Awakening, p.1
Awakening, page 1
Awakening
THE METAMORPHOSIS SERIES
BOOK TWO
BAILEY WEST
Awakening (The Metamorphosis Series Book Two)
© 2023, Bailey West
Self-published
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, stored in a database and / or published in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Contents
Untitled
Every great couple has an origin story…
1. Queenie
2. Kemuel
3. Kemuel
4. Queenie
5. Queenie
6. Queenie
7. Kemuel
8. Kemuel
9. Queenie
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by Bailey West
A Note of Thanks
When I was almost finished with this book, I made a post in my Facebook group. I asked for some good vibes to help me through it.
Marshall Thompson, Msladyawh Alesia, Tiffani Perkins, Jae Cee, Gwendolyn O. Mason, Tee Jones, Monique Mellette-Bailey, Marissa Que, Beverly Scrutchions, Lasheera Lee, Chelece Williams, Viktoria NieCey Roberts, Denise Shipley, Sia Mi Swift, Jos-Renee Marks, Té Russ, Tyesha Ellerbe, Crystal Canfall-Golden, Jada West, and Cynthia Morgan Medley,
all commented to encourage me.
I can’t tell you how much your Starbucks gift card, gifs, hearts, or simple words pushed me through this manuscript.
Also, thank you to those who liked or loved the post. I love all of you and pray that the time you poured into me will be returned to you in abundance.
Awakening–
Renewal of Interest
Coming into awareness
Every great couple has an origin story…
KEMUEL OSIRIS AZAR
“You know their football team is whack as hell,” I said, as my brothers and I walked from the parking lot to Falls View High School football stadium.
“Yeah, East could beat them blindfolded,” Porter responded.
“East could beat everyone,” Lowe added.
My family and I had moved about four hours south from Port Concord to Sable Falls over the summer before my freshman year of high school. Neither my brothers nor I wanted to move, but our father felt it was best for the family after he and my mother separated. Lowe, Hudson, Grey, and I transferred to Falls View from East Vine High School. My three oldest brothers, Horus, Bennu, and Porter, didn’t have to suffer through the school change because they were already out of high school. Porter acted as Lowe and my chauffeur for the evening, so we could attend the first football game of the season. Hudson was on the varsity football team, and Grey, his twin, was a drummer in the marching band.
“Might as well get used to this blue and gold because those are your colors now,” Porter said while motioning to my maroon and gold East Vine shirt.
“We will see,” I responded.
“My dude, Pop is not letting you go back to Port Concord. Give it up,” Porter said.
“I mentioned it the other day, and he nearly blew a gasket,” Lowe added.
“Give him a break and try to make the most of it,” Porter said.
I nodded but still hadn’t settled on being a blue and gold bumblebee instead of a maroon and gold panther.
Even though I was not allowed in my parents’ business, I knew they made their money distributing illegal drugs. I’d overheard my parents discussing my father getting out of the game, but my mother didn’t want to leave. Surprise and devastation were the primary feelings I experienced when my mother and father announced their separation to my brothers and me. All I’d ever known were parents as a unit. I didn’t know what daily life without my mother would look like.
My parents’ usually strong relationship devolved into frequent arguments, name-calling, and the inability to be in the same room. If they were in the same room, it didn’t matter the room; they were going to argue.
My father moved us to his hometown and enrolled us at the high school he’d graduated from. He opened two bars and a laundromat. All three businesses and several rental properties were legitimate. From what I could tell, he’d really left the game. He purchased a house in the suburbs, which was different for us. We were city dwellers and didn’t know much about living in the suburbs. In the city, we played on concrete playgrounds and set up kickball games on vacant lots. Kids in the suburbs played on plush green grass and areas specifically for sports. Those kids were soft.
The crowd excitedly buzzed as we pushed through to find the home bleachers. Wanting an aisle seat, I sat in the row in front of Porter and Lowe. Examining the crowd, the kids seemed excited, all cheerfully wearing that horrible blue and gold combination. I didn’t see one familiar face. In Port Concord, we knew everyone, and everyone knew us. I’d never been the new kid and wasn’t looking forward to it.
The crowd erupted with applause as the band led the home team onto the field. The announcer enthusiastically announced the starting offense, including Hudson, who started at running back. Hudson was a star at East, so they were excited to have him join their team.
“Excuse me,” a cute girl with full cheeks said. I moved my legs, allowing her to pass. She sat right next to me, forcing me to scoot over a little. Her wavy braids were covered with a yellow bandana that matched the yellow turtleneck she wore under her denim overalls.
“Ugh,” she said and rolled her eyes.
I followed her gaze to a guy making his way up the bleachers. He was a nerdy kid with thick glasses and an old-school Yankees Starter jacket. His eyes roamed the crowd until they landed on the girl–then me. Looking a little defeated, he sat across from us one row down.
“Dang,” she mumbled.
“Is he looking for you?” I asked her.
“Possibly, but he needs to keep looking,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“You got his lunch money or something, Lil’ Momma?” Porter asked from behind us.
“I ain’t got nothing for him,” she snapped.
“My bad, Lil’ Momma,” Porter responded with a chuckle.
I watched her while she looked around the crowd and fumbled with her purse.
She saw me watching her and examined me from head to toe.
“Is it okay if I sit here? You keep looking at me like I took your seat or something,” she sassed.
“It’s a free country,” I said with a shrug.
“Humph,” she said and continued her survey of the audience.
“Athena!”
She stood to her feet, yelled, and waved. A short, light-skinned girl smiled and made her way up the bleachers. She wasn’t as cute as the sassy one sitting beside me, but she was pretty.
“I was looking all over for you!” Athena said.
She sat on the other side of the girl.
“Urkle alert,” Full cheeks whispered.
She tilted her head slightly in the direction of the nerd guy.
“Oh!” Athena whispered back.
“Yeah. It’s like he has a radar or something.”
“I don’t know why he keeps trying,” Athena said, then rolled her eyes.
“Right, like if I say no once, how many more times does he need to hear the same thing?” Full cheeks replied.
“Maybe if you hear him out, you might like what he has to say,” Porter interjected.
Both girls whipped their heads around.
“Do we know you?” Athena asked, examining Porter from head to toe.
“He’s some old dude that graduated from high school already but still comes to the games,” Cheeks replied matter-of-factly.
“Right, be wearing his too little letterman jacket from twenty years ago. Talmbout those were the days,” Athena added.
“Using old ass slang like jive turkey,” Cheeks said.
“Can you dig it?” Athena guffawed.
Both girls laughed–hard. We all laughed with them.
“Gimmie some skin!” Cheeks said, holding out her hand.
“Queen, you stoopid!” Athena said between laughter.
I wasn’t sure if her name was Queen or if it was a term of endearment. Either way, Athena kept saying it, and she kept answering.
“Wait, I saw you at registration. Your last name starts with A through C because those were the cards I had on my table,” Athena said to me.
“You go here?” Queen asked me.
“Unfortunately.”
“Dang. It’s like that?” Athena said.
“We moved from Port Concord,” Lowe said.
“What grade are you in?” Athena asked Lowe.
“I’m a sophomore,” Lowe answered. “What about y’all?”
“Me and Queen are sophomores.”
“What about you?” Queen asked me.
“Freshman.”
“Who is your advisor?” Athena asked.
“Mr. Creek.”
“I have Mr. Creek too! I heard he’s cool.”
Shrugging, I said,
“He a’ight.”
Derek Creek was one reason we’d moved to Sable Falls. He and my dad were best friends. I believe he helped my dad with his move from the game, but that was just my specu
“So, your name is Queen, or is she just calling you that?” Porter asked.
“Why would she call me something that wasn’t my name, Mister Alumni Man?” Queen asked.
Her quick wit was entertaining.
“Just wondering, Lil’ Momma,” Porter responded after laughing.
“Oh, that’s the new running back that just got the ball,” Athena said while standing.
Hudson had just caught a pass with one hand and sprinted to the end zone.
“Nice stiff arm, Azar!” Porter yelled.
“Don’t miss that block number sixty-seven!” Queen yelled.
Number sixty-seven handled his block, allowing Hudson to score the touchdown. The stadium went wild!
Queen and Athena slapped high-five with all of us. We chatted while continuing to watch the game.
“Who is the military guy? Wait, is that?” Athena said.
“That’s my brother! Ry!” Queen yelled.
The guy wearing an Army uniform took the steps by two until he was at our row. He looked menacingly from me to my brothers before smiling and embracing Queen.
“What are you doing here?” Queen beamed.
“Came to see the rest of the game with you! I have some seats over here,” he said.
“Okay!”
I watched her until she disappeared into the crowd.
“What do you think about your new school now?” Porter asked.
“It might be alright after all,” I answered.
QUEENIE ASET MONTGOMERY
I’d finally made it to my sophomore year of high school. While my freshman year wasn’t as bad as the middle school teachers told us it would be, I still didn’t enjoy being called fresh meat or treated like a kid. The upperclassmen looked at freshmen like they were still in elementary school.
That was not my problem anymore. Having been a sophomore for two months, I felt like something had shifted. I was sure I could get to all my classes without getting lost between the buildings. Instead of going outside all the time, I could use the interior hallways to get to class. I could also call the ninth graders names like the upperclassmen called me. I’d figured out which teachers were pushovers and which ones were not. All in all, things were great.
“Queenie, you and Kemuel are partners for this project,” Mrs. Silverstone, the business economics teacher, said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Who?” I responded, not knowing who or what she was talking about.
“Kemuel,” Mrs. Silverstone said, and pointed to the new guy in the back of the class.
I hadn’t paid much attention to him. He answered questions when called on, but other than that, we hadn’t had any interaction. I knew all the kids from middle school, so he must’ve transferred from somewhere else.
“Ms. S, Athena, and I were going to be partners,” I responded.
“No, you and Athena won’t get anything accomplished because you will talk the whole session. Kemuel, please move your seat next to Queenie,” Mrs. Silverstone instructed.
Mrs. Silverstone was my personal finance teacher during my freshman year. Then I got her for my business economics class in my sophomore year. Mrs. Silverstone was fully aware of Athena’s and my propensity to hold class-long conversations and not get any work done. So, it wasn’t a surprise Mrs. Silverstone didn’t want us to be partners.
“Yes, ma’am,” Kemuel replied.
I had no idea who this tall, lanky, quiet kid was, but I was sure I didn’t want him to be my project partner. Athena had been my best friend since seventh grade. I wanted her for my partner, not some new kid. The new kid moved to the desk next to mine and smiled, displaying a perfect set of white teeth. I didn’t smile because although my braces were working hard to create a set of perfect teeth, they weren’t there yet.
“Okay, class, the assignment you will work on for the rest of this semester is small business one-on-one. You and your partner will develop a business. It can be anything you choose, but it needs to provide a service or goods. Today, I want you to work with your partner to brainstorm some ideas. I want a two-page report on the business and how you think it will impact the community. You will also present your business to the class,” Ms. Silverstone explained.
I turned and looked at the new kid.
“I’m Kem.”
“Yeah, I heard her say your name. I’m Queen,” I responded.
“Do you have any ideas about the business we should create?” Kem asked.
“Who are you, and where did you come from? You didn’t go to junior high with us. Did you transfer here from somewhere?”
“I’m Kem. Like I said before. I didn’t go to junior high in this district. I went to Malone Junior High, but I just started here this year.”
Turning up my nose, I said, “Where is that?”
“In Port Concord,” he replied.
“Port Concord?” I said and turned up my nose.
“Why you say it like that?”
“’Cause we went there once to that broke down amusement park. It was little and boring, plus it looked really poor there.”
“The area around Summerland is raggedy, but the rest of The Cord isn’t like that,” Kem replied.
“It looked like it was to me.”
“How can you know? You only went to one place there. There are some nice areas. It is better than this old boring ass city.”
“Well, if you liked it so much, why didn’t y’all stay over there?”
“’Cause it’s a free country, and I can move wherever I want to,” Kem responded.
“Boy, pull back. You don’t know me like that.”
He let out a dry chuckle.
“Whatever.”
“Yeah, whatever,” I parroted.
“You wasn’t being all tough when that nerd kid was chasing you around the football game.”
Pausing, I examined his face. His deep brown eyes were framed with thick black eyebrows. Scattered pimples indicated he was suffering through teenage changes like the rest of us. The faint beginnings of a mustache above his top lip and his black, thick hair cut low and full of waves finished his features.
“That was you?”
“Yes. How do you have a whole conversation with someone and not know who they are?”
We’d been in class together for weeks, and he hadn’t said anything to me. I thought he looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. The football game was at night, and he didn’t say much. His brother did most of the talking.
“I was just trying to get away from Terrell. I don’t know you. We ain’t friends.”
“It’s all good. We don’t need to be friends. We just need to work on this project. I’m not going to fail because you’re not smart enough to come up with a simple business idea,” Kem answered.
“Boy, whatever. My daddy owns businesses. I know how to come up with a business.”
“My daddy owns businesses,” he mocked in a high pitch.
I chuckled.
“I don’t sound like that.”
“Yes, you do. My daddy be teaching me how to do stuff,” he mimicked again.
“Shut up,” I responded with a snicker.
“Queenie, I guess I can’t sit you anywhere without you talking and laughing the entire time,” Ms. Silverstone said.
“I’m sorry,” Kem answered. “She was laughing at my business idea.”
“Oh, okay,” Ms. Silverstone smiled.
“Thank you. She be on my ass,” I whispered.
“It’s all good.”
“You’re a freshman. What are you doing in this class?”
“I started with enough credits to take some advanced classes. My classes were advanced at Malone.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m a freshman but more like a second-semester freshman,” He explained.
“Oh, you’re smart like that?”
He shrugged.
“Do you have any ideas for a business?” Kem asked.
For a few minutes, I thought about it.
