The day before the fire my mother and my father got into a full-out fight. I was thirteen when it all happened. Little did I know that this would end up as the worst day of my life.
Everything was normal and peaceful that day. Mom was cooking supper in the kitchen while I was reading one of my many fantasy series books in my secret spot behind the bookshelf. It hid a window with a large enough ledge to where I was able to sprawl out as I read.
Through the peephole, I saw Dad come down the staircase with two large duffel bags packed. His long black hair was in its usual, small ponytail with the two strands hanging in front of his face. His hazel eyes looked as if they were on fire; I don't think I've ever seen him this mad. Something felt wrong. It didn't seem it was him, but he looked and sounded like my dad. It had to be him.

Dad set the bags down and walked into the kitchen, before saying something to my mom. She turned around looking shocked and said, "Honey, what are you talking about?" She continued on before he could say anything. "Here, supper is nearly ready and we'll be able to talk afterward okay?" Mom turned her back on him to continue cooking, but he obviously didn't want to wait. He grabbed her wrists so she would face him. She looked surprised, scared and in pain.

"Where is she?" He nearly growled. She shook her head saying she didn't know. This time, he really did growl. It sounded menacing, and he pushed Mom down. She landed with a smack.
Dad came stomping into the living room screaming, "Where is she?! Where's Autumn?!" I was too scared, too shocked to move. What was going on? Why was this happening? Was I dreaming? This can't be my dad. He never shouted. He was never violent.
Mom was able to get back on her feet long enough to tackle him to the ground. Somehow, they ended up out the front door and began to wrestle on the front lawn; I saw everything through the window. I had to give Mom credit; she was doing really good defending herself against a man who was a foot taller.
"Your stone." Mom gasped, "Where's your stone?" He didn't seem to hear her. Instead, in her moment of realization, he pinned her down and punched her across the head. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she went limp as he stood up and panted. For a long while, he just stared at her.
Was she dead? No, she couldn't be, she was still breathing. Suddenly, Dad looked up to the sky and yelled. Bright orange-red lights emitted from his open hands as they grew so bright that I eventually had to look away. In a sudden flash, he was gone. It was like he disappeared into thin air, except the grass was scorched and black where he was standing.
I couldn't move for another minute or so. I've never seen my parents like that before. We've always been the ones to joke and laugh; very rarely did an argument appear. I can still remember going hiking or rock climbing or canoeing or just shooting our bows. The list goes on and on. How could something like this ever happen? I shook my head of all thoughts and ran out to my mother.
I shook and yelled and even slapped her across the face to wake her but she wouldn't. In the end, I carried her into the living room and laid her carefully on the couch. From there, I examined her wounds.
She had a golf ball sized lump on her temple and her wrists were red and covered in blisters. I figured she probably landed on the stove when she fell. In the kitchen, I grabbed the first aid kit, turned the stove off, and made me a glass of ice water. After tending to her wrists and wrapping her forehead with gauze, I sat on the ground next to her for there was nothing else I could do. We had no neighbors because we lived in the deep in the mountains and didn't see a need to own a phone since there wasn't any service.
Dad was always away "working" while Mom stayed home with me and homeschooled me. I had no friends so she was the closest to a friend I had. She taught me how to climb trees, search for food out in the woods, to make a shelter and how to use certain weapons. Such as knifes, throwing hatchets, staffs, even the occasional sword fight with sticks. Dad taught me archery.
Sunlight peeked through the window and rested itself on Mom's face. Her long brown hair shined gold in the light and revealed a sheen of sweat on her brow. I looked at my glass of water before glancing back up at my mom. I shrugged, it was worth the try. So, I ended up pouring my whole glass on her face. She shot up like a rocket, gasping and blinking water out from her brown eyes. I was so surprised that I laughed and hugged her.
"Autumn?" She said when she detached me from her. "What's going on? And why am I all wet?" Her seriousness made me want to lighten her up,
"Dad beat you up, knocked you out and then went poof. I carried you in here all by myself and thought you were thirsty so I dumped water on your face. Aren't you proud of me?" It didn't work. I took a breath before I got serious as well, "Why did Dad do that?" She seemed to have remembered what happened as she brought a hand to the large lump on her head.
"I can't tell you . . . maybe later." I didn't argue; Mom looked so wore out and I knew that asking questions was wrong. She gave me a big hug and said, "I'm so sorry. That never should've happened." She let go of me to look into my eyes and changed the subject, “Come help me finish with the soup; it’s almost ready."
After filling up on soup, it was time for me to hit the sack. Even though I was a teenager, I still slept with a stuffed animal and allowed my mom to read me a poem before tucking me in. Her long hair tickled my face as she kissed my forehead. Before walking out, she turned around and said, "I love you Autumn, and I would never let anyone take you away from me."
"I know. I love you too, Mom. Night, night." I replied.
"Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite." She smiled back at me. She cracked my door as I quickly fell asleep.

It seemed that I had slept for only a few seconds before I woke to the sound of the blaring of the fire alarms. Something was terribly wrong. Smoke crawled its way through the crack of my door and I saw a flickering orange glow on the wall of the hallway. I jumped out of my bed to run to Mom's room.

Fire was licking at the tips of her bed sheets when I began screaming and shaking her awake. I hoped she wasn't in a coma. Thankfully, she woke up fast. Sensing danger, she grabbed me by the wrist dragged me out of the room just as the floor of her room gave out. She ran down the steps with me on her tail. I stopped when I remembered something. "My bow and arrows! I can't leave them behind!" I yanked my hand out of Mom's grip and ran back up the stairs to my room.

"Autumn come back!" My mom yelled and ran after me.

I was able to grab them from the head post and swung them over my shoulder before Mom caught up with me and dragged me with her. She went bombarding down the blazing steps at a break neck pace as she protected me from burning debris. The smoke was so thick that just after one breath full I ended up gagging and coughing, unable to breath. We were just at the bottom of the steps when all of a sudden the roof caved in.
A pole came and wacked Mom from the back of the head as a piece of shrapnel grazed my forehead. The blow was so strong that it ripped me from Mom's arms and forced me to tumble near the front door. I looked back at Mom to see her grunting and struggling to free herself from the large burning log that pinned her down to the floor. She screamed as she tried to move her legs. I ran towards her and tried to lift the heavy log off from her. I couldn't and grabbed a stick to roll it off. My mother stopped me.

"Autumn." Her voice got scary calm as she looked into my eyes. No. I wasn't going to accept it.

"No, Mom. I can get you out of here. Just hang on." I jammed the stick under the log and pushed. I groaned in my attempt but the stick broke in half by then. She said my name again, "Just hang on, Mom. Everything is going to be okay. I can save you." I began picking the log up again; this time it lifted an inch but my grip slipped. It fell back down and the roof groaned. Mom grabbed a hold on my arm.

"Autumn, stop it. You don't have much time left." Tears rolled down my face. She was going to stay behind. "Now listen to every word I say carefully. I want you to find Raven and live with her. She'll explain everything you need to know about Gandimonian. I love you sweetheart." She reached out, grabbed my right wrist, and kissed the palm. Pain licked my hand as if it was on fire. Left behind was a quarter sized scar. "Promise me something first," She continued as the roof groaned, "Never forget who you are. Promise to stay your true self." More tears rolled down our cheeks as I made my promise. The roof cracked and groaned once more. "Go Celestial."

I ran and jumped through the fiery doorway, tumbling onto the hard dirt ground just as the roof fully collapsed. Inside I could hear my mother screaming as the tons of burning wood and shrapnel landed right on top of her. "Mom!" I cried out while getting up and running for the door. Someone strong yanked my arm back but I broke loose and ran more. They caught up and picked me up this time stopping me in my tracks. I kicked and struggled as tears streamed down my face.

"Mom." I cried weakly.

"She's gone kiddo" said a deep, sorrowful voice. This belonged to the person holding me. He put me down and I looked at his face seeing that he was wearing a dull, yellow, bulky suit and a bright red helmet saying he was a firefighter. He had blond hair, blue eyes and looked as if he was a surfer. The firefighters must've come while Mom was pinned down.

The sirens wailed through the night as the red and yellow lights flashed and men ran with hoses in hand, shooting water at the fire. But they were too late. Mom was gone and there was nothing I could do. How could anyone feel so empty but full of pain at the same time? I couldn't accept it. I punched the guy on his chest over and over again with both fists. His suit blocked the blows and he grabbed my wrists. By that time, I collapsed on the ground and sobbed into my knees.

"Look the fire's gone. Please don't cry." I looked up to find smoke trialing from the burnt wreckage. A twitch of movement caught my eye from the woods behind the house. A light flickered and flashed before it disappeared. I ruled it out as a trick of the light before the man spoke again, "Come on, your bleeding" He picked me up and set me in the back of an ambulance as someone plopped an oxygen mask on my face.

My wounds consisted of a deep gash on my eyebrow, where the shrapnel hit me, and a burn where Mom had kissed me. It reminded me of a maple leaf. I glanced in the window at my reflection and saw my face tear streaked, black with soot, and blood stained. My braid was singed off at least by three inches and was white with ash. The paramedics had wrapped a gauze around my head which had already been bled through and put ointment on my burn, dulling the pain.

Before they slammed the doors of the car, they asked if they could take my bow and arrows. Faithfully, I clutched them closer and shook my head. Surprisingly, they allowed me to keep them. I went to the hospital and they gave me stitches on my eyebrow leaving a bald spot. Mom's body was never found so there was no funeral for nobody but me to attend to.

Knowing I had no one else to take care of me, I was sent to live in an orphans home. People thought I was crazy when I asked them about Gandimonian or the woman with a bird's name. So, I just pushed them out of my mind; I had more problems to worry about. My hair had to be cut so short I was easily mistaken for a boy when I wore my guy clothes. The other girls there constantly picked on me, saying "Ew, there’s a boy in the girl's bathroom" or have signs on their doors saying "No boy's allowed."

I was always alone reading or writing until this new girl came and talked to me, she actually wanted to be my friend. She was one of those tough girls who would beat up anybody when they said something she didn't like, which she did each time they made fun of me.

Her name was Heather. She wasn't muscular like you would think but instead she was just smart, cunning and clever. She was caught doing grand theft auto and in possession of a gun and a switchblade. Heather was in a gang and had the tattoo to prove it. Her parents had a great lawyer and she left with no charges pressed.

Once they got back home, she tried hotwiring her neighbor’s car. Her parents got sick of caring for her. In their result, they dumped her off here. She always had that hard look in her blue eyes, but I was the only one who could break down her shell by making her laugh and smile. I helped her find her gift of drawing; we quickly became sisters.

A few months later, I was called to the office. The firefighter who saved me was there to adopt me. I told him I wouldn't leave without Heather; he agreed to adopt her as well. The man's name was Cade and he took care of us. He would take us where ever we wanted to go on weekends, most of the time we went surfing at the beach. But there’s always something bad to a good thing.

His wife, Ellyn, didn't want us. She scolded us for everything, especially because we didn't know sign language. Oh, yea, she's deaf. She would get so mad at us when we made a mistake in our sign language but Cade would make it better by taking us out or buying me new books.
I was positive that someone must have killed my mother. I wasn't going to believe my mother's death was an accident. What about that shadow? And flash of light? Was that just my imagination? Or could that have been the murderer? Either way, I was going to find this person and seek my revenge. I was going to kill them with my own bow and arrows.

"Are you the Raven my mother wanted me to find?" She nodded and noticed I was rubbing my leaf scar. She asked if she could see it, so I showed it to her. Her hands were soft and warm against my cold ones. Her eyes became hard and serious.
"How did you get this?" She wondered quietly.
"From the fire my mom died in." I replied, "She kissed me there right before she passed away."
"How old are you now?" Raven asked quickly.
"I'll be sixteen in a few days, why?" She looked up at me with a weird look in her eyes. "What?" I asked, "What wrong?" She looked back down muttering something. With my sensitive hearing, I heard her say,
"She can't be . . . If- if she is then . . . the prophecy is coming true" Raven whispered looking back up at me with wide eyes.
"What prophecy? What in the world are you talking about?" I replied. She released my arm before leaning back on her stump.
"Have you ever felt different from everybody else? Like you don't belong?" She asked.
Thinking back . . . I have. All through-out my life actually. Ellyn would make fun at me for the way I wear guy clothes, that I would read during class, eventually getting caught and having it taken away from me and every time I did something wrong. At the orphanage too when I was mocked for being a tomboy. But then again that's normal, just a teenage outcast. I always had this feeling that I was the missing puzzle piece. Wondering what I was doing here in this puzzle, like I didn't belong.
"Yea, but that's what's becoming a teenager is all about." I lied.
"No Autumn, there is much you need to learn about yourself." She replied, "Think hard back before your mom died. Have you ever wondered where your father worked? Or what he did?"
"Maybe, but what's that got to do anything?"
"Everything. Autumn, you are different. You don't belong in this world." I was confused. This was making less and less sense.
"This world? There are others?" She smiled slightly.
"Think of a world where trees could walk, mountains are alive, and people have every type of power you could ever imagine."
I couldn't help it . . . but I laughed.
"Sure, if that was real, why didn't you grab a couple of your buddies on the night mom died and saved her? Why come to me and tell me this now?!" Suddenly I was on my feet shouting in her face. A rush of power ran down my arms and my head became clouded with rage.
"You're just another idiot who just loves to pick on the weirdo. The tomboy. The orphan. The bookworm. The freak! Just like Ellyn and that retarded school!" I paused to take a breath. I hated shouting at people but it just kept coming. "How do you expect me to frigging believe you when so many people told me to go live under a rock. Or when they just freaking ignored me?! This is stupid. You're stupid! Stupid to be even be to telling me all this crap! Why can't you people just leave me alone?! I'm sick of it!" I ended lamely and I found myself walking out the door. I was only two feet away before Raven came to her senses and came running toward the hole in the tree shouting,
"Don't you want to get back at the person who killed your mother? The man who left you behind to die?" I stopped in my tracks. Was she meaning my dad? No he would never do something like that . . . Or would he?
"Let me show you that I'm telling you the truth. That I'm not like those people who make fun of who you are. I agree with you, it’s not right and I'm sorry you had to go through that. But if you just please trust me, I promise I will help you through your misery and pain. Please. I'm begging you." I turned around to stare at her in the eyes. They told me she was telling me the truth.
"How? Oh wait let me guess . . . you're going to tell me you're one of the people who have powers?" Her eyes sparked as her mouth curved into a sly full smirk.
"Oh, I'm not going to just tell you about it. I'm going to show you. But you must trust me first." I paused to think before hesitantly walking back into the tree. I took my place back on the bed as Raven strode in front of the fire place.
"Ok then. Show me this so-called power of yours."
She didn't say anything, just stood with her eyes closed for a while and calmed her breathing. The cold wind found its way through the doorway as it surrounded her, blowing her robes open as they wrapped around her. She began to shrink and her robes turned into a silky black. So black, it glazed with purple and blue. Then before I knew it, I was looking at an actual raven. It stared up at me from the ground with its electric blue eyes. I gasped in disbelief.
"Raven? Is that you?" The bird cawed once then in a flash I was once again looking at Raven. Questions bubbled up inside of me as she gave me a full toothed grin.
"How- How did you do that?" Was the first question that came out. She was relieved that I was beginning to trust her.
"I can change my shape into any type of bird of my choice. That was the power I was born with. Each Ath, who are people with powers, obtain a stone with their type of power engraved once it has been discovered. Here I'll show you mine." She pulled up her robes just above her hand to where I could see a blackish-blue stone hanging off a piece of twine around her wrist. On it, I could distinctly make out the shape of a bird carved into the hard surface.
"Why do you choose a bird? Why not choose a wolf for example?" I asked secondly. Of course I would. A wolf was my favorite animal.
"I can't choose what type of animal I change into.” She replied, "I can only change into the type of animal I feel closest to." I laughed at my own stupidity.
"Oh! I get it! 'Raven' as in the bird. Smooth." She laughed with me; she was easy to get along with. All the anger I had towards her disappeared. I felt as if I knew her for a long time.
"Yes, I know. My mother just had to name me after the mountain I live on." After we stopped laughing I continued on my questionnaire.
"Are there any people in your- I mean, our world that don't have powers?"
"Yes, we call them 'Drates'. Most families use them as housekeepers or slaves. But only to hide from the soldiers." She replied.
"That's horrible!" I exclaimed. She shrugged as if nothing could be done about it.
"I know; most families are nice to them though."
"Still, I think they should deserve better." I pouted. "It's not their fault." She chuckled,
"Ah, if only you knew." She stopped herself, "I mean, you're not the only one who thinks that."
Suddenly, she became fuzzy and out of focus. Like when you take off your glasses but she became clear again. Raven looked up with a frown.
"Shoot." She said. "Someone's trying to wake you up."
"I'm asleep? This is just a dream?" She nodded but replied,
"It's the only way I can talk to you. When you let your mind wander that is. That scar of yours links us together which makes us able to talk." She became blurry again but snapped back. "Look we don't have much time left. I know what you're planning and I'm going to have my friend teleport you to Gandimonian when the time is right."
"Wait! Don't go! I'm sorry for being so rude earlier. I didn't mean it." I apologized. Raven smiled lovingly.
"I understand, honey." Honey? Only Mom called me that . . . But, I kind of liked how she used it. It felt good. Like, I was loved. "Go, I'll meet with you again soon." Those were her last words before she went completely out of focus.

My light flipped on with a hoarse scream of my name. I tried to pull the covers over my head. I wanted to go back to Raven. But the blankets were ripped from my grip. This was enough to make me mad and sit up.
"What do you want?!" I signed angrily to my foster mother.
"Don't give me that attitude." Her fist hit her chest hard when she said 'attitude'. "You're late for school. Get up. Heather already left so I have to take you." She glanced at her watch. "Hurry up! You're making me late for work!" They had vacation in St. Augustine, right? Or did she really forget? How stupid could you get?
"It's Thanksgiving Break, smart one. Meaning, we have no school." Ellyn hated to be wrong and in my satisfaction I laid back down to sleep. Fat chance. She yanked me out of bed.
"Then you're coming with me." She gave me the 'I'm-better-than-you-and-there’s-nothing-you-can-do-about-it' face. "Get dressed. Leven will be there." I rolled my glaring eyes at her. She knew we were just friends but she made it her objective to make my life a living Hell. It’s true. She told Leven's parents that I had a huge crush on him, they told him, and then she told everyone at school. As if school wasn't already bad enough. Leven didn't believe it, but since then he's kind of tuned me out. "You'll have chores when we get back." Ellyn continued when we got in her car.
"Joy." I muttered. Ellyn Bark was about 50 years old; almost 10 years older than her husband, Cade. She has oily, frizzy, blackish, brown hair, and gray eyes. Her nose was crooked and she had a slight under bite. And she was deaf. Yes, deaf. I believe I've mentioned that before. She works at the deaf school where she teaches the high school kids.
I was secretly glad she was taking me to work with her. I loved talking to all the people there, hearing and deaf. They've all grown to love me, despite all the crazy stories Ellyn tells them. My favorite person in the whole world would have to be the librarian, Carol Brown. She wasn't very old, but she had short, feathery, gray hair and wore glasses. She, as well, was deaf. She couldn't walk all that great because her feet were turned so outwardly that she would have to waddle everywhere. She was very ticklish, easy to scare and loved to laugh. I loved her to death.
When Ellyn parked the car, I quickly hopped out and headed straight for the library. She yelled for me to come back and asked me where I thought I was going. "Bathroom." The lie was useless,
"Don't lie to me," This was her favorite quote. Apparently she thought everything I said was a lie. "You are staying with me." I could have kicked the car I was so frustrated. Instead, I tried to compromise.
"May I please go to the library? Miss. Brown asked for me to help her. I'll stay out of your way for the whole day and leave you alone." Although it was tempting to her, she still refused.
"Not happening. Those books will rot your brains out. They fill your head with ridiculous stories." She laughed to mock me. How could anybody say something like that? Stories were not ridiculous. They were created to spread hope and happiness of adventures and journeys. If I didn't read or write, I'd go crazy. Books meant the world to me. They were my friends. They were my escape.
Ellyn would never understand how I thought and I gave up; I was tired of fighting. When she opened her door and pushed me in, I felt like a prisoner being sent to their doom. The room was a mess. The desks were toppled over; paper and mud littered the floor.
"I need this cleaned up,” She looked at the clock, "You have about 30 minutes before the ninth graders arrive." She went to her desk and brought out a bag of food . . . my bag of food. My stomach growled; I didn't eat breakfast. She gave me a mocking thumbs up and a smile, "Have fun!" And walked out.
I picked the paper up first and shoved them in the pockets of my dark brown cargo pants; they'll come to great use later. I started by stacking the desks up and then grabbed a broom to sweep. Just to piss her off, I dumped the debris into her desk. I figured, give her something more. I was feeling mischievous today. I set the desks back and mopped the rest of the mud up, leaving the floor wet and slippery. After a few minutes of sliding around and enjoying myself, I grabbed a dry erase marker and wrote,
Dear Mrs. Bark,
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I'm about to be dead,
All because of you.
Then I pulled the projector screen over it and made it say,
"Students, please take your seat. For your warm-up I would like for you to draw pictures of me wearing a banana suit, eating ice cream and riding a horse. I do love chocolate chip mint ice cream so make sure to draw a lot. When finished, tape them on the board."
I settled myself into a desk in the front of the room as the students slipped and fell into the room. They laughed and slid around to their seats before pulling out their binders and began drawing. The class joked and giggled at their drawings. I have to say, they were geniuses. They made a comic out of the pictures. First one was stick figures, and by each picture the banana got bigger and bigger with more and more scoops of ice cream. Eventually the scoops disappeared and turned into a tub of ice cream, and then the horse died. That’s when I added my picture. I tore out the bottom middle and drew a banana split being landed on by the horse. I place the drawing below the ripped paper, the class busted out laughing.
Finally the teacher arrived. The floor had dried by then and she didn't slip, but she saw the children smiling and became suspicious. "What’s up?" she asked as she turned. Her face flushed and the class burst out laughing. "Who did this?" Ellyn asked. Everyone raised their hands. She threw the drawings in the trash and glared at me.
As she taught, I made faces and mocked her. When she turned I would pretend to be bored and playing tic-tac-toe. Half-way through class, I'd draw what she would be saying and showed it to the class. They laughed some more. At last she caught on and took my papers from me. She opened her desk to put them away and received a face full of dirt.
"Oops." I had forgotten about that. The students roared with laughter as Ellyn wiped her face off and grabbed her ruler. As she advanced towards me, I quickly pulled the screen up in my defense. She read the poem and dragged me by my hair into the hallway. The class 'ooh'ed but became silent when even the hard of hearing heard the first slap of the ruler across my face.
"Not so funny now, huh?" She hit me again to the ear. The blow staggered me and she took the chance to slap me with her hand. Ellyn's wedding ring opened a gash on my lip before I fell to the ground, hard. She saw the need to kick me in the stomach one good last time, twice. I gasped for breath and gagged. I'm glad I didn't eat now.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Leven's freckled face, watching me from behind his glasses around the corner. Before I could ask for help, Ellyn snatched me up and pushed me into her room. I toppled over and landed on my elbow after hitting my head on a desk. Slowly, I dragged myself to the back of the room clutching my stomach with my injured arm. The students looked at me in shock; they saw everything. Mission accomplished. Now they knew her real personality.
She slammed the door with a loud boom and all attention focused on her. They didn't want to end up like me. She smiled sweetly, as if nothing had happened, and continued teaching her class. She was still trying to maintain her reputation. While their heads were turned, I reached for the box of tissues above me and sopped up my dripping blood. Soon enough, a student gathered the courage to ask if I was okay. I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yea, I'm fine. She does this everyday anyways. Don't worry about me. I'm used to it." His eyes widened when he gulped and turned away. It was at this time when the bell rang to dismiss the class. They wasted no time in their attempt to leave. The next class filed in nervously, as if they already knew about what happened.
"Mrs. Bark?" My head snapped up when I heard Leven's voice when he signed. What was he doing? Ellyn looked up from her desk and smiled innocently to him. "Do you think I could borrow Autumn? Miss. Brown asked for her earlier and she hasn't showed up. Her feet are hurting her again and I'm useless when it comes to organizing." He smiled a smile that showed the gap between his teeth. She glanced at me with disgust; she wanted me gone.
"For how long?" I began praying,
"Please say the whole day. Please say the whole day. Please say-"
"It may take her the whole day to do." He replied. Leven, you are my lifesaver.
"Fine, she may go." Leven had to help me up. My arm went over his shoulders and his went awkwardly around my waist. To rub it in her face, I slowly dropped my blood ridden tissues in the trash and spat out the blood that was gathering in my mouth. If you could have only seen the look on the classes face.

We made our way to the library at a painstakingly slow pace because of my aching stomach and limbs. Carol Brown was waiting for us in the back room. I literally fell into her arms. She placed me on the table and patched me up as I told her my situation. After we were both done she made me a cup of hot tea with milk and mint leaves. It was the most relaxing drink and it calmed my upset stomach.
"You never should have done that, Autumn. Never open the door of temptation. Sin always over comes you that way . . . She's going to kill you when she gets home." That was no exaggeration and she knew it; her face was full of worry.
"I'm sorry. I just couldn't stand it anymore. She pisses me off so bad." I saw her face, "Sorry, language, I know. But she got what she deserved."
"I can't say that she didn't get what she deserved, but it was still wrong for you to do that." She cocked her head, "Look where it’s gotten to you." Miss. Brown gestured to my swollen face, bruised ribs, and the blood that was now coming out of both my lip and ear. Ellyn's footprint was covered in dirt on my black hoodie and you could see her handprint plastered across my cheek.
"She would have done it eventually. Besides she can't kill me. A. She'll go to jail. And B. I can defend myself, if not, Cade or Heather will stop her."
"That’s not how I saw it." scoffed Leven, who sat on the table with me. I slapped him hard, but playfully.
"Because I wanted her to do that, smart one. Now everyone knows she’s not the woman they thought she was. Maybe now she'll be fired. She can't keep on teaching kids if she beats the ones she has at home."
"She won't be fired just because she beats you."
"No. But she might, or at least arrested if I run away." Crap. How could I have let that slip?! Leven and I had stopped signing but Carol Brown was great at lip reading.
"You're running away?" There were tears in her eyes, but she let them spill and placed her head in her hands when I nodded. Leven took over the job of asking questions. He was always a curious child.
"Is Heather going with you?" Once again I nodded. He rubbed a hand through his short, dark brown hair; the cowlick of his bangs never went away. Then he asked the question nobody wanted to ask. "What about the Trackers? Won't they find you?" Trackers were specialized people who hunted down criminals and run aways. Dead or Alive.
"Eventually." I whispered. Carol Brown lifted her head from her hands and took a deep breath. She was being strong for me.
"When? When will you leave?" Her face was serious.
"Tonight." I saw her swallow; it was sooner than she expected.
"Do you have everything ready?" My heart lifted, she was encouraging me!
"Everything and more." I replied. Leven was the next to ask,
"How did you get everything?" This question made me uncomfortable, but this was my last day to see them. I might as well tell them. I fiddled with the sleeves of my hoodie before pushing them up. This revealed the cigarette burns that traced up my arms. The one from last night was beginning to scab over, but was still red and inflamed. Carol Brown gasped and Leven's eyes widened.
"Ellyn noticed the things disappearing, but we managed." I rolled the sleeves back down before they could say much more and took a sip of my tea.
"Damn,” Leven recently got in the habit of cussing. Heather most likely taught him. "I don't blame you for running away. I thought high school was bad enough for you." I shuddered and sunk my hand into my long hair. I refused to get it cut since the fire.
"Don't remind me." He did anyways.
"I can't believe that gym teacher got in your face and cussed you out for being in the girls line. Did you see how red his face was? I swear I thought he was going to pop a blood vessel till you told him you were a girl. That whole gym class laughed about that for weeks!" I placed my head in my hands as he continued.
"And remember when a teacher wanted you to answer a question on the first day?" He made his voice low to imitate the teachers voice, “'Young man on the back row, do you know the answer?'"
"He realized his mistake when I raised my head and answered, 'Yes ma'am, I do.'" I told Leven. He laughed out loud,
"'Don't be such a smart ass.'" Leven quoted, then made his voice to match mine, "'Oh, I'm sorry. I thought we were calling each other from the opposite gender.' He got so mad when you walked out of his class after that." His laughter became uncontainable now. I wish he would just stop, but he wouldn't.
"And then for the bathroom break when that guy ran out of the classroom to pull the back of your shirt saying 'Whoa dude, that’s the girls bathroom.'" He laughed some more, "And- and when all the girls came screaming out of the bathroom 'There's a guy in the bathroom! A guy in the bathroom!'"
"Leven, shut up!" I shouted. He saw my anger and his smile disappeared.
"Sorry . . .” He muttered before walking away. I felt guilty for shouting, but too upset to apologize. I brought my knees to my chest and continued to drink the calming tea. Miss. Brown got up and sorted through a box of books. The smell and sound of old pages rustling together made me curious and I began helping her.
My hand came across a very familiar book; I picked it up. The book was slightly larger than my hand and looked like the edges were burnt. However, the beautifully painted pansies were still visible. The spine creaked with age as I flipped to the title page.
Poems
By
Henry W. Longfellow
My eyebrows crossed; it couldn't be the same book. I looked at the back of the cover, a name was written in cursive.
Chermain Franklin
My mouth dropped. It was my mom's name. It was the same book. This was my mothers old poem book. It was from this book that she would read to me before bedtime. Miss. Brown saw my facial expression and looked at the book.
"It's my moms. Where did you get these books from?" I began rummaging through the stacks to find any more that once belonged to my mom. There were none.
"They were donated, sweetie." She noticed how attracted I was to the book. "You keep it. It belongs to you." She smiled at me, "God must have placed it here for you to find." I almost rolled my eyes at her; she was still trying to make me believe. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I believed it could've been true. I hugged Carol Brown tightly and she gave me her 'I love you' sign where she wiggled her fingers into a wave. I was going to remember that for the rest of my life.

After a long time of repairing the damage done to the book, I volunteered to catalog and place the books on the shelves. Miss. Brown gratefully rested her feet. It was very relaxing to fall into the routine and I soon forgot about my stresses. It was only until five boxes of books later when I saw Leven sitting on the far window sill. Now that I was in my right state of mind, I figured I should go apologize. Setting the remaining books down and sighing, I made my way to the window. He was twirling a pair of scissors in his hands.
"You better not stick that in the outlet again." Like I said, he was a curious child. Leven cracked a smile, but it quickly fell away when he looked back out the window. His jaw was twitching; he was worried. Slowly, the scissors stopped twirling and he took a breath.
"What are you going to do when the Trackers find you?" I knew he was going to ask that. I leaned my head against the cool glass; the feeling helped me think.
"If-" And a big 'if' at that. 'When' would have been a better word, "they find us . . . well . . . we'll fight 'em." He closed his eyes and shook his head. Each sentence was a stab in the chest.
"They'll kill you." Stab. I need to start accepting that. "They've done so to others." I know that. Stab. "You won't matter in their lives." Stab. Ouch, that hurt. "Don't waste your life like your mom did." Swords stabbed all the way through my chest. I grabbed the scissors from Leven's hands and held it at his throat. He was referring to the story of my mom being drunk and setting the house on fire herself. Ellyn's version. I was going to make him pay. Make him feel like I did.
"Don't. You. Dare. Talk. About. My. Mother. Like. That." I spat the words out in his face. The anger fueled through me as I forced his chin up. "You didn't know her. What do you know?! All you know is lies! Maybe I want to be dead! Let them kill me!" The scissors opened and I pinned him against the wall.
"Autumn, stop this. Take a deep breath." How dare he give me orders. I was the one with the weapon. I was the powerful one here. I was the one in control of the situation. Not him. That puny, little, know-it-all, mother fu-
An involuntary gasp ripped through me and the anger was sapped away. The scissors landed with a thud against the carpet floor. The room spinned and my legs shook. It was hard to breathe. I crouched on the floor with my knees in my face. I can't cry. I took a breath. Not here in front of Leven. Breathe. Don't cry. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out.
I lifted my head to find Leven rubbing his neck. "I'm so sorry." The whispered apology cracked. I cleared my throat and tried again, "I don't know what came over me." He sat on the ground next to me.
"It's okay. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have mentioned that. It was wrong. Besides, you didn't mean it." He wasn't talking about the scissors.
"That’s the problem. I did. I meant every word." The whisper slapped him. "I'd rather be dead with my mom than live another day with that woman. You saw what she did." He looked away and nodded. He was beginning to accept my fate just as I was. I felt his hand slip into mine and my eyes jerked up to his. This time he didn't look away.
"I'm going to miss you, Autumn." My chest squeezed and my throat tightened; he was sincere. The tears burned in my eyes but I forced them back.
"I'm going to miss you too, Leven." This was true. He was the one I was most reluctant to leave behind. I rested my head on his bony shoulder. I was so tired; all I wanted to do was sleep. I should considering we were leaving late tonight but Ellyn walked in and saw us. She sneered at our held hands and my head on his shoulder; I could have cared less.
I hugged Leven for as long as I could. "Goodbye." I whispered in his ear.
"Be careful." A tear of his fell on the back of my neck before I let go and kissed another tear on his cheek. Quickly, I turned and walked out with Ellyn. I didn't look back.

I was a little surprised that Ellyn didn't just leave me and have Heather pick me up later. But when we arrived home, I saw Heather's car was still gone. Where would she be? And why didn't she take me? Ellyn interrupted my thoughts,
"Laundry then hang on line. Dishes by hand. Windows washed, rooms cleaned, furniture polished, and wood chopped. Be done before Cade gets home." I didn't reply, just left the room. I was tired of playing around and did the work with no real purpose.
I did the hardest and most time consuming first. While the polish dried, I did the windows, cleaned and swept the rooms and gathered all the dirty clothes. The laundry went as I washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen for an extra measure. Finally the clothes were clean and I laid them carefully on the clothes line. I don't understand why we didn't just use the dryer, but seeing Ellyn's bloomers waving in the wind for the entire world to see made me smile. It's the little things in life.
Chopping wood was always my favorite chore in the world; it made me forget about my stresses. I placed all of my anger into the go-devil until it resonated out the end with a satisfying crack of the wood. I was proud to be the one to take on this job. Plus, it kept me in fit. I sent down another cracking blow. My aim was deadly.
My body went on auto-pilot and my mind wandered back to Raven. I wondered what she was doing, what she was like, and when I'd meet her again. She reminded me of my dad; the good side of course. Her sharp eyes, jet black hair, the shape of her face, even the way she carried herself reminded me of him. Where was my dad anyways? Has he gone back to the person he was? Or did his anger overcome him? Will he come back for me? Does he even know I'm alive?
The go-devil bounced off the log and was jerked from my grip. The head buried itself in the ground. I cursed silently as I rubbed my sore muscles and ribs; they still hurt from the beating. The pains reminded me I shouldn’t think about ‘what if’ and concentrate on 'what is'. A bead of sweat rolled down my face; three wheelbarrows should last long enough.
I looked around to see if Ellyn was near before I stacked two in Heather's trunk. Heather's trunk! Where was she anyways? I shrugged; probably in the room, painting. I finished stacking and grabbed my throwing hatchet I hid in the bushes. I really should sleep and rest my muscles, but I was too strung up.
The hatchet slipped through my hand and flipped once before lodging in the center by the tip. I scolded myself and kept throwing until I received a full bladed bull’s-eye at least three times in a row. Then, I moved back to the twelve pace line and began throwing from there.
"You shouldn't throw those when Ellyn’s here." It was Heather. I threw one just in spite of her. Thunk. Bull’s-eye. Full bladed. Death.
"Knowing Ellyn, she's on the computer playing games, talking to her friends on video chat, or eating junk food and watching television." Thunk. Another bull’s-eye. I was as good at hatchet throwing as I was at archery. "Where have you been all day?" Thunk.
"Take a guess." My swing faltered and the hatchet went flying after it skimmed by the target. I could have face palmed; she was moving the rest of the supplies. I returned the hatchet to the bushes and finally looked at Heather.
She had her arms crossed as she leaned against the tree trunk. Her wavy brown hair was wet from a shower, but her eyes were still red from tears. She just got back from saying her goodbyes to her boyfriend. That’s why she didn't want me to come . . . She knew that I knew and quickly looked away. Before I could place a comforting arm over her shoulder, she walked off. I would have stayed behind to climb a tree, but the sun had set and its warmth was fading fast. I followed solemnly.

Our room was littered with crumpled wads of paper, dirty clothes, and food we snuck down from the kitchen, before I cleaned it earlier that day. Now we had room to make more of a mess. I was sprawled on the hard wood flooring and Heather sat on her bunk bed, it was the bottom one. My legs crossed and waved in the air as I read and hummed. Heather was painting a picture.
Heather's corkboard overflowed with pictures of me reading, climbing trees, and shooting my bow. She also drew a picture of me and her laughing together and tons of pictures of nature. Being a girl from a gang made her hard, but when she drew . . . there was no expression that could describe it. All her emotions just flowed through her pencil or brush. They were simply beautiful.
Her wood carvings were amazing as well. I knew she was skilled in using a knife, but not in this way. I was glad that she used her talents for good now. She sold some of her artwork and donated the money to the Children's Hospital. She loved carving so much that she taught me how. I'd hate to brag, but I'm as good as she is now. When she finished carving, she would paint them. They were so detailed and colorful that you could have sworn they were real. She was an artist at heart.
"Damn it . . ." Heather cursed; she dropped purple paint on her white t-shirt.
"Good thing purple's your favorite color." I said without looking up.
"Yea, yea." She mumbled, then cursed again when she tried to wipe it off and smeared it. I glanced up and had an idea.
"Paint a heather flower on your shirt and have the stem wrap around your body. That'll look cool." I suggested. Heather cocked her eyebrow and glanced between me and the shirt. She was slightly biting her lip; she did that when she thought.
"You think so?" I nodded and so she slipped her shirt off; she was wearing a gray tank top underneath. The tattoo on her shoulder blade peeked from underneath. It was a crescent moon with tiny stars surrounding it. I thought it was the coolest tattoo ever. I was pretty sure she was the one who designed it in the first place. Watching Heather paint so deep in concentration made me smile. This was my favorite time of day. The time when I could find peace, be able to relax, and chill with Heather. I went on smiling, reading and humming happily. That was until . . .
The door to our room flew open with Ellyn standing behind it. She was holding my throwing hatchet; didn't I put that away?
"Have you been throwing these again?" I sat up and shook my head with wide eyes. Heather scolded me without Ellyn noticing.
"I told you not to throw those with her around." Her mouth barely moved. Ellyn went on without a pause.
"Don't lie to me." There’s that saying again . . . "I found this in the log." Now that was a lie.
"You told me to chop wood, remember?" I gave her a face that made her take a step forward and hold the hatchet higher. I balanced myself on the balls of my feet, ready to pounce. Heather didn't know sign language as well as I did, but she knew a threat when she saw one.
"Hey bitch." I told you she wasn't afraid of to use her list of profanities. "I suggest you put the hatchet down before I come over there and kick your ass." I snorted and grinned at her input. Ellyn saw.
"You think that’s funny?" I smiled back at her and gave her a sarcastic answer,
"Nah, I was just laughing ‘cause I felt like it." She hated sarcastic answers and came after me with the weapon. I was just about to tackle her when Heather grabbed my arm and pushed me behind her. The hatchet glinted off the light when Ellyn brought the weapon down. I yelled and pulled Heather out of its line of fire. It missed her and chopped a step off my wooden ladder to my bed. Finally I was able to tackle Ellyn to the ground. A wave of energy shivered through my body when I hit her. The weapon went flying from her hands when she hit the floor, hard. I began punching her in the face. I was repaying the deed she had done to me. The things she had done flashed through my brain.
When she laughed as she whipped me with a briar. Punch. I hit her cheek. When she burned me with her cigarettes. Punch. I hit the other cheek. 'You weakling.' Not much of a weakling now. Punch. 'You're so ugly, no wonder nobody likes you.' Punch. 'You'll never be more than a stupid little girl.' Punch. 'You'll end up just like your fucking mother.' I yelled again and punched her hard. My fist connected with her nose with a sickening crack. Maybe now it'll be straight. I was ripped off of her and slammed to the ground.
"That's enough!" Heather shouted in my ear. I wrestled to remove myself from the floor but she pushed me harder. "Stop it!" That’s when I saw Ellyn's bloody face standing over us with the hatchet back in her hands.
"Heather, look out!" I screamed. Her head whipped around just in time to see Ellyn bring it down. I threw Heather off of me, she hit the dresser. I closed my eyes, ready for the blow, when I heard a shriek and a hard thud. I snapped my eyes back open.
Cade stood behind Ellyn with her wrists in his large hands. The hatchet laid in the corner of the room. Ellyn looked at him with wide eyes. Cade was the only thing in the world she was afraid of. "I was just-"
"Don't." He interjected. "Don't lie to me." My jaw dropped but I smiled at the same time. I looked over at Heather to see her smiling as well. For once and for all, Cade finally knew about Ellyn. Finally he said the words I've waited three years to hear. "Go clean yourself up and leave. Never come back." He pushed her out of the room and shut the door behind her. I tackled him with a hug and allowed a few tears to escape.
"Cade, I can explain." I told him as I wiped the tears away. We all sat on Heather's bed side by side. He gave me a fatherly smile,
"I think I've got it all figured out, thanks." Cade rubbed his hand through my hair, just like my dad did. He saw the look in my eyes and quickly dropped his hand. He took a deep breath and smoothed his thick blond hair down. "Mexican anybody?" I gawked at him, he was rewarding us? For beating up his wife?
"Hell yea!" Heather shouted. I laughed at her; she was the only one who could make me happy when I was down.

The smell of melted cheese, pico de gallo and a large number of other spices entered my nostrils once we walked into the bright room. Music was playing and a group of people were laughing; that is the sign of happiness. We sat ourselves into our favorite booth next to a window. This looked out to the beach; the waves looked great. I knew the other two were just itching to go surf, but it was too dark out. I didn't care much for water or swimming. I got easily bored of it. I would be the one building sand castles, reading or just wading in the water. Every now and then I'll get out to surf, but just to show off. I was more of a land person.
The waiter brought out glasses of lemonade, dark soda, and sweet tea before we asked for the usual. I tried my best to contain my hunger, but when the chips, salsa, and cheese dip arrived, my self control deteriated. Heather and Cade made small talk and jokes before they noticed the chips were gone. I looked down when Cade looked at me.
"I'm sorry . . .” Instead of finding him mad at me, he looked sad. Now he knew I haven't eaten all day. I drank my tea to avoid his gaze. Thankfully, the food arrived and I was happy to drop the subject. He didn't.
"Autumn?" I had to look up at him. "What did you do today?" Meaning, what happened? I took a deep breath and pushed my food away. We were the only ones around besides a small group on the other side of the room so I talked freely.
"I had to clean Ellyn's classroom. I really wanted to help Miss. Brown but she wouldn’t let me. I was frustrated so I pulled some pranks on her. She caught me and beat me in the hallway . . .” My lip began to bleed again when I bit into it. "Then Leven kidnapped me and we went to the library with Miss. Brown. I put away books until Ellyn came and got me." I couldn't tell him about the scissors. "I chopped wood and did chores until you got home. I guess she found my hatchet in the bushes . . .” I didn't want to go on, but I did anyways. "She accused me of throwing them and then attacked us with it. I tackled her and punched her 'till Heather pulled me off of her. She tried to hit us again, but that’s when you came."
"Did she hurt you? And not just today." I nervously showed him my burns and the scars on my legs. Heather did the same. She'd never let me fend for myself. I knew I could trust her with my life. Cade sighed and nodded; I was grateful to hide them again.
"Tell me the truth; were you throwing the hatchet again?" I nodded slowly. I thought he was going to be so upset but . . . "That’s great." My head snapped up. "I'm glad you've gotten into something you really like." He laughed, "Just promise me you won't kill anyone." He was joking.
"Okay, I promise." I was so good at lying, it made me feel guilty. How long would it be before I had to break the promise? I went back to eating and the conversation ended. I wasn't in the mood to talk. Wow . . . that’s awful. This may be my last night to spend with Cade and I'm not in the mood to talk. But I had too many things on my mind. I barely enjoyed my meal. My last good meal.
"Do you want to stop at the book store before we go home?" Cade asked. I knew he was just being nice for me, but I shook my head. I just wanted a long hot shower and sleep. The rest of the ride was quiet as well and we arrived home in no time. The hot water of my shower ran out too soon and I quickly went to bed. Cade lingered in the doorway. "Well . . . good night then . . . I'll be in my room if you need anything." He switched off the light, turned slightly, hesitated, but walked on. His eyes shared a knowing yet mournful look. I hung my head over the bed to talk to Heather.
"You don't think he knows, do you?" She shook her head.
"There's no way. Maybe he means if Ellyn comes back or something." My head was beginning to pound from the rush of blood so I accepted her answer and pushed myself up. I would have liked to read some of the poems, but I was just too tired.
"Wake me up when it's time to go." I yawned.
"Will do. Good night."
"Sweet dreams." I fell into a restless sleep.

"Autumn!" Someone said sharply while shaking my shoulder, "Get up!"
"But Mommy," I groaned while turning my head away, "It's Thanksgiving Break." and I fell back to sleep. The person sighed,
"Okay but you made me." Footsteps led out of my room and I heard the faint rush of water.
"Hmmm, waterfall." I smiled sleepily to myself as the footsteps came back in. They climbed the ladder and I felt ice-cold water splash onto my face.
"Ahh!" I yelled as I fell out of bed and landed hard onto the hardwood floor on my butt. My blankets landed into my lap. Water dripped onto them from my hair and face.
"Dude, that was so not cool." I groaned as I wiped my face off.
"Dude, I so could care less." Heather mocked me, "You told me to get you up. By the way, next time, I am not your mom and try to be a little quieter." She scoffed. Before I could reply she walked over to the closet and slung the only clothes that were in there at my face, I caught them in the air.
"Hurry up, we're wasting moonlight." She said.
"Jerk." I muttered underneath my breath. I guess that’s what I get for allowing an eighteen year old to wake you up.
Heather was already dressed in blue jeans, a blue hoodie and converses. Her hair hung in a plain pony tail and the moonlight from the full moon made her blue eyes sparkle. It had to be at least three in the morning. I hastily slipped on my black, baggy, cargo guy pants and a gray, thermal, long sleeve shirt. I tried to braid my hair, but it was impossible with my layers. I grabbed my poem book and hatchet and shoved them in my pockets. I even took Heather's pictures and put them in a binder.
Once we were ready to go, we snuck out our large window. We stopped by the tree where I hid my bows and arrows. If Ellyn knew I had them she would've snapped them all in half then burned them. I felt better having something to arm myself against the Trackers. Ellyn might have already called them because I beat her up.
I shuddered and felt someone's eyes on me. I turned around to find Cade looking at us through the window. I held onto my breath thinking he was going to stop us but instead he gave us a small, sad smile and a nod of his head. I nodded back and signed 'I love you'. He returned the sign. We had to leave. If we stayed, they would kill him too.
We stole away in Heather's car. We drove three hours in the opposite direction and stopped at Hardees to eat breakfast. We paid in cash. Hopefully, the Trackers would take the bait and go that way. Heather turned us around and drove on back roads, taking many twists and turns.
We finally reached our hiding spot about noon. Our home for the next few days or weeks was an old abandoned tree house, hidden deep in the mountains. We had renovated it just for this occasion. I glanced at Heather when we hopped out of the car. She was trying her best to hide it, but she looked wore out. I don't think she ever went to sleep last night.
"Why don't you get some rest? I'll keep watch." I offered to her. She raised her eyebrows at me,
"You sure?" I just nodded before she shrugged and climbed into the tree house. There, a huge pile of quilts, thick blankets, and a couple of pillows would be waiting for her. I opened the trunk and piled the firewood neatly against the trees. Trackers usually spent a day or two to gather information about their targets before they hunt them down so I made a small fire with some matches.
As the flames leaped onto the branches, I left it alone to get warm. With my bow and arrows, I climbed up a tall willow to where I thought I could touch the sky. We already had a gigantic stack of canned foods to last us through the winter, but I was hungry for some fresh meat. I was actually quite surprised that we were able to steal so much.
I relaxed against the trunk as the thick, bare branches hid me from sight. It made me sad that all the leaves were already gone and dead. I always loved all the bright and beautiful colors of fall. I wished they would at least last until my birthday. I held onto my bow as I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, allowing the soft, November wind brush past me.
I wished I could do this more often; it was my favorite thing to do in the world. Other than reading, writing, throwing hatchets, climbing trees, and camping. Small list right? These were the only events that could make me forget about my stresses and jumbled thoughts.
About a half hour passed before I heard something rustle somewhere below me. Instincts rushed over as I snapped an arrow into the bow. The string tensed up as I pulled back. I waited for another minute before the creature moved again. I took skillful aim and released my grip.
The string whipped past me as the arrow whizzed through the air. With my sensitive hearing, I could hear the arrow lodge itself into the body just before it came crashing down to the ground below. With expert moving, I slithered down and landed softly onto the ground, there I saw it was a pretty good sized squirrel.
I slipped my arrow from the body and wiped it clean on the morning dew and then on my pants before placing it back into the leather quiver. I placed the fat squirrel into a bright orange gym bag as I walked around looking for edible plants. I was quickly rewarded. Not too far from our camping spot was a small patch of persimmon trees and they were just ripe. I stuffed my bags and pockets full.
On my way back, I was able to take out a raccoon that was foraging for food. As soon as I got back I gutted and cooked the meat over the fire. Heather was awakened by the smell of food and came down to join me. Her hair was falling out of her ponytail and her clothes were rumpled.
"And why are we eating rat on a stick again?" She teased as the juice ran down her chin.
"Its squirrel not rat, and if you don't like what I hunt, you don't have to eat it." I smiled back at her as she wiped her chin off on her sleeve.
Once we were done we set off to work. I dumped the innards far away from our camp for the other animals to eat. When I got back, Heather disappeared in the woods so I fixed the fire to hide the smoke. In doing so I made an underground fire.
I dug the main pit about 35 cm wide and 30 cm deep. Then I made an angled airway about 25 cm away the main pit about 20 cm big. I made sure the wood I chopped was as dry as it could be and so I tried my best to find some dry kindling and tinder. Once I the fire started, I chopped some green branches down and stripped them for a stove. I used the extras as skewers to cook with.
Being finished with that, I set up snares using wire and some twine I brought along with me. I was so glad my mom taught me how to do so. The one I was working on snapped and nearly took my finger off if I didn't pull it away in time. I sighed, I missed my mom. Was she looking down on me now? Would she be proud of who I was? Of what I did? Did I do the right thing in leaving her? I should have gone with my dad . . . Would she be dead now if I had?
I plopped down on the dirt ground and watched the sun set to my left. When it had completely disappeared, I sighed and began eating the family sized chicken noodle soup Heather split between us. When we finished I took the job of washing the dishes in the creek below the tree house.
The stars popped out one by one as the full moon was reflected by the swift moving creek. While I dried the plastic spoons, the pot and can, I looked up to see Orion ready for battle with Sirius right behind him. I picked a star out and repeated the old rhyme my mom had taught me.
"Star light, star bright, you're the first star I see tonight. I wish I was, I wish I might, I wish my wish come true tonight" Then you make your wish. "I wish life would get better, I really do."
I opened my eyes and took one last glance at Orion before joining Heather at the fire place. "How long do you think it would take the Trackers to find us?" I asked her as I started to poke the fire with a stick.
"I don't know sis," She answered, "Two weeks at least. But don't think about it ok? It will only bring worry." I nodded in reply.
We stayed up till the fire was just a bunch of red hot coals. Before climbing into bed to sleep, I added more wood to the fire and covered the firewood with a tarp so it wouldn't get wet from dew.
"Good night, sleep tight" I told Heather
"Don't let the bed bugs bite." She responded sleepily.

As always I was the first one to get up and get the fire started. The snares from last night captured two rabbits. Heather got up about an hour later and cooked the meat once it was stripped and gutted. Once again we went our separate ways to do our daily chores. I don't know what Heather was doing because she disappeared again but I grabbed some nylon string, a fishing hook, and a long stick, some of the innards and went fishing in the creek.
I sat down as I leaned up against the trunk of a tree and began to escape into the thoughts in my head. Today I was finally sixteen. No longer could people call me a child or a kid but a teenager or a young woman. And to think, Thanksgiving was only two days away. I planned to hunt down a wild turkey for the occasion and we even brought that purple stuff that's shaped like a can.
When I felt a tug at the end of the line, I quickly pulled back on the string and out came flying a medium sized fish. Instead of it suffocating to death, I took pity on it and took my knife to it. I unhooked it from the fishing line and put another piece of meat on it before throwing the line back in. By lunch time, I was able to catch another medium and three small ones. I picked out all the bones and guts when Heather jumped down from a tree holding something in her hand. I wasn't able to see it before she slipped it in her pocket and helped me cook lunch.
We talked, laughed and goofed off for the rest of the day. We climbed trees, played catch with one of the persimmons before it busted upon impact with Heather's face. This released a list of profanities and a wrestling fest. Then seeing who could skip rocks to the other side of the creek, of course I won at that. At sunset we cooked clam chowder for supper. "Autumn, I don't know if I've already told you this or not but, Happy Birthday." She smiled at me as we ate.
Suddenly, a man jumped out from a tree clapping. He was wearing black clothing along with a cape and had red hair. One by one, men wearing the same clothes jumped out from trees also clapping until there were about four of them in all. Cold chills went down my back as the hairs on my neck stood up. Only one word went through my head. Trackers.
How did they find us so quickly? We covered up our tracks so well. The man with red hair held up a hand and everyone stopped clapping. He was obviously the leader. Why didn't they just kill us in cold blood? They never came face to face to their targets.
"Now isn't that sweet." He spoke. His voice sounded like a cat purring. "Mind if we join you for supper?" Before we could say anything, he appeared beside me and took my soup from my hands. He ate it all in one slurp. If only I had my bows and arrows on me I would have shot him, but they were leaning up against the tree behind him. The wind caught his cape exposing a black gun hanging from his belt. He caught me looking and said,
"Like my gun huh?" He took it out from the holster and held it in his hand. "Would you like it if it put a bullet in your head?" He placed the cold metal against my forehead. I didn't move an inch. I wasn't afraid of him. "You,” He pointed to the other three, "Grab the other, tie her to the tree." Heather fought and struggled against the men. I stood up to go to her but then one man had Heather in a head lock with the gun to her head.
"Now, now. No need to get hasty." He sneered, "One move and I put a bullet in her head." They continued to tie her arms and feet to the tree. I slowly sat back down when the red headed man grabbed my arm and tied me to another tree across from Heather. He also shoved a rag in my mouth, I couldn't make a sound. He put his gun up, what was going on? Why didn't they just go ahead and kill us? Then a thought came to me. Ellyn didn't want us to die, she wanted us to suffer.
"Now, since it's your birthday, I'm going to do you first." He placed a hand above my head against the trunk. "Make sure the other watches." He ordered his other men. The red head took out his knife and held it to my throat. "If your sister moves one inch, I'll kill you. If you resist, I'll kill your sister. Understand?" I nodded slightly; the knife was sharp and cutting into me. "I'm going to enjoy this." His voice was shaky with excitement.
This is where he cuts me multiple times and leaves me to bleed to death. Instead, he licked my throat and cut away my shirt. I gasped, no. He wasn't, please. No! His tongue raked down my torso before he cut away my pants. He pressed himself against me, into me. Tears ran down my cheeks. Why? Why did people have to be so cruel? I felt so abused, so used.
He went back to sucking my neck and his hands wrapped tightly on my arms, it hurt. A satisfying groan emerged from him. I wanted him off of me, but I couldn't move. The rope was too strongly tied. I tried to scream, but the rag gagged me. Heather grunted and yelled against her bindings until someone hit her across the head. She quit after that, but refused to watch any further.
Behind Heather, I saw a bright flash; everyone else was oblivious to it. Next, Heather's bounds fell off of her. How? Who? What? She ran and tackled Red Head to the ground. Two other men exploded out of the shadows and attacked the other Trackers. They were equipped with swords. Swords? Who uses swords anymore? Who were they? The fire was dim and it was hard to see.
The one with brown hair threw a knife at me and my ropes fell off. I had a slight moment of astonishment. Slight. I jumped to one side and grabbed my bow. I took a Tracker out with two arrows. One stuck out of his neck, the other in his stomach. He slumped to the ground.
Another Tracker shot me with his gun. I dodged and the bullet grazed by my right arm. I rolled to the side and shot him in the head before a sword appeared through him. It was ripped back and the Tracker fell to the ground. The owner of the sword had gray hair and wore glasses. I heard another grunt and I knew the last Tracker was dead. That’s when a gun shot went off. Everything went into slow motion.
I saw Heather throw her machete at Red Head, just before a bullet hit her. I heard myself shout out her name. I was able to catch her from hitting the ground as her blood spilt from her wound in her chest.
"No, no, NO! Please don't die. Oh God, please don't die." I said as tears poured out from my eyes.
"Autumn." I heard her mutter, "I wanted to give you this for your birthday. I made it for you." She pulled something out from her pocket; it was what she had at lunch. It was a bracelet braided from rich brown, white and black hemp. Hanging from it, was a piece of carved wood that looked like a red and yellow maple tree with a purple heather flower growing around it. She even painted it.
"I hope you like it," She smiled at me as I took it from her. "Do me a favor and kick that guy's ass." I smirked; she would say that on her death bed. "I love you sis." She managed to get out before she sighed and went limp. My smile dropped, as did my heart.
"Heather!" I screamed. I choked back tears. She couldn't be dead. Please, not again. Not like my mom. "Heather!" I yelled again. The tears overflowed and landed on her face. "Please don't leave me!" I sobbed and gave her one last hug before closing her eyelids over her ocean blue eyes.
I set her down on the ground while slipped on the bracelet and turned around. I thought the leader was dead, but he grunted when he took out Heather's knife from his chest and stood up. I felt power and energy run up from my arm that seemed to be coming from deep inside me. It felt good. The other two men sensed my energy and backed up. An earthquake began, literally. The ground rumbled and the trees shook.
"You killed her. You fucking killed her! I'll kill you!" I shouted at him. Anger and hate built up inside of me until I couldn't contain it anymore. I felt it run down my arms as I lifted them towards the sky and yelled.
Out of nowhere, the roots from the all the trees around us came out from the ground and wrapped around him until the only thing you could see was his face. I clenched my hands slowly and the roots began to squish him like the little bug he was. I looked into his eyes and saw pain and fear as he struggled to get out.
"Now, now. No need to get hasty." I mocked him, "One move and the roots will crush you" He whimpered. "Too late." I clenched my hands into fists and heard all the bones in his body break. A puff of dust exploded inside, like when you pop a balloon. The roots dragged it underground before I could make any sense of it. As soon as the roots were gone, I felt so tired and weary, but I needed to do one last thing. My body went on autopilot as my mind went blank.
"Autumn, don't do it. You'll exceed your power." The man with glasses said, but I ignored him. I turned around and lifted my hands, making the roots come up again and gently pick up Heather's body. Moving my arms in a certain way, I was able to make a tree open up while the roots set her inside the tree. It made the perfect grave and final sleeping bed for her.
While I closed up the maple tree, I felt all the strength I had suck out of me as my vision went blurry. I took one more glance at her before she completely disappeared. I fell to my knees and grunted, but I still wasn't done. I raised my finger and spun it in a circle, allowing a large heather flower to grow and wrap around the tree. This stopped and rested where Heather's heart would be. Finally, I was done.
"Rest in peace Heather." I sighed as I fell to the ground. Before I could meet the soft grass, a bright flash appeared then everything turned black.

I woke up slowly, finding myself in a small room that was very messy and disorderly. I was lying down in a queen sized bed underneath some thick warm blankets with two large pillows under my head. Where in the world was I? And how did I get here? As if it was showing me an answer, the morning sun shone through a small window onto a person that was sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. All I could see of her was her brownish-red hair. I sat up like a rocket,
"Heather? Is that you?" I asked the person. When they didn't reply, I got on my knees and began to shake her awake. "Heather, Heather, wake up!" The person sat up slowly groaning as she rubbed her eyes. But something about her face and eyes were different.
"You're not Heather." I said in confusion.
"Who in the world is Heather?" The girl groaned. All at once my memories of running away, my birthday, the Trackers, Heather's death, and what happened to me came rushing back. The next thing I knew, I was in the fetal position, in shock. The person looked startled, "Whoa, dude whatever I said I so did not mean it." I was able to calm myself down long enough to ask,
"Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here?"
"Ok slow down, one question at a time. First question, my name is Gracelyn but you can call me Grace. Second question, right now you are in my room which would explain the mess, sorry about that, but really you're in the world of Gandimonian. Now third question, Raven asked my dad, Anthony if he could use his transportation power to bring you here. Which obviously he agreed to. Now any more questions you might wanna ask?" She replied. My head was having a hard time comprehending this new information.
"Yea, what day is it?" I asked at I rubbed my aching head. "And where’s my stuff? My poem book, bows and arrows, and the drawings, where are they?
"They're at Raven's house. And it’s the day before Thanksgiving; you've been out all night Tuesday. Using your power like that all at once could have killed you. Luckily you're a tough cookie." I smirked as she said this; it was something Heather would say. The smile quickly fell. Heather was gone now and it was my fault. All my fault. "Come on, I have some clothes that might fit you and then I'll introduce you to everyone. They've been dying to meet you." I was so confused about what was going on, so I just went with the flow.
When I was asleep someone had changed me into some comfortable pajamas, had given me a bath and wrapped my gun wounds in gauze. That made me uncomfortable, especially after what happened. It was so awkward how you felt inside your body after- after that.
"Raven told me that you preferred to wear boy clothes, but I could tell by what you were wearing when you got here. I think some of my brother's clothes might fit you though." She said while handing me some dark blue jeans and a dark-green long sleeve shirt. Put on your tough face, and just deal with it.
"Thanks, these will work just perfect." I told her while slipping the jeans on. They fell down past my hips and I had to pull them back up. "I think I might need a belt." She just smiled as she handed me a brown leather strap. Once dressed, I waited on the bed as she did her make-up and got dressed in her girl jeans, purple tank top and navy blue long sleeve shirt that went over top of that. Why do girls spend that much time getting ready? I thought she looked perfectly fine without it.
While walking up the steps, we passed by a window. I saw that the house was actually sitting in a tree ten feet above the ground. "Whoa! That's so cool!" I exclaimed, looking out the window, "How do you keep the house from falling apart? I mean since the branches are constantly moving from the wind." Dad was an architect freak. She looked at me like I was stupid but then remembered I was new here.
"There's this one man who has the power to stop movement and he uses it for all the houses." She replied opening the door at the top of the steps. Of course, a man who has the power to stop movement. Who would've thought? There was a thud like the door had hit someone.
"Ow! Mother walking by." A woman laughed while shutting the door behind us. She had short, feathered, dark brown hair; her eyes were a dull chocolate color. She was about the same height as Gracelyn, a head shorter than I and was wearing scrubs. She kind of reminded me of Carol Brown. "Good morning honey," She said giving Grace a hug, "Did you sleep good? I've just got back from work."
"I can see that." Grace smiled, looking at her mother's wardrobe as she introduced me, "Mommy, this is Autumn." The woman looked at me and gave me a short hug. Hugs? I haven't been hugged since mom died. I just stood there. She noticed my uneasy feeling and let go.
"Well, good morning sleeping beauty, did you sleep well too?" Why was she being so nice to me? Did she feel bad for me? Or was she always like this? I didn't want to get on her bad side, and my nervous nature popped up.
"Yes ma'am, thank you for asking."
"Please call me Emma, and I never expected you to be so polite! We're all excited about meeting you. Here, follow me." Emma led us to the living room with hard wood flooring, brown walls, long tan couches and a gray rug with a wooden barstool on top, where she sat. There were seven people in all and all the seats were taken. The brown haired man realized this and got up wanting me to take his place.
I took a closer look and saw he was actually my age. He had golden brown hair that often fell into his eyes and was very tan even though it was in the middle of November. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt with a black and red checkered long sleeved shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"Here, take my seat." He offered. His voice had a soft country accent.
"No, thanks. I can just sit on the ground." I replied.
"No, really, go ahead." He insisted, gesturing to the seat. I just sighed as I walked past him. I caught a scent of spring rains and fall winds and I knew that it was coming from him. I glanced at his eyes finding them looking back at mine. Before I blushed and took my seat, I saw that his eyes were gold around the pupil as it faded into a thick, rich brown. Instead of fading into a brown, mine turned into gold, the exact opposite of his. My palms began to sweat, either from being in the presence of strangers, or of the gold eyed boy.
"Ok everyone, since we have a guest here I thought we should play a game to get to know each other better." Emma told us, "It's called Tell Us about Yourself and it’s quite obvious what the point of the game is. We'll go in a circle ending on Autumn. All we have to do is state the name you go by, our age, your favorite color, favorite thing to do, show everyone your stone and demonstrate your power. For example, I'll go first.
"My name is Emma, and I'm in my early forties. My favorite colors are blue and purple. My favorite things to do are to go camping with the family and my power is to be able to heal people." She told us showing us an ankle bracelet made out of metal. On it was a white stone with a blood red drop in the middle.
"Autumn, if you would step up here please and roll up your sleeve." I did as I was told and she unwrapped my gash from the fight. It began to bleed again once she was finished, but Emma just gently laid her hand over it. I waited a few seconds before the pain came back.
Her hand glowed a light blue around my cut, and I clenched my fists from the pain. It was worse than before, but not even a minute had passed by when the pain disappeared as she removed her hand. There wasn't even dried blood on my arm and the wound had disappeared, leaving a thin pink scar. Everyone clapped softly as I walked back to my seat, still stunned by what had happened.
As the game continued I had learned everyone's names and faces. Anthony was the man with the glasses and gray hair who could transport; he was the other person who saved my life. Shawn was the big, tall man with the mustache/goatee thing going on and the big white wings on his back. Yes, wings, guess what his favorite thing to do was. Play with his son Ryan and flying.
Ryan was the chunky kid who could control his shadow and was favorite color was black. Shocker, though come to find out he likes to play basketball against his shadow. Naomi's the woman who could tell you anything you wanted to know (power of wisdom as she calls it) and Emma's best friend. She also likes to read and bake and had short curly hair. I understood now that your stone would be the colors and the symbol that best represents your power and could be worn as jewelry, or something you could wear forever. Soon it was Gracelyns turn.
"My name is Grace. I just turned twenty." Just turned twenty? I wondered when her birthday was. I thought she was at least my age. "My favorite color is pink. My favorite thing to do is people watch," I knew right then and there that we were complete opposites but she seemed like a good friend.
"Mostly boys." The boy hid behind a cough. I snorted behind my hand but Grace continued,
"And my power is to be able to control the weather around me." She pulled a necklace out of beads from under her shirt. It had a blue and yellow stone on it with a picture of a purple cloud and yellow lighting. She raised her arms slightly and twirled her fingers.
Clouds formed above her and began thundering with flashes of lighting. I pulled my feet up on the couch to avoid the lightning. Slowly, a small tornado emerged, but before it could touch the ground she snapped her fingers and it disappeared. Everyone clapped loudly as she took her seat and the boy took her spot. Instead of sitting on the barstool he stood beside it.
"Um, my name's Griffin. Hi!" He waved, being funny. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. So, he was a jokester. Was to ease my tension? Or was this natural for him? He saw this and smiled back as he continued.
"I don't exactly have a favorite color, I like them all. Yes, even pink Grace, in fact it's the one I like best." He stated sarcastically, "And I'm eighteen." He gave us a thumbs up. "Um . . . I would have to say my favorite thing to do is either spending time with wildlife and nature or hunting." He saw my jaw drop and smirked as I snapped it shut. I wondered how good he was at hunting. "And I can talk to animals."
He finished up showing us a ring on his middle finger on his right hand. It had a white and faded blue stone with a black wolf howling in it, as if the white and blue was the moon. He sighed and began whistling a slow melody. Once he began, a black and brown bird flew through the window and joined in the song with him. The bird would play the high parts as he whistled really low and then they would switch. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in a long time. I was almost disappointed when they finished and the bird flew away. He got the loudest applause of all and a raspberry from Grace. Now my turn.
I really didn't want to sit down so I stood beside it like Griffin, "My full name is Celestial Autumn Tree but I like to go by Autumn. And yes, I am aware that my name means the autumn tree that belongs to the moon, hardy har har." I cleared my throat. "Um, my favorite colors are brown and dark green, and I just turned sixteen yesterday." Everyone began clapping and singing happy birthday in their 'best voices'. It sounded like a cat hacking up a hairball it was so bad, but I suppose that was the point. "Oh please don't. It's not such a big deal, really." I was so embarrassed.
"We should have gotten something for her," Ryan popped up and said. Sure he was thirteen, but it was so cute how thoughtful he was.
"Oh no you don't have to, I'm fine really." I told them, wanting a change of subject I quickly went on. "Well, I love anything about nature and wildlife, writing, reading and hunting too. Um . . . I'm not exactly sure what my power is but I can make roots move and trees open and close and make flowers grow, whatever you can make out of that . . ."
"The power over nature of course." Naomi stated.
"Yea I guess that works, but uh . . ." I looked out the window and had a sudden idea. "Follow me."
I walked out of the house and down the wooden ladder to the ground. I walked to the far left side of the house where the window looked out to and waited for everybody to follow. I closed my eyes and slowed my heartbeat as my mind went on autopilot again. Raising my hands, I felt the strain of raising something out from the ground.
The ground cracked and shook as a huge oak tree grew from the ground, as if it's always been there. It grew taller than the house and was so thick that it would have taken three or four people to wrap their arms around it. After making the colorful leaves pop out from the branches did I stop. The colors here lasted longer. I wondered why. Everything seemed to be sucked from out of me as the ground rushed up to meet me. I didn't have time to put my hands up to catch myself. I hit hard. Naomi was the first one to reach me,
"Are you ok?! You shouldn't use your power all at once like that. You could have died." She helped me to my feet, but I couldn't walk much less stand up without support, so I leaned up against Grace.
"So I've been told." I replied.
"I think that we all agree that Autumn wins the game." Grace laughed which made me smile. "Would you like to take a nap while we cook lunch?" Everybody began migrating inside. As nice as that sounded,
"Heck no! I'm not leaving you guys to do all the work just because I'm the guest." I moved away from Grace's support and stumbled. She took a step to help but I protested "No, I got this." I took another step and stumbled again, but not as bad.
"Yea you've got this alright." Grace added sarcastically I just smiled and rolled my eyes at her. "You are doing very well for this being your second time; I'm actually surprised you haven't fainted yet." She looked up at the tree, "That must have required a lot of power to make, maybe Raven's right, you are special. You don't even have a stone yet, that's not good. Maybe Raven will have one for you tomorrow." I stopped in my attempts to walk to the house.
"How do you know Raven? And what does a stone do?"
"'Course I know Raven, though we have to be the only family who does know her. Anyways, if we didn't know Raven you wouldn't be here. And a stone is given to you on your thirteenth birthday, or when your power is discovered, to help you control your power. It'll take over you if you don't have it and either you die from using so much of it or you become one of the Kings soldiers. Then your power becomes transformed into fire, the most powerful element there is here." I nodded showing my understanding.

Gracelyn and I dragged one large and long foldable table while Griffin and Ryan carried the other; they looked as if they were going to fall apart. Which of course happened when the boys laid it down. Two of the legs ripped off the bottom; they were attached by duct tape. It was a nice day out, so we decided we would eat outside.
"Stop, stop. This is stupid." Then, I had an idea. "You guys stand over there and don't say anything." They backed up as I faced the tree.
Once again I calmed myself down as I felt the ground beneath me throbbing in excitement. I spread my knees apart and centered my gravity as my palms faced the sky. I meant to be quick before Grace could figure out what I was doing, but I heard her shout out a protest, it was quickly muffled by Griffin. I closed my eyes and slowly raised my arms.
The ground rumbled and rose into a wide, long rectangular cube. As soon as it was as high as my waist, I stopped and cleared the bottom out from the underneath, leaving a beam to hold it up and the sides. Clenching my fists, I felt the soft soil crunch into a hard rock. There were two rows of risen roots that had grown soft fresh grass for seats. For effects, I brought a pile of leaves from the tree and onto the table, flattening them across underneath a see through layer to keep them in place and colorful forever.
I felt a sigh escape as my knees disappeared from underneath me. Surprisingly, Griffin was quick enough to catch my arm. My head was pounding and my vision blacked around the edges. No one said a word; their jaws were dropped and their eyes looked from the table to me and back. Ryan was the first to speak,
"That . . . was . . . AWESOME! How did you do that?!" He seemed so excited.
"I think we all want to know that." Griffin's soft voice said above me. He helped me to the nearest seat; the grass provided comfort from the twisted roots.
"I- I'm not sure, it was like the earth was calling to me, like it was a part of me." I explained. Ryan ran back inside like someone had just called his name.
"Well, I'm still surprised you're not dead yet." Grace pointed out. Her tone made me laugh,
"I guess I'm just a tough cookie like you said." She smiled back at me, Griffin chuckled.
"Maybe it's not just the power of nature . . . maybe it's the earth itself." Griffin said thoughtfully. Before I could reply, Ryan came back with his shadow following; well, I guess that's what you could have called it. His shadow showed that he was skipping, but he had his hands in his pockets whistling. I'll never be able to understand that kid's power.
"Good news, Raven and the twins are joining us for Thanksgiving." He told us.
"Who are the twins?" I asked.
"Sorry, I should have mentioned that earlier," Griffin replied, "They're names are Nash and Ash."
"Nash and Ash?" The names sounded familiar.
"The most annoying pair of twins you will ever meet." Grace took up, "They're ten years old and their power is to run fast, but God, they are such troublemakers."
"Nice to know, thanks." I smiled at her reaction. Someone yelled out the window,
"Grace, Griffin, Ryan! Come up here and help up us!"
"I love how they don't mention my name to help." I added sarcastically as I stood up, only to find myself back on the ground. Griffin had to pick me up again.
"You're not going anywhere but the bed." He told me.
"But-"
"No buts" he interrupted. I tried to pout, but the swaying of his arms, the warmth from his body and the sound of his heartbeat made me realize how wore out I was. I was out like a light before we even got to the front ladder.

I awoke slowly, leaving my eyes shut, enjoying the soft breeze that floated through the open door and blew my hair over my nose making it tickle. Footsteps came down the steps so I left my hair where it was and pretended to be asleep. They stopped outside my door and walked in; they were very quiet, as if they didn't want to wake me up and sat in the chair next to the bed. The tickling grew and as if they knew about it, a warm, rough hand came out and moved it. Just as I sneezed all over their hand.
"Crap." I muttered, giving up on being asleep as I opened my eyes and to my astonishment I saw that it was Griffin. I sat up quickly. “I am so sorry. I did not mean to sneeze on your hand." I apologized.
"It's all good. You are very good at faking, I'll give you that." He leaned back in the chair and wiped his hand off while I laughed and thanked him.
"How long was I out?" Wanting to keep the conversation going.
"We're almost ready to eat for Thanksgiving" He replied nonchalantly. My voice went hysterical,
"It's already Thanksgiving?! Why didn't you wake me up earlier?!"
"Whoa! Chill woman! Jeez, you would have missed the holiday the way you used your power like that. You slept hard when I put you here and looked way too comfortable in my arms." He smirked.
"I didn't . . . Wait, you watched me sleep?" I raised my eyebrows and gave him a look.
"Maybe. Now, would you rather sit up here while I told you that you look so peaceful yet upset while you sleep or help the others?" He didn't give me time to speak as he slung me over his back into a piggy-back ride up the top of the steps. Who was Griffin? The look in his eyes wanted me to know more about him. He set me down before he opened the door to the kitchen, as if we would get in trouble for that simple ride.
From there, I saw everybody was helping each other out as a family. I've had bad experiences of Thanksgiving in the past; Ellyn even almost cut off Cade's finger with the turkey cutter. He just wrapped his half cut finger with electrical tape and began slicing the turkey. But this family had a system that worked in teamwork.
Shawn was the one cutting everything up and making the measurements and gave them to Emma who placed them in the right pots and pans. Naomi was the one stirring everything up and when a certain dish was finished or dirty she would hand them to Ryan. He would either put them in the sink where Grace would wash it or to Anthony who disappeared in a puff of smoke and returned empty handed. It made me smile to see everyone pitching in without any fighting or yelling.
I was just beginning to help Naomi and Ryan when someone knocked on the door. Out from the corner of my eye, I saw Naomi nod to Emma who offered, "Autumn why don't you get the door." I stopped what I was doing and dried my hands on a paper towel while I walked to the door.
As soon as I opened the door I was pushed down while two blue and white blobs rushed by. "Nash! Ash! Come back here and apologize for being so rude." The twins just ignored her as the speaker helped me up to my feet. She was wearing a familiar blue rode with the hood up. "Sorry about that, they're such rascals." The woman slipped off her hood.
"Raven?!" She looked up.
"Autumn!" Next thing I knew she was giving me a long tight hug, like she never wanted to go or else I would disappear. It made me feel awkward. "I've missed you so much." Raven's voice cracked. Please tell me she's not crying, I'm getting tired of crying.
"Hey its ok, I missed you too." But that was the truth, I really did miss her. She finally let go and wiped her eyes off. I didn't know why she was being so emotional about it. Before I could say much more, we heard a crash in the kitchen and we ran to investigate.
There, I saw a pair of twins who only came up to my chest who were wearing overalls and stained pink, tan wool long sleeve shirts. Their curly sand blond hair had clumps of cranberry sauce. The twin's freckled faces showed the signs of innocence as they said "Oops." In unison. Raven scolded them as she and the other two women helped clean the mess. The cranberry sauce reminded me of the can Heather and I kept back at the hideout.
Thinking about it made my heart sink as my stomach contracted and throat closed up. So much for being tired of crying. Hiding my face, I managed out an excuse as I ran out the front door. Forgetting the ladder, I jumped down. I used a branch to slow myself and rolled upon impact leaving me unhurt as I ran towards the woods.
The cold air stung my wet face as I ran in dead sprint. I didn't know where I was going or even cared, I just wanted be away for a while. I can't believe that while Heathers dead I'm here having the best time of my life without a care in the world. When I entered the woods, roots tripped me, low branches and bushes cut my away at my body. A curved root caught my leg, twisting my foot until it cracked as I landed hard onto a pile of pine needles. I yelled out when I snapped into my senses.
I groaned as I sat up and letting out a sharp yelp as I moved my leg out from underneath me. It felt as if it had been crushed by a transfer truck. I took a deep breath before I examined my left ankle. It was swollen twice the size it was supposed to be and had a purple tint. I groaned as I laid back against a small tree and wiped leftover tears from my face.
I hated to cry, I really do. That's why I ran. I believed that crying shows that your weak, besides it gets nothing done, if not the opposite. Some people say that crying helps, but it just makes me feel worse. This time it really did make things worse, but I've taught myself not to complain over something or cry when someone insults me. To take the physical pain and deal with the mental. So as my ankle throbbed in pain, I just closed my eyes, clenched my teeth to contain my groans and grabbed the grass with my fists.
It was stupid to run away, now I've been labeled as a coward and an idiot. Now I'm in the middle of the woods, where no one can find me, with a broken ankle. Smart going. I sighed through my nose at my own stupidity. After the throbbing dulled, I proceeded to make a splint. I had to lie down on my stomach to reach a thin fallen stick which I broke in half, placing them on either side of my leg.
Surprisingly, I was able to reach a honeysuckle vine which I wrapped around my leg. I tried to wiggle my foot and found it didn't hurt as bad. Using the tree behind me and a dead branch I managed to stand up. I took small, limping steps back from the way I came from, whimpering quietly with every step I took. I tripped and yelled out when I landed on my foot again.
"Autumn?!" Someone familiar yelled out. "Autumn, where are you?! Say something!" I tried to figure out who was the caller was as I painfully stood up. "Autumn!" Her voice was closer now. It was Grace.
"Grace! Over here! Help!" I yelled out desperately. She came running into view as I groaned when I shifted my weight to lean against a tree.
"Oh my gosh! What happened?! I saw you run out of the house and when you didn't come back I came running." Her voice was hysterical
"I tripped over a root and broke my ankle." I explained "Can you help me back? It hurts." I admitted.
"Hang on." She snapped her fingers which formed a lightning bolt above our heads and Anthony appeared to my other side. He grabbed my arm gently and wrapped it around his shoulders. I didn't even feel it when we popped back to the living room.
"Here you go, careful now." Anthony told me as I laid down on the couch. Everybody was there.
"Are you ok?" Raven asked. I just nodded.
"I'm sorry. It was stupid to run." I told them.
"Don't be," Emma replied walking in, "You've been through a lot. We were actually expecting you to run off. No one blames you."
"I know, but I must have ruined the dinner and now my foot’s broken and-" I let out a short yelp because Emma had laid her hand on my ankle as it began to glow blue around the wound. The pain was doubled as I couldn't stop myself from yelling. Griffin actually knelt down beside me as he gave me his hand to grip. I had a freaking death grip on that hand as I tried to stop from screaming.
I heard it crack back to place . . . so much for trying to stop screaming. Finally, she removed her hand and the pain disappeared. I sighed loudly and almost started crying from relief. I noticed how hard I was gripping Griffin's hand and quickly let go to allow the circulation to run back through his hand.
"I'm so sorry." I looked at him with wide eyes.
"Don't worry about it, didn't hurt at all, I have friends who arm wrestle with tighter grips." He replied with a wink.
"Sorry about that, it's the only bad thing about my power . . . you feel twice the amount of pain." Emma explained as she helped me up. I placed all of my weight on that one foot and I felt nothing, though it was a little stiff.
"No, really." I replied in amazement, "Thank you."
"It was my pleasure; at least we get to eat under the stars tonight."
"You waited for me?"
"'Course we did." Griffin replied, handing me his hand so he could help me down the ladder and to the stone table. It was as beautiful as the sunset. Someone managed to hang mason jars with candles from the tree which caused the leaves to shimmer and glow. The table was covered with all sorts of food, including a huge turkey in the center.
"The biggest I've ever shot." Griffin bragged, I just elbowed him in the ribs as I smiled. It was easy to be myself around him. I sat between him and Grace, but across from Raven at the table. She seemed ecstatic to see that I was happy. Everybody bowed their heads and took turns saying the pleasing.
"Dear God, thank you for bringing everybody together for this blessed day. I want to give thanks for having Autumn here with us and I pray that she will like it here with us." Naomi began. Everybody blessed the food and gave thanks that I was there with them as a family. I never was a Christian and have never said a prayer in my life but the more the prayers went on the more blessed I felt. Soon, it was my turn.
"Dear God . . . uh, hi, its Autumn and um . . . I would like to give thanks for everything you have done for me . . . for bringing me here to this amazing family and for blessing me with this awesome power and this delicious food we have here. Thank you for this beautiful day and without you I wouldn't know where I would be right now. I also would like to pray that Heather is up there in your kingdom and everyone will welcome her with open arms. I know she wasn't the best person in the world but if you would please forgive her for her sins. Please tell her I said I miss her and that I love her. I pray you help me with all that’s going on, Lord. Help me to cope with um . . . everything that’s gone on. Just . . . thank you so much for this day Lord." Everyone looked at me with wide eyes,
"Amen." Griffin ended as everybody repeated him.
"That has got to be the best thanksgiving I've ever heard." Grace whispered in my ear.
"Uh, thanks." Everybody hoarded the food. Nash, Ash, and Griffin managed to choke down seconds of everything, including dessert!
"Pigs." I heard Grace mutter which made me snort into my turkey leg. Thank God I didn't have breakfast or lunch, I never would have eaten even one round, not to even mention dessert. Creamy pumpkin pie, sweet pecan pie, rich brownies, and cookies, all dowsed in home-made ice cream. Everybody was talking loudly and laughing as I just sat back and watched. It made me so happy to be a part of this family.
"Autumn, do you have any questions?" Raven asked me. It was like she had read my thoughts. The whole table went quiet, waiting for my answer. I set my silverware down as I thought about it,
"Yes, why was I brought here?"
"So you could learn to control your power, which is quite extraordinary. Not just the rock of Earth but the plants of nature as well." Naomi replied. Raven gave her a stricken look but quickly brushed it off as she reached into her robes and pulled out something.
"That reminds me. Autumn, this is your stone." She handed the object to me.
It was a necklace of soft, worn, intertwined jute with a clear, dark green stone, no bigger than a quarter. Inside, it looked like a clump of soil in the form of a mountain and a stick in the shape of a maple tree. I found it funny that Raven knew that a maple was my favorite tree. I hooked it around my neck as it rested on my collarbone. Once I put it on, tiny yellow, orange, and red leaves appeared on the small twig. I liked it, I felt as if it was a part of me, a part that I've been missing.
"Who am I? I want to know about my mom and my dad. I don't even know where I was born."
"You mean you haven't told her?" Emma asked. How does she know more about my life than I do? Raven just shook her head as she continued,
"I was the first person to know when your mother was pregnant with you. We trusted each other; she was like a daughter to me. At first your father was excited when he found out about you, but the more he thought about it the more he disliked the idea. He would yell and beat your mother till where it got to the point where I had to hide her. That's when you were born. Gandimonian is your home place, you were born here, Autumn. When you came to the world I knew everything would get better.
"Anthony helped your mother, you and this family escape to Earth while your father was still on his rampage. It took him two years to calm down long enough to find you and your mother. He seemed to change into a better man, he even had me fooled. So your mother welcomed him to your home. But of course he had his job here. The only reason he came back to Earth was to train you. Why do you think he convinced your mother to homeschool you instead?
"He took you hiking, rock climbing, and taught you archery all for your training. Slowly, he became harsher with you. He would push you hard, like to climb higher in trees, run farther, and shoot smaller targets from farther distances. Your mother got suspicious and worried that he never truly changed from his old ways. She knew that one day he would try to take you away from her and wanted to protect you. That was what happened before the fire." Raven ended with a sigh, allowing me to ask more. I did remember how dad use to push me so hard, but it’s what made me who I am now.
"I have three questions." I counted them off my fingers. "What was my father's job here? Train me for what? And I'm not very clear on how you knew us." Raven shifted uncomfortably on each of these questions. She looked over at Emma, who nodded. She answered the latter.
"I'm your grandmother, Autumn. I'm your father's mother." She blurted out. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until I gasped. I felt as if someone had just placed a light bulb over my head. My brain went on overdrive. Of course! The hugs, the crying, even the way her electric blue eyes look at me! Like she had lost something precious a long time ago, but had just found it. I began to stammer,
"What? But . . . I . . . Why? Why didn't you tell me before?" She had a desperate look in her eyes.
"I swear I tried. Over and over again I tried. But your dad stopped me each time I did. I really did want to tell you in your dream but there wasn't time. I'm sorry." She looked down. I reached over and grabbed her folded hands. We looked into each other's eyes. Excitement and relief rushed over me.
"Please don't be sorry, I understand. I'm proud to be your granddaughter and I'm so glad to finally meet you in person." I gave her a smile as tears rolled down her face and got up out of my seat to give her a tight, lingering hug.
"You can come live with me too if you want. I have a spare room you can have; I think you'll like it. I had it painted for you when you were born." Raven told me when we got back to our seats, "But you can stay here for a while so that I can get it ready." I agreed excitedly. After everybody had finished eating, in my head, I was thinking 'This has got to be the best Thanksgiving ever.' I helped them clean up and sort through the left overs. I gave Raven hugs and kisses before she flew into the shadows.
Once everybody went to bed, I immediately headed for my tree. Being up in that tree was so satisfying. The bugs sang their songs as the stars and moon shone so brightly. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. The night air was cold to the point where I could see my breath. I should have gotten a coat, but I was used to the cold. Thanks to dad and Ellyn. It's so easy to lose track of time when you relax. Sometime later I dozed off.

"You stayed out here all night?" I jumped and would have fallen out of the tree if Griffin hadn't grabbed my arm, who was sitting on the branch beside me. The sky was dim for even the sun had not awakened yet. I stretched my sore and cold body as I rubbed my eyes,
"Maybe and you woke me up why?" He just shrugged,
"You just seem like the kind of person to watch the sunrise with." I just smiled as I shook my head; he looked over, "What?"
"You. I've only known you for about a day or two now and you're already flirting with me." He opened his mouth and then hesitated,
"Ok, so maybe I am flirting with you a little," I raised my eyebrow at him, "But I've known you for about three days now, you forgot about when you were sleeping. After 24 hours I have full flirting rights." He winked at me; I punched him in the arm.
"That does not count! That's like being a stalker or something." I replied.
"Me? A stalker?" He thought about it. "Well, would a stalker ask you to go hunting with them?"
"It depends," I smiled, "Would they kidnap me if I said no?"
"It depends." I looked at him with my eyebrows crossed,
"On what?" I asked.
"Whether or not you say no." Griffin smirked. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I went back to watching the sunset. It was quite beautiful too.
The light from the sun bounced off the mountains and turned the sky a pale yellow. A flock of bird above us burst into flight as group and flew off toward the hills. I could hear Griffin breathing silently and was very quiet as he gave me the time to think. I don't even think he was watching the sunrise because I could feel his soft gaze that made my cheeks grow warm. He noticed and quickly looked away. Only when it had fully emerged over the trees did I give him an answer.
"Fine. I'll do it. But! Only if you train me for whatever I need to be training for." I told him. He seemed more than happy to do so.
"Deal, it's a date." Before I could protest, he jumped out of the tree and landed softly on the ground a long ways down. He held up his hands to catch me. Part of me really wanted to be in those warm arms of his, but I just shook off the feeling as I jumped down beside him.
"Coffee?" Griffin asked me as we walked into the house.
"Yes please, scoop of sugar, pour the coffee halfway and fill the rest with creamer or whole milk." I replied. He just gave me a look,
"Coffee with your creamer then."
"Exactly." I smiled at him. He began to brew a new pot of coffee as I grabbed some clean clothes and a towel to take a shower. Naomi explained where everything was to me the night before but when I walked into the shower room I was expecting a bathtub and a shower head. Boy, was I wrong.
They had their own freaking hot spring! There was a pile of rounded rocks against the far side wall that had a small waterfall trickling down. This led to a large pond of which steam rose from. There were large stones that surrounded the pond but stopped right in front of me to form steps. The room smelt like a warm shower of rain had just passed.
I quickly stripped, throwing the dirty clothes down a laundry chute behind the door. I slowly stuck my foot in and sighed with relief as the rest of my body followed. The temperature was just right and all of my aching muscles relaxed from the night. There were smooth, warm, large rocks underfoot that massaged my feet once rubbed against them. The water came up to my shoulders. I sunk underwater, wetting my filthy hair.
Instead of a bar of soap, they had a soft, spongy block of wood that formed bubbles when squeezed and lathered up. For shampoo, they used the dew off a plant that grew upside down from the ceiling. My arms were covered in bruises, they formed perfect fingerprints. I looked at my reflection. Hickies dotted all over my neck. I just wanted to forget. Forget that ever happened. It was weird how differently you felt inside your own body after being raped. I shuddered at the word and scrubbed my neck, as if that would make them go away.
Thirty minutes later I was drinking coffee, talking and making jokes with Griffin. My hair was dripping wet but smooth and silky and my skin was soft and clean. I was wearing his camouflaged pants, and the black shirt he wore the other day. His scent still clinged on. "Why do you consider wearing boy clothes over girl clothes?" Griffin wondered.
"Why do you want to know?" I said a little too harshly. Griffin knew that I didn't mean it as he shrugged and took a sip of his third cup of black coffee.
"To better understand." He replied simply enough. I sighed and stared off into my lukewarm, half drank coffee as the memories of insults and names I was called came to my mind. Then that night. Now I had another reason to wear boy clothes. I didn't want to be labeled as a girl anymore. I pushed the thoughts out. I was here and here was much better than there. Time to forget the past. Easier said than done. "Autumn? You ok?" Griffin asked. I snapped back to reality and quickly replied,
"Yea I'm fine. I guess it's to hide my identity and to have a shell I can hide into when the memories of my mother come back . . . I miss her . . ." I looked back to my coffee as I began to slip down into my safe shell. I couldn't speak of that night with him. Not yet. Griffin startled me when he took hold of one of my hands, as if he was my life line pulling me out of a strong current.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked, it was personal. But that's understandable that you miss her. I just think of losing my mom and I can't even bear the thought." He told me. "I know it won't be the same, but you'll always have Raven, Naomi and even Mama." Griffin smiled at me. I couldn't help it, but I smiled back at him. He let go of my hand and leaned back in his chair before talking again.
"I don't think we can keep sharing clothes for long. We need to go shopping anyways." Griffin stated.
"Shopping? Not exactly my thing . . . plus I don't have any money, and I don't like it when people spend money on me . . . I feel like I'm using them."
"Don't worry about it, everyone here does something to help raise money." He counted them off on his fingers. "Mama's a nurse. Naomi teaches at the Ath School. Anthony delivers stuff everywhere. Ryan helps Shawn compete in races. Grace is a waitress and baby sits kids at the Marketplace and I sell whatever I hunt down. Besides, Grace absolutely adores shopping and would be more than happy to help you." He offered.
"I dunno . . ."
"Great! Then it's settled. We'll go today."
"I thought-" Griffin cut me off,
"Ah! I never said anything about going today, just . . . someday." Griffin smiled at me, "It'll be a surprise." The way his face looked made me laugh,
"You're a jerk." He began laughing with me. At that time Emma and Naomi walked in. Naomi raised her eyebrows at us like 'what are you up to?' and Emma shook her head as if she was saying ‘I don't even want to know.' This made us laugh even more.
As they began on breakfast I was given the hardest task in the world. Waking up Grace. She was curled up in her little ball underneath all the covers and her face had no emotion to it at all. I shook her shoulder while whispering, "Grace, it's time to get up." Next thing I know a fist came up and punched me in the arm which made me fall down.
"Five more minutes, Griffin." She mumbled as she turned onto her other side. I just scoffed and pulled up a chair and waited for her requested five minutes. She opened one eye to look at me then rolled it before closing it again. After having to get Heather up I knew what was coming up next as I began to shake her awake.
"Dude it's been five minutes, time to get up." Her fist came up to punch me again but I managed to grab her arm and pin her down on the hard wood floor. Grace finally stopped squirming, admitting defeat.
"Okay, okay. You win." She sighed, "That was so not cool." She stormed up the stairs and kicked the door open in her attempt to get some coffee, which she did while the others stared at me in surprise. I just smiled and shrugged, “All done." As soon as breakfast was done and over with, we all were sent to change clothes. I was very confused.
"Why do we have to change our clothes? What's wrong with the ones we have on?" I asked Grace as she rummaged through her closet. She emerged with a serious look on her face and a bundle of clothes.
"It's a long and complicated story." She told me flatly but continued anyways, "We're going to the village marketplace and if we were to wear the clothes we got from your world well . . . we would be killed." Grace handed me an ugly wad of yellow cloth as I gasped at her,
"Wait, what?! Did you just say killed? What for?" She sighed as she sat on the bed, looking at the floor. I could tell by her tear filled eyes she was having flashbacks of something terrible. Only when she had been silent for a while and her tears overflowed did I wrap my arm around to comfort her. "It’s okay Grace, I'm here." She cried into my shoulder,
"Every day we have to stay hidden." She began once she calmed down. "When the war broke out everything was chaos. People were dying everywhere. We would have died too if we hadn't escaped to Earth with you and your mother. But it was illegal, with the penalty being burned at the stake. That's why we have electricity and utilities from your world. If anybody found out . . ." She trailed off while shaking her head.
"I understand." I replied as she took a shaky breath and stood up. "So I have to wear this?" The corners of her mouth twitched into a smile when she saw my face as I examined the yellow clothing.
"I'll help you put it on. Have you ever worn a dress before?" I innocently shook my head, "You poor deprived little child." She sighed.
It took a while to get dressed but eventually we made it possible. First off it was made from wool and it was so itchy, I kept fidgeting with it; that was until Grace fussed at me. It was pure yellow with a darker yellow lightning bolt. It must have been Grace's because it was a little too big and short which made the skirt come just passed my knees and the sleeves past my elbows. She also let me borrow some sandals that were much too small.
"I don't think I like this." I told Grace. And I really didn't. I wanted to rip the retched cloth off of me, burn it, and put Griffin's clothes back on. 'I don't want to be labeled as a girl.' I thought back.
"Oh, stop your whining, you'll get used to it." She faltered when she saw my face and looked away. She almost apologized, but I stopped her; I understood.
They don't have vehicles or any way of transportation so we simply walked on an old trail. Everybody was in their robes and boots, the robes design and color matched their powers. For example, Grace wore a purple dress with a plunging V-neck while Griffin had on deer skin.
"If I'm in disguise then what’s my power? And my name?" I asked Grace.
"Hm, you have the power of lightning and your name is . . . Shock?" She answered.
"Shock?" Grace shrugged in reply. I scoffed, "That's the best name you can come up with?" She just rolled her eyes at me. "How come your names don't relate to your powers?"
"'Cause we're rebels." Grace smiled; I laughed at her.
By that time we reached the crest of the hill. It was constructed of shabby merchant shacks, but the Marketplace was beautiful in its own way. People were selling carved bowls and plates, jewelry of all kinds, and of course food. As we walked around, I found my favorite station was the blacksmiths shop.
The couple were dirty and sweaty, but you could tell that they were happy to be together. They sold just about every weapon and type of armor you could ever imagine. Swords, shields, maces, axes, hammers, helmets, bows and arrows, chest plates , chain mail; you name it, they had it. It was amazing just looking at it. I would have stopped to talk to them but Grace pulled me away into a dark shack lit by candles. Clothes were hanging everywhere all around the room and there was a small back room used as a closet.
There was an elderly woman sitting at the table sewing some clothing, “Methyl, I've missed you." Grace greeted her with a hug.
"Grace it’s so good to see you, it’s been so long." The woman's voice was as frail as she looked. She looked over Grace's shoulder toward me, "And who's this?"
"Methyl, this is Autumn." Grace introduced me. I walked up to give her a hand shake,
"Nice to meet you." Instead of taking it, she turned the palm up, making the scar waver in the candlelight, as if the wind was blowing it. As she observed it, the hairs on my neck stood up and goose bumps formed on my arms. She then gently placed two fingers on the scar.
Pain shot through my body and forced me to my knees. I fought to get back on my feet but the pain was too much. I screamed as images of the past flashed before eyes. Memories of my mother's laugh as she tucked me in before changing to her screams as she died. My dad taking me hunting, his eyes showed he was proud, then switching to the anger and burning in them. Cade, when he rescued me from the fire, Ellyn as she whipped me, Heather. When I first met her, how she cared for me, as a sister. Heather on my birthday, when we goofed off, and as she passed away. Then what Red Head did to me. How helpless and weak I felt.
When I opened my eyes I found myself on the floor, huddled up, covered in cold sweat and tears on my face. Grace helped me to my shaking feet, but allowed me to sit in a chair after I found I couldn't stand. Methyl looked at me with wide eyes, "I'm so sorry, that's never happened before. You have such strong and painful memories." I tried to catch my breath,
"You- you saw?" was all that I could manage. She nodded,
"I can see all of what goes through your mind with a single touch." Methyl looked at Grace, "The rumors are true. She is the one." She glanced back at me. "The Protector has finally come to save us." I was confused,
"Isn't Raven the protector?"
"You have a lot to learn, but you're not ready to everything. Not yet." Grace explained. I didn't even any energy to argue so as my answer, I nodded. We stayed there for two hours as Methyl measured me and gave me clothes to try on. It was so boring, but Methyl and Grace were happy, and that’s all that mattered. She made me clothes that fit my personality and power. Which meant no dresses. Thank God.
By the end of it, I was so sick of seeing clothes and shopping that I just wanted to go home, which was why I was happy when Grace paid the old woman in gold coins. I had several new outfits that were from Earth, five to wear in public, a pair of shoes, sandals and brown, worn, leather boots, of which I slipped on before leaving. Methyl hugged me on the way out as she pressed a navy blue outfit into my hands.
"This was your mothers," She whispered in my ear. She leaned back and looked at my face, "You look so much like her; you have her eyes." A tear welled up in her eyes. I sent my thanks and regards to her while walking out the door.
Grace bought herself some jewelry while I lost myself in the book store and talked to the black smiths. They seemed ecstatic to have me around to teach. It had to be around supper time when we left because shops were beginning close. A young boy with red hair was fire bending in the street as passerbys threw coins at him. We met up with the others on the hill. Anthony was there with my bow and arrows, "Griffin told us you liked archery so we figured you would like to go to the training grounds and shoot a few." I tenderly held them in my arms. Too bad I didn't get to.
From behind us there was a crash, swoosh of flame and a scream all at once. Soon, everyone was running away and screaming. Through the crowd, I could see three men in red and black robes with fire print on them and masks over their faces. It was from their uniforms that I knew they were soldiers. "You guys go. Run. I've got this." They protested, "No. Listen to me; they will kill you if they catch you."
"They'll do the same to you if you’re caught." Griffin said. I shook my head,
"I don't care, just as long as you guys are safe." There was a weak yell from behind me, only one person sounded that frail. I turned and ran.

"Autumn!" Someone shouted from behind me. "Go! I'll be okay!" The pop of Anthony's power and whish of Shawn's wings told me they were gone. I ran back to the cloth shop, bumping into people in their attempt to escape. The old shack had caved in and was just a pile of flames by now. One man had Methyl grasped in a headlock as he snarled in her ear. "I don't know!" She gasped out, "They're just rumors; you know how people are nowadays." The man growled and threw her on the ground, hard. From here I could hear her leg break. She let out another scream as the soldier brought out his sword. I quickly grabbed a flaming log and threw it at him. He was knocked off his feet. "Looking for me?" I shouted. The soldier was quicker than I thought; soon he slammed me against a wall with my feet dangling off the floor and his hand around my throat. "Do you know who I am?" He loosened his grip so I could talk, "Yea, a mother-f*ing bitch." Thanks Heather, I smiled. Then I spat in his face. He threw me down and placed his sword against my throat while he wiped my grimy spit off his face. "Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you right here. Who do you think you are?" I smirked at him and spoke, "Your mom." In his rage he took a stab of his sword toward me, I pushed it away as it glanced across my cheek. My face was in pain as blood ran down my injured cheek. Ignoring the pain, I kicked him down when he lost his balance. His grip from the sword slacked and I sought my chance. As he fell I grabbed his sword and jumped over him. Stabbing him in the back when I landed. His body went limp and blood soaked his back. I yanked the sword back out and he began dissolving into a pile of ash. Just crumbled and caved in. I stumbled back in shock; it reminded me of the Tracker I killed when his body disappeared in the roots. It wasn't dust that I saw, it was ash. He was one of them. I shook my head to relieve the thoughts from my mind as I turned to see another soldier plunge his sword into Methyl’s chest. "NO!" I threw the sword and it sliced through his head. His decapitated body simply fell over as I ran to Methyl. I picked her up and laid her I my lap as her breaths became labored. "You're going to be okay, I'll have Emma heal you and-" She gave a weak smile, "I think we both know that’s not going to happen." She placed her hand on my cheek and her memories filled my mind, both good and bad. "I hope these will help you on your quest." She groaned and I held her tighter, “I'll be seeing your mother soon." Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the sky and gave her last breath. "Tell her I love her and miss her." I whispered, closing her eyes when her body began dissendergrating into gold speckles. They floated into the sky and disappeared. "Let me go!" A small voice grunted. I looked up seeing the last soldier had snatched the little fire-bending boy. "Using your power at all is against the law, little boy." The man sneered as red head squirmed in his arms. "I was just making money." The boy grunted. He couldn't have been more than seven years old. This made a rush of rage come over me as I stood up. "Why don't you guys ever pick on someone you're own size?" I shot at him. His head jerked up and his sneer widened. "You mean someone like you?" "Sure," I grinned, "A fight to the death. If you win you can kill me take the boy here" The boy whimpered, "But if I win, the soldiers are to never return here." He weighed his chances as he looked from the kid back to me. He growled, "Deal." He tied the kid against a pole and picked up his sword. "You. Put your bow and arrows over here, I don't want you to be cheating now." After setting my weapons next to the quivering kid, I picked up a sword from the shop and we began circling each other, looking for weaknesses. "Hey kid, what’s your name?" I asked wanting to distract the soldier. "Flame," He replied in a shaky voice, "I came here with my sister, Blaze. Do you know where she is?" I shook my head, "No, but I promise I'll get you out of here and find your sister, ok?" I send him a caring smile when he nodded. The soldier lashed out when my head was turned to do so. I quickly reacted and side stepped the attack as I guarded with my sword. The weapons clashed with a loud ring. He twisted his arm, aiming to cut my hand off but I blocked his attack once more and sent one of my own toward his leg. He jumped back to send another growl towards me when he realized this wasn't going to as easy as a win as he had expected. My mother taught me well. In the background, I saw Grace and Griffin on top of the hill, but before I could do anything about it the man attacked again. This time slicing my left calf before I fell and rolled away towards my bow and arrows. It was at this time when lightning came and struck the ground between us. I took the chance and grabbed my weapons before crawling my way behind a counter and out of sight. He got up on his feet slowly. My leg was throbbing in pain and was bleeding profusely. I hastily tore my sleeve off to wrap it up. I looked back over the counter as I loaded the bow. Painfully, I stood up and took aim. A yell worked up his throat, but my arrow stopped it in his neck. He crumbled away in the wind. Griffin ran down the hill and began cutting the ropes that bound Flame to the pole. I limped my way out from behind the counter before collapsing in shock. A hand hesitantly laid itself on my shoulder before the owner knelt down beside me. "I'm a murderer, I had to kill them. They killed Methyl." I mumbled into their shoulder. Grace rubbed my arm to calm me down. "Shh, it's okay. It’s done now, they're gone." "I'm a murderer." I said again. "No you are not." She replied forcefully, "You are a savior. The people of the Marketplace would all be dead without you." I didn't reply, just nodded. I lifted my head and saw Flame standing in front of me with wide eyes. He tilted his head when I did before we tilted it the other way. I moved my injured leg out of the way when he crawled up in my lap to cry. His tears made craters in the blood soaked dirt. I hugged him close and found peace to have him to hold. It was at this time when the merchants and store owners came out from hiding. Flame jumped out from my lap and began running toward a girl my age. She held out her arms and gave Flame a crushing hug. This must have been Blaze, but instead of having red hair she had brown. She and Flame slowly walked up to me hand in hand when Grace helped me to my feet. "Thank you for saving my brother." She told me but her eyes were full of anger. I didn't know what to say so I nodded quickly and swallowed. I felt if I opened my mouth I would puke from the pain and exhaustion. But I managed to say your welcome. Her eyebrows crossed before asking, "Who are you?" Everyone stopped to listen. She shot a glance to my hand and answered her own question before I could. "You're The Protector, aren’t you?" She took a step back, "You're the reason why those soldiers came here in the first place. You have endangered us all." I didn't know what to do. Griffin stepped in front of me. "Nobody has endangered anybody; those soldiers have been terrorizing this village for almost half a decade. In case you haven't noticed, Autumn just saved everybody. I would've liked to see you stand up to those soldiers and fought as brave as Autumn did." Griffin was standing up for me. The thought of it made my stomach flutter. However, whispers and murmurs spread across the crowd. Some shook their heads while others had the look of hope in their eyes. My vision formed spots and I collapsed on the ground again. The crowd gasped and mumbled once more. Grace and Flame knelt next to me when I put my head between my knees. Grace examined my wounds before saying, "We need Emma, now." That’s when I blacked out.

I woke up with a jolt, covered with sweat and gasping for breath. All of Methyl’s memories formed into one huge nightmare. The details faded away when I sighed and rubbed my face, finding my cheek covered with rough stitches. I laid back on the table and wad of deer skin I was using as a pillow, trying to remember where I was and what had happened.
Warmth filled the room from the crackling fire in the large, metal fire place across from me. On the wall beside it was a rack for different sized hammers and tongs. In front of that sat a large anvil, grinding stone and a tub of steaming water. Once I realized where I was, the large blacksmith man walked in from behind a cloth that hung over the front of the room. Before it flapped shut, I saw it was late in the night.
"You're awake, that’s good." He smiled a slight grin as he stuck a rod of steel into the large fire.
"What happened?" I asked while slinging my legs off the table allowing them to dangle when I sat up. My calf had been stitched up also. He gave me a confused but sympathetic look,
"Well first off, you just saved the whole village by beating the crap out of those soldiers. And that red head boy owes you his life, and I'm pretty sure his sister hates your guts, I can tell you that." I opened my mouth to ask why but he went on, "You lost so much blood that you fainted and that boyfriend of yours carried you in here. He offered to donate his blood, but he didn't have the same blood type. His sister did though." I looked at my arm to see it wrapped in gauze where Grace's blood had entered my body. I could feel my face glow pink when the only words I could find to say were,
"Griffin's not my boyfriend." It was different having said 'Griffin' and 'boyfriend' in the same sentence. I've never had a boyfriend before. The man looked surprised.
"Oh, really? Well that boy literally took the shirt off his back so that you would have a pillow." I looked at the blood-stained deer skin I was rubbing through my hands; it was the robes he was wearing earlier. Wanting to get off the subject of Griffin, I quickly shook my head and politely asked him for his name.
"Steel." I told him my name and we shook hands. His hands were rough with burns and calluses. "My wife, Iron, was the one that patched you up." He took out the red hot rod of metal from the fire and began dinging away at it on the anvil. He reminded me of a poem my mother used to read to me from the old Longfellow poem book,
"Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

"His hair is crisp, and black, and long
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate'er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owns not any man.

"Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low."
I didn't realize I had spoken out loud until I looked up to see that Steel had stopped his banging. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt you."
"Not at all. That was a mighty nice poem you said there." He told me. It was at that time when my stomach growled. He laughed, "Well shoot, I nearly forgot you haven't ate"
He stuck the metal into the tub of water, making the water sizzle and steam before he helped me limp to the back room where Grace, Griffin, and Raven were all sitting at a large round table. Once Griffin saw me, his face lit up like the sun and it made me smile with happiness to see him. Raven stood up to give me a tight hug and Grace helped me to my seat. Iron lingered at another but smaller fire, cooking in a kettle. I sniffed the air and sighed,
"What are you cooking? It smells divine." She turned and smiled at me,
"Beef stew; it's my grandmother's recipe."
"You're the one who stitched me up." She turned back to her cooking before nodding, "Thank you." She smiled and nodded once more. I glanced at Griffin and saw he was wearing Steel's clothes before I handed him his robes back. "I have some questions I would like to be answered, if that’s okay." I told Raven.
"You not asking anything until you eat, little missy." Iron told me, plopping a huge bowl of soup and a plate of rolls in front of me. I quickly hollowed out the rolls and stuffed them full with the stew before eating them whole, I was that hungry. After I had licked the bowl clean did I realize I had forgotten my manners.
"I sure am glad someone around here appreciates my cooking." Iron laughed out when she took my dishes away and cleaned them with the pump faucet. When she was done she sat back down on Steel's lap. While she was doing this, I went ahead and asked my questions.
"What's the protector and what does it have to do with me? I thought you were the protector, Raven."
"I was until you came back here. The Protector's task is passed down from each woman generation and since I had a son, you are the next woman in line. A Protector is someone who protects the people from the soldiers and the King. But the King hasn't been seen in three years. We think the soldiers have gone on their own now." She replied.
"But why am I 'The' Protector, when you were just a protector?" Raven sighed before answering,
"In the prophecy it states The Protector would be the one who bears the leaf scar." I glanced at my palm where my burn embedded itself. Blaze must have seen it.
"Oh." I thought awhile before asking another question. "They believed Blaze then. That I was The Protector." Raven nodded. "But if I'm here to save or protect these people, then why do they hate me so much? Especially Blaze?" It was Iron who answered,
"Because they have stories of the prophecy. One that includes that in the end, your power will overcome you to where you can't control it; that you will turn evil or die trying. I suppose that Blaze was just angry because she got scared and hid when you stood up against the soldiers. And she might think that you have labeled her brother as the first one you're going to harm."
"What?! If I wanted Flame dead I wouldn't have saved him in the first place! It's not my fault she's jealous that I'm not scared like she is. What a pussy." Grace shushed me,
"We know, we know. We're just telling you what we know." I sighed and leaned back against my seat.
"I'm sorry. It's just crazy what people believe around here."
"Well, they haven’t had anything to believe in for a while. So they started to make up their own beliefs." Griffin pointed out. I nodded and told him he was right and that I was done with my questions, at least for now.
Everyone got up and was heading home, but I didn't want to leave. I knew if I went home I would have to sleep, which meant nightmares. Grace told me I at least needed to change; I looked at my tattered clothes. Iron lent me a pair of her own blacksmith robes, which included pants (Thank God). Grace had to help me into them because of my leg. They were big but comfortable. Griffin was the last to leave but gave me a sad look before leaving.
I sighed once more and laid my head on my folded arms on the table. Iron patted me softly on the back before she went to bed. Afraid I was going to fall asleep; I longed to have something to do. Only when I heard the ringing of metal upon metal did I know what to do. I went to the front room to find Steel had gone back to beating the rod.
"Do you not sleep?" I asked. He shook his head and asked me the same question. I simply replied no. I hesitated but finally said, "Can you teach me how to do that?" He looked shocked but nodded.
Earlier that day, Steel had taught me how to heat the metal, how to use the anvil and each tong and hammer, even how to make designs in the metal. It was like I was meant to learn blacksmithing, as if the metal and I had a connection. The metal did everything I wanted it to do.
The morning sun glanced off the perfect silver sword with its beautiful stars, maple leaves, crescent moon and howling wolf designs. It reminded me of Heather's tattoo. The handle was wrapped with leather for grip and was perfectly balanced for me. The sword was razor sharp and would never dull. Steel and I talked and made each other laugh all night long. Steel was fascinated by my creation and carefully looked it over.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything this beautiful made from metal. This would have taken a lifetime to make, another lifetime just to learn how to do this." He looked at me with eyes of respect, "You have an amazing gift young lady. What will you name it?"
"I get to name my sword?" He chuckled and nodded. I thought about it for a while, until it hit me.
"ζωή,” It sounded like, Zoë, “It means life in Greek." The sword seemed to glow, as if it liked the name.
"No other name would fit more perfectly. A perfect name for a perfect sword." He surprised me even further when he got on one knee and bowed his head as he presented me my sword, "Celestial Autumn Tree, I am more than pleased to present this beautiful sword, ζωή, to you for protecting our village. May you be the best protector ever." I bowed back to him and lifted my sword into my arms before it rang in the sheath Steel made me. He got on his feet and we smiled at each other.

I walked without a purpose, examining the damage caused by the soldiers. The villagers were working together to regain their way of life as they fixed the shops. A heavy weight of guilt rested on my shoulders. Blaze was right, this was my fault. Thinking of this made me lock eyes with the dirt path, avoiding the ugly looks of the villagers. At least I left my weapons back at the blacksmiths.
Someone behind me managed to trip and shove me to the ground. I felt the stitches in my leg tug on the skin. Instead of jumping back on my feet and beating the crap out of them, I slowly sat up. The sun obscured the view of the person but I could easily make out her short form. Speak of the Devil and he will appear as they always say.
"How dare you come back and show your face around here!" Blaze yelled at me. I simply just propped my arms up on my bent knees as I squinted at her face.
"I was just walking around." I replied innocently, "It gets stuffy in the blacksmith's shop." She scoffed at me. "And I was thinking about fixing the damage I've done." Fury licked her eyes,
"We don't need your help." She said harshly, "Look where it's gotten us." I took a look around. Some shops were reduced to ashes that small tufts of smoke emerged from while others just simply collapsed. I glanced over to see Methyl’s cloth shop completely obliterated. The villagers had stopped what they were doing to watch us with mournful eyes. I sighed before answering.
"You're right. I agree with you and I'm sorry. Those soldiers promised they would never come back here if I won. Besides, since they're dead, who's going to know that I'm actually here and alive?"
"Someone told them once you were here, they'll do it again." Her voice was hard and cold. "And you bet that if you died they could take my brother and kill all of us." I heard a shout of glee and felt someone crash into me as they gave me a hug. Only when he had climbed into my lap did I realize that it was Flame. That old saying never fails.
"But they didn't. See, Flame is right here. Alive and happy. If you weren't so afraid of the soldiers maybe I wouldn't have been the one to save him." Flame looked at Blaze and me with wide eyes,
"Is Sissy giving you a hard time, Autumn?" He asked. I shook my head saying,
"Nah, we're just talking." I looked back at Blaze; her eyes were still locked on me with hate before she glared at Flame.
"Come, we're leaving." He surprised me when he shook his head and held me closer. Disbelief washed away all of her anger from her face. But she quickly became mad once more,
"Is this what you want?!" She screamed pointing to Flame. "You're a disgrace to this village!" Before running away, she had the satisfaction of spitting in my face. Calmly I wiped it off as she disappeared in the distance. Flame hugged me again,
"I'm so sorry, Autumn. She's not usually like this."
"I understand Flame, please don't apologize, it’s not your fault." He hid his face in my shirt when he mumbled something else but I could clearly hear him say,
"Sorry." This made me smile when I began messing with his hair until he came out of hiding. "Did you really mean it when you said you were going to help us?"
"Of course little man." I poked him in the side and he giggled. "That’s if you help me up." For his answer he jumped up from my lap and got me to my feet.
We first stopped at where the most people were crowded at. Some saw me approaching and immediately left the group; the others avoided my gaze when I arrived. I wasn't intending to speak to them but the words just flowed off my tongue.
"I would first like to apologize for everything that has happened. I know that all of this is my fault." My eyes once again glanced over the rubble of the cloth shop. "If it wasn't for me, Methyl might still be alive and this village would still be in one piece. But please, I want to help. I want to prove to you that I will not become evil. Your rumors are true. I am the Protector and that is what I intend to do." The crowd was silent after my speech until someone spoke in a shy and nervous voice,
"If Flame trusts you then so do I. Those soldiers have been torturing this village even before you came. We would be dead anyways without you." The crowd parted and I saw that the speaker was a young, pregnant woman with black hair and deep green eyes. They all mumbled and nodded in agreement. I don't think I've ever been so grateful before.
"Thank you." I sighed with relief, "May I help you then?" They nodded once more.
We began by removing the debris and useless pieces then dumping them in a big pile in the middle of the square. Griffin, Grace and the rest of the gang showed up to bless the trees before we had to cut them down for more wood. Everyone worked hard but we enjoyed ourselves at the same time. The women sewed together cloth as they sang songs and men hacked away at the wood with a steady beat. I directed everyone and designed the new shops.
When no one was looking, I shaped the branches and put on designs to fit my needs. I think Griffin was showing off when he helped the men lift the huge trunks and logs. By the time were done the square looked better than it did even before the soldiers came. Everyone was so tired to do anything else but go home and sleep.

Grace took her a bath before we hung out in her room. We were tired but too excited for the next day to sleep. We simply laid on our backs staring at the dark ceiling. Wanting to get to know Grace more, I started a conversation.
"Grace? Raven told me that trees walked, but I haven't seen one yet. How come?" She sighed and was quiet. After I had thought she was asleep did she reply quietly.
"Ever since the war that made that awful man our king the trees have gone into hiding. Once a young spruce was either brave or ignorant enough to venture out into a field. The soldiers found out and burned the whole forest to the ground." She shivered whether from being cold or remembering that day.
"I can still see all the people running around on fire, screaming while those stupid soldiers laughed at them. They laughed at them!" I could feel her shell beginning to break and her grip slipping as she forced her tears back. From the nightmares I've been having, I could imagine what she was remembering. I placed my arm around her to give her comfort.
"I know. I understand, Grace. I wish there was something I could do to cheer you up. If only the party was closer." Suddenly, she gasped and sat up quickly.
"I have an idea! Come on!" She yanked my arm and began dragging me up the stairs.
"What are you doing?" I hissed at her when she began ransacking the kitchen. Heather and I were much quieter when we stole food in the night.
"I ain't waiting for no stinking party." She emerged from the pantry with her arms full of food and snacks. "We're gonna have our own."
We ate so much junk food. We stole a box of cheese crackers, a bag of dried beef, some popcorn, pretzels, nachos and two liter bottles of soda each. Root beer for me and orange soda for her. After wasting about half of the snacks in a food fight and then jumped on the bed did we finally give up.
"So what’s up with you and Griffin?" Grace asked with a grin on her face and an eyebrow raised.
"What are you talking about? There’s nothing." I looked away before she saw the look on my face. I was too slow, she saw.
"I know a blush when I see one. Have you seen the way you look at each other? You should have seen the look on his face when you fainted. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. I've never seen him that way before. And when he stuck up for you? Dang, he doesn't even do that for me! Okay so maybe that was a little exaggerated. But still,” Her head tilted and she smiled, "I think he really likes you and that maybe you like him back." It was a question and I stuttered for answer.
"I- I- I'm not sure how I feel exactly. I mean I've never felt it before so I don't know what the name of it is. It's like I have butterflies in my stomach every time I just look at him, or even just think about him . . ." I've never opened up to someone like this besides Heather. I should have stopped talking but my heart couldn't allow it. I was tired of hiding my feelings.
"For once, I can be relaxed and calm with no worries or fears. He just makes them . . . disappear. I suppose that’s why I'm so happy now . . . I- I really do like him Grace." I looked at her face, to show I was telling the truth. She was silent for a moment,
"I knew it!" She shouted and we busted out laughing. "I think you guys should date. You would make the perfect couple!"
"You want me to date your brother?" I emphasized. She shrugged and nodded, "That would be so awkward." I told her.
"Why do you say that?" Grace asked, pulling a piece of popcorn out of her hair.
"I wouldn't know how to act around him. I've never had a crush or liked a boy before, much less date one." I explained.
"Just be yourself around him. If he really does like you then he'll love you for who you are." She took a breath, “He told me he likes how you're not afraid to back down from a fight, that you're brave, that you don't care about what other people think about you. That's what makes you who you are." I crossed my eyebrows at her, "Don't give me that look. I asked him and said he really liked you, okay?"
"No that’s not okay! How could you ask him that without my permission?!" My outburst wavered with soft giggles. Giggles? I never giggled. Yet, I liked it.
"I knew you would say yes anyways!" Grace laughed back. I plopped on my side of the bed, landing on a pretzel which I threw at her. I yawned and asked her if she was ready to sleep. "But it's only . . . two in the morning." I gave her a look,
"Only two in the morning?" She returned my look,
"Yea why?" I shook my head,
"No reason." She shrugged and blew out the candle before she laid on the bed with me. Grace was out like the light. She kind of hummed and mumbled "Good night mommy. I loooooovvvvvveeeeee youuuuuuuuuuu." I couldn't help myself from smiling,
"Good night Grace. Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite." She nodded and hummed again,
"Don't let the bugs bite." She passed out in no time. I wish I could fall asleep that fast. The day of hard work pressed my eyelids down, but I refused to sleep. I was too afraid of the nightmares. My eyes snapped back open. I heard Grace's quiet breaths. Ah, a little nap won't hurt. My eyes drifted back down. Just a little nap. My mind shut down, my barriers crashed. Everything went dark. Until I saw the first flicker of flames, then a body, then a scream. The nightmares began.

I was the first to awaken. I was found lying on the hard wood flooring with my knees tucked into my chest and my hands tightly pressed against my ears. There was a note lying beside my head. It was from Emma.
Dear Autumn and Grace,
We have gone on to the party. Please don't sleep all day. Meet us at the square when you're ready. Wear something nice, a dress perhaps.
Love, Mama
P.S. - I healed Autumn's injuries when you were sleeping. Thought it would be more comfortable when you dance.
"A dress? Dancing?" I crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash. "This is going to be a nightmare." I laid back down and watched Grace sleep. It was about three in the afternoon, how could Grace sleep this late? How did I manage to do the same?
I sighed and shook my head before I got up to take a bath. In doing so, I examined my new scars. One tiny line ran from my cheekbone to my jaw. The other wrapped around my left calf. I took a quick bath before I hopped out. Crap . . . I forgot to bring a change of clothes and there was no way I was walking around the house with a towel. Luckily, Grace's room was right next to the bathroom.
"Hey Grace?" I yelled. Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up. "Grace?" I heard a loud groan. Yupp, she was up. "I kinda need some clothes. You can even pick them out. I'll be your best friend if you do!"
"You're already my best friend!" Grace shouted back.
Wow, a full sentence after waking up. I should be honored. Wait, I'm already her best friend? Really? Did she not have many friends? Or does she really count me as a friend? Either way, it brought a smile to my face. I finally had a friend in this world. Besides, she did donate her blood to save my life. What did that make us? Blood sisters? I chuckled at the thought. I listened to her rummage through her closet before she walked in the bathroom.
Grace was already dressed in a simple pink dress with flowers. It suited her nicely. She handed me my outfit and stood outside the door as I dressed myself. It had a zipper in the back where I couldn’t reach, Grace helped with that. She also braided strands of my hair then braided them together down the side. It was fascinating to watch her hands at work.
I wore an orange and yellow long sleeve dress that ruffled across my stomach to the end of my knees. It fit nicely along with the black leggings Grace allowed me to borrow. We walked barefoot. I didn't want Grace to know I secretly liked the outfit, so I fidgeted with it.
"How come you get to wear something simple?" She didn't even look at me when she replied,
"Would you rather be wearing pink?" She saw my disgusted face and smirked, "I didn't think so." A few seconds of silence passed before I spoke again.
"Grace, I don't know how to dance." I confessed.
"Neither do I. Just let the boy lead you." She advised.
"Boy? I have to dance with a boy?" I saw the glint in her eyes, "You set me up to dance with Griffin, didn't you?!" She was trying hard not to smile but didn't reply. "Grace!" She began to laugh, "It's not funny!" But her laughter was contagious and soon I too was laughing. "I can't believe you!" I pushed her slightly and she nudged me back. She linked her arm with mine and we began to skip. I felt like singing The Wizard of Oz, but Grace slowed down and walked halfheartedly.
"What’s the matter?" I asked. She shook her head,
"Just thinking . . . you're sixteen, right?" I nodded in reply. "I thought you were more my age when we found you. You act a lot more mature than others your age." My happiness sapped away. "Like, you think for others before yourself and you don't make dumb perverted jokes like others do. Even the way you examine everything you see and the way you carry yourself. Since Griffin pointed it out, I noticed from the way you walk that you could care less about what other people think. I was just wondering this, but why?" I hesitated before I spoke, I could trust Grace.
"I've always been told that, you know. About being mistaken for older." I kept my eyes trained in front of me as I talked. It was always easier for me to talk without looking at the persons face.
"I think about others before myself because I know I'm not worth the trouble and that I don't matter, but I want everyone else to know that they do matter. I suppose after living with Ellyn I've learned to examine every escape route to run to. Even if I can't make it, I know how to take the pain. I don't care what people think about me because I've already heard so many of their thoughts that it doesn't bother me anymore. As for the perverted jokes, they're just stupid and meaningless. It's not funny, just plain idiotic and rude." I took a breath,
"All the things I've been through have taught me to be the person I am now. And right now, I'm glad to be who I am." I finished. Grace examined my face.
"You don't look like that now that you're here." I looked back at her,
"Look like what?"
"Sad, like you're about to cry even though I know you're not. You're a lot more relaxed and happy here."
"You know, I've always been told that your eyes are the windows to your soul. Only very gifted people can read your eyes. I think you're one of those people, Grace." Her cheeks turned pink. "But yes, I am happy here. This is where I belong. Here, in the world of Gandimonian. This is my home place, I am meant to be here with your family and Raven. I am happy because I've found where I finally belong." I smiled and began to hear the sound of lively music.
All of our depressing thoughts vanished as we ran over the crest of the hill. The sight before me widened my smile. All the villagers had gathered together and were having the time of their lives. For once, they were enjoying themselves without having to look over their shoulders. The children and a few adults danced around the fire while the others talked and laughed. The musicians were playing so amazingly; it was no wonder why there were people dancing.
What was that they were playing? Soul music? The song changed; oldies? It changed again, jazz? Once again, it changed; was that Celtic music? I loved all of the above, maybe they had the power to play towards the audiences preference.
Grace ran to a man who was talking to Griffin. The way they embraced told me they were more than just friends. He was tall and had short orange hair with a matching 'five o clock shadow'. The man wore blue jeans, a plaid shirt, flip flops and a pair of sunglasses on his head. He had to be twenty one at the most. I smirked when Grace had to stand on her toes to peck him on the cheek. His arm wrapped around her waist as Grace introduced me to her boyfriend.
"Autumn, this is Adam. Adam, this is Autumn." I went to shake his hand when he stuck it up in the air. I simply slapped it for a high five. He laughed and hugged me with his other arm.
"I like this girl; at least she tries to give me a high five." He poked Grace in the side. "Cool name too." Was it just me, or did he wink at Griffin?
"Thanks dude, you're pretty cool yourself." I replied.
"Why, thank you. You just earned yourself some brownie points." I fist pumped the air,
"Yes!" I said sarcastically. We all laughed about that. Even harder when we heard Grace's stomach growl.
"I better get this one some food before her stomach attacks us all." Adam managed after our laughing fit. This time I was sure he winked at Griffin before he walked away with Grace.
"Is he always like that?" I asked Griffin. He nodded,
"Yea, pretty much. I think that's the main reason Grace is dating him; he makes her happy." He looked over toward them.
"That's great. It's all that matters right?" He gave me a lopsided grin,
"Yea, I guess you're right." I was ecstatic to finally be alone with Griffin. That was until Flame rushed over.
"Autumn! Come dance with us!" He began to drag me away before I could even reply.
"But- I- uh." I looked back at Griffin; he smiled and nodded. The kids were excited to have me over and danced so erratically it looked like they were either hopping or skipping. I tried to match their steps and ended up tripping. Flame helped me up and did his best to teach me the steps. I listened closer to the song and found it really was Celtic music. They had the bagpipes, fiddles and everything.
The dance had to do with keeping the rhythm. As long as you skipped and tapped the ground on the downbeat, you had it. Oh, and you had to link arms with other people and spin in a circle as well. Did I mention that?
The musicians replayed the song and everyone joined in. I was passed around the whole fire; everyone wanted to dance with me. Griffin was on the other side dancing with an elderly lady and I was unable to reach him. Still, I had a lot of fun. They did a mix of all my favorite genres. Apparently, they were the villager's favorites too. I suppose I belonged here more than I thought. I danced to them all.
A few hours later, I was left breathless, thirsty and hungry; I headed for the refreshment bar. I snatched a glass of sweet tea and a barbeque sandwich. Careful not to spill anything on my dress, I ate slowly. The sun was now setting and the musicians traded their fiddles, drums and bagpipes for trumpets, saxophones, trombones and other band instruments. A guy about fifteen with a mess of dark brown hair sat next to me and made a conversation.
"Having fun?" He asked. I smiled and nodded,
"You? I haven't seen you dance any."
"I'm not much for dancing." His eyes were like Griffins, but green instead of gold. It reminded me of looking up at a tree. It was very fascinating to look at.
"Me neither, Flame made me. He laughed with a boyish laugh. He stuck out his hand, I shook it. His hand was large but soft.
"My name is Ace." He told me.
"Autumn." I withdrew my hand.
"Autumn,” He said, feeling the word roll off his tongue. "It's a nice name." I couldn't reply; I had another mouthful of food. "So what's your power?" He asked nonchalantly; like he just asked how I was. I swallowed my food.
"Tell me yours first." I could tell he was taken aback, but he answered the question.
"I can fly." I looked for his wings but couldn't find any.
"Fly? What do you do? Grow wings out your back?" He laughed again. It was more of a boyish laugh, but it was nice, as if there was nothing wrong in the world. I liked it.
"No, I can make my body particles lighter than air. It's more of a hover really, but I'm still learning."
"That’s good. Learning is good." I agreed. Learning is good? That’s the best I could come up with? I'm such an idiot. Social activity, not my best aspect. I can kill a group of people but I can't even talk to a single guy. Go Autumn. However, Ace didn't give a second thought.
"I'm taking you like school then?"
"The learning part, yes. The people, no. I like history and English, I hate math but I'm good at it. If only school taught me how to survive in the wild and to use different weapons, I'd love it." Ace looked at me,
"You'd love Ath School then. We learn all that and more. My favorite part is the competitions at the end of each semester." He winced and rubbed his leg as if it hurt him. Or if he was remembering a pain. "Each class submits a competitor to see who has the best power. We have a ladder we follow. Last one standing wins."
"What happens when you win?" I asked.
"Respect from all the students and the teachers. No homework, the best food for free. So on and so forth." He seemed output, like he almost won once.
"How do you win?" I was very interested in this. Would I be able to go to Ath School? I would have to ask Raven about it.
"When the other person is incapable of fighting for ten seconds. Whether you're frozen solid, unconscious, asleep-" Asleep? Does someone have the power over sleep? "Or death." The word chilled the air and sent shivers down my spine.
"Well, that’s pleasant. Have there been any deaths so far?" Fortunately, he shook his head.
"So far that is. Now come, you've avoided my question this long." He smiled, "What's your power?" I flipped my hair back and smirked,
"I guess you're just gonna have to find out next semester." He raised his hands in defeat and laughed.
"Okay, okay I won't ask. You win." I finished my supper and tossed it in the garbage. I gasped when the musicians finished their warm-up and played their first song. It was one I used to dance to with my father. It brought back lots of good memories. It was after all my dads favorite song. In the Mood by Glenn Miller.
How did they learn to play that so well? It made me think they have been playing longer than five years. Did they escape to Earth as well? Did everyone here escape? It would explain a lot. I set the thought aside and ran to Ace. I yanked on his arm.
"Come dance, Ace!" He pulled his arm back,
"I can't dance!" He laughed. I yanked again,
"Just tap your foot and wiggle your finger!" Still, he resisted. I let go and walked away to dance, "Kill joy!" I yelled back and stuck out my tongue at him. Ace just laughed and shook his head. A warm hand grabbed my hand and twirled me. I turned to find myself just inches from Griffin's face. His breath wafted in my face when he talked. It smelt like mint, like he'd just finish chewing the plant.
"Care to dance?" I've waited the whole day for him to ask me that. I smiled and nodded. He grinned and spun me around once more. We danced as if no one else was around. We weren't the best dancers, but we were the ones having the most fun. Everyone clapped and cheered for us; we ignored them. All I saw was Griffin's smiling face looking back at mine. The lead trumpet player cracked the last note; we didn't care as we cheered and clapped with the rest of the crowd. Someone got their fiddle back out and began a slow song. Moonlight Serenade, another song by Glenn Miller.
"This goes out to all the love birds out there." One of the musicians shouted. Griffin looked at me for permission before our hands touched; it was a silent agreement. He placed my hands around his neck then rested his own warm hands on my waist. A blush flared across my cheeks.
"I've never danced with a boy before." It wasn't meant to be said, yet the words tumbled out of my mouth. I bit my tongue before any more thoughts decided they wanted to be known as well.
"I've never danced with a girl before. Unless you count Grace and Sue." Sue must have been the elderly lady. "Which I don't." His comment erased any the uneasy feelings I had moments ago. Griffin looked over my shoulder, “Looks like Ace is jealous." We turned in a circle so I could see Ace slouched in the same chair with his arms crossed. He saw me and waved; I smiled back.
"I agree." I looked up at Griffin's face; I didn't like his facial expression. "You don't like him." It wasn't a question, still he shook his head.
"The feeling is mutual between us." This troubled me,
"Why? He seems nice enough."
"We were up against each other at our school competition. My pet bit him in the leg before he could 'fly' away. He's disliked me since, thinks I cheated. I apologized over and over again, but he wouldn't listen. I suppose it's my fault he can't dance tonight; his leg is still in that cast." I glanced back at Ace. His jeans bulged at the calf and I caught a glimpse of the blue cast. I felt so bad. I knew he wanted to dance with me, but he couldn't. Instead, I go dance with the guy who put him in the cast in the first place. Smooth move, Autumn.
"Well, what’s done is done. The past can't change, but it can be fixed in the future." His eyes locked with mine. The corners of his mouth twitched up.
"You're right. Let us change it later. I'd like to enjoy the party a bit longer."
"Are you sure it's the party? Or my company?" What in the world of Gandimonian made me say that? Curse my thoughts. Yet, the sound of me saying it made me smirk. Griffin pulled me closer; I could feel the heat off his body.
"Both. Just . . . one more than the other." His lopsided smile came back. Was he flirting with me? Was I flirting back? Either way, I liked it. The song ended and went straight into an oldies song. We didn't want to stop dancing, but the song was too fast for our taste. Griffin pulled me from the crowd to go sit with Grace and Adam. We talked and laughed for a few more hours. Eventually Grace began to nod off and Adam walked her home. Griffin and I shared a bench and watched everyone dancing. He told me stories and names of the villagers.
"Ok then, who's that?" I asked, gesturing to the pregnant woman. She sat away from every else in the shadows, as if the villagers placed her there.
"That's Hazel, very kind hearted. The best baker around. I'll have to let you try one of her sweet rolls one day. They absolutely just melt in your mouth. Her baby should be due in a few more months. Nobody knows who the father is. Everyone seems to think she was ra-” He stopped himself, but the damage was done. I looked away. "I'm so sorry, Autumn. I forgot."
"You forgot?" A flicker of anger burned inside. "How could you forget?" He opened his mouth; I stopped him. "No, don't answer that. It's for the best that we do just forget about it."
Yet, I continued to watch Hazel. Would I end up like that? My hand skimmed across my stomach and I scratched it when Griffin's eyes flickered toward the movement. God, I hope not. I rubbed the faded hickies on my neck. What did the villagers think about them? Have they seen them? What if they think Griffin caused them? My hand clenched my neck. It would explain the looks they give me. So much for not caring what other people think about me.
A warm touch on my clenched hand jerked me from my thoughts. Griffin pulled the hand away and our fingers intertwined. The sight of it calmed me down; the flame died out. Why did have that effect on me? Why was he so nice to me?
Oh, shut up brain and enjoy the moment for once. I rested my head on his shoulder. Did he just sigh? I know I did. Who cares? I noticed now that our table was the farthest from Aces. No wonder why Griffin chose it. Ace laughed with the rest of his friends, but his smile fell when he saw us. Why did I have to be such a jerk?
"Griffin?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think I'm a jerk?" I lifted my head to see his face. His eyebrows were crossed.
"Why would you ever think that?" I listed them on my hand,
"I didn't cry when Methyl died. I'm having the best time of my life when I should be mourning for Heather. I left Cade without the intention of saying goodbye. I broke his wife's nose before we left and I'm hurting Ace's feelings. Not to mention it was my fault the soldiers came and that Blaze hates me." I dropped my hand in my lap hard in my own anger. It slapped against my thigh.
Griffin thought awhile before answering. "You didn't know Methyl enough to cry over her death, but I understand why you feel guilty about it. It wasn't your fault you know." I looked away before he continued, "Heather would understand what’s going on, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want mourning. She would want you to be strong.
"You left Cade without a goodbye because you didn't want to hurt him or at least see him hurt. It may not be right for me to say this, but I believe his wife deserved it. Maybe even more than that." His finger absent mindedly traced up my arm with the burns. Did he know about them?
"The soldiers attacking the village was not your fault, it was whoever tipped them off." He smirked and went on, “As for Ace and Blaze, they’ll get over it eventually." I scoffed, but believed what he said. I looked at his golden brown eyes and smiled.
"Thank you." I was sincere. His smile was enough. Our hands found each other and my head returned to his shoulder. We watched the ashes from the bonfire float up into the starry sky like fireflies in the night. Why couldn't I always feel this relaxed and content?
Soon, I began fighting sleep from my eyelids. I couldn't fall asleep, not now. I couldn't stand the nightmares and there was no way I was wasting my time with Griffin asleep. How late was it anyways? Two or three in the morning? My stomach faintly murmured. I seriously needed to get on a regular eating and sleeping schedule.
Many of villagers have long past gone to bed as well as some of the musicians. The remaining folks were chit chatting or poking the fire with sticks. The musicians went back to playing their violins and were beginning to play a lullaby. A lullaby? What was this? Beautiful Dreamer? Oh . . . Yupp, it was. Way to add insult to injury. I groaned as the battle became harder to fight and my eyes closed.
"Autumn? Are you going to sleep?" Griffin's musical voice asked. I could lie to a voice like that.
"Mm hmm." I couldn't even open my mouth to talk.
"Can you walk? Or do you want me to carry you home?" Griffin, you are really not helping my case right now. But dang, that sounded so nice; I couldn't refuse. I slightly nodded.
Griffin gracefully picked me up, as if he was cradling me. I locked my arms around his neck to take some of my weight, but he didn't mind at all. His muscles flexed and tightened, yet he didn't even grunt. Surely, I weighed at least a hundred and fifteen. Or was he really that strong? Either way I was impressed.
"Are you still awake?" His voice asked. I nodded against his warm neck. "Why don't you sleep?"
"Nightmares." I managed to mumble.
"Oh, I'm sorry." He was sincere.
"S'okay. Not your fault."
"No, but I wish I could do something to stop them." Even half-conscious my thoughts always wiggle themselves out.
"Why?" I blurted out. His footsteps faltered as he sought for an answer.
"Because . . . I care for you, Autumn. I really do." A smile emerged on my face. Then, I did something I would have never done fully conscious. I kissed Griffin on the cheek and whispered in his ear,
"I do the same for you." I laid my head back down and could literally feel Griffin smile and turn red. I watched the bonfire dim in the distance as the sooth rocking of Griffin's arms and the fading last notes of the lullaby knocked me out cold. I lost the fight.