“But trust me, before you can heal the ones around you, you have to heal yourself. That starts with taking care of the dynamic between you and your dad. And for the love, even if you’re not curious, I want to know why Windhaven Academy wants you there,” he says, nudging me with his shoulder.
“Oh, so now the real truth comes out,” I laugh, despite myself. “All those beautiful words and really it boils down to you wanting me to figure out what kind of supernatural nerd I am.”
“I won’t lie, that’s totally mixed in there,” he grins.
“Well, when you put it all that way…” I say, sticking out my tongue at him. “I wanna know what kind of supernatural nerd you are, too. You’ve barely explained.”
“That time will come,” he grins. “I gotta keep a little mystery between us, right?”
“Totally not fair,” I say.
Wade bends forward until his breath tickles the side of my cheek. “And yet, it will all come out in the end and you know it,” he whispers into my ear. “Come on, let’s get you on the road. You’ll feel better once this part is done.”
I tip my chin to look him in the eyes and despite his words, my own angst is mirrored back at me. He feels it too—this pull to stay together. He’s just better at setting it aside than I am. Maybe it’s because of all he’s had to let go in his past. Losing your parents at such a young age can’t be easy. I place my hand over his heart to mimic back his energy. Then, taking a deep breath, I grab my backpack and lead the way.
Everything is about to change in ways I’d never be able to imagine. The strangest part is feeling like I’m closing a chapter of my life that I’ll never return to. I mean, how often will I really return to Mistwood Point? A few times a year to visit my mom? Things will never be the same.
A sudden wave of regret washes over me. My mom’s not even here to say good-bye—not that I expected her to. To say she wasn’t pleased with my decision would be an understatement.
My legs are shaky as I meander down the narrow stairs with Wade. The muted thud of my footsteps as they fall on the wood are haunting. Like they’re nothing more than echoes of the past. When we reach the bottom, I take a quick glance around the only place I’ve known as home for the past thirteen years. The small living room to the left houses the bazillion books and DVDs my mom and I have spent countless hours perusing. To the right, the dining room table is empty, with the exception of a single placemat and table setting.
She’s already put mine away.
“Ready?” Wade whispers, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I smile weakly and nod. Without looking back, I open the front door and walk out onto the porch—and into the unknown.
Chapter 7
Welcome Home, Autumn
The entire drive to Windhaven is a strange mixture of elation and despair. Leaving now is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But Wade was right about one thing—saying good-bye isn’t my forte. It’s like it’s not even in my DNA. Had he not been the guiding force, encouraging me to go out the door, I’m almost certain I would have decided to stay in Mistwood Point.
However, the more distance I get, the more clarity washes over me. There are answers I need, and a part of me realizes there are mysteries I need to unravel. At the very least, I need to rebuild my relationship with my father.
When I pull up to the manor, darkness has descended and the landscape looks far more ominous than it did when I arrived the last time. Gone is the beautiful sunlight and inviting trees. Instead, I’m met with gnarly branches, moonlight, and abrupt, twisty turns along a long drive.
Lights are on inside the home, however, casting a warm glow across the cobblestone driveway and inviting me to come within. I put Blue into park and hop out. I take a deep, cool inhalation and stare at the moon. It’s barely a sliver and about to disappear completely in the next day or two.
The angel statue in the middle of the circle still draws my attention and the deep groves and shadows that are cast upon it by the landscape lighting. The evening hours certainly give it a haunting aura. Twisting around, I grab my backpack from the passenger seat and head up the stone stairs.
Lifting my hand to knock, I hold there with my hand in the air. Instead, I drop it to the handle and open the door. After all, if this is about to be my home, I guess I should start acting like it.
The massive door creaks open and I peer inside.
“Hello?” I call out. “Dad? Are you here?”
Silence greets my echo, but as I take a few steps into the main entry, Dad appears around the corner.
“Hi there, sweetie. I was wondering when you’d be here,” he says, a bright smile gracing his face. It lights up all of his features and lifts my spirits. There were so many times when I wished I had a better relationship with him. Or when I wished I could understand what happened between him and my mom. Hopefully, now’s that chance.
“Yeah, I, uh, it was hard to leave Wade and Mom. Harder than I expected—”
He nods. “I get it. Saying good-bye isn’t easy.”
“It really isn’t,” I agree. I take a deep breath to clear my energy, and I shuffle the backpack on my shoulder. “Well, I’m here now.” I smile back at him, trying to emulate the same level of enthusiasm.
“Excellent,” he says. “What would you like to do? Did you want a quick tour? Or do you just want to get settled for the night?”
“A tour would be great, actually. I didn’t get the chance
