Autumn Storm (The Witchling #2)(3)

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.