The New World: The Awakening. Leahann Cavanaugh

in order. Release her now!” the woman demanded. The lady wore a fine woman’s long pencil skirt that was black. She wore a red ruffled blouse that ruffled up around her neck and her wrist. She wore her hair in a neat bun and had a fedora hat to match. She reminded me of Alicia Keys. She had beautiful diamond studs in her ears and a diamond tennis bracelet with the necklace to match. She was beautiful, glowing radiantly. I could see her aura. The doctor flipped through the paperwork, upset that everything was in order and that they had to release me to her, or authorities would be called. Since most of the stuff they were giving me and doing to me was illegal anyway, they didn’t hesitate to write up the release forms and cut their losses.

      “Lyric dear. Lyric,” the doctor talked softly in my ear. “There’s this lady here who is claiming to be your aunt. Do you know her?”

      “I don’t have an aunt,” I said with a dry, raspy voice with not a care in the world.

      “There you have it. She doesn’t know you. Please escort this woman off the premises,” the doctor ordered.

      The guards started to approach her. The man and his son stood up immediately.

      “Wait! Wait, Lyric, look at me, look at me. Don’t you remember me, baby? It’s your aunt Liz,” the lady said as she grabbed my arm. I felt her love, her courage, her strength, her security and stability, and her loyalty to me. I looked at the boy, and he slowly nodded to me as in agreeing to the decision I already made within myself. I turned back to the doctor and informed him that she was my aunt Liz. I was free to go.

      As we were leaving, I wanted to yell out, “Jason, wait. Don’t leave. I remember.” But as soon as I felt that way, he disappeared.

      After that traumatizing ordeal, Aunt Liz thought it would be best if we up and moved north, away from all the bad memories. I didn’t mind moving but to move away from all my memories; that’s all I had left. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my grandma. That memory I don’t have. I didn’t get to say goodbye to a lot of people, I thought to myself.

      “Did you get to say goodbye to your friends?” she asked me trying to hold a conversation during this ten-hour car ride.

      “What friends? I don’t have any friends,” I replied because from my memories I didn’t.

      “Yes, you do. You used to play with that little light-skinned boy every day, remember?” she tested me.

      I didn’t know if she was seriously trying to help me remember or if she was trying to get me caught up and send me to another crazy house somewhere outside of Georgia.

      “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I insisted.

      “Come on, Lyric. You know who…” she kept going.

      “I don’t know who the fuck you talking ’bout, so please stop talking,” I snapped at her. She was totally taken by surprise. She didn’t expect me to say that, and I didn’t expect her not to do anything about me cursing at her. The rest of the trip was quiet, spent only listening to the radio. We made it to Ohio safely. Thank God. She drove like a bat out of hell, and she didn’t want to stop or take breaks unless it was for the bathroom or food. Her house was a small yet beautiful three-bedroom, two-story house. The dining room was off the living room and connected to the kitchen, which was small. My room was already put together. My name was real big on the wall. There was a queen-size bed with a pink comforter and throw pillows. I hated pink though.

      “Is it everything you like?” she asked me.

      “I don’t like pink, but everything else is great,” I said honestly.

      “Well, tomorrow we can go shopping and decorate it to your liking. I want you to be comfortable.”

      “Thanks, Aunt Liz,” I said as I gave her a look, knowing she wasn’t related to me.

      I was scared once again, not knowing what was coming next or even tomorrow and there was no one there to hold my hand like I’ve always had and tell me not to worry, that everything was going to be okay.

      As I slept, I could see people screaming, trees and grass burning. There was death everywhere.

      “Jason! Jason! Jason!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

      “Lyric! Lyric! Baby, wake up,” Aunt Liz said, shaking me until my eyes opened. I started to cry profusely.

      “I see you remember your friend,” she said.

      Not really, I only remember his name and his feeling, I thought to myself. The look in my eyes was what scared Aunt Liz the most.

      “What did you see?” she asked me with all her attention directed on me. I was scared to tell her it wasn’t like my other dream.

      “Was it like the dream you had yesterday?” she asked me. I shook my head no. In the dream I had the night before, I died and then everybody else died.

      “The earth was on fire, and I couldn’t save anybody, and then when it was my turn to be saved, there was no one to save me.”

      Aunt Liz just hugged me as if she already knew my dream and how it made me feel. Then I felt something I wish I could’ve kept to myself. We’re all gonna die in 2025, I thought. She raised me up with the most fear I’ve ever seen on a person’s face, like my feelings sealed the fate of mankind. And she said to me, “Don’t think that way.”

      “Who said I was thinking? I know,” I said as I turned back, letting her feel my lost hope. She started to cry and walked out the room. I felt her pain, fear, and sadness. I started to cry as well and ended up crying myself to sleep.

      The next few years was normal, I guess. I met my best friend Denise my freshman year and our best friend Miles our sophomore year. Being so young in high school, I always felt as if I was being left behind.

      Beginning of junior year we as a class started raising money to take a trip to Atlanta.

      “Ooo, I gotta go! Do you know how many lowdown brothas it is in Atlanta? Ima be like a kid in a candy store. I’ll have that and that and oh, two of those.” Miles danced around the hallway lockers as if he were really in a candy store.

      “I don’t think my aunt would let me go.” I tried to find an excuse not to be bothered with it.

      “Why, just ask her. Yo aunt cool,” Denise said as she tried to encourage me to ask.

      “She’s been hella protective ever since we moved here,” I reminded both of them.

      “Man, if you don’t ask her, we gone ask for you,” Miles threatened me. Usually I didn’t try to call his bluff because ten times out of ten, he was not bluffing. That night at the dinner table I swallowed my pride and asked, “Auntie, we have a senior trip coming up next year and I wanted to know if I could fund-raise to pay and go.” With no hesitation, she said yes.

      Wow, I thought to myself, that was easier than I thought. Then as I was leaving the table, she asked, “Where is the senior trip location?”

      “Oh, Atlanta. We will only be gone for four days,” I informed her, excited about being able to go.

      “I’m sorry, baby, you can’t go,” she said softly, trying not to sound mean about it.

      “Why, you just said I can go.”

      Without looking up at me, she continued to type on her laptop and said, “Atlanta isn’t safe for you.”

      “How come?” I demanded answers.

      “Lyric, please don’t question me. I said no.” Aunt Liz ended the conversation with that final word. I was so upset and so disappointed. I was heated literally. I stumped all the way upstairs and slammed the door. When I slammed the door, every light in the house blew out.

      Senior year rolled around, and everyone was excited about the trip. Tomorrow was the last day to make the last payment for the trip.

      “I’m gone get some bae. I’m gone get some