AllFreeNovel
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“Into the storm.”
“Why?”
“I can’t think of how to anchor you but maybe if we’re both there, we can keep each other together long enough to find the others. And if it doesn’t work, there’s nothing left for me here, anyway.”
I ignored the lost tone in his voice. I felt just as lost, and right now I couldn’t even help myself. Instead, I simply agreed.
“Sure. Sounds like a fun time.”
He squeezed my shoulder through the blanket.
We sat there, together, for a while.
“Ember, let’s get some rest. We can leave tomorrow.”
“Yeah, good idea. You don’t have to sleep on the floor, you know. We have other rooms. Or you can share with me if you’re comfortable with that.” I wasn’t sure I was, but we were going to have to figure something out between the two of us.
He didn’t answer for a long moment and his weight left the mattress. The floorboards creaked and then the hinges on the bathroom door groaned. “I’ll share with you.”
Ember
Memories
“What’s wrong, Ember?” Mom came over from the fridge with a plate of veggies and set them in front of me on the scarred kitchen table.
Despondently, I dipped a carrot in ranch and held it in front of me, trying to convince myself to eat. “My friends are gone.”
“Gone?”
“They were going to meet me after Ash left. They promised. It’s been a whole week, and I haven’t seen them.”
“Have you tried today?”
“Not yet.” I crunched on the carrot and dipped it again.
“Don’t give up on them yet, honey. Who knows, maybe their parents had a trip planned that they didn’t know about.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” I huffed out a sigh and rested my cheek on my arm, using the table as a pillow of sorts. The comment about their parents did bring up a lot of questions. Questions I’d never asked, and I wasn’t sure why. Who were their parents? And where did they live? And all the normal questions I asked everyone else. I’d known the boys for years, and I’d never found out anything about their backgrounds.
Weird.
“Honey, why don’t you head out there after practice today. I’m sure they’ll show up eventually. You’ve all been playing for years. Invite them back here for a change.”
She’d never offered that option, and I’d never thought of it before. Even weirder.
“Yeah, okay.”
I slouched to my feet and went to my room to change for class. I was teaching a few beginner lyra classes, which I normally really enjoyed. Today I just wanted to see my friends.
***
The humidity was awful and sweat plastered my shirt to my back. I’d brought my swimming suit in hopes that my friends would be there.
When I got to our normal meeting place near the old cabin, a stranger stood there. I stopped, backing away. I’d never seen anyone else in these woods. There was something odd about this stranger, too, but I couldn’t place it. Like, I couldn’t make out his features or something. I shook my head, trying to clear my vision.
“Who are you?”
“Child, what are you doing out here alone?”
