by Lizzy Ford
“You alright?” Beck asked, glancing down at her with a smile.
“Yeah.”
He turned his attention back to the stands, searching for his friends. She gazed around again, enamored by the sense of excitement and normalcy. They climbed the stairs, and Beck stood aside to let her pass. Biji waved at them.
Biji.
Autumn almost stopped, startled she knew the name of the little Indian girl standing on a bench. Her gaze locked on the face that was familiar.
“Biji, Elena, Dylan, this is Autumn, one of the new girls. And you know Adam and Jenna,” Beck said, motioning to the five figures waiting for them.
“Hi, Autumn!” Biji and Jenna chorused.
Jenna waved, and Adam smiled. Autumn sat down beside Biji while Beck sat beside her.
“Beck, I thought you were playing,” Biji said, leaning around her. Her British accent was thick.
“Maybe next week,” Beck said with a shrug. “Football isn’t my thing anyway.”
“He’s got issues,” Biji whispered to Autumn then grinned. “When did you get here?”
“Yesterday.”
Biji’s smile and voice were familiar. Her makeup was flawless and her hair shining with health. Autumn felt happy next to the girl. She saw the air lift a lock of Biji’s hair and realized Biji was an air element like her.
“It’s a good school. We had a rough summer but …” Biji’s gaze grew dark. “Anyway, who are you rooming with?”
“Dawn.”
“Oh, god. I hate that girl! Why she hasn’t crossed to the Dark yet, I don’t know. She’s a bitch.”
Surprised by the vehemence, Autumn glanced at her.
“Happy thoughts, Biji,” Beck said. “You’re too cute to be angry.”
“I totally am, boss.” Biji rolled her eyes.
Autumn listened as the students talked around her. She met Jenna’s gaze more than once. The bubbly brunette smiled in response as she, too, absorbed the dynamics and gossip that flew around them.
“It seems like such a positive place,” Jenna broke into the conversation at last. “I asked Amber, but she wouldn’t tell me about the memorial.”
Autumn looked at Biji as the whole group fell silent. The Indian girl pursed her lips and stared at the football field. Tension filled the air, and no one spoke. Jenna’s face reddened as the silence lengthened.
“How about some cocoa?” Autumn asked, looking at Beck.
“Great idea,” he said and stood. “How many cocoas?”
Everyone raised their hands.
“C’mon.” Beck held out his hand to Autumn. She took it, and he pulled her up.
They made their way through the bleachers to the concession stand and stood in line.
“Good call,” Beck said, his smile back. “Kind of a touchy subject.”
“I noticed. Must’ve been tragic.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, recalling the strange chill and how the whispering elements fell silent.
“Yeah.” His gaze was distant. “You want anything else?”
She shook her head. “I’m going to find the bathrooms, though.”
“I’ll probably still be right here,” he said, lifting his chin to indicate the long line of students between them and the stand. He released her arm.
Autumn smiled at him again and shifted her cane. She’d seen two small buildings between the bleachers. She walked in the narrow walkway behind the stands, listening to the marching band and cheering crowd.
Being at a football game on a Friday night on a date … This was how life should be. Except for the weird superpowers the kids at their school had. She smiled to herself, amused. It was so much better than sitting in a hospital bed waiting for the last round of drugs before bedtime.
Three guys who looked more like college students than high school were walking towards her. Autumn pressed herself against the wall as they passed, but her cane tripped one. He stumbled then turned and stared at her.
“What the hell! You tripped me?” he snapped. His eyes were glazed, unfocused, and she saw one of them shove a bag of what looked like weed into his pocket.
“Sorry,” she murmured and hurried away.
He snatched her before she’d gotten a few steps.
“Look, bitch, you don’t just go around tripping people!” He shoved her against one of his friends as he spoke.
Autumn’s breath caught. They all had the same glazed, drugged look she used to have after taking her pain meds.
“Look, I’m sorry I-“ she started.
“Maybe you should teach her a little lesson, Mark.” The next one shoved her.
“I just might.” The original guy grabbed her again.
“Maybe you should let her go.” The fourth voice was a low growl and came from behind her.
“Look, Mark, someone thinks they’re gonna be a hero.”
The nearest lights on either side winked out, leaving them in the dark.
She heard a footfall a moment before the sound of someone’s fist smashed into the face of another. Autumn was flung against the wall, and she landed in a heap, unable to see much of what happened in the dark of the walkway. There was a lot of scuffling and cursing, the sound of flesh-on-flesh blows then sudden silence.
The light nearest her turned back on. A hand was extended in front of her. Autumn stared at the dark jeans of the teen, startled she didn’t see someone close enough to touch her. She took his hand, and he pulled her up. Cool electricity spun through her and sizzled in her blood, setting it afire.
His magic’s invasion was too intimate. She yanked away and looked up. The night clung to the guy before her, obscuring the true size and width of his frame. He was athletic, with a swimmer’s wide shoulders, muscular chest and lean legs. His features were chiseled, his penetrating gaze as dark as the night. His magick was compelling but terrifying, like the devil offering a deepest wish without revealing the price. He stood close enough for his cool shadows to caress her heated skin. His scent was a heady combination of man and night.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Overwhelmed by his presence, she took a step back and turned to leave.
He was in front of her again. Her breath caught. She shouldn’t find his sensual darkness appealing. She shouldn’t feel intense desire coiling in her lower belly and flying through her blood. Standing toe-to-toe with him, she shouldn’t feel truly alive for the first time she could remember.
He held her gaze, and she heard her own uneven breathing.
“Are you okay?” His voice was unexpectedly soft.
“Yes,” she replied.
His gaze grew more intense. “Who are-“
“God, Decker, don’t scare this one away!” Beck’s voice came from behind her. The guy before her looked up, and she realized how similar his features were to Beck’s. “Decker, meet Autumn, my date. Autumn, my terrifying brother, Decker.” Beck was tenser than she’d seen him yet.
She’d felt a connection to Beck the first time their eyes met. It made sense she’d know his twin, but she didn’t. It wasn’t like meeting someone like Jenna, who she’d never known. It was more like the disturbing feeling she got when she walked near the forbidden path at the school. There was a strange block with Decker, too.
“You shouldn’t let her walk alone after dark,” Decker said.
“I know that,” Beck snapped.
The two brothers glared at each other. Beck held two beverage carriers. His gaze went to the three guys Decker had hit then to Autumn.
“You okay?” he asked, concerned.
She nodded and bent carefully to retrieve her cane. Beck was tense, his gaze riveted to his brother.
“You okay, Decker?” he asked.
“Last one standing, as usual.”
Autumn wasn’t sure if she should smile at the wry comment or not. She feared looking up at the dark-eyed twin in case she fell again into the strange spell and ended up in his arms this night instead of Beck’s car, where she belonged. There was something about Decker t
hat made her body sing, and it scared her. If she remembered Biji’s name, she should remember a feeling that strong!
Yet there was a hole in her memory when it came to Decker.
“I’ll call you later,” Beck said. “We’ve got people waiting for their cocoa.”
He stepped aside, so she could go ahead of him. Autumn did without looking at Decker.
“What happened?” Beck asked after a few steps.
“I don’t really know. Those three guys were walking down the sidewalk. I moved so they could pass but bumped one. He just went crazy,” she said, shivering. “I think they were on drugs. They pushed me around a little, until your brother stepped in.”
“You’re sure you’re ok?”
“I’m fine,” she said, smiling up at him.
“I can take you home.”
“No, no, I’m okay, Beck. Thank you.”
“I’m such a dick,” he muttered. “I knew better. No one goes out after dark without a buddy. It’s one of Amber’s rules.”
“You couldn’t know,” she said. “We’re in a public place.”
“Totally my fault. I’m so sorry, Autumn.” His voice was hushed.
Touched by his concern, she couldn’t help thinking there was another reason he was upset. He and his brother clearly weren’t on good terms. She sensed they would’ve fought each other, if she hadn’t been there.
“It’s not your fault, Beck,” she replied.
“I still feel like crap.”
“Thank you for caring.”
“You’re welcome. For the record, anywhere you go after dark, I go with you, okay? Even if you have to beat on my door in the middle of the night.” His features were grave.
“Okay.” She agreed to make him feel better, but it seemed weird for him to be so serious about it. While shaken by the three thugs, she was more shaken by his brother.
She’d never felt such fire in her blood. Her body came to life with one touch from Decker. Something about their brief meeting made her want to know more.
They rejoined the others. Autumn handed drinks down the line until everyone had one then sat down beside Biji again. She barely paid attention to the game. She couldn’t stop thinking about the run-in with Decker. She felt guilty thinking of him while on a date with Beck.
After the game, Beck took her arm and walked to his car. She sank into the comfortable seat, another warm cup of cocoa in her hands. The night had grown cold quick. Beck pulled out of the stadium parking lot and onto the main road through the border town of Newport.
“Thanks for bringing me with you,” she said, leaning her head against the headrest.
“You’re welcome. Sorry about the issue, though.”
“It’s okay, really.”
“I’ve gotta run a few errands tomorrow, but do you want to hang out Sunday?” he asked.
“Sure.” Secretly, she was cheering at the invitation.
“Did you have any more of your mind reading déjà vu?” he teased.
“With Biji, yes,” she replied. “What a sweetheart. I feel like I know her, too.”
“Yeah, she’s a good girl. She’s loyal, too. She beat up Dawn once. Dawn got mouthy with one of her friends.”
“So that’s why she dislikes Dawn,” Autumn said, smiling. “She’s little, but I can totally see her doing that.”
“She’s a fireball. No déjà vu with Jenna or Decker or anyone else?”
“My déjà vu talk doesn’t weird you out?” she asked.
“Seriously?” He glanced at her. “You just discovered we all have magic powers and you think déjà vu weirds me out?”
She laughed.
“I think some things in life are meant to be. Makes sense you’d feel déjà vu when you find where you’re supposed to be,” he said with a shrug.
“I guess.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I do.” She chewed her lower lip. It was more than simply knowing where she should be. She really felt she’d been here before.
“But…” he prodded.
“It’s silly.”
“What?”
“Well …” She hesitated again. “I don’t feel it with everyone and everything. It seems like selective déjà vu.”
“You felt it with me but not Decker?”
“Right. Isn’t that weird?”
“Yeah, it kinda is,” he admitted.
“Sorry,” she murmured. “I’ve been trying to figure out my world again since the accident. It’s like, I can almost reach the memories but then they’re gone. I think I visited Priest Lake when I was little, because I knew where the road went through town before the van driver took us that way last week. Is this part of our magick? Maybe glimpsing the future?”
“No. Our abilities are derived from nature.” He seemed tense again.
“I’ll stop rambling,” she said.
“How long did the doctors say it’d take for your amnesia to clear?”
“They didn’t know. They said my memory could come back suddenly or never.”
“And you don’t know who you are in the meantime.”
“No,” she whispered.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to rub it in.” He cleared his throat. “You know, considering all that, you’re a lot more … normal than just about everyone else I know.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“I mean that in a positive way. Not sure if it came out that way or not.”
“I understood. My case worker tried to help me remember. She let me read my file.”
“Case worker?” he asked. “Like at the hospital?”
“No, at the orphanage. I’m an orphan.”
Beck said nothing. The tension was back.
“You’re doing it again,” she said, frowning.
“Sorry. Just, uh, thinking about something.”
“You okay?” she asked. Autumn studied him. Something she said upset him. She had no idea what.
“Yeah.” He forced a smile.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“No.”
“Are you going to be washing your hair on Sunday?”
He laughed. “No. We’ll hang out. Promise.”
Chapter Five
Could she tell how freaked out he was? Beck tried to keep smiling and talking. Autumn was eyeing him, though. He thought it strange she showed up to the boarding school with an amulet already but dismissed his instinct. There was no way his mother wouldn’t warn him, right? Weren’t they all in this mess together?
Maybe it was a huge coincidence. He desperately hoped so. He didn’t know how to use his magick anymore than he had almost two months ago. He wasn’t ready for the reincarnated Summer to appear.
“When was your accident?” he asked. “You seem to have healed quickly. I mean, if it was recent.” Nothing he said came out right around her. He wasn’t certain if it was nerves or simply trying to be a decent person. He’d been happy being a semi-normal teen obsessed with blond girls and music. The transition into a protector hadn’t yet clicked like he hoped it would.
“You’re so odd,” Autumn murmured. “Three months this weekend.”
It wasn’t a coincidence. Summer went off a cliff three months ago on Sunday. The placement of her scars, the orphan story, déjà vu … hell, even her name!
The damn former Mistress of Dark kept her secrets too well.
“You’re doing it again!” Autumn exclaimed. “I swear, I’ll walk home, if you don’t stop it.”
Beck almost laughed at her threat, aware she wasn’t going to walk anywhere with her leg like it was. For once, he didn’t say what he thought.
“Did you have fun at the game?” he asked after a long pause. If he didn’t get his mind off his discovery, he was going to go as crazy as Decker.
“I did, thanks. Adam and Jenna will make such a cute couple.”
“Didn’t she just get here?”
“I don’t think that matters to guys like you.”
Beck
did laugh at this. He wasn’t sure what to think, knowing Summer was sitting in the car with him. It was exhilarating to know she was alive. She was also very different than the timid, impressionable girl he remembered, and that made him want to doubt she and Autumn were the same person. He rather liked talking to her, which was a first for him. Normally, he wasn’t as interested in talking to a girl as much as he was figuring out how to get her pants off.
Since breaking up with Dawn, he’d kept his pants on. His father advised him to be more careful, but it was a combination of getting Dawn pregnant and his new role that made him more cautious. He hadn’t come to grips with the idea of being a father and the protector of all Light witchlings.
It was a lot to ask, considering the importance of both to someone who hadn’t wanted to deal with reality before a few weeks ago.
“It sorta sucks,” he voiced out loud.
“Adam and Jenna?” Autumn asked.
“Oh, no. Growing up, I guess.”
“It does. I want to be normal.”
“You’re too cute,” he replied with a grin. “And special.”
“All of us are,” she said. “I mean, we have weird superpowers, right?”
That part of Summer remained, the one that had no idea how beautiful she was. If not for Dawn, Beck might’ve broken his blonds-only rule when Summer arrived to the school a few months ago. Expressive brown eyes, milky skin, hourglass shape and huge breasts. She’d been innocent and sweet. Yeah, he saw what drew Decker to her.
Autumn had a different kind of beauty. She had a delicate build with large, striking blue eyes, long hair that formed natural corkscrews, and a rounder face than Summer’s. She was shorter and slender with a touch of olive to her skin that made her white-blond hair stand out. While gentle, Autumn possessed a more critical eye and thicker skin. She wouldn’t let someone like Dawn push her around, as Summer had.
“None of us will ever be normal,” he said with a snort, mind on the night he made a deal with the forest creatures to reincarnate Summer.
“Keeps things interesting.” Autumn shifted her leg.