Shadows of Jane

by Amy Hale

  “That’s a lie!” Colt’s anger was rising.

  “The gossip is that she is dangerous and needs to be locked up for the safety of others. We can’t let them find her!”

  “Them?”

  “She’s being sought for questioning by the police, and the reporter has been here twice. He’s convinced I’m keeping her location a secret. So, until we figure this all out, she’s not safe.”

  Colt leaned against the wall. “Well, this morning has been full of fun surprises.”

  “What do we do, Colt?”

  He pushed away from the wall and opened the back door. “You keep your eyes and ears open. Update me on everything happening here. I’m going to go look for her.”

  Dr. Weston nodded as Colt turned and jogged to his truck.

  He fired up the engine, but by the time he drove the few short blocks to his own home, his truck was starting to overheat and lose antifreeze.

  He pulled into his driveway and slammed his palms against the steering wheel. “Damn head gaskets!”

  He switched off the engine and decided to swap the truck for his motorcycle. He backed his Harley out of his garage and rumbled toward the highway, intent on finding Jane by any means possible.

  Behind him, Peter followed at a distance with the hopes that Colt would lead him right to the woman who had this sleepy little town in an uproar.

  Lance had just finished his shift at the hospital and realized he hadn’t eaten in hours. Grabbing a breakfast burrito from the cafeteria, he ate as he drove home. His mind was on a hot shower and his soft bed when he passed Colt heading out of town on Highway 60. Jane wasn’t on the back of his Harley, and Lance assumed that meant she was alone.

  He wondered if Colt had chucked her aside like every other woman he spent time with. The thought of Colt hurting Jane made him angry. He felt Jane was special, and it wasn’t because of all the crazy rumors going around. He didn’t believe a word of it.

  Lance had felt a connection with her the first time he talked to her at the hospital, shortly after she’d started to recover from her injuries. It was only a few short minutes, but it had left him looking for excuses to see her. He’d been so busy, and those visits had been short and infrequent, but he’d enjoyed them all the same.

  He thought back to the fire at the shelter. He had no doubt that whatever had started that fire was an innocent accident. When the firemen brought her to his ambulance, she had been in shock and scared. While he’d hated that Jane was not well, he had been thankful for the chance to talk to her, and he admitted to having been more than happy to treat her. After that, he had secretly been hoping that she’d want to get to know him better. Even if it meant she might have a little hero worship, as long as it had sparked her interest, he’d take it. It seemed logical to him that a patient might feel strong positive emotions toward the EMT who had treated her in her time of need. He couldn’t remember an incident where that had actually happened to him, but he could certainly hope it would where Jane was concerned.

  He smiled as he remembered her sitting next to him, her wet hair sticking to her face as she’d huddled under the blanket he’d given her. Once she’d recovered from the initial shock, she’d given him lots of smiles and seemed to enjoy his company—that was, until that testosterone-filled meathead Colt had shown up. Then, Jane had only had eyes for him.

  It just pissed Lance off all over again that women would seem to flock to Colt without him even trying to attract their attention. He’d managed to steal pretty much every girl Lance had asked out in high school. Sure, he had to admit that Colt hadn’t likely done it on purpose. They had even been friends once upon a time. But when puberty had hit, Colt had turned into an Adonis, and Lance had been left behind to be just another guy friend the girls would barely acknowledge. Add that to Colt’s short flings and cocky attitude, and it hadn’t taken long to drive a wedge between them.

  Now, Lance was sure that Colt had tossed aside Jane, and Lance wasn’t going to let this opportunity go by. He hurried home to change clothes, and then he called Dr. Weston.

  “Hey, Doc. It’s Lance. Do you have any idea where Jane is?”

  Dr. Weston blew out a frustrated breath. “That seems to be the question of the day.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Everyone seems to be looking for her, and there isn’t much to go on. Last time I talked to Colt, he was heading out of town to look for her.”

  Lance frowned. So, Colt wasn’t out of the picture after all. “Where was she last seen?”

  “She was at Colt’s cabin. He has a little spot of land not too far from the Ohio River. But she snuck out sometime during the night.”

  Lance remembered that cabin. Mr. Henderson had taken Colt, Brett, and Lance there for a weekend when they were boys. He didn’t remember exactly where it was, but he had a rough idea.

  “Thanks, Doc. I’m gonna look for her, too. If you hear anything, please let me know.”

  “Glad to, son. I hope you fellas find her. She needs us right now.”

  “I’ll find her. I promise.”

  Lance hung up the phone and grabbed his keys. His first concern was finding Jane and keeping her safe. If he found her before Colt, well, that would be a huge bonus in his favor. He wasn’t sure what Colt’s plan was, but he was going to follow the highway. She had to eat and sleep somewhere, so hopefully, someone had seen her.

  Jumping in the driver’s seat, he wasted no time in following the same route Colt had started on earlier that morning. He needed to find her. Colt could have anyone he wanted, but Lance only wanted Jane. This might be his only chance to prove himself to her.

  Colt pulled off the highway and onto a dirt road not far from his cabin. He knew of some trails that Jane could have followed, so he thought it’d be best to check those first. He hated himself for not doing this sooner. He should have taken the trails right after he’d realized she was gone, but he had just been so damn angry that he wasn’t thinking straight. He parked the bike behind a utility shed that had been there for as long as he could remember. It didn’t appear to be used anymore, but it’d work for keeping his motorcycle out of sight while he searched.

  He jogged down the narrower of the two trails, knowing Jane would likely take the less popular path to avoid interacting with anyone. As he walked, he looked for any signs that she’d been there, anything that would tell him he was on the right track. She probably wouldn’t purposely litter, but maybe she had accidentally dropped something or snagged her clothes on a limb. He had several hours before sunset, so he could cover some decent ground between now and then.

  He’d been walking for about an hour when the sun glinted off an object and caught his attention. It was the shiny silver interior of a small piece of wrapper. Upon inspection, he realized it was from a granola bar. In fact, it was the same kind he kept at the cabin. He felt sure this was evidence that he was going in the right direction.

  He continued to walk, hoping to find more, but after another couple of hours, he was back near the beginning where the shorter trail circled around and met with the larger one. If she had gone this way, she would have eventually left the path. He worried about her being lost in the woods. It could be a dangerous place once the sun went down. He needed a different strategy if he was going to locate her soon.

  MY STEPS ARE HEAVY, AS IS MY HEART,

  THE PAIN, IT CALLS FOR DEATH.

  Jane walked along the tree line, doing her best to stay out of sight. She kept the highway in view, so she wouldn’t get lost, but she didn’t want to be seen either just in case Colt or, worse yet, the police were looking for her. She had no idea what Jerry had told everyone or even what she was lawfully obliged to do in this case, but she knew getting arrested wasn’t going to help her situation.

  She’d been walking all day, and she was getting tired. The clouds were starting to roll in, and she feared she’d end up soaked before the day was up. Since she had nowhere to stay for the night, she thought it’d be best to look
for some kind of shelter. Maybe she’d get lucky and find a hunting blind or abandoned shed where she could spend the night. It wouldn’t be near as comfortable as Colt’s cabin, but anything would be better than sleeping in the open.

  The thought of Colt knotted her stomach. By now, he would have seen her note, and he was probably angry with her. She half-expected he’d chase her down, but so far, he hadn’t caught up to her. She should be happy about that, but if she were honest, she was hoping that maybe she meant enough to him that he wouldn’t let her go. She realized how selfish that was. She’d left to keep him safe, so hoping he would find her would defeat the purpose of running in the first place.

  She stopped and placed her palm against the bark of a tree. Then, she placed her forehead on the back of that hand and leaned into it. She closed her eyes and groaned. She didn’t really know what she wanted anymore. She was lonely and afraid. The part of her heart that hadn’t stayed behind with Colt was breaking. With each step that had carried her away, her hope had died a little more. She felt sure that she would be nothing but an empty shell before she found her answers. But she thought that might be a good thing. Numb would surely be preferable to the agony she was experiencing.

  In reality, she didn’t know where she was even going. She needed a better plan than getting away from Colt. Maybe she should call Dr. Weston about those friends of his, if he was still willing to help.

  She sighed and pushed back from the tree, wiping the tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed. A low branch was just in front of her, and she reached out to touch one of the new green leaves attached to it. She rubbed her fingers over the rough surface as she contemplated her situation. She had no idea how to fix any of the problems she faced. Another tear rolled down her cheek, and she let it fall freely. She closed her eyes as a few more followed.

  When she opened her eyes, she noticed the leaf in her hand had wilted to nothing but a brown dry replica of its former self. She gasped in horror as she dropped her hand, and she watched the now dead leaf break off from its perch and fall to the ground.

  Her hands shook. Did I cause that? Her mind reeled at the thought.

  She took a few steps backward, and then she turned and ran. She was heading in the opposite direction of the highway she had been so carefully following, but she no longer cared. Her very existence was a menace to all living things around her. She truly felt that she would be better off dead than living a life full of destruction. She was a disease that needed to be disposed of before her poisoned existence could infect anyone else.

  As she ran, she stumbled and landed just outside the line of trees. She was tempted to curl into a ball and stay there until the elements or wildlife relieved the planet of her miserable presence. Yet some small part of her was still beating inside, pushing her to keep trying. It was a force that suddenly had more control over her actions than anything she’d experienced so far.

  Picking herself up, she brushed off the dirt and took in her surroundings. Before her was a vast field of wildflowers. The sheer beauty robbed her of her voice. She slowly walked toward the middle, looking at the different varieties of colors and sizes. She stopped and sat down, inspecting a tiny purple bloom. She had no idea what it was called, but it was her favorite. These little flowers seemed to dominate the area, giving the field an overall hue of lavender. She would never have guessed that such a treasure existed inside the confines of the frightening wooded exterior.

  Curious, she picked up one bloom and gently held it in her palm. Then, she closed her eyes and thought about her sadness. When she peeked through her lashes, the flower was shriveled and black. She frowned, and then she picked another bloom and again placed it in her open palm. When she closed her eyes, she thought about Colt and the wonderful day they had spent together. She saw a multitude of bright colors behind her eyelids, which seemed to happen when she was happy. This time, when she peeked, the flower was unharmed.

  Jane smiled a little. “Hmm…I wonder.”

  She spent a few minutes pulling up a handful of grass, weeds, and flowers rooted before her. Then, she smoothed out the dirt and placed her palms down, feeling the cool soil beneath her hands. She again focused on things that brought her joy. As she did so, she felt a slight tickle under her fingers, and she opened her eyes.

  Pulling her hand back, she continued to look at the patch of dirt as she embraced the slivers of joy she was feeling. She sat there, amazed, as the soil moved aside, and lovely green shoots rose from the depths of the ground. They continued to rise and then bloom, filling the area she’d touched with more beautiful flowers.

  Her troubles temporarily forgotten, she cleared another small spot, again placing her hands on the dirt. This time, she closed her eyes until the colors became a purple flower, like the first one she’d touched. She willed them to grow. She opened her eyes and watched the bare area come alive with nothing but little purple blooms.

  This could be her answer. She wouldn’t have to hide if she could learn to control her abilities, and out here in the wilderness, away from everyone, seemed like the perfect place to practice.

  The sky above her rumbled as a reminder that rain was coming, but she didn’t care.

  Let it come. She’d find a way to deal with it because she now knew that she was capable of more than destruction.

  The first cool drop hit her on the top of the head, and she looked up. Another hit her cheek and then her forehead. She simply grinned and looked at the cloud above her. It began to rain a little harder, and she continued to look at the cloud as best as she could, despite the rain.

  Without conscious thought, she instinctively lifted a hand to the sky and imagined that the cloud above her was white, fluffy, and free of rain. She brought her hand back to her side, and in an instant, the rain over her had stopped. Sun shone through the cloud, filtering it directly above and around her. The other clouds were still dumping their contents all around, but her little spot was sunny and dry.

  She looked at her hands. “Oh my Lord, I knew how to do that. How did I know that?”

  She continued to stare at her hands in awe. Her past had to have something to do with this. Maybe she’d already known how to control this, but she simply couldn’t remember now. It’d appeared that she was acting on intuition at times even though her previous episodes were when bad things were happening.

  Was it self-preservation? Were my powers protecting me subconsciously?

  These were more questions that needed answers.

  She stood and dusted off her hands. Knowing she’d get wet, she went back to the tree line, but before she left, she looked to the sky. Her hands at her sides, she slightly lifted her palms upward and closed her eyes. The wind began to pick up and slowly swirl around her. Her long red tresses waved and swayed with the current. She exhaled a steady breath and made each hand into a fist. The wind died down, and the entire sky was calm for just a moment. When she released her clenched hands, the cloud above her released its contents in a small torrent, and the rest of the sky quickly joined in.

  As she stood in the midst of wind and rain, Jane smiled. Each brush of the wind and every drop of rain on her skin felt like a new beginning.

  Colt made it home just as the rain had reached town. He’d managed to outrun the weather but not his tail. That nosy reporter had followed him home. He didn’t know how long Peter had been there, but Colt knew the reporter was hoping that he would find Jane. The good news was that if he was following Colt, Peter still had no idea where she was either. She was at least safe from the attention-seeking moron for now.

  Colt climbed off his bike and walked to the edge of the open garage door. Then, he crossed his arms and stared at the dark-haired reporter parked across the street.

  Please do something stupid, so I have a reason to beat you senseless.

  He started imagining the many ways he could get today’s workout in, and it all involved his fist repeatedly hitting the news anchor.

  Peter was looking at something on his p
hone, but when he looked up, he realized Colt had spotted him. They made brief eye contact, and then Colt dropped his arms and stalked toward Peter’s car. His expression was menacing, and Peter had no trouble seeing Colt’s tattoos jumping as his biceps flexed. Peter quickly decided that this was not the time to ask Colt for a chat. He started his car and sped off before Colt had finished crossing the street.

  Clenching his fists and itching to vent his frustrations on someone, Colt watched the coward drive away. He then returned to his house and tried to concentrate on another plan to find Jane. As he unlocked the door, he heard the familiar strains of metal coming from the living room. He tossed his keys on the kitchen counter and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He entered the living room to find Brett peeling the label off of his bottle. His brooding expression was all Colt needed to see to figure out what had happened.

  Brett glanced up from his bottle and then resumed his peeling. “Hey, Colt.”

  “Hey.” Colt took a seat next to him. “So…who was she?”

  Brett sighed. “No one important…anymore.” He took a sip of his beer.

  Colt heaved a sigh of his own. “Yeah. I think I know the feeling.”

  Brett raised his eyebrows. “You? Ha! Colt Henderson never feels anything.”

  Colt chuckled. “I have feelings, dumbass. I’m just careful about who I share them with.”

  “I guess I should have taken a cue from you for a change.” Brett frowned and set down his bottle.

  “No, I’m the last person you should mimic.” Colt looked at his hands and thought about the last time he’d touched Jane. He needed to touch her one more time. He needed to know that she was okay.

  “Colt? You look worried. What happened?”

  “You mean, you haven’t heard?”

  Brett rolled his eyes. “I’m not a hermit. Of course I’ve heard, but rumors have never bothered you before.” He then realized Jane wasn’t with Colt. “Where is she anyway?”