The Survivors (Book 2): Autumn Read Online Free PDF Page B

swift.
    In a way, I felt like I had gotten more justice from Anahera than I would have gotten in a court of law .  I trusted her.  With that thought in mind, I nodded my consent and we began to make plans for the nearest thing to a vacation that any of us had taken in a very long time.

Chapter Three
    The storm raged for almost a day, tearing branches from trees and uprooting any plants and fixtures that were not lucky enough to be protected from the winds.  Every so often, we’d hear the sound of something breaking or being thrown around, but we were safe within our precious haven.
    No one even considered sending Anahera and Hemi back out into the storm.  It just wasn’t an option.  Their chances of making it home safely on those little farm bikes would be slim to non-existent.  Luckily, our hotel had plenty of spare bedrooms and furniture that had survived the years, so we set them up with beds and insisted they stay the night.  I wasn’t terribly surprised that neither of them protested.
    Without power, lunch and dinner were solemn events .  I did my best to cheer everyone up by assembling a salad with canned meat for protein, but I lacked my sister’s flair for creative cooking.
    Skye didn’t leave her room the entire day .  At mealtimes, I braved the weather to bring her food, but she barely even looked at me.  Each time I checked on her, she was just sitting on her bed, staring out her window at the raging storm, clutching that tiny pink teddy bear.  She ate the food I left for her, but never made any comments.
    Night seemed to fall earlier than normal that evening, because the sun was obscured by the roiling clouds .  I left the others to finish cleaning up the kitchen by candlelight, and went back upstairs to bring Skylar a little lantern for her room.  For some reason, the thought of leaving her brooding in the dark made me feel sick to my stomach.
    She was still sitting in exactly the same spot when I arrived, her eyes a million miles away .  When I set the lantern down and turned it on, she stirred a little, as though coming out of a dream.  Her head turned towards me.  I looked back at her, and found her watching me with eyes that were sunken and hollow from grief.  My heart lurched at the sight of the sorrow etched on her face.
    I sat down beside her and wrapped my arm around her slender frame; she felt tiny and fragile now that the weight of her pregnancy had begun to fade .  She’d always been slender and small-boned, but now it felt like I could break her if I gripped her too firmly.  I wondered if that was how Michael felt, all those times when he held me as gently as if I were a porcelain doll.  Now, I understood the feeling.
    “Anahera invited us to stay with her clan for a couple of days.” I found myself talking to her automatically, even if she was away with the fairies .  “So we’re going for a trip once the storm is over.  Just for a little while.  Anahera says it’ll be good for us to get away for a bit.  I think she’s right.  What do you think?” I wasn’t expecting an answer, so when I got one it just about gave me a heart attack.
    “I think… I’d like that.” Skye shifted and snuggled up against me.  “She’s really nice.”
    “Yeah, she is,” I agreed, fighting to contain the flood of relief that poured through me from the simple fact that my little sister was talking to me again .  “She’s downstairs with Hemi and the others.  We were thinking of playing a game to pass the time.  Why don’t you come and play with us?”
    “A game?” She stirred and looked up at me with those big blue eyes, set into a face that looked so hauntingly similar to my mother’s that it made my gut twist.  “What kind of game?”
    “Well, I found a few different ones while I was out exploring the other day .  We could play a card game, if you want?” I suggested.  She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.
    “No, card games are boring.” She pulled a