face the only real
part of her with form.
Autumn closed her eyes and willed the girl
away, terrified that the hallucination had moved from her mirror to
the real world.
Come with me.
She knew before opening her eyes that the
apparition wasn’t leaving without her. Autumn looked. The girl
remained.
Shakily, Autumn pulled on jeans, boots and
two sweaters. She grabbed her cane and checked out the window
again. The girl waited for her. Telling herself the hallucination
would disappear by the time she reached the Square, Autumn took her
time with the stairs and retreated out the back door.
The snow was three feet deep and the air
cold. The night was silent, aside from the murmurs of air and earth
magick. She stopped as she stepped onto the back porch, unwilling
to venture into the deep snow. Air magick filled her uninvited, and
she shivered. She didn’t fight it, instead comforted by the
element. It mixed with her magick, and both moved in and out of her
as she breathed.
Autumn looked around for the dark-haired
girl. Her gaze found the apparition at the other end of the Square,
past the dorms by the edge of the road. Invisible hands pushed the
snow out of her way to clear a path leading straight to her, the ghost.
Autumn gripped the handle of her cane more
tightly. She’d hoped the answers she sought showed up in a document
on her iPad, not in the form of a ghost on a snowy night.
Heart pounding hard, she walked onto the
path. The air pushed the snow back over the path behind her, as if
forbidding her from backing out. Autumn kept her eyes forward.
The dark-haired girl waited. Her features
grew more real as Autumn approached while the fog moving and
shifting around her obscured her body. The ghost was gorgeous, with
large, dark eyes, fine features and a clear complexion as pale as
the moon. Autumn had avoided studying the image in the mirror, but
she saw how pretty the girl was as she neared.
When Autumn was a few feet away, the girl
turned and fled towards the forest. Air cleared a path behind her
for Autumn to follow. Uneasily, she realized there were no
footprints. The apparition wasn’t a part of this world, and the air
magick was determined that Autumn follow her.
The girl stopped at the edge of the forest,
beside the memorial plaque on the forbidden trail.
Autumn’s gaze moved from her to the deer
path. The trees lining it were weighed down on one side by heavy
snow and untouched by winter on the other, causing them to lean
away from the path.
As before, when Autumn neared, the girl spun
and ran down the path. Autumn swallowed hard as she stepped onto
the trail. She reminded herself nothing bad happened earlier in the
day, when she’d ventured this way. She’d wondered why the path was
off limits at all.
The girl paused at the clearing until Autumn
approached. Autumn stopped to take a deep breath. Her leg was
starting to ache. She hadn’t thought about putting on her brace
before leaving her room. She stopped to stretch, eyes on her guide
running across the field.
More fog drew her attention as she set foot
into the clearing. She paused, puzzling over the strange display.
There were patches of white and black fog in the field, moving with
more discipline than smoke. They hovered around a large, flat stone
in the middle of the field before two of them – one black and one
white - raced away towards the canyon. Almost like … people? She
squinted, trying to see more. The clouds seemed to reset suddenly,
with all of them returning to the stone in the center. As she
watched, they milled once more, before the two broke away and fled
once more.
They disappeared into the forest, only for
the routine to start anew. She sensed they were acting out some
bizarre scene. It was like the corridor; unfamiliar and scary. Was
this a memory of the air magick, projected into the field? Like the
earth showed her?
The dark-haired ghost reached the other side
of the snowy clearing. Autumn trailed again, watching as the
part of her with form.
Autumn closed her eyes and willed the girl
away, terrified that the hallucination had moved from her mirror to
the real world.
Come with me.
She knew before opening her eyes that the
apparition wasn’t leaving without her. Autumn looked. The girl
remained.
Shakily, Autumn pulled on jeans, boots and
two sweaters. She grabbed her cane and checked out the window
again. The girl waited for her. Telling herself the hallucination
would disappear by the time she reached the Square, Autumn took her
time with the stairs and retreated out the back door.
The snow was three feet deep and the air
cold. The night was silent, aside from the murmurs of air and earth
magick. She stopped as she stepped onto the back porch, unwilling
to venture into the deep snow. Air magick filled her uninvited, and
she shivered. She didn’t fight it, instead comforted by the
element. It mixed with her magick, and both moved in and out of her
as she breathed.
Autumn looked around for the dark-haired
girl. Her gaze found the apparition at the other end of the Square,
past the dorms by the edge of the road. Invisible hands pushed the
snow out of her way to clear a path leading straight to her, the ghost.
Autumn gripped the handle of her cane more
tightly. She’d hoped the answers she sought showed up in a document
on her iPad, not in the form of a ghost on a snowy night.
Heart pounding hard, she walked onto the
path. The air pushed the snow back over the path behind her, as if
forbidding her from backing out. Autumn kept her eyes forward.
The dark-haired girl waited. Her features
grew more real as Autumn approached while the fog moving and
shifting around her obscured her body. The ghost was gorgeous, with
large, dark eyes, fine features and a clear complexion as pale as
the moon. Autumn had avoided studying the image in the mirror, but
she saw how pretty the girl was as she neared.
When Autumn was a few feet away, the girl
turned and fled towards the forest. Air cleared a path behind her
for Autumn to follow. Uneasily, she realized there were no
footprints. The apparition wasn’t a part of this world, and the air
magick was determined that Autumn follow her.
The girl stopped at the edge of the forest,
beside the memorial plaque on the forbidden trail.
Autumn’s gaze moved from her to the deer
path. The trees lining it were weighed down on one side by heavy
snow and untouched by winter on the other, causing them to lean
away from the path.
As before, when Autumn neared, the girl spun
and ran down the path. Autumn swallowed hard as she stepped onto
the trail. She reminded herself nothing bad happened earlier in the
day, when she’d ventured this way. She’d wondered why the path was
off limits at all.
The girl paused at the clearing until Autumn
approached. Autumn stopped to take a deep breath. Her leg was
starting to ache. She hadn’t thought about putting on her brace
before leaving her room. She stopped to stretch, eyes on her guide
running across the field.
More fog drew her attention as she set foot
into the clearing. She paused, puzzling over the strange display.
There were patches of white and black fog in the field, moving with
more discipline than smoke. They hovered around a large, flat stone
in the middle of the field before two of them – one black and one
white - raced away towards the canyon. Almost like … people? She
squinted, trying to see more. The clouds seemed to reset suddenly,
with all of them returning to the stone in the center. As she
watched, they milled once more, before the two broke away and fled
once more.
They disappeared into the forest, only for
the routine to start anew. She sensed they were acting out some
bizarre scene. It was like the corridor; unfamiliar and scary. Was
this a memory of the air magick, projected into the field? Like the
earth showed her?
The dark-haired ghost reached the other side
of the snowy clearing. Autumn trailed again, watching as the
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