dryly. “It had burned out when I returned.”
Colwin sent her a look, waggling his brows at her, and she bit her lip, looking away. She didn’t supposed, under the circumstances, that it was likely to cause friction between them, but there was no sense in going out of her way to provoke trouble between them. They already had a volatile enough relationship.
Not but what she could see both sides, she thought wryly as she got up and followed them back to the campsite. Aydin was the older and clearly the more responsible of the two. He obviously loved his brother and wanted to look out for him even though Colwin just as obviously tried his patience.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t seem to see that his little brother was now a man and didn’t need or want his guidance and wisdom. He wanted to live his life his own way, even if it was reckless and fraught with danger. Maybe he even thrived on danger? In any case, she could see where it must chafe to have an older brother always trying to tell him what to do and how to do it.
It was bad enough that one always had parents to do that!
That thought made her throat close.
What must they think of her disappearance? How much time had passed back home, she wondered? Was the time in the world she’d come from the same? Or had weeks or maybe months passed while everyone searched for her?
She hated to think of what they must be going through. She knew they loved her, but it wasn’t as if she could do anything about her situation.
She still felt guilty for enjoying being with Aydin and Colwin when she knew they must be suffering.
“What troubles you?” Adyin asked gruffly.
Emma glanced at him in surprise and swallowed back her misery with an effort. “I was just thinking my parents must be terribly upset.”
He looked like he wished he hadn’t asked. “It is not something to dwell upon.”
“I know it’s pointless when I can’t do anything about it. I just wish ….”
“You have remembered where it is that you come from?” Colwin asked.
Emma studied him for a long moment and finally focused on the campfire. “I never really forgot. I just didn’t think you would believe me.”
Aydin felt his belly tighten. “Tell us and then we can decide to believe or not.”
Emma nodded. “It’s hard to explain, especially since it was true and I just … woke up here. But … I’m not from this place. I almost thought when I woke up that I’d traveled through time, but this place is nothing like Earth ever was.”
Chapter Seven
Adyin and Colwin exchanged a look Emma found hard to decipher.
“I told you you wouldn’t believe me. I don’t understand it myself. I’d taken my class on a little field trip into the forest to study nature.”
“Class?” Colwin interrupted.
Emma nodded. “I’m a teacher—at least I was. I taught kindergarten—preschoolers—children not quite old enough to go to regular school.”
Colwin finally nodded understanding.
“Anyway, we’d taken a picnic lunch and ate in this little clearing we discovered and started back. The children had thoroughly enjoyed the walk in the woods. They should’ve been tired, but they were actually pretty rowdy. They kept darting off chasing each other. Finally, when we reached the edge of the woods and they began to complain about going back into the classroom, I decided I’d let them play just a few minutes longer. I’d hoped that they’d run off some of their excess energy and it didn’t seem dangerous when we were in sight of the school.
“They wanted me to play hide and seek with them and finally I gave in. I’d walked just a little way back into the woods and I saw this huge old oak tree with a hollow—almost like someone had tried to carve a fairy house inside it. Not that it was that big, but it was big enough for me to hide … and that’s last thing I remember. I stepped inside the tree and everything went dark. The next thing I knew I opened my eyes
Colwin sent her a look, waggling his brows at her, and she bit her lip, looking away. She didn’t supposed, under the circumstances, that it was likely to cause friction between them, but there was no sense in going out of her way to provoke trouble between them. They already had a volatile enough relationship.
Not but what she could see both sides, she thought wryly as she got up and followed them back to the campsite. Aydin was the older and clearly the more responsible of the two. He obviously loved his brother and wanted to look out for him even though Colwin just as obviously tried his patience.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t seem to see that his little brother was now a man and didn’t need or want his guidance and wisdom. He wanted to live his life his own way, even if it was reckless and fraught with danger. Maybe he even thrived on danger? In any case, she could see where it must chafe to have an older brother always trying to tell him what to do and how to do it.
It was bad enough that one always had parents to do that!
That thought made her throat close.
What must they think of her disappearance? How much time had passed back home, she wondered? Was the time in the world she’d come from the same? Or had weeks or maybe months passed while everyone searched for her?
She hated to think of what they must be going through. She knew they loved her, but it wasn’t as if she could do anything about her situation.
She still felt guilty for enjoying being with Aydin and Colwin when she knew they must be suffering.
“What troubles you?” Adyin asked gruffly.
Emma glanced at him in surprise and swallowed back her misery with an effort. “I was just thinking my parents must be terribly upset.”
He looked like he wished he hadn’t asked. “It is not something to dwell upon.”
“I know it’s pointless when I can’t do anything about it. I just wish ….”
“You have remembered where it is that you come from?” Colwin asked.
Emma studied him for a long moment and finally focused on the campfire. “I never really forgot. I just didn’t think you would believe me.”
Aydin felt his belly tighten. “Tell us and then we can decide to believe or not.”
Emma nodded. “It’s hard to explain, especially since it was true and I just … woke up here. But … I’m not from this place. I almost thought when I woke up that I’d traveled through time, but this place is nothing like Earth ever was.”
Chapter Seven
Adyin and Colwin exchanged a look Emma found hard to decipher.
“I told you you wouldn’t believe me. I don’t understand it myself. I’d taken my class on a little field trip into the forest to study nature.”
“Class?” Colwin interrupted.
Emma nodded. “I’m a teacher—at least I was. I taught kindergarten—preschoolers—children not quite old enough to go to regular school.”
Colwin finally nodded understanding.
“Anyway, we’d taken a picnic lunch and ate in this little clearing we discovered and started back. The children had thoroughly enjoyed the walk in the woods. They should’ve been tired, but they were actually pretty rowdy. They kept darting off chasing each other. Finally, when we reached the edge of the woods and they began to complain about going back into the classroom, I decided I’d let them play just a few minutes longer. I’d hoped that they’d run off some of their excess energy and it didn’t seem dangerous when we were in sight of the school.
“They wanted me to play hide and seek with them and finally I gave in. I’d walked just a little way back into the woods and I saw this huge old oak tree with a hollow—almost like someone had tried to carve a fairy house inside it. Not that it was that big, but it was big enough for me to hide … and that’s last thing I remember. I stepped inside the tree and everything went dark. The next thing I knew I opened my eyes
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