Book I – Witch of the Wild Woods
Prologue – Silver & Gold
Apollena left the window open again, inviting an obnoxiously frigid breeze into their shared guest room. Lane couldn’t sleep. An earlier attempt to bring himself to orgasm and exhaustion failed. There were a myriad of other ways to get himself to sleep: get up, close the window, maybe even find a way to turn on Uncle Dan’s ancient heater. It wasn’t like the house was an original colonial or anything. Nevertheless, when they’d first arrived in Washington nearly a month ago, it felt like their uncle had gone out of his way to make everything in his home older than it had to be. “Retro-style,” is what he called it.
So for the last few days, when Apollena would sneak out of their guest room around midnight, the “Retro-style” window panes wouldn’t close all the way after they’d been opened. Owls hooted. Late summer breezes whispered through the dense trees. Branches scraped against one another in an eerie nocturnal symphony. Lane was torn by doing what little he had to in order to get some rest and breaking his comfy position under a thick down comforter in the old twin bed.
That’s when Lane heard the scream.
He immediately sprang out of bed, reached for his navy-blue vest, ball cap, and black aluminium Maglite. He slid his bare feet into scuffed Timberland Boots and bounded toward the window. Lane waited. His hands gripped the pale oak windowsill. Cool summer air blew across his knuckles. The night symphony had resumed. Leaves danced upon the wind. Branches scratched together and forest creatures moved unseen through the brush.
That scream wasn’t Luna’s.
His sister did not scream.
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