Autumn Storm (6 page)

Autumn slid into the bathroom quickly. Happy
there was still hot water, she let it run over her for a few
minutes before cleaning up and exiting.

“Hel-
lo
! You’re not the only one who
has to get ready!” Dawn shouted through the door.

Autumn glanced at the knob, making sure it
was locked. Wrapped in her towel, she pulled a comb through her
hair quickly but hesitated to wipe the fog from the mirror.

“Hurry up, Autumn!”

Autumn drew a deep breath to keep from
yelling back. Dawn spent over two hours locked in the bathroom when
she took a shower, compared to Autumn’s twenty minutes. Between
Dawn and the foggy mirror, Autumn felt stressed out. Steeling
herself, she wiped the mirror down. The pretty girl with long, dark
hair – who looked nothing like her! – was there. They stared at
each other.

“Autumn!”

Autumn blinked, and the girl in the mirror
was gone. She’d thought about talking to the girl in the mirror one
day, until she realized they were the same person.

Sorta. Or maybe she was crazy.

“Come
on
!”

I’m tired of feeling like I have no
control.
Irritated, she gathered up her make-up bag and dirty
clothes then wrenched the door open.

Dawn was pacing. “Omigod, it’s about time.”
She shoved by Autumn into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Autumn set her things down on her bed. The
drunk driver, the helplessness she experienced during the weeks
after the accident. She had no control over her own mind and little
over her damaged body. She couldn’t even shower on her own terms.
The almost-familiar surroundings made her more frustrated.

Anger trickled through her. Waking up with
no memory and a body that didn’t know how to walk made her
sensitive to her instincts. There were some things her body – and
mind – innately knew or remembered. She’d learned to trust her
intuition.

Right now, it told her something important
happened at this school, something that changed her. Something
involving Dawn? She had bad vibes about the beautiful girl. Where
Adam and Beck were comfortable to her like old friends, Dawn was
like a blast of cold air.

“Sonya’s coming by in a minute. Let her in!”
Dawn shouted from the bathroom a moment before the shower came
on.

Autumn sighed. What did she do with that
anger? She did kind of like Sonya, who smiled at her. There were no
memories or feelings at all associated with the quiet girl. It was
nice. As if on cue, someone knocked at the door. Autumn crossed to
it and yanked it open.

She froze and looked up into Beck’s striking
eyes. He wore jeans and a short-sleeved sweater. He radiated
soothing, gentle magick that lessened her anger at Dawn.

“Hi,” he said at last. His gaze swept over
her form.

“You’re not Sonya,” she replied, flushing.
She’d answered the door in her towel, assuming no one but Sonya
would be knocking.

“I can be,” Beck offered with a grin.

Embarrassed, Autumn slammed the door. He
knocked again.

“Just a minute!” she called. She changed
with clumsy hands drew a breath then opened the door as calmly as
she could manage. “Sorry.”

“No worries.” His smile was quick. “You
ready?”

“Not yet. Aren’t you early?” she glanced
towards the clock on her nightstand. She had a full twenty minutes
before five.

“Amber said she thought she saw you leave
with Adam and the other girls,” he said, shrugging. “Just
double-checking.”

“Well, I didn’t.” Her face warmed again.
“Obviously.”

“You sure? I mean, maybe –“

At the sarcastic tone, she closed the door
on him again. What kind of person had the confidence to ask out a
complete stranger after a two minute conversation anyway?

Another knock made her jump. She opened the
door for a third time, ready to order him gone, and saw Sonya
outside. The tall girl was dressed in dark, designer jeans and a
snug sweater.

“Hey, Autumn,” she said, gaze on the screen
of her smart phone. “Dawn ready?”

“Not quite,” Autumn replied. “She’s in the
bathroom.”

“Omigod, she takes forever.”

Autumn closed the door. Sonya crossed to the
bathroom door and beat on it then walked in. The two of them talked
loudly, though their exact words weren’t discernible.

Chewing her lip, Autumn pushed herself away
from the door and crossed to the brace on her bed. She debated not
wearing it but decided she probably should, after the taxing walk
this morning. She hated being forced to rely on it because her body
was too weak to support itself. Going to her closet, she gazed at
the clothing the orphanage had brought to the hospital. They’d
claimed they were hers, but some of them still had tags.

She fingered one of the tags on a sweater
she’d never worn. While she loved the clothes, they weren’t things
she remembered picking. She could tell by the way they fit and
material that they weren’t donations like the other orphans wore.
Some of the tags themselves were leather on ribbons with brand
names she’d never heard of.

They were way too nice. The colors were
perfect for her complexion. Maybe someone at the hospital or
orphanage took pity on her and bought her a new wardrobe after her
accident. She couldn’t remember anyone who might’ve done that, and
she instinctively knew she didn’t choose them.

It was probably the same person who paid for
the hospital bill, since her case worker said the orphanage never
could’ve afforded the long stay and would’ve yanked her out when
the doctors said she was stable enough. The state definitely didn’t
pay for the physical rehabilitation or psychotherapy, both of which
occurred three times a week.

Autumn shook her head to clear the thoughts.
She was no closer to uncovering her memories now than she was when
she woke up in the hospital. She pulled the tags off one of the
nicer sweaters – a maroon, cashmere turtleneck – and a pair of dark
jeans she hadn’t worn yet, because they seemed too nice for
everyday wear.

Tonight was different, though. Tonight
warranted nice clothing. She changed out of the clothes she’d
thrown on and into the sweater and jeans. Her make-up routine was
simple, unlike Dawn’s forty five minutes, and she pulled on
ankle-high boots.

Right at five, she stepped from the main
house onto the porch. A sleek, black car idled in front of the
porch. Beck was standing at the driver’s door, talking to Amber.
His gaze was intent, his arms crossed. Amber didn’t look happy.
Autumn waited. A few minutes passed before Amber stepped towards
the porch.

Amber’s face lit up at the sight of her.
“You going to the game?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s my date,” Beck called, winking.

“Remember the rules,” Amber returned.

“My intentions are noble, ma’am.”

Autumn’s face was hot from the exchange and
Beck’s declaration. She hadn’t thought this a real date just a …
maybe it was. Or maybe, he was doing what people at the orphanage
had done and taken pity on the poor, beat-up blond girl. She
hated
that.

Amber hugged her before going to the porch
door. Beck circled the car and opened the passenger side door.
Autumn went and slid into the sporty car. Her eye caught on the BMW
symbol on the steering wheel. She knew from Amber’s orientation
that many of the students here were from wealthy families, but she
was surprised someone who couldn’t be over eighteen drove such a
nice car.

He climbed into the driver’s seat with a
wave at Amber. He put the car into gear and drove down the
driveway. The gravel crunched under the tires, limiting their
ability to talk until they reached the road.

“Hot? Cold? Good enough?” Beck asked,
motioning to the environmental controls.

“I’m fine,” she replied. She gazed at his
profile. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Where exactly are you taking me?”

He grinned. “It’s an hour drive to Newport,
which is where our football team plays home games, since we don’t
have our own stadium. My brother’s school is playing ours tonight.
We’re kinda isolated at the school. Really sucks if you don’t have
a car to get to the mall or anything.” Beck was upbeat and
outgoing, the opposite of how she felt. Something about his
attitude was contagious.

The tension between her shoulders melted,
and she found herself looking forward to the evening out, even if
she rarely went out. At least, she didn’t think she did. She really
didn’t know.

“You probably think I walk around asking out
every pretty blond at school, but I really don’t. You seemed …a
little lost.”

“I don’t feel lost,” she replied archly. As
she suspected, he was taking pity on her. He was too charismatic
for her to her to be angry. “It’s kinda weird. I probably
should.”

“Why?”

“Never mind. It’s stupid.”

“Trust me, I don’t think anything you can
tell me would be weird,” he said.

She smiled and looked out the window but
didn’t volunteer anything else. The sun was setting already,
casting long shadows across the road. The sky ahead of them grew
darker.

“So, tell me about Autumn,” he prodded at
her silence.

“I wish I knew.”

He waited. When she said nothing else, he
glanced at her. “That’s it?”

“Pretty much.”

“Okay, I can make up a story about your
background.”

Autumn returned her gaze to him.

“You’re from California, where you’re a
part-time mermaid. The rest of the time, you rescue homeless dogs,”
Beck started. “I think you can read minds, too, right?”

She shook her head. She didn’t want to smile
but did.

“Well, you can now. Your favorite color is
blue, because you’re a water element.”

“I like your version of things better,” she
said. “But I’m not a water element. I’m afraid of water, I think. I
can’t remember much of anything from before the accident.”

“Wow, that’s terrible.”

“I’m lucky I survived. I have scars all
over,” she said, indicating her neck and body.

“Did they catch the guy?”

“I don’t know. I focused more on trying to
get better. Today’s the first day I walked without my brace. I’ve
been kinda happy about that.”

“That’s quite a story. What was a mermaid
doing in the street?”

“Part-time mermaid,” she reminded him. “I
don’t know. I can’t remember the accident.”

“I knew there was something different about
you.” His smile was back. “Do you know your element yet? Or is it
too soon?”

“I think I know,” she said, pensive. “I
don’t understand a lot of that stuff yet.”

“Rough few days?”

“No,” she replied. “Familiar. Like you. I
keep thinking this is déjà vu.”

“Okay, so the mermaid can’t read minds, but
you can see the future. Who wins the game tonight?” he asked.

“Who’s playing?” she returned.

He chuckled.

“What … element are you? Or do you talk to
or whatever it is we do with elements?” she asked.

“Earth.”

“The protector element,” she recalled from
her reading.

Beck glanced at her again. “Yeah.
Allegedly.”

“I can almost see that.”

“Almost.” He rolled his eyes. “Awesome.”

“You’re trying to be nice. I guess.”

“And failing miserably.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I’m being mean
to you, aren’t I?”

“Oh, yeah.” He smiled to show he was
joking.

“I’m earth, too. I think,” she said,
thinking again.

“Are you? I didn’t sense it.”

“Is it possible to have two elements?”

“Very rare.”

“I think I do. Air and earth.”

“Air and earth,” he repeated. “Almost
impossible, Autumn.”

The way he said her name made her look at
him. His smile was gone, and he gripped the steering wheel tight
enough for his knuckles to be white.

“I could be wrong,” she said, puzzled by the
sudden tension in his frame. He wore the same expression he did
when staring down the path they were forbidden from entering. It
didn’t seem to be his nature to be serious and made her
uncomfortable. “I just got here. I’m sure I’m wrong.”

He was silent.

“Could you say something please?” she asked
uneasily.

“Sorry,” he said. He released a breath and
looked at her. “Flashbacks.”

She was afraid to ask this time. She’d
thought him joking earlier, but there was something he was
remembering that he didn’t like.

“Do you always do this? Flip moods so
fast?”

He laughed. “No. I’m the most stable person
I know. Just, uh, dealing with some stuff on the personal side.
Family business I inherited when I turned eighteen few weeks ago.
I’m not used to it yet but am trying to adapt.”

“Oh,” she said. “’Cuz you’re kinda freaking
me out.”

“I’m really sorry, Autumn,” he said with
earnestness that left her face warm. “I’d never hurt you.”

It was an odd thing to say. If she didn’t
think he’d flip into a weird mood again, she’d ask him why he said
it. Instead, she changed the subject.

They talked most of the way to Newport. By
the time they arrived, the game was just starting, and the skies
were dark. Beck opened the door for her. She stepped out. It was
chillier than she expected.

“If you get cold, hungry, bored, whatever,
let me know,” he said. “Okay?”

She nodded, pleased to find him such a
gentleman. Not that she remembered much about him, but this aspect
of him seemed genuinely new. Beck offered his arm. Grateful for the
dark that hid her blush, she took it.

“We’re meeting a few folks here. Chances
are, our team will get skunked.”

Autumn glanced up at him as they moved
through the parking lot towards the stadium. The air was clear and
crisp. He had the body of an athlete; she wondered what sports he
played. Swimming? No, not Beck.