Willow

By Susan Thomas

She stumbles out of a wheat field on a hot September afternoon, torn, battered, and in a state of shock—but who is she? Daniel calls her Willow and is determined to protect her from her past. Despite the horrific memories that plague her, Willow reluctantly allows Daniel and his cousin Zach to try and uncover her identity. The journey they undertake puts all three of their lives in danger. Deception and murder are in her past, what else will they discover? One thing is certain ... Willow is not sure that she wants to know the truth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Teen
• Release date: Jan 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9780369509444

Susan Thomas

Susan Thomas is faculty at the Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Research in Bombay. Her research has been in financial econometrics, specifically on models of the volatility of financial prices, and aspects of market microstructure in Indian financial markets. She has also worked on models for the Indian zero coupon yield curve, govt. bond index construction and probability of default for Indian firms. Her work can be accessed on the web at http://www.igidr.ac.in/~susant.

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Published by Evernight Teen ® at Smashwords

www.evernightteen.com

Copyright© 2024 Susan Thomas

ISBN: 978-0-3695-0944-4

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: CA Clauson

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

For Matt, who travelled the world with Alfie by his side. Companions til the end.

WILLOW

Susan Thomas

Copyright © 2024

Chapter One

My life began on a hot afternoon in September when the sun’s rays slanted in through the wheat fields and the heady scent of late blooming lavender filled the air. My life as Willow that is. Because that’s what they’d called me. Thin brown limbs as lean and supple as the tree, green eyes, dull yellow hair that hung down my back in snarls and tangles. I was about seventeen they’d guessed, and I took their word for it.

Tell me, Daniel. I pleaded. Please … just one more time. It wouldn’t be the last time and he knew it. But he also knew how I clung to the retelling, clutching it to me like a life-ring.

We were lounging beneath the tumbling boughs of the willows I was named for, dangling our feet in the pond, trying to keep cool. Long-legged spiders skittered across the surface of the water, distorting my image beyond recognition. In a way that made perfect sense because I had no idea who I was.

Daniel rolled his eyes and tried to describe, again, the day I had walked into his life. He had seen something rippling through the stalks of yellow wheat … a slow wave, like an animal foraging for food.

I couldn’t tell what it was, he said. "But I knew there’d been a pack of wild dogs passing through so I grabbed a rifle from the barn and ran to the edge of the field. I kept my sites trained on it, whatever it was, and waited ‘til it got closer. Then I saw you stumble out of the wheat, rolling and weaving like a drunk."

I remembered the terror I had felt coming out of the shadows, staring down the barrel of a rifle. But he’d lowered it slowly to the ground and spread his empty arms wide.

And then what? I prodded. I picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water, shattering my image into a thousand shards and sending the spiders scurrying for safety. I lay back on the grass, hungry for details.

When you got closer, I could see you weren’t drunk. You were terrified.

The fear had been overwhelming. My whole body had been shaking with it.

I didn’t know what you were afraid of, but I knew you needed help. You came straight towards me and pretty well collapsed into my arms, I carried you up to the farmhouse, and the women took over.

The gentle touch of their hands, the soothing voices, and the smell of lavender…

Why didn’t you call the police? Even though the thought scared me witless, my common sense told me it would have been the right thing to do.

I wanted to, but they voted me down. The men see themselves as protectors and they thought if you were a runaway, it was their job to look after you until we knew what you were running from. He shifted his eyes in my direction and then away again. Besides, they’ve had nothing but trouble from the law in the past. It would have been the excuse the police were looking for to get in here and poke around. He shook his head. The local constabulary is convinced there’s something evil about a bunch of outsiders running a communal farm. Small town paranoia.

Right. A police investigation, men in blue tramping through the fields and asking everyone questions. That would have upset a lot of people. I twisted my head and looked up at him. Why didn’t you leave and take me with you? I was glad he hadn’t. It felt good here, safe, surrounded by the sights and sounds and even the smells of the farm.

He shook his head. I know these people and they’ve been good to me. I didn’t want to go to the police and throw them under the bus. He shrugged. "And maybe they were right—there was something about you, something vulnerable. I wanted to let you rest up for a bit, keep an eye on you."

A tremor ran down my spine. The sun glinting through the leaves created a dizzying kaleidoscope above me, surrounding his head like a halo. I remembered the fear and confusion I’d felt as I’d fallen into his arms and clung to him as if he was the only one who could save me. I’d been by his side ever since, a baby animal imprinting on its mother. Like little Daisy, the lamb that followed everyone around everywhere. A bout of vertigo forced me to sit up and pull my feet from the water, dropping my head between my knees.

He rubbed my back slowly until I pulled myself upright and crossed my legs. He was getting used to these little panic attacks.

You’ve gone pale. Are you all right? Do you need a drink?

I took a couple of deep breaths and shook my head, swallowing the bile in my throat and hiding my trembling hands in my lap. But honestly, I was totally fed up being dragged in all directions. Like I was under assault, never knowing where the next attack would come from. Panic was the worst, but nausea definitely came in second.

I felt safe with Daniel, like my life was somehow intertwined with his, and I had a compulsive need to know more about him. How did you end up here? I ran my eyes over his thick brown hair and strong features. He had a fit, healthy look about him. "You don’t seem like a runaway … or a farm hand." His clothes were too upscale for that and his hair, despite being overlong at the moment, had a preppy style.

He laughed. Yeah, well. I’m not. Not a runaway that is. He pulled his feet from the water and unrolled his jeans. But I’ve worked here in the past, every summer since I was fifteen. They take on help every now and then, during the summer. This time I wasn’t planning on staying long. I just wanted a couple of nights with a roof over my head while I was backpacking my way to meet my cousin. It’s a hiking/fishing holiday we do every fall at his family’s cabin before we head back to school. He paused. And then you turned up.

And you felt responsible for me? I wondered why that would be. Did I remind him of someone?

In a way.

We lapsed back into silence.

I smoothed my shorts down over my thin legs. I had a dream, or maybe it was a memory … I can’t tell which. I was a bit hesitant, not sure any more what was true and what was imagined, but Daniel wanted to hear about anything I remembered.

He turned to me. Tell me. He was just as curious about me.

I was in a boat, just a small one. I squinted at him. It might have been a sailboat, or a motorboat. I was scared and wanted to get off … but I couldn’t, somehow.

And?

I shrugged my shoulders. Sorry, that’s all I remember."

He looked disappointed. Or did he? I couldn’t always read him.

But it seemed real. I continued. And the people with me … I didn’t know them. I tipped my head. Does that help?

He considered it, then seemed to come to a decision. Willow, we shouldn’t stay here much longer. He frowned. It’s way past time for me to move on and there’s a better chance of finding out who you are once we leave.

The thought of leaving the farm sent my heart pounding, but what he said was true. Here, there was no access to computers, newspapers, or anything that might upset the peaceful existence of this close-knit community. Daniel had even handed over his cell phone, willingly, out of respect. Maybe that’s why I wanted to stay.

He scrubbed his hands through his hair. I saw a couple of the men whispering after the last trip into town for supplies.

Yeah … and what did you hear?

Nothing.

Nothing?

He nodded his head slowly. They said there was nothing in the papers, no posters, no mention of a missing girl at all.

I was disappointed, but strangely relieved. Like there was something I just didn’t want to know. Something dark and disturbing.

If we did leave, where would we go?

Well, to the police, first off. He shrugged. "It probably is the best idea and I don’t have to mention the farm."

No! The vehemence of my objection surprised me and a hollow feeling flooded my gut.

His brow wrinkled. Why not?

I don’t know … but, please. Isn’t there something else we could do? To find out who I am I mean?

Well, he let out a long slow breath. He looked unsure. "My cousin is waiting for me. We could stay at the cabin for a while, buy some time."

He wouldn’t mind you turning up with me? I had a sudden fear. Would I be safe there?

Of course you would. Why would you even ask? He sounded amused. Okay, Zach can be a bit of a cretin, but he’s harmless. And besides, my family will start to worry if I don’t arrive before they get back.

Back from where?

They take their own holiday, with Zach’s parents. We used to go with them, but once we got older we decided we preferred the cabin.

Where you’re free to do what you want? No questions asked?

They trust us. But really … I’m not sure how I would explain you to them, anyway. Zach will be fine. He shook his head. Willow, what harm could it do to go to the police?

The police—something inside me howled. I clutched my head in my hands and drew my knees up to my chest. I began to rock back and forth. The keening that was locked inside me started to trickle out in a long, low moan.

He took me by the shoulders and gave me a gentle shake. "Okay, Willow, okay … but

stop, please."

I was filled with an intense fear, but of what, I didn’t know. My moans turned to hiccups as I leaned into his chest. He slid his hands down my arms and held me closely. I could feel the strength of his body. I snuggled in, matching my breathing to his and felt the tension melt away as my muscles relaxed.

He waited a while then stroked my bobbed curls and let me go gently. My long hair had been so tangled and littered with twigs and mud when I’d arrived, they’d had to chop it off to chin length. I lay back down under the tree and he stretched out beside me, lacing his fingers behind his head. A light breeze set the branches swaying, the only sound in the still afternoon. I breathed in deeply, savoring the smell of hay wafting in from the fields.

I propped myself up on an elbow. Maybe there’s not a lot out there for me to find … nothing really important waiting for me. You said yourself, as far as the town goes, I don’t even exist.

Willow, really? He raised his eyebrows. You think you’ve experienced all the world has to offer? He scoffed. Because maybe you fancied yourself in love at some point, or had a couple of drunken episodes? He shook his head and stared up into the branches. They swept the ground, forming a tent around us. At your age you should be looking forward to life, not hiding from it.

How can you be sure I’m seventeen? I asked. It was a valid question. And not one anyone at the farm had tried to answer.

He turned his head to look at me and narrowed his eyes, considering. I would say it’s a pretty good guess.

I was embarrassed by his scrutiny. How old are you?

Eighteen.

And you can’t wait to tackle whatever’s out there? It seemed like a terrifying prospect to me.

Yep, he yawned. Zach and I start college this fall. He closed his eyes and before long I could hear his rhythmic breathing and see the rise and fall of his chest. I reached over and took his hand in mine, but he didn’t stir.

And then I heard the long grass swaying nearby, followed by voices and the bleating of a lamb.

The voice was familiar. I told you. We haven’t seen or heard anything unusual. It was Caleb—and of course Daisy. Being raised on a bottle, she naturally preferred people to sheep.

No strangers hanging about, nobody you haven’t seen before? There was disbelief in the stranger’s voice. The tone of it sent chills through my spine. Did I recognize it? How would you know anyway? Don’t you commune types have all kinds of drifters passing through?

We’re not a commune, we’re a group of families operating a working farm. And we don’t encourage drifters. We’re permanent residents here. Caleb strove for patience. And who did you say you were?

I’m a private investigator, that’s all I can tell you.

Daniel opened his eyes and I quickly placed my hand over his mouth. We were well hidden by the tree and unless someone made an effort to poke around under the branches, I didn’t think we were visible. Suddenly Daisy pushed her nose through the leaves and bleated. I abandoned Daniel, made a dive for the lamb and cuddled her up against me.

The stranger spoke again. Look, I’m going to leave you my business card, and if you notice anything…

The voices began to fade away and I let out my breath in a woosh. I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding it. It seemed my past was catching up with me.

Chapter Two

We said our good-byes two days later, just as the sun was rising. It was every bit as hard as I thought it would be. What surprised me was the sense of personal loss that threatened to overwhelm me. I wanted to cling to the care and comfort I had felt at the farm. I had come to consider these people as friends—they’d protected me without question.

Don’t you worry, Willow, Caleb told me. If anyone comes snooping around here again, they won’t learn anything from us. The men nodded in solidarity. They had my back.

We’d been fed a huge breakfast and supplied with ample quantities of food wrapped in waxed cloth and some bottles of spring water for the journey. The women and I hugged at the edge of the woods.

Come back any time, Willow, they assured me. You know where we are.

Maybe we should go out the way you came in, Daniel suggested, through the wheat fields?

That earned him some