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Love Like Winter // Xavier Thorpe

Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Can You Talk to the Dead?

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As we venture towards the secluded cottage nestled amidst the vibrant hues of November, an inexplicable sense of unease settles upon me. The crisp air carries with it a weight, as if the very essence of the season has taken on a darker, more mysterious form. The atmosphere is heavy with an eerie stillness, and an undercurrent of foreboding tugs at my senses.

We move across the threshold of Autumn's abode, an immediate sense of gloom envelops us. The dimly lit interior seems to absorb the light, casting elongated shadows that dance eerily upon the walls. The ambiance itself seems to whisper secrets and hidden intentions, leaving us to wonder if we have unwittingly stepped into a trap.

And there she is, Autumn, standing before us with an air of mystery. Her eyes are guarded and unreadable, giving away nothing. The silence hangs thick in the air, broken only by occasional cryptic remarks. It's hard to tell if we can really trust her or if we've walked right into a sketchy situation.

“Uh … hi?” Tyler asks the odd girl standing in the corner.

She steps out from the corner and looks Tyler up and down, keeping her arms crossed against her chest. Her eyes look past him at Wednesday and her sister, Acantha, but she says nothing.

"Hey there," Tyler nervously greets Autumn, trying to break the tension. "We've heard a lot about you. Your sister has been dying to come and get you for awhile now.”

Autumn's gaze lingers on Tyler for a moment, her expression inscrutable. She then shifts her attention to Wednesday and Acantha, her eyes searching their faces before finally speaking. "I don’t even know you, why would I just go with you? Trust is earned, not freely given," she responds, her voice carrying a hint of caution. "I've seen too many betrayals, too many broken promises."

Well, this girl is completely different from her sister. Xavier and I try to hang back so the sheer number of us doesn’t spook her, but her eyes land on me curiously.

“You,” she tilts her head to the right slightly as she stares at me. “Your powers are similar to mine.”

I just shrug and consider hiding behind Xavier, but I’m not five and I should be able handle myself around Acantha’s little sister. “They are? What are your powers?”

“I can conjure lightning from the sky,” a grin appears on her face, but it looks almost demonic. “I can’t create it out of my hands though, like you.”

She steps towards me, keeping her face remote the whole time, which sends a chill down my spine. “I don’t know why my mom was obsessed with that one,” she gestured towards Wednesday. “You’re the one with the real power.”

It feels like she’s staring into my soul and not in a good way. Her strawberry blonde hair falls in front of her face, casting shadows over her face as she continues to stare at me. She reaches out and grabs my arm gently, laying the back of my hand against her palm. I release a little bit of my electricity, sending a small shock through her.

Autumn’s eyes widen slightly and she grins. “See, now, you’d be quite useful.”

Acantha grabs her sister by the shoulders and moves her to the side of the room, staring at her with frustration. “Autumn, what the fuck are you doing? You’re acting like an absolute creep.”

Her sister lets out a sigh and rolls her eyes. “Well I couldn’t let them think I’m weak.”

“No, they don’t think you’re weak, Autumn, just suspicious as hell, so drop the act. We didn’t come all this way for that.” Acantha shakes her head at her sister.

Autumn groans and rolls her eyes again, crossing her arms across her chest. “Ugh, fine, mother.”

“Don’t call me that.” Acantha growls. “You know I’m not like Mom.”

“Then why do you look so much like her? You even wear her boots. I bet you got her sadism shit too, didn’t you?” Autumn scoffs.

I catch Tyler and Wednesday exchanging glances with each other, especially at the mention of sadism. “Why, exactly, are we here getting your sister so close to the end of the school year, Acantha?” Wednesday decides to speak up.

Autumn raises an eyebrow at Wednesday before pulling her into a hug, which sends Wednesday into a vision. Autumn steps back, started, and watches her until she comes back to normal.

“What was that?” She asks Wednesday who looks distraught.

Wednesday shakes her head and looks around the room. “N-nothing. Anna and Xavier, I need to talk to you for a minute.”

Xavier and I look at each other and shrug before following Wednesday out of the cottage and back to the van. She gets inside and shuts the door behind us, letting out a shaky breath.

“What did you see? Clearly whatever it is has you spooked,” Xavier mentions.

“Y-yeah, you could say that. I saw Acantha and Autumn in your shed talking to … someone.”

I raise an eyebrow at her. “Okay? Who were they talking to?”

She shakes her head and shuts her eyes. “That’s the past I’m confused about. It sounded like they were saying ‘Mom,’ but Marilyn aka Laurel is dead.”

Xavier scoffs and sighs. “They are witches, are they not? Maybe they’re skilled in necromancy too.”

Unease fills the air in the van, or maybe it just fills me, I’m not sure, but I ask Wednesday, “Why did you bring us out here and not Tyler?”

“Because I think he would be biased towards Acantha, and I wanted an unbiased opinion on the matter.”

I nod, understanding. “Okay, so what are we supposed to do now? We can’t tell them what you saw, obviously.”

She shakes her head. “No, we can’t. We’ll just watch them, closely. Well, I’ll watch Acantha, but if Autumn stays in your shed then …”

“Hey, if you want to keep her at Tyler’s with the two of you, then be my guest. I was just trying to be nice,” Xavier shrugs. “I’m not babysitting her.”

Wednesday groans. “Fine. I’m sure Tyler won’t object anyway.”

“Should we go back inside and see what this girl is about?” I ask.

Xavier and Wednesday shrug but it’s obvious that none of us want to go back inside the cottage. We follow Wednesday out of the van and back into the cottage where Acantha and Autumn seem to be almost arguing.

“It’s a little weird that you’re dating the guy and girl that Mom was obsessed with, don’t you think?” Autumn asks, letting out a laugh. “It’s like you want to follow in her footsteps or something.”

Acantha shakes her head and scoffs, turning away from her. “Wow, Autumn, just wow. You can just stay here for all I care.”

Autumn puts her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Hey, wait, I’m sorry. I’ve just been out here alone for so long and it hasn’t exactly been easy.”

“You weren’t alone. You were with Aunt Penelope.” Acantha says, turning back towards her sister.

“Yeah, like she’s a real treat to live with,” she says, rolling her eyes. “You can’t just leave me here. You said once Levi was gone that you’d come and get me and take me wherever it is that you’re staying.”

Wednesday rejoins their conversation, trying to remedy the situation it seems. “Can the two of you please stop bickering and just get in the van? You’re staying with us, Autumn.”

Autumn turns her gaze to Wednesday and looks her up and down. “Okay, but I don’t want anything to do with your weird kinks or whatever.”

“I wasn’t asking you to join in,” Wednesday smirks.

As we pile back into the van, I can't help but feel a mix of relief and anticipation. The whole situation with Autumn has taken a turn, and she's coming along with us. It's like adding a whole new level of complexity to an already complicated journey. But hey, what's an adventure without a little chaos, right?

I glance over at Xavier, who seems to be processing everything that just happened. His eyebrows are furrowed, and I can practically see the wheels turning in his head. I give him a reassuring smile, silently letting him know that we're in this together.

Meanwhile, Autumn is still sitting there with her arms crossed, her expression guarded. I can't really blame her – trust takes time, especially when you've been burned before. But I'm determined to show her that we're not like the others. We're a team of outcasts, but at least we're honest outcasts, mostly.

Wednesday breaks the silence, her voice steady and resolute. "Alright, Autumn, we're taking you with us. But listen, we're not here to exploit you or use your powers for our own gain."

Autumn leans back in her seat, her eyes still wary. "And how do I know you're not just saying that? I've seen how people can manipulate and take advantage of people like me."

I lean forward, trying to convey sincerity with my words. "Autumn, I get it. Trust is a fragile thing, especially when it's been shattered before. But I promise you, we're not like those people. We've all been through our fair share of hardships, and that's exactly why we're here for you. We're a team, and we'll have each other's backs."

She studies me for a moment, her gaze searching. Finally, she nods, a hint of skepticism still lingering. "Alright, I'll give you a chance. But if you break my trust, you'll regret it."

I grin, relieved that she's willing to give us a shot. "Deal. We won't let you down, Autumn."

With that settled, the van starts moving again, carrying us away from the secluded cottage and towards whatever awaits us on this crazy journey. As we drive into the night, the road stretching out before us, I can't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness.

I also remember what Wednesday said to me about her vision and I can’t help but ask Autumn. “Hey, Autumn, do you think you could help me talk to my parents?”

She raises her eyebrows at me. “Uh … I’m not exactly the greatest with family stuff, why are you asking me?”

“My parents are dead.”

“Oh, I understand now. Also, sorry, by the way,” she nods and gives a small smile. “You’re gonna want to ask my sister about that one though. She’s the one that can talk to the dead. She talks to our mom all the time.”

Wednesday freezes and slowly turns around towards Autumn. “What did you just say?”

Autumn shrugs. “I don’t see why it’s a big deal. It’s not like she’s going to bring her back or anything. It’s out of line with her precious ‘witch rules.’”

Xavier looks at me for a second before saying, “Yeah, melting someone’s face off with your powers is probably against her witch rules too, but that didn’t stop her from doing it to Levi.”

“I don’t make the witch rules and I definitely don’t make Acantha’s rules,” Autumn shrugs again.

Wednesday continues to glare at Autumn. “Do you not remember everything your mother did? To me, to Tyler? What she wanted to do to all the outcasts in existence?”

Autumn rolls her eyes. “She’s dead, Wednesday. And I mean you are dating her daughter, and the guy she manipulated. I sort of thought you of all people might want answers from her.”

“I got all the answers I needed when she tried to kill me last year, Autumn.”

Acantha realizes Wednesday and her sister are bickering and turns around in her seat. “Can you two stop arguing?”

“I don’t know, Acantha. That depends on whether or not you explain what you’ve been doing,” she stares at her and crosses her arms.

The tension in the van is incredibly high. Autumn says to her sister, “She’s upset because I told her you talk to Mom.”

“I don’t talk to Mom,” Acantha growls. “That was one time and it was before I met Wednesday and Tyler.”

Autumn side eyes her sister and scoffs. “That’s not what you told me before. You told me that Mom was trying to encourage you to get close to Tyler.”

Everyone turns to stare at Acantha who is practically trembling. “What are you talking about? I never told Mom about them.”

Wednesday says quietly, “You’re lying to me.”