Gale Warning

By A. Kennedy

Windy's world turned upside down within a few weeks. Picking up the pieces is hard. But every step forward leaves Windy more lost in who she is supposed to be. It's even more frustrating when she starts to fall for the person she never thought possible. At least Windy's biggest threat has been eliminated. Or so she thinks.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. Kennedy
• Release date: Nov 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005968830

A. Kennedy

I’m a wife, a mom, a student, a daughter, a sister, a friend, an author, a journalist, and most definitely a dreamer ...My name is Amanda and my favorite part of life is that I’m a mom of two beautiful children and wife to a wonderful man. They are my drive, and they are the ones who help to keep me in line. Writing has become my passion and my stress release.

Book preview

Gale Warning

A. Kennedy

Gale Warning

A novel by A. Kennedy

Published by A. Kennedy

Copyright 2018 A. Kennedy

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

For Cliff and Ray.

It was your push that helped me continue this story

Prologue

1692

Four girls played in the dark, foreboding forest while a man watched as if he were hunting game for dinner. He followed them, knowing one was causing his daughter’s sickness. The doctor was certain that witchcraft didn’t play a role in his daughter’s illness, but the man knew differently. The girls were rumored to perform the devil's work. He hoped to catch them performing their wickedness. The girls formed a circle in a small clearing within the thickest part of the woods. The man stayed hidden behind a tree and strained to listen to the little fiends.

The girl named Martha spoke first. I see in the future there will be a girl. The girls all giggled as if this was child’s play.

Another girl, Rebecca, said, Go on.

Martha closed her eyes and started to hum. It looked as if she were in a trance. Maybe it was the devil taking over. If this isn’t proof they are witches, then I don’t know what would be, the man thought to himself. But he was in a trance as well, mesmerized by the fact that these young girls had brought the devil to their own God-fearing village.

Martha opened her eyes and started to speak again, except this time she sounded like she was intoxicated, speaking of things to come. She will be powerful. She will be a manipule of all the elements and not just her own. Martha closed her eyes again as if concentrating on what the devil was telling her. She sat down, and the others followed her lead.

Sarah, one of the other girls, had her eyes closed as well. She had her hands on the ground and was humming. Before too long, grass had grown where bare ground had been just moments before. The man’s attention darted back to Martha once she started to talk again.

She will be brave… Martha said in concentration.

It started raining, but the girls did not seem to notice. The only one that paid any attention to the drops falling from the sky was Mary. She was moving her hands back and forth like a wave, and the water seemed to follow, as if she were guiding it.

Martha, not seeming phased by the other two girls doing strange things, opened her eyes, wild with ecstasy, and spoke again. She will kill many, for she has many enemies.

This took the man by surprise. He thought the girl was talking about the innocent people in his village. His hand went to his heart when he thought about his daughter.

Rebecca, who was enticed by the prophecy, had been playing with two sticks, rubbing them together trying to start a fire. Eventually, there was a spark, and soon the fire was in her hand. The flame was not burning her at all. Possessed demons, the man thought.

Martha continued, despite the things the other girls were doing. She will unite all manipules, and she will be the only one to do so. Martha lifted her hands. The motion created a great gust of wind that passed through the forest.

The man ran back to the village to tell the people what he had seen. The summer of 1692 marked a dark era in the little village called Salem. All four girls were prosecuted and hung for witchcraft.

Chapter 1

The darkness continued to engulf me as I frantically searched for the smallest glimmer of light. I could feel a wall on either side of me. I continued to walk forward as best as I could, but I felt weighted down by invisible chains. There was something on the floor, but thanks to the dim light, I wasn’t able to tell what it was. I tried walking around it, but invisible weights weighed my body down making the task almost impossible.

I continued down the hall. Finally, I saw scraps of light at the other end of the room I was about to enter. I made my way to the cramped space that was illuminated. A small picture frame sat in the spotlight. With the frame at arm’s length, I wanted to pick it up, but I didn’t. The glass in the frame was smashed. I studied the picture. It looked familiar, but I couldn’t tell exactly who was in the photo.

There were two people. I studied them closely. The guy had black hair and seemed to be extremely happy to be holding the girl in his arms. There was something about the guy that made me feel like I should be running and telling the girl in the picture to run, too. The girl had brown hair and green eyes, and she was looking up into a pair of icy blue eyes.

I gasped and stepped back when I realized that the picture was of Zac and me. Zac. Why Zac? I took another step back and gasped again with pain. I looked down and noticed that I had cut my foot on a piece of broken glass, and I was bleeding absurdly from the gash.

I left the smaller room and found myself in a large spacious room. Like the hall, there wasn’t much light in the room. I stumbled over to a bed where I found a sheet to wrap my foot. Sitting on the bed, I noticed that there was glass everywhere. Why had I not noticed it before?

I heard a clicking noise to my left and was shocked to see an old T.V. turn on by itself. The television set had two twist knobs and was in black and white. The channels changed rapidly until it stopped on a particular channel.

The show was set in what looked to be a crypt, a place that not even Poe could dream up. The camera was walking along in first person until it rested on two caskets. One of the caskets had a cloaked figure standing at it, and the lid of the casket was off. I continued to watch the casket and saw a body that rested inside levitate. The cloaked figure held a hand out over the body as if it were creating the phenomenon.

The body stopped moving and stayed suspended in the air. The figure went to wrap both its hands around his victim’s throat. I felt compelled to scream and tell the victim to run— even though they should be dead.

I tried to scream, but my voice was cut off. My life was being threatened, and I knew death was near. No longer was I watching from the bed. I was the victim, and the cloaked figure was choking me.

I woke in a panic, gasping for air. I grabbed at my throat, trying to release whatever invisible hold was grabbing me. My neck was too sore for me to believe that my dream was just that.

I sat up on my bed and listened for anything out of the ordinary, but there was nothing other than my mom’s deep breathing from across the room. The clock read 3:15—only three more hours before I needed to be up. I swung my legs over the side of my bed. I needed some time to calm my racing heart before I tried going back to sleep.

I walked silently to the back porch. As quietly as possible, which never seemed quiet enough when the house was perfectly still, I opened and closed the sliding glass door.

Couldn’t sleep? a male’s voice whispered.

I jumped, turning to see who was on the porch with me. The moon gave me enough light to see a figure sitting on the bench that connected to the porch. Jason had his elbows on his knees and his hands together as if he were praying. The moon reflected off his messy blonde hair that was in need of a haircut. The night glow almost made him look seductive.

I went and sat next to him before I replied, Yeah.

He laughed a little before saying, Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.

I glanced over at the guy that was starting to grow on me. He was over six feet tall and slender, but not too slender, more solid really. His eyes were gray like the color of storm clouds. When I first met him, I thought he was a complete prick. He always said things that should have landed him a hand print across the face. Yet, I was starting to see a different side of him, a side that had me intrigued and trying to figure out who he was under his snide remarks.

It’s ok. Bad dream is all, I sighed. The word bad had nothing on the dream, and I knew the nightmare would haunt me for the next few days.

You can come sleep with me. I’ll keep you safe, Jason said, grinning. I didn’t know how such a good-looking guy could have such an arrogant personality.

I shoved him hard. No. I whispered harshly. I just needed some fresh air after experiencing the most frightening dream of my life.

He tossed his hands up in surrender, as usual. Do you want to talk about it? he asked, this time dropping all playfulness.

No, not really. I looked up at him. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the genuine concern written all over his face. I quickly added, I’m still trying to figure it out.

Okay. Well, I’m here if you change your mind. I noticed he was fidgeting with his hands. On impulse, I placed my hand over his to make him stop. I let go once his hands stilled. Was it like your other dreams?

No, this one felt more real than any other dream I’ve ever had.

Oh… He didn’t say anything else. The silence settled in, and I took several deep breaths before my hand went to my neck, protecting it from the unknown.

Jason noticed. What’s wrong with your neck?

It hurts. I didn’t want to go into more detail.

Sore throat? You’re not getting sick, are you? If you are, stay away from me. Jason put his hands out and made a cross with his fingers.

I laughed. Usually, he was saying the opposite. Well, aren’t you so kind? I figured you’d jump to take care of me.

I ain’t got time to be sick. Sorry, babe.

I rolled my eyes. No, it is not like a sore throat hurt. It’s like someone tried to strangle me ...

I didn’t finish, but I think Jason was putting the pieces together.

How’s your arm?

Involuntary, I rubbed it. It still felt nasty from where the cast had encased it. I had broken it somehow a few weeks back when I had an encounter with my ex-boyfriend, Zac. He wanted to kill all manipulators, and he would have succeeded if I hadn’t shot him. The doctor was shocked at how fast my arm had healed. He said that it shouldn’t have been possible. I shrugged and nonchalantly told him I was a fast healer. It’s fine. Just waiting for my skin to finally feel normal again.

He reached out and touched my arm. I twitched, not expecting him to touch me. He moved his hand to the area where my cast had been. It was oddly comforting, and I felt myself mold into the bench.

Jason removed his hand from my arm. That’s gross.

Tell me about it, I laughed. I moved my hand over my arm and felt the dry, flaky skin that was still trying to fall off, but also seemed to cling to my arm. I scrubbed it, added lotion, and scrubbed it some more. Still, my arm had a layer of nastiness that refused to leave.

We continued to sit, swimming in our own thoughts. I focused on my dream and tried to convince myself that Zac was dead. I pulled the trigger on the gun. It was my hands that killed him. I did it to protect the rest of my friends and my mom. If only I had found a way to kill Zac before, Boa, my best friend, might still be here. Maybe my dream formed from my fear that Zac would haunt me forever, or even worse, that Zac wasn’t really dead. I blacked out after I shot him. Could it be possible that he really didn’t die? I shook my head. There was an investigation. I had to talk to the police and plead self-defense. The case was closed.

Jason’s elbows were once again resting on his knees, and I couldn’t help but wonder why he was up in the middle of the night. So, I said to break the unnerving silence. Why are you up?

The moonlight revealed Jason’s back muscles tensing up, the only acknowledgment that he heard my question. Purposely, he looked away from my direction. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but I resisted. It was clear that he needed his space, and I was invading. I decided it was time to go back into the house. I went to stand, but Jason caught my wrist.

Don’t go. His urgent whisper wrapped around my heart, making me fall back onto my seat. I can’t tell you why I’m up, but know that you comfort me by being here.

My heart began beating erratically, and I tried to take deep, controlled breaths to calm myself.

Are you alright? Jason asked.

Shocked that he noticed, I nodded my head. I’m good. My voice was a hoarse whisper, and I wanted to laugh. What was wrong with me? I was acting as if I were attracted to Jason. I needed to push his attention off me. Are you going to be okay? I feel like I might have invaded your quiet time.

To quote you, I’m good. Jason smiled. Sometimes my internal demons like to keep me awake at night, and I need the breeze from the ocean to calm my nerves.

I gave Jason an understanding smile, and my heart rate found itself almost near normal. Picking up my hand, I made the wind swirl around us as the invigorating trickle of electricity raced up and down my body. Laughing, Jason forced the wind to blow away from us. Taking his challenge, I twirled my fingers, pulling the air toward us again. Jason’s face filled with concentration. The wind died down just a bit, but not enough to make it completely stop. Lifting my other hand, I pumped more wind, making it feel like a storm was coming from the ocean. Minutes had passed with our little show, and I could feel the power struggle weakening me. Not only me, but also it was weakening Jason. I began to laugh, distracting me from Jason’s next move. He forced a gust of wind my way and made me fall backward. His arm caught me, not letting me fall completely.

Amusement filled Jason’s face. That was fun.

Maybe for you, I huffed in mock annoyance.

Oh babe, I know it was for you too. Jason gave his usual arrogant smile. With a wink, he added, We need to work on your stamina. Can’t have you wearing out so soon. I like to go for a long time.

I felt my face flush, trying to ignore his possible innuendo. And on that note, I’m going to bed.

I started to walk away, and the familiar feel around my wrist stopped me in my tracks. I turned to look at Jason with annoyance, but my face fell when I saw his sincerity.

Thank you, he said.

I didn’t do anything. My heart rate began to pick up again, which made me want to run, but my feet stayed rooted to the ground.

You did more than you know.

Not able to control my emotions, I knew I needed to get away. I turned and walked to the door as fast as I could.

Good night, Windy, Jason said just as I was pulling the sliding door shut.

Good night, I said from behind the door, my heart jumping into my throat.

The next morning, I sat in the kitchen with Ryan, staring at a glass of water that sat in the middle of the table. You think I can do it? I asked.

Ryan’s chiseled face showed signs of deep thought. His deep blue eyes even seemed clouded. He ran his hand through his short, light brown hair. Well yeah, actually, I think you can. Pretty positive you can. But I just don’t know if I can teach you. I was never told that one day I would be teaching someone who didn’t control water to control it.

Ryan was rather talented with using water and manipulating it; teaching me was a different story. I had yet to master my own manipulation. I didn’t know why anyone thought I could master another skill with few problems.

I scrunched my face in thought. Well, how would you teach another water manipulator?

Ryan shrugged. I would tell them to clear their mind—

Jason, who just walked in, laughed so loud he cut off Ryan. Dude, that’s not gonna work. Trust me.

My first lesson with Jason didn’t even last five minutes. He told me to clear my mind. I couldn’t, so he tossed his hands up and walked away until he could figure out a different way to train me.

Hey, I’m pretty good with wind, I said to Jason. My current training helped keep my emotions in check, which made me happy. I was able look into Jason’s gray eyes without my heart trying to beat out of my chest.

Yeah, but… Jason began. My lower lip extended in a pout. I was not good enough to control the wind without my hands, but I was more powerful than anyone else when I did use them. You know I’m just pickin’.

ANYWAYS, Ryan said loud to get his point across, clear your mind and try lifting the water out of the glass.

I concentrated on the water in the glass, emptying my mind. The water was heavier than the wind. I could feel the molecules. They felt constricted and wanted out of the confined eight ounces. The buzz of electricity ran through my body. The invigorating feeling could have easily become an addiction. With the urge to move the water in an upward motion, I lifted my hand. I saw water droplets rise from the glass in front of me. They splashed back into the glass as I lost my composure. I astonished myself. I controlled water.

Chapter 2

All the excitement I had two days