Read Online Of Delicate Pieces by A. Lynden Rolland - Free Book Online
Authors: A. Lynden Rolland
Ads: Link
Grandiuse?”
Alex shook her head.
They kept quiet until they reached a ramose creek, which divided like driveways in a cul-de-sac. Alex stopped, but Skye continued to tread along a path running parallel to the leftmost branch of the creek.
Alex concentrated on her feet so she wouldn’t leave tracks in the mud. Or get it on her shoes. “Where do these creeks lead?”
“Coming up soon.”
As they traveled, the water quieted until it became silent. They reached a lone pier, leading to a simple wooden cottage. As if finding this in the middle of the woods wasn’t strange enough, the water whitened, frozen around the pier despite the heat. If she tried hard enough, Alex could hear the icy water screaming.
“Who lives here?”
Skye shrugged. “Not sure, but each part of the creek leads to a different house.”
“Is the tree here?”
“Not far now.” She ignored Alex’s exaggerated sigh. “I don’t think you realize how far we’ve gone so quickly.”
“Where are we?”
“A few miles from campus.”
“ Miles? ”
“You concentrated on following me. I concentrated on projecting us places.”
No wonder Alex felt dizzy.
Skye shook her shoulders in a little dance. “That’s why I didn’t tell you what I was doing. You question everything. Even right now. There’s a question hanging off your lips. I can see it dangling there.”
Alex wiped her mouth. “You projected us forward? Why didn’t you do the same thing last spring in Parrish when we went looking for Chase and Jonas? Why did we run instead?”
“Because I was following you that day. I didn’t know those woods. We can only project ourselves if we can see where we’re going. And I couldn’t really explain that to you then because we were in a hurry.” She spun in a circle. “Isn’t this cool? No one usually travels this far away from the buildings.”
“I can see why.” Alex glanced back at the mossy path behind them, wondering if she’d get too terribly lost trying to find her way home. Their company only included monstrous redwood tree trunks and the sounds of nature. Alex zeroed in on the squeaking of squirrel talk. They argued over which direction to travel. Alex wasn’t sure how she knew their language, but she did. “I might go back. I want to get my things ready for the workshops.”
“We have plenty of time.”
Alex couldn’t think of a legitimate excuse. Peeling the bark from a tree didn’t sound stimulating, and a trek through the forest didn’t help.
Skye’s face brightened. “Want me to show you something?”
Not really.
“A secret.”
Alex perked up. “Are you finally going to explain how you know so much?”
“Huh?” Skye stiffened. “No. It’s something here.”
Alex took in their surroundings: trees, bushes, plants, dirt, and pinecones. “No offense, but it looks the same as the rest of the forest.”
“Wait.” Skye lifted a finger to her lips and moved soundlessly through the brush.
“How do you find this tree without anything to mark where you are?”
Skye stopped. “This stays between us, but the first time Duvall sent me to find the bark she needed, I got lost.”
Shocking.
“She didn’t send me again until it was an emergency. And she gave me a landmark.”
Alex glanced left to right. “I think you missed it.”
“No one knows it’s out here because they don’t need to look for it, and likewise, I don’t think it tries to be found. Come here.” She waved a hand, urging Alex to follow. She used her other hand to push aside a few branches, revealing a misplaced, red-brick pathway. It began from nowhere but weaved through parallel aisles of large T-shaped, gray flowers. The flowers stood in rows, as still as gravestones but as loud as the dead.
The flower field rose into a hill, creating the illusion that it marched straight up to the sky. At the edge of the hill was a square entryway made of stone. It interrupted the beauty of gray crosses and stared at them with its
Alex shook her head.
They kept quiet until they reached a ramose creek, which divided like driveways in a cul-de-sac. Alex stopped, but Skye continued to tread along a path running parallel to the leftmost branch of the creek.
Alex concentrated on her feet so she wouldn’t leave tracks in the mud. Or get it on her shoes. “Where do these creeks lead?”
“Coming up soon.”
As they traveled, the water quieted until it became silent. They reached a lone pier, leading to a simple wooden cottage. As if finding this in the middle of the woods wasn’t strange enough, the water whitened, frozen around the pier despite the heat. If she tried hard enough, Alex could hear the icy water screaming.
“Who lives here?”
Skye shrugged. “Not sure, but each part of the creek leads to a different house.”
“Is the tree here?”
“Not far now.” She ignored Alex’s exaggerated sigh. “I don’t think you realize how far we’ve gone so quickly.”
“Where are we?”
“A few miles from campus.”
“ Miles? ”
“You concentrated on following me. I concentrated on projecting us places.”
No wonder Alex felt dizzy.
Skye shook her shoulders in a little dance. “That’s why I didn’t tell you what I was doing. You question everything. Even right now. There’s a question hanging off your lips. I can see it dangling there.”
Alex wiped her mouth. “You projected us forward? Why didn’t you do the same thing last spring in Parrish when we went looking for Chase and Jonas? Why did we run instead?”
“Because I was following you that day. I didn’t know those woods. We can only project ourselves if we can see where we’re going. And I couldn’t really explain that to you then because we were in a hurry.” She spun in a circle. “Isn’t this cool? No one usually travels this far away from the buildings.”
“I can see why.” Alex glanced back at the mossy path behind them, wondering if she’d get too terribly lost trying to find her way home. Their company only included monstrous redwood tree trunks and the sounds of nature. Alex zeroed in on the squeaking of squirrel talk. They argued over which direction to travel. Alex wasn’t sure how she knew their language, but she did. “I might go back. I want to get my things ready for the workshops.”
“We have plenty of time.”
Alex couldn’t think of a legitimate excuse. Peeling the bark from a tree didn’t sound stimulating, and a trek through the forest didn’t help.
Skye’s face brightened. “Want me to show you something?”
Not really.
“A secret.”
Alex perked up. “Are you finally going to explain how you know so much?”
“Huh?” Skye stiffened. “No. It’s something here.”
Alex took in their surroundings: trees, bushes, plants, dirt, and pinecones. “No offense, but it looks the same as the rest of the forest.”
“Wait.” Skye lifted a finger to her lips and moved soundlessly through the brush.
“How do you find this tree without anything to mark where you are?”
Skye stopped. “This stays between us, but the first time Duvall sent me to find the bark she needed, I got lost.”
Shocking.
“She didn’t send me again until it was an emergency. And she gave me a landmark.”
Alex glanced left to right. “I think you missed it.”
“No one knows it’s out here because they don’t need to look for it, and likewise, I don’t think it tries to be found. Come here.” She waved a hand, urging Alex to follow. She used her other hand to push aside a few branches, revealing a misplaced, red-brick pathway. It began from nowhere but weaved through parallel aisles of large T-shaped, gray flowers. The flowers stood in rows, as still as gravestones but as loud as the dead.
The flower field rose into a hill, creating the illusion that it marched straight up to the sky. At the edge of the hill was a square entryway made of stone. It interrupted the beauty of gray crosses and stared at them with its
Similar Books
