Chapter 4

Autumn left the quietness of the library and stopped first inside the girl's bathroom set her bag down outside a stall and went in and locked the door behind her. There Autumn sat down and started to cry with her head in her hands. Her sobs echoed around her for a time even as they slowed to a stop.

Still sniffling, Autumn moved out of the stall and to the sink and she stared into her reflection, trying to find answers to her fears on what was going to happen. She would miss Mrs. Brumagride and Mrs. Douglas for not only their kindness but for their belief in her that she could do or be anything she wanted, and they had faith in her.

She looked down and noticed the water was running, and she didn't even realize she had turned it on. She quickly washed her hands and splashed the warm water on her face. Taking the bottom of her shirt she dried her face and grabbed the bag and left the bathroom and started down the hallway again.

At the end of the hall Autumn retraced her steps back to her homeroom and two doors down from her homeroom was her science class and she entered the room and the teacher Mr. Rose stopped talking, and she handed him the pass, "I am sorry for being late."

"Take a seat, Miss. o'Laighin. Page a hundred - seven we are on."

She quickly took out her textbook and notebook with a pen. She flipped to the page and started to take notes as the teacher went back to speaking. She took notes and in between staring out the window and tapping her pen. The science class seemed to drag by like a snail, and the bell couldn't come soon enough.

Autumn and her peers turned their homework into Mr. Rose as they exited the room, and she started to her next class, music. Pausing at her locker, she opened it and grabbed her new coat from within and stuffed inside her bag. She struggled with the zipper but managed to close it.

Bracing herself as she walked through the hordes of students and sometimes ducking between groups of the older teens that stood talking around. Autumn didn't see her twin cousins that were a year older coming up to her until it was too late. She looked at her cousins for a minute and tried to step around them and yet one stepped in the way. "Look, I don't have time for your games will you two just let me pass, please." Her voice held a pleading note too it. She tried to step to the other side of them.

"Dad told us you will have a job by the end of this week, and you will work long hours in the evening." Her cousin's voice was like nails on a chalkboard, for it was shrill and whimpering.

She felt two warm hands on her shoulders and a voice above her, "I suggest that you two be moving along."

Autumn let out a sigh of relief when she heard Amanda's warm voice.

Her cousins shifted in front of her nervously for a moment. Before Stella spoke up, "Look, can't we have a conversation with our baby cousin here."

Autumn felt herself being pulled backward, and she stumbled until another set of hands stabled her. Looking up, she noticed Amanda's boyfriend Martin was there too, and he had a deep frown on his handsome face. Her attention snapped back to Amanda and her cousins at Amanda's words, and a chill ran down her spine at the sound of her voice seemed to turn to ice.

"You are holding up the hallway for others to get to classes, along with your cousin. So, move it."

"You don't frighten us!" Stacy bitingly spoke back.

Amanda took a step further into the girl's personal space, and they backed up a little. By this point, Autumn noticed some other students had stopped to watch. She glanced back at her cousins and Amanda.

"I have heard rumors, this past year, ones I am not to impress with. From this moment forward, you will not speak, walk, or breathe in the same air in the area that Autumn is in."

"Wait until our father," They both said together.

"Your father is nothing but a bug underneath my shoes." Amanda's voice sent goosebumps onto Autumn's skin.

"I can and will make your life hell little girls, don't push me."

"You will not be able to get away with this."

"Oh, but you see I can and I will. Here is a little not so secret." She leaned into their faces. "Your father might have money. But my father owns this town and then some. So, I could make the rest of your days in school or in this town wretched as I can. What do you say now?"

Autumn watched as her cousin's backed up slowly and turned tailed and run.

After a moment, "Well, don't you all have places to be? This isn't some sideshow." Amanda's voice was sharp, and the small crowd of students took off.

"Come along, sweetheart." Amanda's voice was warm again, and she pulled Autumn between her and her boyfriend and they walked away and into the cafeteria for study hall with Autumn.

"I, I, I have music."

"Hush, sweetheart, I know. Go seat with Martin." As she was guided away, she glanced back behind her as Amanda reached the study hall teacher. Some words must have been said, the teacher nodded his head, and Amanda started her way back.

She slid into a seat on the other side of the table. "You will be sitting with us for this period, Mr. Harvey will take care of your class and the problem."

"Thank you," Autumn whispered as she stared at the table. She felt a warm hand on hers and glanced up into Amanda's grey eyes.

"I should have gotten involved at the moment I heard rumors reaching my ears. For that, I am sorry."

Autumn bit her lip and stared down at the table unsurely, not knowing what to honestly say to the admission of the older classmate. She slowly raised her eyes again, "At least you showed you cared."

Autumn watched as Amanda's eyes sadden even further, and she swallowed a painfilled lump in her throat before speaking, "Is there any way we can help?"

Autumn shocked her head, no.

"Please?" was the pleading.

Autumn missed the sharp glance between the two. "Well, I have something to give you at any rate. After your next class."

"I can't meet up with you."

"Nonsense, it will take only a few minutes and besides my locker isn't far from your last class."

"I don't know what you are talking about?"

"You forget, little one not much is left unnoticed by my family. In this town and your aunt despite her meaning well. I left a noticeable trail and my mother took care of it. I know you are leaving."

Autumn looked at the older girl in the eyes that was daring her to deny the fact. Autumn let out a shaking breath and clench and un-clenched her hands. Before the panicking girl could move, Amanda was there with her arms around her and had her leaning forward.

"Breath, you need to breathe. In deeply and out slowly. That's it."

Autumn listen to the concern and encouraging words. "It's worse than what our parents feared." Murmured Martin.

"What are they staring at?" She felt the older two students shifted around before Martin's voice that held an edge to it, "Mind your own business."

Slowly for the rest of the period, the three sat there in nervous, tense silence. As the bell rang for the next period, Autumn found herself escorting by the two older students safely to her 3-D Art class.

She barely paid attention to the lesson on metal relief and the project they would be working on. She stared at the paper that was placed in front of her for a time before slowly making a design for the sheet of copper they would be getting the next day.

As the bell rang for the period to end. She sat still, staring at the strange symbol she had created. It seemed like the letter W but flame-like and yet it was formed a little differently like there were two W's that over-lapped each other in a way to create another symbol.

A hand touched her shoulder lightly, and she let out a scream as she jumped. "Autumn you need to get to your next class. There is a couple of students waiting for you too."

"Thank you, Mrs. Copeland."

She quickly grabs her tools and put them away and folded her design and placed it in one of her new books, zipped her bag, and left the room. As Autumn stepped out into the hall, she noticed Amanda and Martin again. Letting out a sigh of relief that it wasn't her cousins coming to harass again. She followed them down the hallway and stopped at some lockers. She watched as Amanda opened her locker using Martin and the door Autumn notices as a wall. "Give me your bag." was the quiet demand.

Autumn handed it over. She watched as the older girl opened her bag, handing her the coat and started to moved everything over into the new bag minus her school texts and notebooks they stayed in the old bag, along with other things. Amanda zipped everything up quickly. She turned and took an envelope from Martin and placed it in the front pocket. "Once you get the rest of your bags, make sure you take that envelope and place it somewhere else. It will not be wise to keep things important things together on any trip."

There is a paper that Aunt Aoife said I needed."

"It is already in the bag along with everything else that you needed from your old bag, including your wallet. Now get going to where you need to go before it is too late. Take your old bag with you. Whoever is helping you will do with it what needs to be done."

The two gave her a quick and brief hug and left. Autumn shut Amanda's locker for her and walked a few yards backs towards the Art wing and down the hall and right before her art classroom paused at another doorway on the left-hand side. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the door and called out, "Lottie?"

Lottie came out of the backroom of the janitor's area. And motion Autumn to follow her. Autumn nervously followed Lottie through the main area to the back room and the window. "Up and out give me your bag with your school books. She handed over her old bag to the woman and climbed out of the window. As her feet touched the ground, Lottie's voice sounded from behind, "Stay put."

Autumn listen for Lottie's footsteps faded into the distance as she stared at the staff parking lot in front of her, and behind that was the forest. She sat her new bag down and slipped on the coat that her aunt had given her that morning. It seemed like time dragged by and an hour had passed. In reality, it had only been about fifteen minutes before Lottie came out of the back door of the building and motion for Autumn to hurry up.

Autumn moved quickly toward the older woman and followed her to a 1980 car. It was in excellent condition for being an old car. "What type of car is this?"

Lottie paused in, opening her door and looked across at the young girl, "It is Acura Integra, though it isn't your business."

Autumn ducked her head shamefully, she hadn't meant anything by that question, but apparently, the older woman took it the wrong way.

"Get into the back and lay down on the floor."

Autumn did as she was told though it was uncomfortable. Lottie tosses a few blankets over her, "Not a sound or a word. Understood?"

"Yes."

The back door slammed shut. Then the front door and a starting of the car, followed by movement.

Last edited on January 1, 2020