The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 by Carissa Andrews (graded readers txt) 📕

run off into the woods, though. Wade, my boyfriend, and I figure it was probably a prank or something and they just got the wrong car. Because, seriously, no one knows me in this town. I used to live in Mistwood Point.”

Cat’s face turns red and her jaw clenches. “You know, I better… I gotta go. Colt doesn’t know where I am and I’m his ride. He’s probably done with Mr. Reed by now. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” she says, backing away.

“Everything okay?” I ask, alarm rising with the hairs on the back of my neck.

She nods a bit too enthusiastically and looking down at her empty wrist. “Yeah, yeah… I just need to get moving. I didn’t realize what time it was.”

“All right. See you tomorrow, then,” I mutter, taking a tentative step toward my driver’s side door.

“Okay, yeah. See ya tomorrow,” she says, shooting me a quick wave and turning on her heel.

I open the driver’s side door and fling my backpack over to the passenger seat.

Cat stops walking and twists around. Her eyes are serious, dark pools. “Keep an eye out for anything strange, Autumn,” she says. “Don’t go outside by yourself. Especially near the pond.”

Chapter 12

Okay, That Was Unusual

Cat’s bizarre statement set off a burst of anxiety coursing through me and even though I know I’m safe, I feel like I should be doing something to find the missing kids. I don’t know what, though. Surely they have people far more qualified to be out there than I am.

When I get home, the house is still relatively quiet. I’m beginning to think it’s just the way of things here, but I’m still not used to it. At Mom’s house, there was always some noise. Whether it be her running in and out, or a radio left on somewhere.

The silence pulls on my thread of anxiety until it’s woven tightly around my mid-section. Taking a deep breath, I kick off my shoes and make my way up the grand staircase to hunt for Dad and let him know how the first day of school went. Afternoon light streams in from various directions, gifting a beautiful, magical energy to the space. When I reach the second floor, I take a beat, looking out over the massive entry.

The ornate carvings along the stair rails look centuries old, and maybe they are. The upper windows on the second level bleed beams of light onto the stairway, illuminating the dust particles as if glitter rains from the rafters.

I can’t believe I didn’t appreciate this when I was little.

Grinning and shaking my head, I grip the railing and look over the edge. As I do, flashes of a woman dressed in a blue floor-length dress sprawled out on the floor, her body bent at an awkward angle, rush up at me. I squelch a startled scream and back away.

“Everything okay?” Dad asks, rushing toward me from the other end of the hall.

I trip backward, slamming my back into the wall behind me.

“I—uh—yeah,” I stutter, trying to shake away my surprise. “There was just—I think I…”

“What did you see?” Dad presses, watching me intensely.

My fingertips trace my eyebrows and I shake my head.

“Uhm, nothing. It was nothing,” I mutter.

“Are you sure, honey? Your scream kinda said it was something,” he says.

“Yeah, I think I just got too close to the edge of the rail—”

His blue eyes darken and he narrows them at me.

“Seriously, Dad. I think I just startled myself. I—I’m gonna go do my homework,” I say, no longer sure I want to engage in a long conversation with him. I need to regroup.

“Wait a second. How did your first day of school go?” he asks.

“It was fine. Good. Definitely good,” I say, feeling like the air around me is closing in. God, I’d do anything to go to my room and just breathe for a minute.

“Good, good. Glad to hear it,” he says, his head bobbing up and down slowly.

“Yeah,” I say, running my hand across the back of my neck.

“All right, well... I guess I’ll let you go. I’ll be out in the garden for a bit, if you need me. Dinner should be soon. Maybe you can tell me more then?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan,” I nod, feeling more appreciative that he can read my need to be alone for a bit. Mom would have pressed me and continued until I spilled everything. “Thanks, Dad.”

He shoots me a sideways grin. It’s not necessarily a fake smile, but one that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

I take a tentative step onto the staircase, unsure if I really want to go down to the main floor and past the spot where I saw the woman.

Without another word, Dad makes his way past me and down the large staircase. When I can tell he’s out of earshot, I step forward gingerly and peer over the edge of the rail. My fingertips dig into the railing, but the only thing at the bottom is the huge decorative rug.

Relief floods through me and I make my way down the rest of the stairs.

“Weird,” I mutter, shaking away the tendrils of terror when I reach the spot where the body was laying. There’s nothing there, not even a hint that anything may have been there at one point. “Get a grip, Autumn. Or more sleep.” I rush past the location, half running down the hall to my bedroom.

As I open the door, the natural light lacks the intensity from the front of the house. Instead, it illuminates the backyard and its various shades of fall. Walking to the large picture window, I take a seat and stare out into the beauty beyond. The view of the pond in the distance is somewhat obscured, but still beautiful, as is the rest of the courtyard. It almost hugs the blazing trees in the middle with a welcoming embrace.

Settling into the stillness, my cell phone buzzes in my pocket, making me jump. I tug it