Autumn Storm (The Witchling #2)(21)

Autumn was proud of herself. Her memories were gone, but her mind still worked. They’d feared brain damage after the hemorrhaging. Aside from a concussion, she’d suffered no lasting damage. Her brain was healthy, and so were her organs. She simply had to rebuild her musculature. She’d defeated the weakness with sheer will. These scars and aches were all that remained of the agony, and they were fading. She was winning.

Maybe it didn’t matter if she ever remembered, especially since trying gave her such bad headaches. She was grateful to be alive. If she survived the accident, she’d survive anything.

Drained from her morning workout, she left the gym upbeat. She’d try wearing her brace half the day and then leaving it off half the day. The doctors said to do what was comfortable, as long as she was weaning herself off of it and doing her exercises. The smell of breakfast made her pause at the foot of the stairwell and look into the dining room. It was early, just after eight, but Jenna was at the table. Her hair was tousled, and she wore her pajamas.

After a split moment of indecision, Autumn joined her at the table.

“Oh, no!” Jenna said, covering her face. “I was hoping no one was up yet. I didn’t even put on make-up.”

“I don’t care,” Autumn said with a smile. She lowered herself into the seat across from Jenna.

“You’re so good, going to the gym.”

“Kinda have to.”

Jenna’s gaze went to the scars. Autumn ducked her head, but the pretty girl said nothing about her injuries.

“Are you going home for Thanksgiving next week?” Jenna asked.

“No.”

“I’m not sure if I am or not. Adam says they have a big party here. I thought about staying. Have you …” she leaned forward “you know, figured out this element thing?”

“Not really,” Autumn said.

The same woman who served dinner brought them both huge plates of steaming food: scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and golden pancakes covered with huckleberries. Both Autumn and Jenna were quiet. Autumn shoveled the food into her mouth, hungry after her workout.

“Who was that Beck guy?” Jenna asked.

“I don’t really know,” Autumn admitted. “I met him when we got here. He’s nice. A bit strange like everyone else.”

“Yeah they are weird. Amber sat down with me yesterday. I guess I’m a water element. I don’t understand what that means, though.”

Autumn nodded, thoughts going to Beck’s reaction when she told him about her two elements. Maybe it was bad to have two, and he didn’t want to tell her. In any case, she wanted to play with the elements today, like the orientation book said to. They whispered to her. Maybe, if she sat really quietly, she’d hear them speak actual words.

Jenna talked about Adam, and Autumn half-listened, more interested in her food and the magick. When she finished, she left the dining room and went to the front porch. The morning air was cold, but she didn’t feel like walking up the stairs again for a jacket. Stairs killed her leg, and she didn’t want to deal with Dawn, who had stormed into the room late last night, drunk and screaming about something.

Autumn had huddled under her covers and waited for her roommate to pass out.

Shivering, Autumn made her way down the porch stairs and walked to the edge of the forest again. Sunlight fell in patches through the thick wood. Uncertain why, she was disappointed it was too cold for flowers, like the bluebells she remembered coating the floor.

The nearest tree leaned down to her. She stretched up with a smile, brushing her fingers against the needles. Air whipped through the forest ahead of her, clearing a narrow path through the forest. The trees bowed away.

Autumn hesitated. They wanted her to enter the forest. She glanced at the house. It was too large for her to lose sight of easily. She moved into the tree line. Branches swept by her, closing the path behind her. Pine needles tickled her arms and neck, releasing bursts of fresh scent and warm magick.

The path ended at a downed tree thick enough to reach her waist. She rested her cane against it and hefted herself on top to stretch out on her back. The cone-shaped pine trees almost touched tips in the sky above. The blue was beautiful, clear and bright. The log beneath her grew warm, and she tensed for a moment, uncertain.

Magick, she reminded herself. It was everywhere. The earth was welcoming her, its rumble so faint, she barely heard it. The air was louder, happy and tinkling, chilling her as it danced around her while the earth tried to warm her.

She almost heard the earth grumble at the oblivious air. The air whistled and whirled away, ignoring the earth.

Autumn laughed out loud at the image in her mind of the two arguing.

They are happy you’re here.

She held her breath. Did she hear someone talk to her or was it in her head?

Someone was there. Autumn sat up and looked around. Her gaze settled on the large creature nearby, and she gave a faint cry of surprise. The auburn bigfoot was over seven feet tall with a face ugly enough to be a Halloween mask and thick hair covering his body.

Sam.

Autumn closed her eyes. His name came with the force of a memory that wouldn’t form, as if her mind and her memories were pushing at each other. As usual, her memories didn’t win. But she felt the same sense around Sam as she did Adam. They’d been – or would be? – friends. Good friends.

Maybe. Doubt and headaches followed every partial memory.