
dragging on about loyalty and how his people were always loyal to him.

"Aren't you in your twenties, Carlos?" Riley suddenly asked, making the man
look at him in annoyance for the interruption. One of the other men was
about to strike Riley but Carlos held up his hand to stop them.

"Does it matter?" Carlos asked with a grin.

Riley knew he was playing with fire, but he didn't care anymore. He needed
this to end. "It could to that cop over there. . ."

The moment Carlos turned his head away, Riley stomped on the foot of the
man that was holding him before he darted down the dimly lit alley.

"Get him!" Riley heard Carlos shout from behind him, only making the
teenager try to run faster. "Don't let him get away!"

The sounds of running coming from behind the teenager only pushed him to
run faster, but he could hear his pursuers gaining on him. The end of the
alley was in Riley's sight. He could see cars passing by on the road ahead,
and he would have been safe if one of Carlos's gang members hadn't been
able to grab the back of Riley's shirt collar. Riley cried out as he was
spun around and slammed into a brick wall, a sharp flash of pain was sent
searing through his skull as Riley's head hit the bricks. Then, there was
the barrel of a gun being jammed into the bottom of Riley's chin as someone
pinned the teenager against the wall.

"Bravo, Riley!" Carlos chuckled as he approached, clapping softly. Riley
felt his body trembling as the man stood across from him. "That was very
entertaining!"

The man laughed darkly as the other men let go of Riley and stepped
away. Then, Riley was swept over with a feeling of deja vu as he gazed over
the group.

It's my dream, he thought bitterly. This is my end.

"You had so much potential, Riley," Carlos said then, pulling a gun out of
the back of his pants. Riley knew he wouldn't be able to run, again. Carlos
had already taken care of that by having his other guys show their
guns. Carlos was going to kill him. "Such a fucking waste, really."

Riley felt a tingling sensation in the back of his mind as Carlos pointed
his weapon towards the teenager. The boy's heart was hammering in his chest
and there was a distinctive ringing in Riley's ears. The sensation in the
back of Riley's head was turning into a vibration that filled his entire
body, crawling over his skin like thousands of bugs. Then, just as Carlos
pulled the trigger on his gun, a boy with piercing blue eyes and jet-black
hair, appeared next to Riley. The boy reached out and touched the
teenager's shoulder before Riley felt the energy inside of his body
suddenly explode outwards. Everything went into slow motion for the
teenager as he saw a wall of pure energy shoot out in front of him,
destroying everything that it touched. The gun seemed to turn to dust, as
did the person firing the weapon as the light swept over him. Every other
person turned into dust, as well, except for Riley and the boy touching his
shoulder.

Then, the wave of energy swept back into Riley's body as the dark-haired
teenager vanished, and Riley fainted from exhaustion.

* * * * * * *

I saw Riley running from the gang members and I knew I had to save him. I
had saved Brayden from falling to his death, why couldn't I save Riley? He
didn't deserve to die because some asshole was upset that Riley didn't join
his gang. I fought against the binds holding me in the dream as Riley was
caught by the group of men. I felt my muscles twitching as I struggled to
save the teenager. What was the point of being powerful if I couldn't even
save one person?

Then, the leader of the gang pulled out a gun and pointed it at
Riley. That's when my powers finally worked, and I was able to cross the
distance to save the life of somebody else.

I appeared in the alley just as I heard the report of the gun being
fired. Everything slowed down around us as I reached out and touched the
boy's shoulder, meaning to teleport him away from the danger but fate had
another plan. A wall of energy erupted from Riley's body and dissolved each
of the gang members as it swept over their bodies.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in the center of my bedroom, but
Riley wasn't with me. I felt my heart drop as I realized that my abilities
had failed before I sat down on the edge of my bed. Then, there was a soft
knock on the door before my mother stepped into my room.

"Did you save him?" She asked with a concerned look as my mother sat down
next to me.

"What?" I looked at her in confusion. "How did you know? I mean. . ."

My mother put her arm around me and held me as I cried. "It's going to be
alright, Elijah. You saved Riley, just like you were supposed to do."

"He should be here with me, though," I stated. "That's what I was trying to
do, mom."

"The Shield has to find his own way to you, my son," my mother explained,
only adding to my confusion. "You have to trust me on this one. Please?"

"If you say so," I said meekly. "Is Riley really okay, though?"

"Yes, Elijah," she replied reassuringly. "Riley Smith is safe, all because
of you helping him awaken his own abilities. Now, it's up to him to follow
the path that you have placed for him to follow."

"How did I leave a path?"

"You shared your power with him, Elijah," my mother explained with a brief
smile. "It's as simple as that. You were able to connect to him, and to
help Riley release the power that was struggling to break free from his
body. Now, both of you will always know what the other is feeling or doing
as your bond continues to grow. All Riley has to do is follow the bond and
it will bring him straight to you. Okay?"

"I think so," I said, trying to sort out everything my mother had told
me. Riley and I were connected, now. A connection that I had caused by
helping Riley release his powers. I closed my eyes for a moment, and
realized that I could feel someone else, a thread that hadn't been there
before. Riley was still alive and wasn't in any danger. Riley was safe. I
hugged my mother back. "Thanks, mom."

"I didn't do anything, Elijah," she told me with a grin. "You're the one
that keeps saving lives."

I blushed at her words, but they were true. Two people were alive because
of my actions. How many other people could say that they had saved
somebody's life?

* * * * * * *

Note:
Sorry for how long it took to get this chapter out! Remember to hug an
Editor, today! I can give you a few!
* * * * * * *
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