Airel: The Awakening: Airel Saga Book 1

By Aaron Patterson and Chris White

All Airel wanted was to be normal... She seems like an average 17-year-old in the anonymous little city of Boise, Idaho. But those untroubled days are soon to end, and the change she undergoes will be so radical she will wonder if it wasn't all an illusion to begin with. Pursued ferociously, relentlessly by an ancient enemy in the deepest darkness, now she will have to learn how to fight for her life. And all because of who she is, because of her lineage. Because of this she will never have what she wants most: she will never be normal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: StoneHouse Ink
• Release date: May 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781938426018

Book preview

ran…

PROLOGUE

IN MY DREAMS I was always in control. I was always the person I wanted to be. There were no limitations—there was nobody to tell me I couldn’t. I could be myself, beautiful by my definition—the only definition that mattered.

But those were my dreams.

Real life was different. Being seventeen, I was old enough to suspect that adults were lying to me when they told me to shoot for the stars or that you can be anything you want to be. I knew there was something behind the scenes that wasn’t being said, and it was the same thing that was going on behind the eyes of most boys in my school when they happened to see anything walking the halls that was even remotely feminine.

Secrets, in other words.

Adults had secrets. I had the feeling that only experience was going to unlock these mysteries.

I was unable to fit in anywhere—and it wasn’t from a lack of trying—so it was hard not to feel like any dreams I had were just a cruel illusion that life had been busily counting down all this time just so that it could explode on the launch pad.

All I wanted was to be left alone, to be free to live my own life. It pissed me off that life was already so unfair.

I was walking on a path in a huge wooded clearing, a high alpine meadow. My dad had taken me on lots of camping trips before, up into the Idaho mountains, up to Redfish Lake and the Sawtooths. Though I knew some of those unpeopled landscapes like the back of my hand, the place in my dream was better. It was familiar, but also insupportable somehow, like it didn’t belong, and I was both dreaming it for the millionth time and for the very first time all at once.

The path I walked was in the shape of a big ring, a perfect circle, bigger than the football field at my school. The path cut deep through tall wildflowers, its shape beckoning me onward to the next part of the circle, just out of sight. I was ambling on the circuit of the path and there wasn’t much to it, which made me happy. It was simple, like walking around this circle was what I was made to do. My existence meant walking along this dark rut, my hands brushing along through the bright petals of wild daisies.

But then the dream changed. It darkened.

There were people. They were shadows, ethereal. I couldn’t see their faces, but I knew they were standing, watching me. I couldn’t tell who they were, but I knew them nevertheless. The images skipped and popped and shuddered and it was clear to me that their haziness was because of me, because of something I hadn’t yet done but was going to do soon. It was clear that whatever was decided, whatever was done, would determine which of each of these shadow identities prevailed.

That’s when I felt him.

And that’s when I knew that the something that was different in this dream was bad. Dark. I wasn’t in control here. There was someone who … or something that … wasn’t supposed to be here.

I felt him draw nearer to me, and then I could see him flickering and shimmering like the others—two identities fighting over one body. I could see his eyes clearly. They terrified me; they were an emulsion of love and murder.

He was impossible.

One of his faces was a death masque. Destruction pooled under it, ebbing outward in heavy ripples of blackness like tar.

His second face was light and love and power, and the juxtaposition of these two overwhelmed me.

He moved swiftly, cutting into my circle and standing before me on the path. I stopped, overwhelmed, and looked at him. And then I understood. It was just as plain and inescapable and final as it had felt when we buried my grampa. This man, the man with two faces, was going to be the man who killed me.

CHAPTER I

Boise, Idaho—Present Day

I WOKE WITH A horrid feeling in the pit of my stomach, and it never really occurred to me to ask why. My eyes still closed, I lay there in the non-moment of time between dreaming and waking, feeling the familiar tension. It was familiar because I always felt it. Why, though … why that feeling? It was like I was missing something. What is it?

But then I saw the clock and snapped out of dreamland.

I smacked the alarm button. It had been buzzing for half an hour—half an hour that I could have used, dang it, but sometimes it takes a girl a while to gather her strength. It was time to finally drag my sorry butt out of bed.

I always had trouble waking up for school, because school was the last place I wanted to be. The last place I fit. Since the weather had been playing nice lately in a refreshing little reprise of summer, I dreaded being cooped up in pointless classes all day long.

My feet hit the carpet, and I sat on the edge of the bed with zombie eyes. I must have slept weird. Or dreamed even weirder. My body was refusing to respond; it was like waking up as a cotton ball in an unopened family-size package of them. My numb limbs wanted nothing to do with this morning business. Come on, Airel, no time to be dragging. If you hurry, you can stop for coffee, I promised myself.

I stood up and looked in the mirror that hung on the wall next to the bathroom door. Its unflinching honesty shouted at me that I was really two people—my idea of who I was contrasted strikingly with reality.

My eyes were puffy and red, and my hair was down around my shoulders in frizzy brown tangles. I dared to look closer. Dark circles anchored dull brown irises. Ugh. I rubbed them, trying to wake up. On an impulse I cracked a salesman’s smile at my reflection, watching my face light up with artificial enthusiasm. That made me laugh out loud. I would have looked ridiculous to anyone watching me. I felt ridiculous. Whatever, I said to the mirror girl. "I have a great smile. If I have to use it to wake myself up, you can just get over it." But whoa, my breath sure needed help.

Airel, are you up? Mom was chirping up the stairs at me.

Yeah, I yelled through the door.

School is in twenty minutes, honey. You need to eat something today. If you keep skipping breakfast, you’ll ...

The words trailed off in the same mom-ish rant I heard every day on the importance of breakfast. I grabbed my toothbrush and yelled back, But I’m not hungry, Mom, hoping that would end it, knowing it wouldn’t.

After my breath had become nontoxic, I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans, putting them together with a dark-blue shirt that my buddy Kim had picked up the day before at the mall. If Kim’s not gonna wear it, then I will. I pulled the tags off, sealing the deal, checking my look in the mirror. I ran a hand through my hair a couple of times, pulled half of it back, and held it in place with a funky clip I’d bought years ago at a small boutique downtown.

I checked the mirror again. Darn you, zit. Looks like it’s a foundation day. I brushed it on quickly, figuring I could maybe finish the job with some eyeliner in the parking lot before class. At times like these, I was a little jealous of how easy life could be for guys. All they had to do was throw on whatever clothes were lying around and walk out the door. But girls practically had to create a masterpiece.

Oh, to be a guy. But then I’d have to be a guy.

As I pulled back my curtain and looked through the glass into the front yard, I was glad to see the sun would be making an appearance again. The good weather was holding—for today, anyway.  Around here, the weather was about as reliable as the people who reported it. I checked my bag for the requisite books, makeup, and extra clothes—just in case we had a stupid track day in gym. We were forced to run once a week, and all it did was make me sweaty and gross.

Five minutes from the time my feet had hit the floor, I slid them into my customary flip-flops and zipped out the front door. I was in my trusty Honda and on my way to school, or as I liked to call it, hell. Okay, I didn’t really think it was hell, but it had days that felt like it. I turned the radio on. I was in the mood for music this morning, which had its implications. That either means today’s gonna rock, or that it’s gonna suck. It all depended on what the DJ was playing right then. Happily, it was easy for me to take the first option as my favorite band came through the speakers, and I tapped my fingers to the beat on the steering wheel.

I was running a little late, even though I’d clocked a record time getting out of the house. But I had a wicked craving for a coconut latte, and I had promised one to myself. I checked the time on my phone again and decided my coffee obsession would be worth a tardy.

I pulled into Moxie Java, my car shrieking to a stop in the parking space—the line in the drive-through was too long—and the obnoxious squeal reminded me once again that I needed to have Dad do my brakes. I should have asked him to do it last weekend, but it rained the whole time, so the job got bumped. Plus, my dad was out of town more often than most dads were, so there was no telling when I’d be able to drive my car without suffering at least a little embarrassment.

I was a diehard fan of Moxie Java. Coffee, coconut—what wasn’t there to like? The gunko they served at Starbucks could peel the paint off walls. I liked good coffee—not burnt gunko, and not creepy green mermaids. As I ran to the front door to get in line, I found to my dismay that the place was packed. Looks like late just turned to criminally late. I looked behind the bar and saw that Lacey, my latte buddy, was working today. She smiled at me, feigning a panicked look and nodding to the line of groggy people she was trying to serve. I was a regular, so she knew my drink. We had a good system worked out: she would have my drink ready before I made it through the line to the register, and I always gave her a nice tip for her extra-speedy work.

I didn’t want to look at the time, but thankfully, the line moved quickly. With latte in hand, I turned, flipping my hair out of my eyes. It was part of the grab-pay-and-go move that Lacey and I had so carefully worked out and I was late for school, so I was in a Big Fat Hurry.

As I took that first step toward the door, a boy was coming in. I couldn’t help but notice him. He was unlike any other person I had ever seen. It wasn’t just his appearance, though my brain registered that he was strikingly gorgeous. There was more to him than that. Something magnetic. He was tall, and his short blond hair stood up on his head in soft spikes above his icy blue eyes. Those eyes were looking right at me, and I felt my heart jump as I realized I was staring.

I could feel my face flush, my heart pounding in my chest. He smiled at me as he passed by and got in line.

I kept moving—blindly—and crashed into some poor old man, dumping my precious coconut latte all over both him and me. Oh, I’m so sorry. Oh, no. I, uh …

The poor, innocent man looked at me in confusion that turned to amusement as I pawed clumsily at his soaked overcoat, apologizing. I looked around for some napkins. My heart raced faster as a hand reached over my shoulder with about ten of them. I turned and followed the hand up the arm, and at the other end of that arm was him. He was standing behind me, and my mouth went dry.

I then promptly did something I never did: turned to a puddle of mush. I was a fumbling idiot. The boy with ice for eyes smiled at me, and I felt my face grow hot. Let me, he said.

Like a moron, I gawked at the napkins and did nothing. I wanted to die. The unfortunate man took the napkins and sopped the coffee from his coat. He insisted that it was no big deal. Happens to the best of us, he said.

My legs were shaking; I was freezing. I wanted to get out of there. I was losing it. I looked around, then down at my feet. Mr. Napkins was wiping splattered coffee off my naked toes. He handed me my empty coffee cup.

Finally, I spoke. Thank you. I, um … There they were, the only words I could manage—nice, Airel. What brilliance. I held my empty cup and he rose, nodded with a smile, and before I knew what had happened, he was gone. Poof. Whoosh. Just gone.

I managed to make it out the door and into the driver’s

Reviews for Airel

[srfeike · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is first and foremost about Airel, your typical teenage girl. She has a pretty good life, a good family, friends, and is a little shy. Overall, her life is pretty good. In walks the cliche: Michael. New boy in school, dreamy, and you cannot deny the attraction felt between the him and Airel. Even though I've seen this played out time and time again, the author keeps enough mystery surrounding Michael that we are not quite sure where he stands or what is coming. With their first meeting, Airel's life begins to change. Airel is forced to come to terms with these changes and admit that things exist in this world that she had never thought possible and also to discover a past that she didn't know existed. I normally like having different point of views in a story, but in this case I really liked being in Airel's head. We get the story from the Airel's viewpoint, and she was quite funny and witty. I'm impressed that this book was written by a couple of guys, as they did an excellent job of portraying this teenage girl. I'm sure that was not easy to pull off, but somehow they did it! There is also a second story line to this book, which takes place in 1250 B.C. and follows Kreios, a fallen angel. When we first are introduced to Kreios, his wife had just given birth and then shortly after died, and we follow him as he struggles to keep his daughter safe from those who are after them. I think the authors did a great job of integrating both plots. The transitions between the two stories were smooth, making it easy to follow each without getting lost or confused, again not an easy thing to do. At first I could not connect the two stories, each one seeming to be separate from the other, but in the end they are beautifully woven together. I really enjoyed the descriptiveness of this book. The scenery, people, and emotions were described with such great detail, it was easy to visualize the settings and become absorbed in the characters. I cannot wait for the next book in the series! P.S. I know it's been mentioned, but the cover is absolutely beautiful!

[sensitivemuse · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It was certainly a very interesting book, and had a lot of potential. I liked Airel. She had a very lively personality and seemed very likable from the start. Her comments and thoughts were at times, funny and witty. Plus the mystery behind the murder with Airel stuck in the middle was also quite interesting as well. So, for me, the first third of the book was pretty good. Then we hit the parts taking place way back in ancient history in Arabia. Ok, I was able to read this. At first it was very awkward, but trying to find the connection was difficult as not many clues were given and you’re wondering what the heck does this have to do with Airel in the first place. I didn’t mind reading about Kreios. It certainly had a really good historical fantasy feel to it. There’s plenty of action in this part, but I can’t help but feel that sometimes it was a bit dry, and dragged through. Then Airel meets Michael Alexander. They do seem to make a cute couple but their feelings between them just seem so artificial and you often stop and wonder if teens really act that way when they’re going out. From other young adult books I’ve read, Airel and Michael just don’t fit that mold. They just seem a little, well too perfect, and cliche. Although Michael does seem to be every girl’s dream come true for a boyfriend, there’s just something so robotic about him and you think to yourself; ‘wait a minute, guys don’t act like that!’ so even though it might have been nice to read about a couple that may act totally out of the norm, at least give it some realistic edges a bit, it just can’t be all rosy and lovey dovey all the time they’re together. The ending took me by surprise, and thought it was a very interesting twist. However I just felt that to get to that great ending, I had to read through endless pages of plot that just did not sit well with me. It was a bit dry, and at times I thought, just a bit preachy when it came to learning where Airel was really from. I think I’ll pass on this series. I felt bogged down by reading this and was forcing myself to finish. Although the ending felt like a great reward to putting up with the hundreds of pages of rather dry plot, I think although it had great ideas and plot elements, the whole putting it together could have been much better.

[reviewsbymolly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First of all, I have GOT to say what a GORGEOUS cover this book has!!! I fell in love with it and truly judged this book by it's cover! Both the cover and the book itself is worthy of so much praise. Now, with that out of my system, what can I say about this book with out giving away the plot? These male authors have taken a wonderful plot line, amazingly created characters full of fantabulous personalities, and whipped up an incredible story that readers, young and old, will fall in love with!!! Airel is a gorgeous character. Not just because her character becomes more beautiful, but because of her story. It is one of a coming of age story, and I loved Airel's telling of it. She tells it in modern day teenage version and then she tells it through an ancient telling of fallen angels and love. I truly found this particular way of telling her story to be so incredibly down. Both parts of the story weave together in a perfect fit, and capture the reader, mind, body and soul. I am happy to say that this novel is one of my favorites of it's kind. I never thought I could read a novel like this and be so swept away! I am always willing to try new books, but I usually steer clear of this kind of novel. Not anymore! Not when I can be so engrossed into the character's story, like I was with the beautiful Airel, that before I know, it's over. I kept turning the pages , wanting to, no-NEEDING, to know what was going to happen next.As you can see, I am trying my best to tell you that you MUST get this 5 star (beyond 5 hundred stars!) novel by incredibly talented guys, WITHOUT giving away the entire story! This is a perfect novel for your young read-a-holic this summer. Not only will they fall in love with the cover, but they will fall in love with Airel, Michael and Kreios. A mix of love, history, fallen angels, and a whole lotta of amazing reading, this book and it's ending will leave you absolutely HUNGRY for more work from Chris and Aaron! I can't wait!

[tvaleros_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I guess I don't even have to mention it because everyone already has... NOPE!! I will anyways!! I can't help but to express my gushing on the book cover. The cover is totally GORGEOUS!! And at first, it will be the main reason you purchase the novel and after the first few chapters you'll feel glad that you did, and in the end you'll be gushing over the cover even more because it really plays well into the story. In Airel, there are 2 stories being told; the point of view of Airel the lead character, a teenage girl who is coming of age and is still in High School, and Kreios one of The Fallen, a warrior, a grief-stricken husband, a loving father,....and a killer? (you have to find that out for yourself) ^_^ The story is slow at first which can be bewildering and has the tendency of having you feeling lost. But it then builds up its momentum and the two (becomes three towards the middle) stories really come together. What stood out the most for me was that I really love the style of writing. There were beautiful metaphors, the story is well detailed to the point of feeling as if your seeing the story unfold before you and is emotionally grasping. If your reading this review prior to reading Airel, to reduce confusion, keep in mind that Airel's point of view is on the present, and Kreios is in the past (a prequel to what's to come later on as your read). The 2 stories come out as unrelated to each other but will eventually correlate and have you feeling like you should have predicted that, but didn't. =) It was a cool "Ah Ha!" moment. I enjoyed how unpredictable the story is. From the written hands of 2 male authors for a story based on the female POV, Aaron & Chris did an astonishing job. They still have me tripping over as to how great their written work is. Note to self: must read their other novels. You will understand more clearly once you've read Airel. I'm having a hard time putting it in words. A novel that has me stammering for words on its credibility per se. Close to the end the two stories will merge together into the present. The ending WILL pull on your heart strings. I cried on and off throughout the novel, and as to how the authors chose to end Airel (Book 1) was just perfect. A cliffhanger, but not too bad that it would have you yelling out "What! That's it!?" LOL I cant wait for Book 2. I've read many stories on young adult (YA) love and Airel deserves to be among the best. It will have your heart feeling as if it's on the edge of a cliff. I am definitely re-reading Airel once it comes out as a physical copy. I made the mistake of reading on and not writing down some truly stunning quotes. Question yourself: Does love really have its boundaries? Can love truly be as strong as they say, that even God and The All Evil not even matter? Could you go against EVERYTHING you know, to forfeit your LIFE for that someone...without the certainty of its future? -Even the Immortals are put to the question by their own hearts.- A Must Read!! Special Thanks to Author Aaron Patterson for allowing me to do a Read & Review of Airel!!