Lizzy Ford (43 page)

“I knew you’d be prowling the forests. A little help,” Beck said, indicating the suitcase.

“This wouldn’t keep happening if you’d gotten your driver’s license.”

“You don’t have yours either.”

The twins glared at each other before Decker strode forward. He and Beck reached for the suitcase and lifted it.

“Her name is Summer, by the way,” Beck said.

“Has she...,” Decker started to ask.

“No, Decker. Obviously, she just got here. She’s from an orphanage in L.A., and I think this is the first time she’s ever been anywhere with trees. She’s sixteen.”

“Let the girl tell her own story, Beck,” Decker snapped.

Uncertain what to do with the tension between them, Summer said nothing.

“Do you talk?” Decker asked, turning his attention to her for the first time. Though he was as handsome as his brother, his abrasive manner reminded her too much of the bullies she’d dealt with her whole life.

“Leave her alone,” Beck replied.

Thank you! she cried silently to the nicer of the twins. Beck was hot and sweet. She’d never met someone quite like him.

They walked in silence down the winding road. The rocks made her twist her ankle more than once. She’d worn sandals, not expecting to hike to get where they were going, and blisters were forming on her heels. She tried not to limp, not wanting to cause even more trouble to them.

A sprawling log building came into view finally and she sighed. It grew larger the closer they got, until they stood on the front porch. Feet aching, Summer sat on the stairs of the porch and pulled off the sandals. The back of her heels were bloodied. She grimaced at the stinging pain.

“Why didn’t you tell her to change shoes before dragging her three miles?” Decker demanded of his brother as they placed her suitcase down.

“I didn’t know what she was wearing.”

The two stood over her. Summer shifted away and stood.

“I’m okay,” she said, holding her sandals in her hand.

“I’ll show you where the bathroom is,” Decker said and swung open the screen door.

“I’m sorry, Summer,” Beck said as she passed. “I’ll get you checked in. The girls stay in the main house, so you don’t have to walk anymore.”

She smiled up at him, caught by his teal gaze. He held the screen door open for her, and she paused in the doorway, letting her eyes adjust. The door opened into a tall foyer flanked by an open living area on one side and a formal dining room with a table that stretched thirty feet on the other side. The house was log on the inside, too, making it feel warm and welcoming.

It was nothing like the orphanage, with its cement floors and walls and yard sale furniture. She took in the comfortable, worn leather furniture in the living area featuring a stone hearth and a huge flat screen television mounted on a wall. There were chairs everywhere, as if a group of people had been gathered around to watch a show.

Decker was standing in front of a door down a hall ahead of her, waiting impatiently. She moved into the house. The floors were wooden, covered in thick rugs that quieted her steps.

“Thank you,” she murmured to the darker twin. The bathroom was huge with a small sofa on one wall, several stalls and a row of polished bronzed sinks on top of dark cabinets.

“Sit down,” Decker said with abruptness. He followed her in and opened one cabinet after the other until he found what he sought.

Summer sat down on the couch. He filled a plastic bowl with warm water and a wash cloth and brought it to her.

“Oh, seriously?” Beck demanded, standing in the doorway. “Starting a little early, aren’t you?”

“You want me to let her bleed to death?” Decker shot back.

“This won’t change anything.”

“Then why are you complaining?”

The Turner twins glared at each other, bristling. Summer stared at them, not understanding what the issue was. They looked ready to fight.

“I can do it,” she said and took the bowl. “Thank you both.”

“You heard her,” Beck said and stepped aside, motioning to the door.

“After you, brother.”

They left. Summer waited for the door to close then shook her head. Whatever sibling rivalry was between the two, they had it bad. She dipped a foot in the warm water and tried to work the blood off without touching her raw heel with the washcloth.

“I told the Turners to get their licenses,” a woman said with a sigh.

Summer looked up as a pretty woman in a flowing dress entered. She was barefoot, and her ankle bracelets jingled with each step. She wore a dazzling turquoise necklace that matched her eyes.

“I’m Amber, one of those who will be overseeing your education. You must be Summer.”

Summer nodded.

“I hope the Turner twins didn’t scare you off already.” Amber laughed.

Summer shook her head. She liked Amber. The blonde woman had a large smile and sparkling eyes. Amber brought her a towel and sat cross-legged on the floor a few feet away.

“Our school is for children with special gifts that keep them from integrating into normal schools. A lot of behavioral issues are simply a lack of understanding by mainstream teachers about how unique some of you are.”

“What do you mean?” Summer asked. “I don’t have behavioral issues.”

“We’ll talk about it more later,” Amber promised. “For now, just know this is a safe environment. We operate classes year round. The summer schedule is very relaxed, more like a college environment than the typical high school schedule. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Summer looked down at her feet. She dried them without speaking. She’d never lasted more than two months in any one school. It was not a matter of her enjoying it; it was a matter of her and everyone around her surviving it.

So far, she really, really liked this place. It was beautiful and peaceful. Beck was the best-looking guy she’d ever seen, and Amber was far friendlier than any teacher Summer had ever had. With a heavy heart, she realized she couldn’t get attached. In a month or two, people would realize what she was. They’d turn against her, as usual, and this wonderful place with the magickal breeze would be gone from her life.

“I’ll show you to your room,” Amber said.

Summer trailed her through the house and up a set of stairs that led to a second floor lined with doors. She heard the sounds of giggling from behind some of the doors and at least one television as she passed. Amber led her to the end of the hall and opened a door. Summer expected to see the sparse, prison-like sagging metal bunks of the orphanage and was surprised to see two twin beds separated by a nightstand. There was carpet in the bedroom, dressers on either wall, and closets. One dresser was littered with makeup and perfume. The windows above the beds were open, the blue-edged, white curtains matching the fluffy comforters on the bed.

She’d never seen a bed that looked so comfortable!

“Your roommate’s name is Trinity,” Amber said. “She’s on vacation with her family right now. She’ll be back before school starts in about a month.”

Summer’s suitcase was already beside her dresser. She set her purse on the bed and pressed her hand into the comforter.

“Dinner is at six downstairs. We have a few basic rules,” Amber continued. “Dinner is mandatory during weekdays. After dark fall, no one leaves the house without an adult escort. Breakfast hours are from seven to nine and lunch from eleven to one. We keep chefs on staff, so you can order whatever you want. No smoking, no drugs, no candles, no pets, no food in the rooms. The television downstairs goes off every night at ten, but you can stay up as late as you want in your room. There’s also a shuttle that leaves hourly to the store, resort, and a few other small stops around town.”

Summer listened. She walked to the window beside her bed and pushed aside the curtains, gazing into the backyard hedged by two long rows of dorms. In the center were several fire pits, barbecues and picnic tables. As she watched, she saw the Turner twins appear. Beck went to the table with kids wearing jeans and shorts while Decker went to the table where everyone wore black. There were twice as many people at Decker’s table. Two barbecues were going, and the kids at both tables were eating and laughing.

Where the property ended, the forest was thick and the trees swaying. She saw it again, the movement of someone darting into the forest.

“You can go down, if you’d like.”

Summer jumped at the nearness of Amber’s voice.

“No, thank you,” she said.

“Go down and meet people,” Amber insisted. “The Turner twins will introduce you around.”

Summer’s gaze went to the forest again. Someone was following her, had been since the bus left her. She nodded.

Satisfied, Amber smiled, saying, “Change shoes and go. Don’t be shy!”

She left. Summer opened her suitcase and pulled out another pair of sandals, these sliding between her toes so as not to hurt her heels. She left the room and trotted down the stairs, exiting the front door.

She heard the laughter of the other teens, but was too entranced in this amazing new world. She found herself waiting to feel the magick she’d sensed earlier, and gazed toward the trees of the forest. She walked to the end of the dorms and then continued along the dirt road into the forest where she’d seen the dark figure disappear.

Summer was at once intrigued by the sense of magick in the swaying trees.  Sunlight splashed through the pine canopy onto bright purple bluebells that layered the forest floor. Small bushes hunched against trees and one another, and Summer stopped to try a few tart berries.

Continuing into the forest, she watched startled birds flit away above her. The brilliant color of a blue jay made her forget whoever it was that followed her. She followed the bird through the forest and into a small meadow filled with wildflowers.

She’d never been anywhere as beautiful or magickal. Grinning, she ran across the meadow then twirled around in the middle of it, spinning amidst the wildflowers as she stared up at the blue sky. The breeze joined her, throwing her hair around her while filling her again with the warm, tickling sensation.

A dark figure crossed her vision. She stumbled and fell, seeking out the shape she’d seen. No one was there. She pushed herself up. A deep growl made her turn. Staring at her through golden eyes, a sand colored cougar crouched on the other side of the meadow. Its tail twitched.

Summer froze. The animal raised itself and took a step closer. Her heart hammered in her breast. She looked beyond it to the trees then recalled how foolish it would be to try to climb a tree to escape. A beast like this lived in trees.

The growl came again. The great cat lowered itself, hunching its body in a sign it was preparing to pounce.

Summer whirled and ran. The auburn-haired figure ahead of her disappeared into the forest. The growling and sound of pursuit stopped suddenly. She glanced over her shoulder and slowed. The cougar was gone. She pressed her shaking hands to her face.

It was early for hallucinations. She’d only just arrived.

“What’re you doing here?”

She looked up, dismayed to see Decker there. He lingered at the edge of the forest, as if sunlight would disable the shadows guarding him. His piercing gaze was on her.

“I was just exploring,” she managed at last.

“Do you know the way back?”

The way he said it made her want to tell him she did, so he’d leave her alone. Summer gazed around her. The forest looked the same in each direction of the meadow. She’d been too absorbed in the forest magick to consider where she went.

“I’m guessing no,” Decker said. “I’ve had to rescue you twice today.”

“I’m fine,” she replied. “It can’t be that hard.”

“Until a cougar corners you.”

She stared at him.

“They’re usually nocturnal. The wildfires are driving them out during daylight. You should probably come back with me.”

She shivered, sensing danger from him, the same danger she’d felt from the cougar. Only instead of pouncing on her, Decker wanted to lure her somewhere. The idea made no sense. Just because he dressed all in black didn’t mean he was any more of a threat than his more cheerful brother.

“C’mon.” He turned and walked into the forest.

With another look around, Summer trailed.

“You’re rooming with Trinity?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“Next month.”

“So is mine.” He stopped to look at her curiously. “What date?”

“Twentieth.”

“I’m on the nineteenth. I’ll be eighteen. I assume you’ll be seventeen. Turning seventeen is a big deal here,” he told her and continued walking.

“Seventeen? I thought most people considered sixteen the big year.”

“Not here.”

They reached the edge of the forest and the school property. He headed for the picnic tables, but she stopped.

“There’s food,” he said over his shoulder.

“No thanks.”

“You’re on your own. Stay out of the forest.”

Irritated at his rebuke, she trudged to the road that wrapped around the dorms, not wanting to meet anyone just yet. Chances were, she’d be gone soon anyway. No use making friends. She went back to her room, and her spirits brightened. She’d never had her own room, even if this one was only hers alone for another month.