{"id":1132,"date":"2012-03-16T00:00:40","date_gmt":"2012-03-16T04:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1132"},"modified":"2012-03-15T11:21:15","modified_gmt":"2012-03-15T15:21:15","slug":"autumn-chapter-6-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1132","title":{"rendered":"Autumn – Chapter 6 – 02"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>We found Rory exactly where I was afraid we might, just on the edge of the swampy meadow down in the ravines, between Little Mac and the paths down from the back end of the arboretum.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He was sitting in the grass, propped up against a fallen tree, and pressing a handkerchief against his hairline.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Much to my relief, he looked more annoyed than hurt, though his fingers were bright with blood that was starting to soak through the handkerchief.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A decent pile of wood and Leah\u2019s herb basket were sitting next to him.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFucking branch,\u201d he muttered as J.T. and I got closer.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you all right?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I asked.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah, it\u2019s just bleeding like crazy and I was dizzy for a few minutes after it happened.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He gestured to a branch not far away, about as thick around as my wrist.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m lucky it didn\u2019t fall from higher than it did.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Broke off from that one there.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He pointed to another fallen tree, one that leaned at a precarious angle against several more trees.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was hard to tell how long they\u2019d been that way, but I remembered some of them being in that position when I\u2019d come down here with Phelan a few weeks before.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI heard it start to crack and looked up, then <\/span>bam!<\/span><\/em>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shook his head a little and let J.T. move his hand aside to have a look at the wound.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI guess it\u2019s better than getting it in the eye.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ve got a headache now, though.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDid you black out?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. asked.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Just dizzy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Rory\u2019s eyes rolled toward me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhen you and I get back up to camp, we need to talk.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My stomach sank.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was a dumb question\u2014I already knew what Rory wanted to talk to me about.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>About Leah.\u00a0 <\/span>What else went on down here other than an accident with a falling branch?<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe said you slipped, you know,\u201d J.T. said, digging a wad of gauze out of his back pocket.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Rory snorted.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah, after the branch hit me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My ass is covered in mud.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He leaned back again, holding the pad against the cut.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow bad is it?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHead wounds bleed more than they have any right to,\u201d J.T. said, shaking his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019ll maybe need a stitch or two, but it doesn\u2019t look that bad.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019ll wait for Leah to bring whoever else she\u2019s bringing, then we\u2019ll get you up top and they can handle the wood and whatever.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSounds like a plan,\u201d Rory said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>After a momentary silence, he looked at me and asked, \u201cHas Leah asking you anything about the wards?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That can\u2019t be good.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe was just asking questions about them while we were down here getting wood and she was picking her herbs, that\u2019s all.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>And then she asked me why we planted all those holly bushes and I told her it was because they\u2019re a living protective barrier\u2014sacred to the druids or something\u2014and she asked me if I believed in all the crap Phelan had been spewing and I just looked at her funny.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. snorted.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDo you believe all the crap that Phelan\u2019s spewing?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Rory shot him a shit-eating grin.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAbout as much as you do, Jay, and we both know how much you do.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. grunted and sat down on the log.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I shook my head slightly and looked around slowly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Everything seemed normal.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The birds were singing, the sun was shining.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>But the mark on my arm the greys had left me with burned faintly with cold, like I\u2019d been holding an ice cube against the spot for too long.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDoes anything feel weird to you guys?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I asked quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 Maybe we should just leave the wood and go back up.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo weirder than usual,\u201d Rory said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut my head\u2019s still ringing a little.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I shivered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJay?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He seemed to consider the question for a moment before he drew himself up a little straighter, looking beyond me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTurn around.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>My heart began to beat a little faster and for a split second, I debated not doing as he asked.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>After a moment, I turned slowly and saw a figure limned in dim, misty sunlight hovering over one of the streamlets that wended their way through this section of the ravine.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I sucked in a breath, my hand closing over the cold spot on my arm, which felt strangely warm against my palm even as it froze on the inside.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCan you see her?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. asked in a bare whisper.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I nodded mutely, unable to speak.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His ghosts?\u00a0 <\/span>She must be one of them.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>She was taller than I was, dressed in a Michigan State T-shirt and blue jeans, her hair long and probably blonde in life\u2014it was hard to tell, misty and translucent as she was.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The ghost stared at the three of us, then looked to her left, deeper into the ravines and toward the river.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>All three of us looked in that direction, following her spectral gaze.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Just at the edges of my sight, I could see the greys rising, but they didn\u2019t seem interested in us.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They swarmed deeper into the ravine, where the shadows deepened and sunlight became more rare.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>My heart was going double-time now and it was only when I gasped in a breath that I realized I\u2019d been holding mine.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the ghost mouth something, then fade into nothing.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. stood abruptly and started hauling Rory up with him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCome on.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019re going.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I scrambled to help.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cRun.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We found Rory exactly where I was afraid we might, just on the edge of the swampy meadow down in the ravines, between Little Mac and the paths down from the back end of the arboretum.\u00a0 He was sitting … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,35,44,14,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn","category-book-2","category-chapter-6-book-2","category-story","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-ig","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1132"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1134,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1132\/revisions\/1134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}