Waken (The Woods of Everod Book 1) Read online

  Waken (The Woods of Everod)

  by

  Angela Fristoe

  ©2014 Angela Fristoe

  To my family for their unfailing love and support

  To Sheree, April, Linda, Marge, Susan, and Rhonda, and all of the other amazing writers at TNBW who have pushed me to never settle for anything less than my best

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  I smoothed my hand over the delicate etching on the small wooden box. It sat on my dresser, unopened for years. I lifted the lid. Shifting through the various necklaces, I searched for the one I wanted. The last time I’d seen it, my mother had tried to rip it from my neck. In the six years since she’d left, I hadn’t even thought of it.

  Now it called to me. I found it burrowed in a corner of the box. The silver charm twirled as I pulled the knotted chain free, the one tangible piece of evidence that I had a mother and father, from the mess. A small wolf silhouette dangled from the chain. I reached up and caught the charm between my thumb and finger, turning it so I could see clearly.

  My thumb brushed across it and I jerked suddenly as the air was sucked from the room. Everything turned black and then just as quickly burst with color. A cool breeze settled around me and the colors shifted, taking on solid forms.

  My room fades away. Sunlight filters through towering trees at the edge of a pool of water I stand staring into.

  A waterfall thunders behind me. Cold fingers wrap around my neck, squeezing. I reach up, my hands flailing, pushing against her cheeks. My vision blurs and a burning pain fills my chest as I gasp for breath.

  Twisting my fingers into her pale hair, I wrench with all my strength. Her scream shatters the calm of the forest, the pain in my ears more intense than that of my starving lungs. She throws me from her and I crumple to the hard ground, gasping for air. She touches her bleeding scalp. A patch of blonde locks is tangled between my fingers.

  “I should have killed you the day I found out about you,” she spits, wiping her hand along her hip. A deep red streak mars the pristine white gown.

  I begin to scramble back. She’s on me before I can move. Razor sharp nails bite into my arm as she drags me to the water’s edge, thrusting me under its crystal surface. The shock of the icy water freezes my muscles.

  Submerged in the frigid depths of the pool I can hear the thundering of the waterfall as it plunges through the water, echoing the pounding of my heart. Vivid green eyes glare at me, filled with every ounce of hatred she has for me. I clutch her wrist and strain to break free. My exhausted lungs ache for air, but her grasp is unbreakable. I take a breath and icy water fills my lungs. My body jerks in agony as my chest feels ripped apart. I take another gulp, more pain. She disappears as the water churns with my struggles, but her grip remains, never weakening. My movements slow and gradually my stiff fingers relax their hold on her.

  The water settles and I stare at her through the haze of color settling around me. Even distorted in fury, her face remains angelic. This is the real her. This is my mother.

  The colors swirled, darkening until blackness filled my mind. The water was gone and just as abruptly as I’d been pulled out of my room, I was back.

  The necklace fell from my fingers to the floor as I gasped for breath. It hadn’t been real, but blinding pain squeezed my chest with each push of air into my lungs. As the pain eased, I stared at the only memento I had of my father. I didn’t want to touch it again; the images still had me shaking and I had enough horrific memories of Elin. I didn’t need new, artificial ones. I kicked the necklace with my foot so it slid under the bed. It was silly to think that what I’d seen was real, but that didn’t stop the insane fear from consuming me.

  Shaking off the lingering dread, I went downstairs and settled in a chair across from Tim, my stepfather. He nudged a plate of pancakes towards me and I hesitantly lifted one onto my plate, vaguely conscious of Tim watching my every move. I was distracted enough from the vision that I didn’t even question who had cooked breakfast.

  “What are you up to today?” Tim asked, skipping over his usual good morning.

  Forcing myself to swallow the pancake in my mouth, I fought the urge to gag as the gooey mass made its way down.

  “Library,” I said.

  “You promised to give this place a chance. Make some friends,” he pleaded. He’d been begging me to do the same thing for two weeks.

  I struggled with another mouthful of pancake. Justin, my stepbrother, had already left, eager to meet up with his new friends.

  “Tim…” I sighed.

  “It’s a fresh start, Janie.”

  “Yeah, like every other time we move.” Dumping my plate in the sink, I grabbed my bag and left. I really didn’t want to argue with him. Tim was a hopeless optimist, enjoying life regardless of where he was or who he was with.

  The walk to the library was quiet. I didn’t mind not having a car as the midmorning sun beat down with only the sporadic shade of the trees cooling me. Driving would have been impossible anyways with images of Elin floating through my mind.

  It reminded me of the bad dreams I’d had since a car accident had left me hospitalized four years ago. According to the last shrink I’d seen, the recurring nightmares stemmed from my abandonment issues. That’s when I told Tim I was done with counseling. I didn’t have issues with my mom abandoning me; I had issues with her beating the crap out of me.

  This wasn’t normal though, since I obviously hadn’t been asleep. It was also a lot more detailed than the nightmares had been. Of course, normal was subjective, especially when you considered the idea of your mother killing you.

  Being in her hometown must be driving me crazy.

  I entered the library, nodded to Ms. Markov, the librarian, and then headed to the back corner. Settling into my spot, I pulled a random book off the shelf. The silence of the library was encompassing, only the faint tapping of Ms. Markov on her smart pad and my periodic turning of pages broke the peace. I loved the serenity, the solitude it provided. This was my sanctuary.

  The sudden swoosh of the door was startling. I looked up, shifting my position to peek through the aisle of books to see who had dared to encroach on my territory. Not once in the weeks I’d been coming here had anyone else passed through those doors. A guy with creamy brown hair that curled at the nape of his neck spoke with Ms. Markov, his tone so hushed I couldn’t make out what he was saying. He gestured smoothly with his hand, gliding it through the air. I shifted a little more, trying to get a better view. He stopped talking, his head cocked to the side as if listening intently. His head swung around and, for an instant, I saw his face.

  There was no other way to describe it except to say gorgeous. Not perfect, but definitely hot. He had a strong jaw and dark brows, his nose was large but not big and his
lips were full, tilting into a smile. God, he was smiling at me!

  I panicked and pulled back to my hiding spot. He’d caught me watching him like some kind of peeping tom. I shoved the book back on the shelf, not even caring that it went in the wrong spot, and almost ran down the back aisle to the opposite end of the library. Turning the corner, I glanced back and saw him standing in my spot watching me. I kept running, pushing madly through the doors to the restroom.

  Locked in a stall, I gasped for air, hiding there as if he’d chased me. Pressing my forehead against the stall door, I attempted to catch my breath. Get a grip, girl! So a hot guy caught you staring, so what? I smiled and a giggle burst out. I was such an idiot. The laugh turned hysterical and I could feel tears forming. My belly hurt from the force of the laughs, but I couldn’t seem to stop, even when Tim’s mushy pancakes threatened to resurface.

  Peeking through the restroom door into the library foyer, I found the path clear and scurried for the exit. I rushed home, ignoring the tingling along my back that suggested I was being watched.

  Throwing my bag on the floor, I flopped onto the couch, breathing heavily from my frantic rush home.

  Sixty-eight days. I could make it. I had lasted two hundred seventy-one days in New York and almost six months in London. Sixty-eight days in Everod, Colorado was manageable. Then Tim would let me go back and live with his sister in Dallas if I wanted.

  I shifted on the couch, turning my attention to my stepbrother, Justin. He sat in the recliner, his hazel eyes staring at me.

  “What?” I asked, unnerved by his steady gaze.

  “Are you going to spend all summer moping and counting days?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Come on, Janie.” His eyebrows lifted. “Are you planning on talking to someone other than the librarian?”

  I didn’t say anything, because he was right. Elin had shown me how people could hurt me. It had always seemed safer to keep my distance. Now it was more of a habit and I’d rather be alone than rejected yet again.

  “Well?” he broke into my thoughts.

  “Well, what?”

  He gave me a look that said he knew that I knew what.

  I shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe.”

  “You’re killing me, Janie. Seriously, the library is like the deadest place in town. I’ve never even seen anyone else go in there.”

  “Ha! I saw a guy there today.”

  “Yeah, but did you talk to him?”

  “You don’t go to a library to talk, Justin. You go there to read.”

  “Well you can do that anywhere else. It’s not going to kill you to make some friends.”

  Easy enough for him to say. He never had problems making friends and I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of summer he’d dated half the girls in town.

  “I dare you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Justin, in six years have I ever accepted one of your dares?”

  “Yes. Once you ate a whole plate of Dad’s meatloaf surprise.”

  “There were mitigating factors. I seem to remember you promised you would do my chores for a month.”

  “Well, I’m daring you to make a friend and if you do I’ll be your personal chauffeur for a week.”

  I thought for a moment, wondering how I could possibly dissuade him. “Two months.”

  “Deal.”

  “Hold on. What are you getting out of this?”

  “A sister with a life and if you don’t win, you do the cooking for the month.”

  It wasn’t a horrible deal. Logically there was nothing to lose since I pretty much did most of the cooking anyway, but even though I was tempted to try, I had no clue where to start.

  “I’ll even give you a head start.” He smiled smugly, as if he knew I couldn’t do it. “You can come hiking with a group of us tomorrow.”

  Hiking wasn’t my kind of thing, but I wasn’t going to back down. “Fine. I accept your challenge.”

  He beat his fists against his chest. “It’s on like Donkey Kong.”

  Chapter 2

  I pulled long black hair back from my face, securing it with a wide black scarf tied at the nape of my neck. I didn’t bother glancing in the mirror. Looking good wasn’t a prerequisite for hiking.

  Turning toward my bed, I remembered the necklace shoved underneath. My humiliating experience in the library had completely erased it from my mind. I wanted to grab the vacuum and suck it up, banishing it to the world of lost earrings, loose change and dust, but I couldn’t. It was all I had of my father, and as much as I hated him, he was my father. I had to believe he’d given it to me for a reason. It could stay hidden, for now. Even if it was my own mental instabilities driving me crazy, I refused to risk my sanity for something he probably just forgot to take when he’d left me behind.

  Pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind, I shoved a bottle of sunscreen into my backpack. After tossing and turning all night, I’d managed to build the hike up until I was ready to explode, well, implode would probably be more like me. Justin hadn’t helped my anxiety.

  Fitting in never happened for me no matter how much I wanted to. Friendships just weren’t for me. I avoided emotional pain like the plague and hat was easier when I didn’t let anyone close enough to even try. For a moment, I tried to think like Tim and Justin. Maybe this was my chance to do something different. Something not so safe. I could do it. Maybe.

  The guy at the library flirted with my thoughts. As crazy as my nightmares and daydreams were, I was sane enough to realize my reaction to him was overblown. If I had a do over, I would’ve just stayed in my corner. That would have attracted a lot less attention.

  “Janie!” Tim’s voice sounded from the kitchen, interrupting what would have been a well deserved self-lashing. “Are you up yet?”

  I had about thirty seconds before he headed towards my room. Apart from giving birth to me, the only favor Elin did me was marrying Tim. Elin married Tim when I was ten, after a long succession of transitory boyfriends who walked through the rapidly revolving door that served as the entrance to our house. When she walked out that same door six months later, Tim stayed for me. He’d fought for me. Everything he’d done since she left had been to make a better future for us. Somehow, God had sent Tim and Justin my way, probably to make up for the crappy hand I’d been dealt in the biological parent department.

  I swung open the door and the stench of burning eggs told me Tim was attempting to cook breakfast again. I don’t know why he bothered. He’d never figured out how to cook more than toast and frozen pizza. On my way down the hall, I pulled on my Canucks hoodie, a gift from Tim, knowing if I didn’t hurry, Justin would take off without me. And there was no way he was winning this bet that easily.

  “Good morning, sunshine!” Tim’s natural optimism was especially glaring, probably thinking I was going to start complaining. In case he caught sight of me, I spread my mouth across my face and hoped it looked more like a smile than a grimace.

  “Morning,” I mumbled between my clenched teeth, heading for the door and hoping in vain for a quick escape. Justin was already starting his car.

  “Hey!” Tim called as I reached the door. My hand already twisting the knob, I turned back. His shiny bald head stuck out of the kitchen doorway and into the hall. His face glowed with expectancy. “Don’t you want breakfast? I made your favorite – scrambled eggs.”

  I almost laughed at him. Yeah, I loved scrambled eggs, just not his scrambled eggs.

  “I’m not really hungry.”

  Tim raised one of his eyebrows. It was a quirk I’d spent years trying to emulate, but never managed more than a scrunched up face that looked like I was going spastic.

  “Plus, Justin’s going to take off without me if I don’t go,” I said, desperate to escape the nauseating odor.

  He sighed deeply, and I felt the knot of guilt tightening in my stomach. “I know you don’t like living here, Janie, but it’s only for a few months. Then if you’re still unhappy, you ca
n go back to Dallas. Just try to give the people here a chance.”

  Try. Didn’t he realize I did? I tried to act normal, but it just didn’t come natural even in the best of places. His spontaneous decision to move to Elin’s hometown wasn’t helping matters.

  With a parting smile, at least I hoped it passed as a smile; I turned, ran out the door, and down the rickety porch steps.

  Justin revved the engine of his ‘93 Camry. To call it white would be generous. It was more of a camel shade, with rust patches growing along the wheel wells, but it worked and that was better than nothing. He’d spent his time after school last year working, while I’d spent it reading. Now I was stuck begging rides, unless I wanted to walk everywhere.

  “Let’s go, little girl!” he yelled through his open window. He laid on the horn, gesturing impatiently for me to get in. Blonde highlights shone in the morning light as he stuck his head out the window. “Come on! We have to follow them up to the hiking trail, so move your butt or we’re gonna miss them.”

  The All-American boy next-door. Yeah, right. If he hadn’t been my stepbrother, I might have found him cute, but after living with him for seven years, he just plain got on my nerves. We knew each other as well as any brother and sister, meaning that above all else, we knew how to push each other’s buttons. As much as I loved him now, he’d known how to drive me up the wall from day one. Today was no exception.

  I got in the car and yanked on my stiff seat belt, jamming it in to the buckle.

  “Morning,” he said with a wide smile.

  “Yeah,” I grunted in response. I still resented the way he could wake up early and be so cheery.

  His plugged his iPhone into an FM transmitter and turned the volume up so the speakers vibrated at full blast, adding to my grumpiness, but I didn’t want to push my luck. He would stop and dump me out if I dared to complain about his music in his car.

  When Justin began to sing off-key loudly, I shot him a dirty look. “Please?”

  “I’m sorry, is my music bothering you?” He smirked. A feeling of dread filled me. He wasn’t going to play nice this morning. Maybe he was worried that I’d actually manage to make a friend and he’d be left driving me around for the summer.