Autumn Storm (The Witchling #2)
Lizzy Ford
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 …