The Awakening Read Free Page A

of man who had secrets, secrets dangerous to a lot of people, and secrets he couldn’t possibly explain.
    The shrill bell startled Mark out of his thoughts, and he cleared his throat, attempting to be louder than the shuffling papers.  “Please leave your exams on my desk and don’t forget to sign out on the attendance sheet.  I will remind you that if you are signing for someone else, my sighted aid will recognize the difference in handwriting and both of you will be given failing grades for the day.”  It was a warning Mark gave every class, and a warning at least one student per class never heeded.
    Mark made do with his inability to see his classroom attendants, and did his best to learn this new job, a job he didn’t particularly care for, and he did what he could to approach it with some pride.  He listened carefully as the last footsteps exited the room and the moment the door shut, he let out a breath. 
    Mark had never liked being around people , having spent most of the last thirty years in a secluded Russian monastery, and having to teach every day was staring to wear on him.  Gathering up the stack of papers, Mark shoved everything into his case, grabbed his cane, and decided to skip his office hours to go straight home.
    He lived on the grounds, so the walk wasn’t far, but as he passed by the teacher’s lounge, he heard his name called.  “Mark!  Wait!”
    He recognized Abby’s voice right away, and paused, trying to smile in her direction.  “Hello,” he said as she walked up.  “How are you this afternoon?”
    “Oh it’s been the longest day,” she said with a groan.  “I hate midterms.  These kids get worse every year.  I had to fail three today for cheating, and two of them yesterday were caught planning to sell the test to the students for next year.”
    Mark grimaced.  “Awful little things, aren’t they?”
    Abby laughed.  “Sometimes.  Sometimes it’s rewarding.  Anyway, I thought I’d come by later to pick up the exams for grading, and maybe we can get coffee?”
    “Let me think on that, okay?” Mark said, not wanting to be around more people.  “I have a few things to work on and my head has been pounding for most of the afternoon.”
    “Okay well , let me know,” she said, her voice tinged with disappointment.
    Mark nodded and started off, feeling a little guilty for turning her down.  The truth was, had the situation been different, he would have taken her up on the offer, but things were a little complicated and there was no way of properly expressing that to her.
    As he made his way down the hall, his cane swishing gently in front of him, a few people called out their hellos, but he did his best to hurry along.  He made it to his small apartment and with a breath of relief, locked the door behind him and let his cane fall against the small table that held his keys and watch.
    His place was small, nicer than he’d been used to living in the monastery in St. Petersburg.  They’d furnished everything for him, and in an attempt to get him to agree to the job, the Parish office had provided an entire library of literature in Braille. 
    Mark realized if he wanted to maintain his quiet life, he had to accept the job, but he did so with heavy regret.  Mark was on a mission, and truthfully, he had no time to be teaching children the classics.
    He made his way to the bathroom where he flicked on the light and stood before a rather large mirror.  With deft fingers, Mark reached to his eyes and plucked out small, white gel contacts.
    His eyes instantly went from white to brown, and he blinked against the harsh world coming into focus.  He put the contacts into a small container full of liquid and blinked at himself.  As he stared into the mirror he tried to remember what it felt like to walk the earth without the secrets he carried with him, because being not blind wasn’t the only thing he was hiding.
    Mark was not just an ordinary man .  He was ageless,