by Lizzy Ford
“Dawn!” The angry voice jarred her from her thoughts. Biji, the girl who made her feel happy on sight at the football game, shoved the door open. She planted her hands on her hips, dark eyes filled with anger. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know,” Autumn answered. “Is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not. You tell her I saw her with Beck, and she better watch it! He’s too good for her. She’s a whore. I don’t even think her kid is his! How can it be when she-“
Autumn listened, astounded as the small girl went off. She learned more about Beck and Dawn in the five minute rant than she had interacting with them over the past three days. She had no idea Beck’s father was a billionaire or that Dawn had been a real model.
Biji took a deep breath at last and blew it out, calming. Autumn remained still, afraid of setting the fireball off again.
“You want to hang out?” Biji asked suddenly, focusing on her.
“Um, I’m kinda afraid to say no,” Autumn replied.
Biji grinned. “Beck said you’re cool and to take care of you.”
Autumn almost rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure he was messing with you.”
“No, he wouldn’t. He knows better.” Biji’s eyes narrowed.
Autumn laughed.
“Come on.” Biji left the room.
Autumn trailed. Biji walked past the stairwell and down the hall. Autumn followed. She found herself stopping outside one of the closed doors. It’s where she’d stayed once.
A prick of pain, and she stepped away quickly. After last night, she’d awoken with less discomfort than she’d ever felt. She didn’t want to ruin that.
“He said to give these to you,” Biji called from down the hall. “I’m looking for them.”
Autumn limped to the room with the open door. Biji was sifting through a worn, wooden jewelry box at odds with the modern and expensive clutter on her dresser. Autumn’s eyes stuck to the box.
It was hers. Or had been. Or would be?
“What’s wrong?” Biji asked.
“Nothing. It’s a pretty box.”
“Yeah.”
She thought the girl sounded sad. Biji finished her search and set it on the bed. Autumn’s gaze caught on the picture stuck to the top of the inside of the box.
The girl from the mirror stood beside Biji. They were grinning.
“Who is that?” Autumn asked in a hushed voice.
Biji followed her gaze. “My best friend.” She closed the box, tense. “She died over the summer.”
By going off the cliff. Autumn gazed at Biji, unable to decipher her own emotions. Biji’s best friend haunted Autumn since she’d woken up in the hospital in late summer. Was that why Autumn liked Biji so much on sight? Was that something the dark-haired girl told her?
Autumn recalled her late-night venture to the cliff and seeing the girl’s body in Miner’s Drop. Why did she feel like Biji was there that night? It made no sense.
“These are for you,” Biji said, oblivious of her thoughts. She held out a smooth, blue stone and an elephant-shaped charm made of jade. “They’ll help you focus the elements. You won’t need them after awhile.”
Autumn took them. She recognized them as hers, like the amulet. Nothing else in her world seemed to belong to her, but these three things did. Holding them gave her a strange feeling that had nothing to do with the elements. It was the difference between a memory and reliving something she’d done before. She didn’t like the sensation, but she wanted what belonged to her.
Mine.
It didn’t seem possible that Decker belonged to her, too. Growing frustrated, she stared at the two stones, willing them to tell her their secrets.
“I hate being snowed in. I hate snow. You want to get some cocoa?” Biji asked.
“Yeah.” Autumn put the stones in her pocket.
Biji led her down to the kitchen, where a staff of five worked. Autumn lingered in the door, aware she’d be in the way with her inability to maneuver through the busy kitchen. Biji smiled sweetly at the cook she addressed. The cook nodded and motioned to the dining room.
“Okay, they’ll bring us some,” she said, returning to Autumn. “What’s your name again?”
“Autumn.” She suppressed a smile.
“Autumn.” Biji gazed at her closely. “Not sure I like that.”
Speechless, Autumn watched her turn and retreat to the living area. She followed at last, uncertain why Biji and Beck both had such a negative reaction to her name. Biji was texting when she sat down on the couch beside her.
“Beck says hi,” Biji said without looking up.
“Hello to Beck.” Autumn watched her. She found herself trying to remember if she ever had a cell phone. No, the orphanage wasn’t going to pay for something like that, if they weren’t willing to pay for the brace she requested. It was half the size of the one she had now and would stabilize her knee area without making it so hard to move.
Biji muttered at the phone as she typed. Autumn smiled, at home with the girl. The cook brought out two mugs of hot chocolate and set them on the ottoman where Decker had sat last night.
Autumn shuddered at the memory. She recalled the way the fire had stretched to reach him, as if it, too, wasn’t able to control itself around him. How could someone affect everything around him and not have any control over himself?
“It stopped snowing at least,” Biji said.
Autumn glanced out the window. A plough was working its way down the driveway while a couple of the students shoveled the walkway.
Biji laughed. “Beck says your iPad didn’t survive the snow. He’ll bring you a new one.”
Face warm, Autumn sipped her cocoa, uncertain how to respond. She didn’t like the idea of taking charity, especially from Beck. He’d done enough for her already by helping her with her pain. She didn’t know what to think of his kindness. He’d been sad last night when she hugged him and held her tightly, as if afraid to let go. Yet he flirted with every girl around and seemed to have as little restraint for sleeping around as his brother, if Dawn was any indication. She didn’t think she was anymore special in his eyes than she was in Decker’s.
The twins were making her head spin.
“How on earth did he end up with Dawn?” she puzzled out loud.
“Beck was a jackass until…” Biji drifted off.
“Until what?”
“I guess until he became the Master of Light. I used to talk to Decker more but then he went batshit crazy. Beck’s trying really hard to be more grown up, I think.”
“What happened to Decker?”
Biji paused in her texting to glance up. Her gaze grew dark. “He shoved his girlfriend into Miner’s Drop.”
Autumn gasped.
“She broke the Light and Dark Laws. Matilda says he had to do it. I just…” Biji’s chin trembled. “She was my best friend. She wasn’t bad. She was the best person any of us knew. He went crazy afterwards.” Biji shook her head and returned her attention to the phone. “We’re not supposed to talk about it. Don’t tell anyone I told you.”
Autumn didn’t pry. The information Biji gave her was enough to leave her reeling. Decker really did push the dark-haired girl into the canyon. Not only that, but he must’ve loved her, if he went crazy afterwards.
She relived her trip to the cliff the night before, recalling how the girl had gazed into the canyon at the ghost of her own body. Decker accused Autumn of following him to the cliff; it didn’t seem like the place he’d be, if he’d killed someone he loved.
She wanted to know more. The story still didn’t make sense. It made her feel like hyperventilating, though, knowing that the girl in the mirror wasn’t a hallucination. She’d existed. She’d died here at the school.
Knowing what happened, Autumn wasn’t any closer to knowing why the stranger was haunting her. Her anger at Decker faded. He was in the kind of pain that didn’t heal. Her body was broken but mending. With elements that didn’t lend him to any sort of stability, he
wasn’t as lucky. She wanted to help him. Sleeping with him, however, wasn’t the right way to do it. Decker needed an intervention more than she’d realized initially.
Saddened, Autumn drank her cocoa and stayed with Biji, watching television most of the day as she tried to think of ways to help someone who didn’t want help at all.
Chapter Eleven
She awoke early for her workout Monday then ate a quick breakfast. It was her first day of class with the other students, and she was anxious about being late. She’d hoped to beat Dawn to the shower and groaned when she reached her room.
Dawn was just entering the bathroom when Autumn walked in. It was half past seven and her first class was in an hour. She sat down to rest her body then waited. A quarter after eight, she gave up and changed clothes before walking down to the main floor.
Jenna waited for her, along with Tanya. They were talking and giggling. Autumn joined them. Tanya beamed, her dark eyes sparkling.
“Hey!” Jenna said, grinning. “You ready for the first real day?”
“I hope so,” Autumn replied.
Tanya danced in place, clutching her iPad to her chest.
“We’ve got a double date tonight, so she’s ready for the day to be over,” Jenna said and rolled her eyes. “We’re headed to the mall after class. You want to come?”
Autumn shook her head. “I’m still adjusting.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. She really didn’t want to be a fifth wheel on their dates. She wondered who Tanya had met this weekend. There were a lot of guys at the school, but Autumn hadn’t ventured out to meet any of them. She had enough issues with the twins.
“Come on, girls!” Amber called cheerfully from down the hallway.
Autumn trailed them. They entered one of the classrooms with a few other girls their ages, including Biji. Autumn sat beside her new friend.
“This is for you,” Amber said and handed her a new iPad.
Biji giggled, and Autumn’s face grew warm.
“We’re going to do a review,” Amber started.
Autumn listened intently as Amber began to review the history of elemental magick, starting with the Darkness that took over the world long ago. She strained to remember as much as she could, once again surprised at the importance of the roles Decker and Beck played. Neither fit the description of what she thought a Master of Light or Dark would be link.
The day passed quickly. After class, she limped to the front door, surprised to see the late afternoon sun had melted away a lot of snow. The gravel road was almost clear while the banks on either side rose over four feet.
Her gaze lingered on the gravel, and she was struck by a new idea for therapy. The gravel made her struggle more for balance. If she started walking there instead of the treadmill, it might build her muscles back faster. She went to her room to change into workout clothing. After a brief hesitation, she unfastened the brace from her leg. It felt stronger today than usual.
She left her cane behind, too. For some reason, the sight of it made her angrier this day than any other day. Balancing herself against the railing, Autumn walked carefully down the stairs to the porch then out into the afternoon.
To her surprise, Tanya and Jenna were getting in Beck’s car with Adam. Adam waved. Autumn forced herself to wave back, agitated at the Master of Light who seemed to flutter from girl to girl. He didn’t see her, and she was glad for it. He held Tanya’s hand.
She shouldn’t feel jealous, but she did. The night she’d spent with Beck on the couch was a friend thing, but she’s still felt her pulse quicken at his touch.
Maybe he really was taking pity on her.
Frustration and shame made her look away and wait until they were headed down the road. When they turned onto the main road and disappeared from view, she began walking. Anger clouded her mind for a short distance, blocking her pain.
She slowed when she stumbled the first time and forced herself to pay more attention to where she stepped. There were patches of ice, shallow pits and fist-sized rocks in the gravel road. She twisted her ankle twice, stopped and continued on more carefully. She placed each foot with care and tried keep her hips level so as not to limp. Her bad leg ached and complained, but she forced herself not to give up. The whispers of the elements were quiet enough that they didn’t disturb her.
Before she knew it, she was at the end of the gravel road. Thrilled, Autumn stood at the edge of where the gravel met the asphalt. She was breathing hard from a walk that might’ve taken her ten minutes and no effort long ago.
Proud of herself, she turned and started the long journey back. She focused on placing her feet for a short time, until the sounds from the forest distracted her. Pausing, she gazed into the thick pine woods. The trees creaked under the influence of a mild breeze, and she heard snow collapsing from high branches to the ground. Somewhere, birds were arguing.
Movement from the corner of her eye made her gasp. She turned to see a small doe at the edge of the forest, gazing at her. Autumn stared back, marveling at the long legs, large ears and delicate features of the doe’s wide face. Its tail flickered, and the splash of white pulled Autumn’s gaze to the deer’s body.
She took a hesitant step forward. The doe didn’t move. Autumn heard the elemental whispering grow a little louder. She wondered if it told the deer to flee or stay. Two more steps closer, and she began to believe they asked it to stay. Two more steps, and her excitement was barely contained.
A final step, and she reached out carefully to the doe. It inched away, tail flickering again. Autumn touched the downy fur of its neck, enthralled by the warmth and softness. The deer’s muscles bunched at the tickle of her touch. She marveled at the animal’s body, at once graceful and muscular. The hooves were half the size of her hand, and the body was much thicker than she was. She took in every inch of the doe, from the huge eyes to the tawny fur and slender legs.
It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
The sound of a car coming startled the doe. Autumn’s heart jumped as the animal leapt into the forest. She stared after it, grinning at the incredible meeting with the forest creature. Touching the wild creature was unlike any rush she’d experienced. She moved off the road as another car left the school for the rest of the world.
Cheered by the interaction, Autumn began her trip back to the school. Her attention went to her surroundings. She hoped to meet another deer. The first time she tripped, her leg wrenched to the side, and pain tore through her. She froze, waiting for the pain to subside before straightening. A brief stretch released much of the pain.
She watched her step more carefully. Halfway down the driveway, she stumbled hard and dropped to her knees. Pain radiated through her. She sat on the gravel, tears springing from her eyes. Counting to ten, she steadied her breathing.
“You got this.”
Autumn looked up at the voice, unaware anyone was there.
Decker crouched half a dozen feet from her, dressed in black. His dark eyes were on her knee, his shadows restrained by both daylight and effort. The sight of him – and the memory of his kiss – took her breath away. He met her gaze. Warmth rose to her face. Embarrassed, she wiped her tears and looked away.
“I’d offer to help you up, but we both know what happens when I touch you.” The amusement in his voice made her face hot.
“I don’t need help,” she retorted.
“I guess it’s a form of motivation. If you don’t make it to your feet, I will touch you. I’ve never thought of that as a threat, before you.”
“I can do it!”
He laughed, the first spontaneous emotion she’d heard from him. For a moment, she couldn’t look away. His mesmerizing eyes, muscular shape … the thought of his touch. The fire in her blood replaced much of the pain she felt.
Autumn got to her feet gingerly and shook out her leg with a grimace.
“What’re you doing here?” she asked.
“In the neighborhood.”
She eyed him. He drew ab
reast of her though he kept his distance, as if not wanting to expose her to his shadows this time. She wondered if he had a hot date with another girl, too, like his brother did. The Turner twins were nothing but trouble.
Her first step was painful. For the next few, she focused on where she walked instead of him. Her knee loosened again.
“You’re pretty tough,” he said, eyes on her bad leg.
“I think that was a compliment,” she said, glancing at him.
“It was.” His voice was quiet.
“Thank you,” she murmured. Her gaze remained on him for a long moment. She wasn’t sure what to think about him being the Master of Dark. What he was – and how he made her feel – didn’t make sense to her. He walked as quiet as the shadows tracing his movements, his hands clasped behind his back.
He was trying not to touch her. She’d dismissed the idea he was actually affected by her after what she’d learned earlier about the Master of Dark. Was it possible he was as interested in her as she was in him?
“What?” he asked without looking at her.
“I can’t figure you out.”
“You probably shouldn’t try.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. A dark look crossed his features. It made her uncomfortable. He was expecting something bad to happen. To her or to him?
“Are you coming here for Thanksgiving?” she asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” he replied. “My parents host it. We’ll see.”
“I wonder if Sam is allowed to come,” she murmured, thoughts on the yeti in the forest.
“What?” Decker stopped walking and stared at her.
“I thought he might be lonely,” she said, uncertain why Decker had tensed.
“You’ve met Sam.”
“Yes.”
“Seven foot tall forest monster?”
She nodded. “He helped me with my magick.”
Decker began walking again. She did as well. “He usually doesn’t talk to the students.”
“I can understand why. Maybe I’ll take him some turkey.”
