Embers (The Wings of War Book 1) (12 page)

I didn’t want Ila to think I was a wimp, though.  After all, I’d just found out that I could see with my eyes closed and blast fire from my fingertips.    Why should high school frighten me? 
But it did
.  As irrational as it was to say it, the prospect of going to school was scarier than the end of the world at that moment. 

That’s why I had to do it. 

“So when do I start?”  I asked in a defeated voice.

“Tomorrow, my dear,” she said. 

Ila held out her arms and I walked into her embrace.  She squeezed tightly and whispered into my ear, “Everything is going to be fine.” 

Then she released me and turned, saying, “It’s getting late.  We need to be on our way.” 

I silently followed Ila out of the woods and to the barn where we worked side by side to fill the goat’s trough with sweet feed and to scatter cracked corn on the ground for the chickens.  When we finally made our way up the steps to the cabin, it was late in the afternoon.  Ila left me alone to make dinner and I lingered on the porch, watching the sun dip down behind the hills surrounding the meadow.  The day had gone by quickly.   When the cooler breeze of approaching night touched my arms, I shivered.  It was hard to believe that my first full day in the mountains was already almost over.

And even harder to believe that tomorrow, I’d be going to school for the first time in my entire life.  The thought of driving up and down the road every day wasn’t a pleasant thought either.  That would be a challenge in itself. 

And then there was the wall.

I would have to see the thing every day, twice.  Maybe it wouldn’t affect me the next time I drove by it.  I doubted my optimism, but pushed the worry away.  I had bigger issues to deal with.

Yawning, I became sluggish and my mind clouded with fatigue. 

I was too tired to hold sleep off by staying up late, but the thought of the nightmares that probably awaited me on the other side made me queasy. 

Get a grip, Ember, I told myself.

Mentioning the dreams to Ila wasn’t an option.  They were only dreams.  Surely, I’d survive.  Besides, I’d already decided that some things Ila didn’t need to know. 

And, maybe if I was lucky, the elusive dark haired guy from the previous night would show up again. 

The thought made my lips quiver and I quickly wiped the smile away with my hand.  If the end of the world was coming, then I should be allowed at least one guilty pleasure. 

A dream boyfriend was about all I could handle at the moment anyway. 

Psalm 91:11

For He shall give His angels charge over yo
u
.

Ember ~ Fourteen

I
opened my eyes to the dull light of early morning.  Pulling the covers over my face, I groaned.  As if going to school wasn’t bad enough, having to get up at such an ungodly hour completely sucked.   

At least my sleep had been nightmare free.  But the cute guy had also been absent, mixing feelings of relief with disappointment.  Closing my eyes again, I tried to remember his face.  The image was blurry now.  It was fading from memory, probably, never to return.  I wasn’t sure why the thought of not seeing a dream person again bothered me, but it did.  Was it possible to have a crush on someone who didn’t even exist? 

I was overheating and it wasn’t from my inner fire.  The room was already sticky hot all by itself.  Since no breeze stirred outside the screen, the open window didn’t relieve the stifling air.  I threw the covers off.  With a heavy sigh, I swung my legs over the side of the bed. 

After I took a shower and put on a pair of faded jeans and a plain blue fitted

t-shirt, I brushed my long hair.  I scrutinized my reflection in the mirror for a couple of minutes before deciding that it was one of those rare occasions when the reddish-brown strands were tame enough to leave down.  Grabbing my backpack, I entered the kitchen.

Ila already had a plate of eggs fixed for me and I joined her at the table.

“Are you ready, my girl?” she asked.

“As ready as I’m going to be.” I shrugged. “By the way, I’ll probably need to stop in town to fill up my gas tank.  I might pick up a few things at the store.  Do you need anything?”

She thought for a minute. “Yes, actually I could use a couple of items.”  She went to the shelf, taking down a piece of paper and a pen.  “It will be convenient having you in town on a regular basis.” She scribbled on the paper and then handed it to me.   

I quickly read and looked up. “You want twenty chocolate bars and a gallon of chocolate ice cream?”

“Yes, sweets are one of my weak points.  I’d like the candy bars to make a desert. The ice cream is just to help us get through this hot weather,” she said.  

Ila was more human than I thought.  A glance at the wall clock stirred the butterflies in my stomach.  It was almost seven o’clock. 

Ila sat staring at me, waiting for me to say more.  I was still on high alert and wasn’t lulled by the delicious eggs she’d fixed or the fact that she has a sweet tooth.  She hadn’t earned my trust yet.

“What’s the deal with the massive wooden fence down the road?”

“The people who live there don’t want to be bothered.  You should never go near that place,” she warned.

“But I’ll have to drive by there every day,” I pointed out.

“Driving by is fine, just don’t dilly dally. You are a strong Watcher, but you are way too inexperienced to go looking for trouble,” she said in a stern voice.  Then she nodded her head.  “Someday it will be different.”

Her words confirmed to me that there was something sinister behind the wooden boards.  When I was about to press her further, she abruptly stood and busied herself at the sink.

Ila obviously didn’t want to talk about the subject any further.   Apparently we both had secrets to keep. 

“I’m not planning to stop by the place for a visit.  I’ll probably stomp the pedal when I drive by.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ila commented, but didn’t look my way. 

Bending down to Angus, I rubbed his head and gave him a kiss.  “Be a good boy for Ila, okay?”

Ila walked me to my truck and when I climbed in, she said, “You shouldn’t get lost.  Oldport is a very small town, only a few intersections with lights.  And remember to ask for Tanya Johnson at the school office.” She grinned, adding, “Try to enjoy the experience.”

I scowled. “I’ll try. See you later.”

Before I left the valley, I glanced in the rear view mirror.  Ila still stood in the driveway with the dogs sitting on either side of her. What an odd woman she was.  There were times when she irritated the crap out of me, but mostly, I really liked her.     

I only wished I could completely trust her.  I needed to talk to someone about what the priest had told me.   

If it all wasn’t so depressing, I’d be laughing right now.  All the crazy supernatural things I had experienced over the past few days I could actually believe, but the fact that I was driving myself to school in the mountains of Tennessee was beyond imagination.  Wait until Piper heard about it someday.  She’d think it was hilarious. 

Going down the mountain was definitely quicker than going up, or maybe it was that I was now confident that I knew where I was.  More than likely it was gravity. Whatever the reason, I bounced down the dusty road, reaching the fort quicker than I expected. 

              The hair on my arms rose, sweat beaded on my chest and my stomach tightened.  But I was ready for it this time.  Pressing the gas pedal harder, I sped by the property, keeping the images from my dreams locked away in the farthest part of my brain. 

I saw no one as I passed the wooden monstrosity.  As a matter of fact, I didn’t see anyone at all until I drove by the Raven Mountain Market, where a few old men were hanging out in front of the building.  They were actually sitting on a bench, drinking what was probably coffee.  I smiled to myself, thinking how funny it was that I now lived in a place where such a thing happened. 

About twenty minutes later I arrived in Oldport.  At the traffic light, I turned, drove half a mile and there it was, Laurel County High School. 

The school was smaller than the high school in my hometown and a bit old-fashioned looking with the bricks and colonial façade.   The view beyond the school is what held my attention, though.  Streaks of sunshine jostled with the shadows on the side of the green covered mountain, and I couldn’t help but have a hold-your-breath moment at the scenery.  It certainly was a pretty place to go to school if a person was forced into it.

I parked in one of the few spaces still available in the lot designated for students.  The school might be small, but it was busy.  I stalled, sitting in the truck for a moment.  I studied the students as they funneled into the front doors of the school as if they were a herd of cows.

Swallowing hard, I gripped the door handle. After a couple of days in the isolated wilderness, the feel of pavement beneath my feet and the crackle of dozens of voices sparking the air at once bombarded my senses.  The weight of the backpack was awkward and the curious glances of several of the kids I passed irritated me.  I avoided looking around, instead focusing on the silver grey framed doorway at the front of the building. 

It was almost eight o’clock when I stepped over the threshold into the school.  Only a few students scurried in the hallway and I was glad that they were in too big of a hurry to pay me any mind.   I turned into the room that the office sign was above and went straight to the counter.  A lady with glasses and bushy brown hair looked up.  After I explained who I was, she directed me to the back of the room where a petite blonde was talking on the phone.

I listened to the young woman’s perky voice while I sat waiting for the call to end.  My eyes quickly swept the orderly desk in front of me.  There was a picture of Tanya with an older man and woman who resembled her enough to be her parents.  Since there were no other pictures displayed and her finger was absent of a ring, I guessed that she didn’t have a family of her own yet.  When she finished the conversation, she turned dark blue eyes my way and asked how she could help me.

“My name is Ember O’Meara. My Aunt Ila talked to you the other day about me starting school here.” 

“Oh, yes.  It’s nice to meet you.  I’m Tanya.” She reached her hand across the desk, squeezing my own in a proper handshake.  I liked the way that she was treating me as if I was an adult.  After the shake, she rambled on, “I have some papers here for you to take back to your aunt to fill out.  I assume she has legal guardianship of you, right?  And I’ll need your previous school records, too,” she said in a businesslike manner, handing me a folder.

“My brother will have to mail the records.  I didn’t realize that I’d be going to school here.  I mean, I’ve always been home schooled.”  Happiness raced through me.  Maybe the lack of records would put the whole school thing to a screeching stop. 

“Don’t worry about it.  Your aunt explained everything to me…about the accident.  I’m very sorry by the way.  It must have been a horrific ordeal.” Seeing my brows lift, she went on hurriedly, “I remember seeing something about it on CNN.  Don’t worry, I’ll get the paperwork all straightened out.”

Unfortunately for me
,
this guidance counselor wasn’t the usual bureaucrat and she was a little star-struck besides.   She’d get the papers fixed, no doubt. 

Tanya popped out of her chair, motioning me back out the door.  “Let’s show you where your locker is and get you to your first class. Your aunt suggested some specific classes for you, and for the rest, I took the liberty of setting up the required eleventh grade course plan.  If you want to add any classes or change anything, let me know before the end of the week. And of course you’re welcome to come down and see me anytime you wish to discuss you future scholastic plans.  Or just to visit.  I’d love to get to know you better.”

Perky was an understatement for Tanya.  The words flicked from her mouth rapidly as if she were a bird chirping.  I found myself trying to pay close attention to what she was saying as I followed her down the empty hall.  When the bell rang, I jumped.  It was not a sound I was used to.

Tanya turned left into another hall, and glancing over her shoulder, she asked, “Do you play any sports?”  When I shook my head, she said, “That’s too bad, you look like an athletic girl. I’m the assistant coach of the girls’ soccer team and we always need new talent.   If you change your mind, come see me.”

“I’ll think about it,” I answered, knowing full well that joining the soccer team was the last thing I was going to do.

She stopped in front of locker three hundred twenty-one and opened the narrow door for me.  It was purple and exactly what I expected, other than the color.  Out of politeness, I peeked in the door.  Tanya was satisfied with that and handed me an index card with the combination to the lock.  I quickly scanned the numbers, putting them to memory as we turned another corner and went up a wide set of stairs.  She continued talking the entire time, telling me about the school, the teachers and the sports program.  As fast as she was talking, I wouldn’t remember half of it by the end of the day.  But I continued to nod and smile anyway.