I woke up the following day with a mixture of drool and sweat on my face. Old Tom's big butt was on my head, and it was cooking me from the inside out. I shooed him off and looked at the fireplace. The fire went out, so naturally, the cat sought the warmest place he could to warm his butt. One lamp was still on, and it lit the dim room enough for me to see Adam sleeping on the couch across from me.

I must have fallen asleep before he did last night because a blanket I don't remember wrapping around myself was on my person. Adam also had one, and seeing his face so unguarded was strangely captivating. His all-too-serious expression was relaxed, and he looked his age in rare vulnerability. His suit was replaced with a silk pajamas. I looked down at yesterday's garb that I still needed to change out of. I couldn't help but admire Adam. Although he was a kid, he was more together than I was.

I couldn't spend time lingering in my library. The first thing I needed to do was figure out what time it was. Was I up in time to do morning chores, or did I wake up too early due to a butt on my head?

I looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. Oh, the woes of the morning bird crew. I stood up and shivered at the crisp chill in the air. We didn't have heating outside of fireplaces and blankets in this home. Given all our preparation, spending money on something we might only be able to use solar power didn't make much sense.

I regretted this choice as I tiptoed on the chilly wood floor. I draped my blanket over Adam, hoping it would warm him before leaving the library. Old Tom followed the blanket instead of me, and I watched as he lay on Adam's legs.

I was the first one up as usual, and after changing into some warm, thick clothing and relieving myself, I stepped outside to greet Nips and Molly. The next hour plus was spent feeding, cleaning, and checking on all our livestock.

Big Mama was in a mood, and I could see why the coward Old Tom chose to hang out indoors last night. The treehouse where she and the kittens stayed was insulated now and even had a fireplace. Without a human up here, though, it was never lit. I resorted to tucking in lots of blankets and keeping a small heater in the main room to keep the chill off them.

By the time I entered my home, the sky was brightening up. I wanted to cook breakfast and see if I could use some leftovers from last night, but when I opened the fridge, there was brand new food and ingredients. Huh, just how much did Adam's men bring over to feed him? It wasn't like he was going to starve here!

I used the expensive milk, eggs, bread, fruit, and syrup to create a breakfast spread of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fruit bread. Any extra fruit could be used as toppings for the pancakes.

Adam came down the stairs just as I was setting the table. His hair slicked back into its usual hair, but he was wearing jeans and a button-up plaid shirt. My mouth dropped, and I almost dropped the plate of pancakes.

"Casual wear!" I cheered at him.

Adam chuckled and sat down. "I figured it would be a day of firsts."

Before I could ask him to elaborate, Grandpa Evans came out of his room. He looked like he had just showered and, like Adam, promptly sat at the table. He picked his usual spot where a piping cup of coffee awaited him.

"Good morning, Grandpa Evans."

"...ing." He mumbled before grabbing his cup of black coffee.

My smile grew. Today was going to be a fantastic day.

Or it at least could have been. After the scrumptious meal, Adam got a knock at the door from the suit circus. There were some terse words, and I worked my hardest to make it look like I wasn't eavesdropping, so of course, I was too far away to hear anything decent.

"I have to go." Adam's expression was dark, but his tone was regretful. "It's a family emergency."

I tried my best to school my expression as I half-heartedly smiled, "There seems to be a lot of those lately." I finally managed to say.

"Things will get better," Adam promised me. After gathering all of his things, he left all too soon.

Well, at least I got to spend my birthday with my friends.

With the game plan for the day changed, I decided to try my hand at my premonition abilities. The dreams I brushed off seemed determined to reappear. Maybe the dream with Adam showing up with a lemon tart could happen exactly like that? Or was everything symbolic given over time, the casual clothing and the lemon tart appeared?

I sat outside in the chilly cold air and attempted to meditate. Maybe by training my mind to reach out…nope, all that did was call the resting plant life to attention.

I moved inside and into my library. I could try fire scrying next. That was a thing, right? I lit the fireplace and stared deeply into the flames. They danced and ate the wood as I began to sweat from the amount of concentration I was pouring into this. My eyes grew dry until I finally collapsed on the floor.

Should I just try going to sleep? I was too wired, so the only way I could wear myself out was to push my other power. I pulled some seeds from my ring and attempted to germinate them with willpower alone. It was interesting because no matter how much energy I powered into the seeds, they didn't budge.

Once again, I was soaked with sweat and effort but had nothing to show for it.

Was it possible to store energy into seeds? What did I need to do to make plants sprout from a seed? In books, this went without saying, so what was I missing? Maybe dumping energy wasn't the right move. Doing that with an established plant was quite simple because they could use it to grow. Perhaps instead of dumping, I used my energy to unfurl the seed and imagine it growing as I nudged it mentally…well it was worth a try.

Two hours later, I barely made one pumpkin seed budge. This was going to be my next challenge. Learn how to weave this primal energy into a delicate song that seeds could respond to.

Shitballs.

I finally wore myself out enough to be sleepy. I trudged down to my bed and collapsed face down on my soft pillow. Or at least that was what I expected. Instead of softness, I was greeted with the hard cover of a box under the thin pillow. I gingerly rubbed my nose as I was startled, wide awake now.

Oh, the game Effaced. I stuffed it under my pillow because I couldn't put it into my space. I sat up and removed my pillow. The game box was as strange as I remembered, and I opened the box, not sure what to expect.

Instead of a game board or instructions, I found what looked to be a dnd map terrain under the lid. It was so snug that my little fingers couldn't take it out. A bird pawn was on the board, and when I lifted it up, I read the name Wendy. Only it was in quotes as if it were false. I set the pawn back on the board as the hairs on my neck rose. Like the pawn, I, too, was practically alone, surrounded by a forest…

I gulped and slammed the lid of the box on it. Again, I attempted to slip the box into my space and again was thwarted. I eyed my bedroom and decided to slip it as far away from me as possible on the top shelf of my closet. The magic coming off the box accompanied by the pawn in a forest…did my grandmother send it to help me leave? But then, why was it labeled otherwise?

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

I patted my head as I reassured myself. "All is well." I lay in bed and repeatedly told myself that my dream would show me a scene from the future. And it would be a future I could take charge of. My premonition power would shine a light on the future.

It didn't. All I dreamt about was a screaming baby. When I ventured into the living room, I found Grandpa Evans watching a midwife show…so no wonder I was haunted by babies. The sounds must have carried over into my dreams.

I waited until there was a commercial to deliver leftovers from dinner as lunch.

I sat beside Grandpa Evans and waited until he had that happy, blissful smile from the good food before speaking. "Lucia, her brother, and Wyatt were wondering if they could stay over more when they're not helping on the farm. What do you think of that Grandpa Evans?" They could stay the night and leave in the morning if it got late. If they stayed over longer, I should run it by Grandpa Evans.

"Good." Grandpa Evans' voice was barely audible, and I gasped as a smile grew on my face.

"It will be more lively here then," I said before tucking into my food. Joy filled my heart, and I munched on my food. I couldn't wait to tell the trio the excellent news. Maybe when I did, they could spill the deets on the church.

The rest of the weekend slipped by without much change. I didn't get the desired breakthrough with getting a seedling to sprout or having a premonition.

Monday came around, and the trio arrived on time. They were dropped off by Bill, with whom I traded goods. With our home becoming more sustainable, I wanted to ensure I was also giving Mary things.

Lucia wore a relatively thin blue dress with a brand-new shawl. At my perusal, she informed me that Mary gave it to her.

"Come with me." I took Lucia into the attic, where some of the clothing I was trying to repurpose was. "Let's see if we can make clothes today. And whatever you can make, you can keep."

Lucia brightened up at my words, but Wyatt was barraging between us before she could say anything.

"What about the boys? Can we make some clothes?" He huffed his chest as he followed us up the stairs.

I rolled my eyes. Unlike Lucia, the two boys had heartier hand-me-downs. Girl dresses were thinner than denim jeans. They didn't need something cute and fresh like Lucia did. "If you want to."

"No," Lucia spoke up, and I blinked in complete shock. Her voice was firmer than I ever heard it. The only time it came close was when she turned red in the face at Wyatt, who arrived covered in mud and dead fish. "This is a girl's time only."

Wyatt was so comically shocked his foot stopped midstep, and he blinked. He looked at me, and I could read something flicker in his eyes. Oof, it looked like he blamed me.

I'm not corrupting Lucia!

We had fun going through the clothing and using the sewing machine. I was barely adept at it, but Lucia showed me how to work it like a pro.

When there was a lull in teaching, I told Lucia that Grandpa Evans was fine with them staying longer during the winter.

The sparkle in her eyes warmed my heart.

Time passed, and soon the trio left. With the homestead running like a nonstick frying pan, I didn't need to do much, nor did the trio. They came over again on Wednesday and, of course, Friday. Once again, I found myself with a full house, with Adam joining on Friday.

When all five of us gathered, we opted to play in the forest. Soon, a tree-climbing challenge was thrown down between Wyatt and me.

"You're going to lose," I said with a smirk. I had ways to cheat, but I wanted to honestly wipe the smug smile off Wyatt's face.

"I'm not losing to you, soft hands." Wyatt snorted as he sloppily slipped into some stretches.

"Are you sure about doing this?" Lucia's bright eyes shone with worry as her head whipped back and forth to look at us.

"It's perfectly safe," I said with a wave of my hand. It was cute that Lucia worried, but even if one of us fell, I would risk exposing my powers to prevent permanent damage.

Wyatt lumbered off towards Adam and Lucas, who were talking about smart people stuff. I watched the three with a roll of my eyes before looking at Lucia. She was also looking at the three of them.

"Should you be wearing that ring when you do this?" Lucia grabbed my hand to examine my spacial ring.

I watched it sparkle, used to its beauty, and shrugged. It's not like I could take the dang thing off.

"Where did you get it from? I've never seen anything like it before." Lucia moved my hand as she spoke. She seemed utterly charmed by the thing.

"My brother." I clamped my lips shut to stop my automatic response from digging a grave. I quickly pulled away my hand. Lucia wasn't one to pry or gossip, so the conversation would end with that.

"What, brother? I haven't seen him before. Why is that?" Adam asked me, and I made a face. I didn't even know he was listening. Wasn't he and Wyatt going on about something a few feet away?

I chuckled nervously, waving my hand as if to blow the conversation away like a breeze. "You just haven't met him."

"But Mary said your only male relative alive is Grandpa Evans. In fact, I'm pretty sure you're an only child with no male cousins who could be like brothers." Wyatt's grin as he said this showed his shit-starting nature.

Damn it, Wyatt. I temporarily glowered at him as I tried to mentally backpedal. Just flap my whole family tree into the conversation. Why don't you?

"He's like a brother. You've just never met him." I said, quickly trying to amend my words.

"So, your first love?" Wyatt asked with a huge grin. I could feel my cheeks pale as I avoided everyone's gaze.

Ew. "Don't make me vomit. He's just an ass." And my actual brother.

"Who gave you a ring." Adam's words pierced through my nausea. "And you wear it every day."

Damn, they were all looking at it.

"It's just so pretty," Lucia remarked as she looked at it.

"It's not like I can take it off." They all made a face at that. "It's true. Try pulling on it."

For the next hour, they tried every manner or trick known to man, but the ring didn't come off.

"And the unexplainables keep adding up, Wendy." Adam's quiet words were just for me as everyone grew tired and bored. So much for winning a tree-climbing contest; everyone was worn out. They wandered off and left the two of us. Plus, the ring.

I met Adam's eyes and wiggled my brows. "I am a witch."

"I've always wondered about that ring. You never take it off. "

I laughed, "It can never come off. It's bound to my soul."

"Your soul?" Adam's questions about this seemed endless. He was finally curious about magic, but it was the wrong thing!

I nodded. We were approaching the colossal space dust shitstorm. I could be more frank. The strange would soon be the norm.

"No matter where I go it goes. It's a type of magic." I tucked my hand behind my back and out of sight.

"Your brother gave it to you for protection?" Adam's piercing eyes seemed to look past my body to see the ring on my finger.

I made a face. How could Gus be protective of me? He dropped his only sister in a world doomed to end. If anything, Gus was trying to kill me! He took sibling fighting to a new level. "I'm not sure. The ring is exceptional, but he isn't protective of me. I'm not sure he even likes me."

Adam voiced doubt, and I sighed. "No, he did it just to brag about the chances he's given me." There could be more to it, but this was Gus.

"Your brother must be powerful," Adam said as his dark brown gaze met my shifty orbs.

I didn't want to spend time fluffing up Gus' capabilities, but he is a herculean witch. The strongest of his generation and better than I would ever be. Acid rose in my gut from these thoughts, and I had no idea what my expression had shifted into. It must have looked funny because Adam laughed.

"He's more powerful than I am. I can't figure out how to leave. He undoubtedly could do it whenever he wanted." I said as I looked at the ring, and then I sighed. This ring was the only ability I had an almost complete understanding of using. I was failing as a plant witch because I couldn't get a seed to sprout. My ability of premonitions was short changed as well. How could I be proficient in something I couldn't bring out?

My grandma and Gus were right. I was just a waste of a witch, and it was finally biting me in the ass. I was used to the ease of my natural talents. Without them, I couldn't glide through life with everything dropping into my hands. I couldn't access my literary powers to leave or do anything here. Death was an impossibility, but only because of the safeguards Gus put into place. He taketh and giveth the giant butthead.

"Leave?" Adam's question was so quiet I barely heard it.

"Leave this world."

I jerked when I realized I had spoken that out loud. My eyes widened guilty, and I laughed awkwardly. Luckily, Wyatt, the interloper, chose that time to break into the convo and pull us away for lunch.

I managed to escape being alone with Adam for the rest of the day. I helped distract Adam with the one place he seemed the most intrigued, Trick's Waterfall.

His fascination with the place never really wavered. It could be a boy thing rather than an Adam thing. I thought as I watched all three boys scurry up the cliffside.

"Monkey boys," I said as Lucia and I watched them disappear.

"Is there really treasure?" Lucia asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

I shrugged. There might have been more to the family tale than I gave credit to. There was a gleam of adventure in her eyes, and that, coupled with the monkey boys' excitement, I, too, was swept up in it.

Before I knew it, Lucia had me by the hand and just past the waterfalls towards the vast mountainside.

Usually, in stories, there was a secret cave behind the falls, and it was the first place I'd looked when I first came here. There was no such secret.

Some grass and other odd brambles brightened at my approach, and luckily, Lucia was too distracted to notice.

I let go of her hand to brush and shoo aside the plant life when a shout from above startled me.

Two things happened at once. I tripped over my feet at the noise and dove face forward into the rocky mountainside. As I tried to react by protecting my face, the plants in front of me rushed at me, and rocks tumbled as their roots destabilized the mountain.

And if all of that wasn't enough, with the plants stripped from a cliffside, a cave several feet away was revealed.