by Lizzy Ford
Autumn storm
Book II, Witchling Trilogy
By Lizzy Ford
http://www.GuerrillaWordfare.com/
Cover design by Eden Crane
http://www.EdenCraneDesign.com/
Smashwords Edition
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-62378-065-4
Autumn Storm copyright © 2012 by Lizzy Ford
Cover design copyright © 2012 by Eden Crane
Excerpt from Masquerade copyright © 2012 by Cambria Hebert
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Chapter One
The Greyhound bus pulled into the parking lot of the tiny, old elementary school. It ambled to a stop, and the doors opened. Three young women – one with a cane – exited and stood waiting for the driver to pull their luggage free from the underbelly of the bus.
Standing apart from the other girls, the girl with the cane cocked her head to the side. Blue eyes took in the surrounding forest before she glanced down, puzzled, as wind flipped the blond hair hanging over her shoulder. She patted her hair down only for the air to lift the ringlets one-by-one and hold them suspended.
The other girls were staring at her. Her face grew warm as she swatted at the floating curls.
“Jenna Carter,” the bus driver called, reading the tag on the first piece of luggage.
“Here!” one of the other girls replied.
“Autumn Nathaniel.”
“Here,” the girl said. She limped forward.
“You need me to call someone for you?” the bus driver asked, gaze on her stiff leg.
“No, thanks.” She pulled up the handle of her suitcase and used it to support her as she limped away. After eight weeks in the hospital and another month in physical therapy, she was tired of people asking her if she needed help.
“Tanya … last name I can’t pronounce.”
“That’s me.” The third girl stepped forward.
“Have a good day, girls. Stay out of the forest after dark,” the bus driver warned cheerfully.
Autumn frowned. She knew this place. The way the air played with her, the strange magic beckoning her to the forest. She’d even heard the bus driver’s warning before. If she walked down the main road through the tiny town, she’d find …
The fleeting memory was gone, replaced by a headache.
Until now, no other part of her world was familiar to her. She hadn’t known anyone at the orphanage, where she’d returned when the hospital released her. Her case worker insisted she’d lived there since she was four. She couldn’t find her way to the restroom let alone recognize the roommates she’d had for the past five years. The doctors said she had severe amnesia after being hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street. The amulet around her neck was the only belonging that seemed remotely like it was hers. She’d researched the pattern on the tarnished, silver chain and discovered the links were regarded as symbols of protection to some Native American tribes. The breadcrumbs that were supposed to lead her to who she was had ended there.
She toyed with the amulet, looking around.
Shifting the cane into her left hand, she realized she’d caught her index finger on a splinter. She wiped it on her jeans. The two other girls had stopped whispering to each other and were watching her.
“Do you know where we go?” the one named Jenna asked.
“I think someone will come get us,” Autumn answered, glancing up.
“I’m glad they told you. I’m clueless.”
Autumn wasn’t sure where her response came from. She hoped she was right.
“I’m from Maryland,” Jenna said. “Tanya’s from Texas. We met up in Colorado at a bus stop. You guys could totally be sisters.”
“Autumn from Boise.”
Tanya’s smile was nervous and her dark gaze warm. She was slender with similar, white-blond hair that fell halfway down her back. Jenna, on the other hand, was a chubby, bubbly brunette with bright green eyes. Both sets of eyes were on Autumn’s neck. Her hand fluttered to the scars there. It had been three months since the accident. The scars were still reddish, new, and marked up a lot of her body. One ran down the side of her face from temple to jaw. She’d learned to cover it with make-up and careful positioning of her hair. At their stares, she adjusted her blond curls to hide the scar.
“You have really pretty hair,” Tanya said shyly. “I always wanted curls.”
“Thank you,” Autumn said. Her gaze went to their surroundings thoughtfully. Something about the forest was calming, and she hadn’t been comfortable anywhere else. Maybe she lived here when she was little, before ending up in an orphanage.
A sixteen passenger van pulled into the parking lot, and an older man with silver hair climbed out. He smiled as he circled the van to open the back doors.
“Welcome, girls,” he said. “I’ll be your chauffer.” He crossed to them and took Autumn’s luggage first. “Hop up front, young lady.”
She hobbled to the passenger seat. When the driver finished loading the van, he climbed in, and they started down the road. The sense of déjà vu returned, and Autumn closed her eyes. She’d been down this road before. She could see the small gas station and the fork in the road. They’d go left, drive a short distance then turn left again, onto a gravel road that led to…
The memory almost formed then faded again, her headache growing worse. She sighed and opened her eyes just as they passed the gas station. Her pulse quickened at the confirmation. For the first time in weeks, she didn’t feel out of place in a strange world. They took the path she’d seen in her thoughts, and she sat forward eagerly to see where the winding gravel road ended.
The large log building came into view at last. There were a couple of cars parked along one side and behind the structure would be the dorms and …
Her head hurt too much.
The driver dropped them off at the front, and the screen door opened. Autumn eased out of the passenger seat and waited for her luggage. A pretty woman with bright blue eyes and a long, loose skirt stepped onto the porch.
“Welcome!” she exclaimed. “Thanks, Jimmy!”
“My pleasure, Amber.”
Autumn studied Amber’s familiar features. Amber trotted down the stairs, her steps tinkling from the bells on her anklets. Her gazed skimmed over all of them, and Autumn was disappointed that the woman didn’t show any sign of recognizing her. Amber took one of Jenna’s suitcases.
“C’mon, girls!” she said with a grunt. “We’ll sit down and talk for a few minutes before I show you to your rooms.”
Autumn waited until Tanya and Jenna had hauled their luggage up the stairs. They disappeared inside the house. Embarrassed by her weakness, Autumn lifted the suitcase onto the first stair, rested it there, then used her cane to help her climb the step. One of her legs was in a brace, though not for much longer. She’d been weaning herself off it.
The breeze flicked her
hair in front of her face. She pushed it away and lifted the suitcase to the next stair. The air pushed her hair in front of her eyes again. Exasperated, Autumn leaned over to pull a hat from the pocket at the front of her suitcase. She tugged the knit cap over her hair to keep it in place.
“You look like you could use a hand.”
She glanced up at the amused voice, her eyes lingering on the most beautiful teal eyes she’d ever seen. The teen before her was tall, his dark hair and strong features making his eyes glow. He wore jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt that displayed a strong body. He flashed a wide smile as she gazed at him.
“I’ll get it,” he said and trotted a few steps down to grab her luggage. He lifted it with ease, turned and walked into the house.
Autumn stared after him. It wasn’t the fact he was hot, or the flirtatious smile that left her feeling as if she’d just met her favorite movie star. It was his strange aura, an odd warmth that brushed her skin and calmed her. She shook her head to clear it and made her way up the stairs.
When she reached the top, he stood with the door held open.
“Welcome to uh, here. Don’t worry, it’ll all make sense soon,” he said.
She raised an eyebrow at him. He motioned her inside. The inside of the main house was welcoming. Autumn lingered in the foyer. The large room to the left held a dining table and the open area to her right was filled with comfortable leather furniture and a ginormous television playing some crime show quietly. At the top of the stairwell was her room and her worn, wooden jewelry box.
Except she didn’t own a jewelry box.
For the first time since arriving to the small town, Autumn became uneasy. She moved to the foot of the stairwell. She remembered this place, but it wasn’t among the places she recalled from before her family died. She was here sometime recently, before her accident. When?
“Actually, I think they went down the hallway,” the teen said, pointing. “Amber does an orientation class for new students.” He waved for her to follow. “C’mon. I’ll show you.”
Autumn went. His strange aura draped over her, easing her distress once more.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Autumn,” she replied.
He grimaced, and a shadow crossed his features. “Not a fan of naming people after seasons.”
“What?” she asked, giving him a quizzical look.
“Sorry. Gives me flashbacks,” he tried to joke. “You know, walking across minefields or whatever …” His eyes went to her cane, and a flush reached his face. “Ah. Sorry.”
“No worries.”
“Beck!” Amber poked her head around a corner. “No!”
“Omigod, like I’m a dog,” the teen said, rolling his eyes.
“You are in the doghouse.”
Autumn giggled, unable to help it. Amber’s tone was too sweet and cheerful for her to scold anyone effectively. She sounded like she was cheerleading, not disciplining the tall teen.
“Fine. I’ll go back to the couch,” Beck said, winking at Autumn. “Welcome, Autumn.”
“Thanks,” she murmured.
His calming aura left her, and tension crept between her shoulders again. Amber motioned her forward.
“Beck likes blonds,” Amber explained. “And we have a new, very strict no fraternization policy. Of course, being male, he doesn’t listen well.”
Beck. He was almost familiar, though not as much as Amber.
Autumn took the seat Amber pointed out. The desks were arranged in a circle, with most of them empty. Jenna and Tanya were reading on iPads. A third iPad was at the desk in front of Autumn.
“We started a new orientation program recently, so I’ll apologize if I don’t follow the syllabus exactly,” Amber said. “The other coordinator here, Matilda, is definitely a bit better about structure.”
The way she said the last word made Autumn hide a smile.
“There’s a folder labeled Orientation on …”
Autumn half-listened as Amber walked them through the contents of the folder. When she fell silent to let them read the first few pages of the first document, Autumn skimmed with interest. The introduction pages described the school as one for students with a special talent: the ability to communicate with one of the five elements and channel its power.
Air. Earth.
Autumn closed her eyes at the whisper. She had two elements.
“Is this for real?” Jenna sounded baffled.
“May I go to the restroom?” Autumn asked simultaneously.
“Yes and yes,” Amber said with a smile. “Autumn, down the hall on the left, last door before you reach the foyer. Jenna, I know it’s a lot to take in, but -”
Autumn limped out of the room and down the hallway. Her gaze fell to the front door and the driveway hedged by pine trees beyond. The draw of the forest was strong. Beck was stretched out on the couch, absorbed in watching the television.
She left the school, walked down the stairs and to the edge of the forest. The nearest tree rustled. It lowered a branch to her. Startled, Autumn stretched up until her fingertips met the long pine needles of the tree. The wind danced around her again, nearly throwing her balance. She lowered her arm to steady herself with both hands on the cane and stared into the forest.
The answers were there.
“You’re one of the new girls, right?”
She turned at the young man’s voice. The tall, gangly guy wore glasses and a sweatshirt. His smile was shy but friendly. Did she recognize him? The fleeting sense of déjà vu was gone again, leaving her at a loss as to why she’d come outside in the first place.
“Yeah,” she said. “Autumn.”
“Adam. Nice to meet you. I see you have your amulet. Kinda cool, isn’t it?” He pulled his from the sweatshirt. It glittered pale blue. “We all have one.”
“Do they help us talk to elements?” she asked, struggling to pull memories from her dark mind.
“Not really.” His gaze went from her amulet and neck to the cane. “What happened?”
She flushed.
“Sorry. I … I just …” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
The awkward silence was broken by the rustling of another tree that reached for her. Adam cleared his throat.
“The trees like you,” he said.
“They seem nice,” she replied, gazing straight up to see the branches far above them. “Do they have feelings, do you think?”
Adam laughed. “I don’t know. They might.”
His easy-going presence was familiar to her. Autumn’s brow furrowed. As with Amber, he didn’t know her, but she felt like she knew him.
“Autumn! Let me at least show you to your room!” Amber called from the porch. “You can talk to Adam at dinner.”
Autumn’s gaze lingered on Adam. She got nothing but good vibes from him, as if they’d been friends at some point.
“I’ll see you later,” she murmured then struggled up the stairs to the porch.
“I know, I’m forcing all this structure down your throats,” Amber said with a sigh. “We’re taking a break. I figure you all can settle in, read through the information and then we’ll talk again after dinner. Is that cool?”
“Sure.”
Amber led her into the house and up the stairs. Autumn started to turn left at the top of the staircase, the direction her instincts told her to go. Amber, however, went right. Trailing, Autumn watched Amber disappear into one of the rooms.
“You’ll be rooming with Dawn.” Amber’s voice took on a quiet note. “She’s a few months pregnant and can be a little … moody. If you guys don’t hit it off, just let me know.”
Dawn’s side of the room was decorated in black and white with splashes of pink and teal. The top of her dresser was cluttered. Her closet door was open, revealing tons of designer clothes and shoes jammed into every bit of empty space.
The name wasn’t familiar. Autumn set her purse on her bed and looked at the dresser on her side of the bed. She
didn’t have much, nothing but the clothes in her suitcase and the wooden jewelry box with pictures of her family and the last…
She didn’t have a jewelry box. Rubbing her forehead, she wondered what was wrong with her. Sometimes it felt like there were two people inside of her.
“A lot of the students are leaving this weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday next week. You’ll have a half day of class in the morning then a couple quiet days to settle in. Next week we’ll have classes Monday and Tuesday, then a half day Wednesday. I brought your iPad,” Amber said, setting the device on Autumn’s new bed. “So, unpack and read through the information until dinner.”
“Thanks, Amber.”
“You’re welcome. If you need anything, I’m downstairs in my office at the end of the hall in the west wing.” Amber hugged her and left.
Autumn unzipped her suitcase and pulled out her toiletries. She crossed to the bathroom and took a long shower. Dawn’s clutter was everywhere. Autumn wiped the foggy mirror down. Her breath caught at her reflection, and she squeezed her eyes closed.
She was back – the girl with dark hair and eyes that stared at her instead of her own reflection. She’d hoped the girl stayed in Boise and didn’t follow her here. What started as a fleeting ghost Autumn only saw from the corner of her eye had turned into a daily, full-blown staring contest the past week. The girl trapped in the mirror was more than a hallucination, and Autumn had gone so far as to read about the supernatural while at the orphanage. Nothing she read gave her any insight into the strange occurrence.
With a deep breath, Autumn opened her eyes. Her own reflection returned: the heart-shaped face, wet blond curls and dark blue eyes.
Relieved, she dressed and sat down on the bed to start reading the orientation information. She flipped through the different folders and tables of contents, waiting for something else familiar to catch her attention.
Laws of Light.
Her finger paused over the file. She double tapped it open. There were three, and they were simple.
