Wisteria Winter - excerpt

 

https://www.5princebooks.com/annswann.html

Chapter One:

End of Halcyon Days 

Linzy Everly lay in her cozy bed, staring at the moonlight outside her window. She kept the curtains open just enough to see the trees. In Linzy’s mind, they were her friends, stalwart, steady. She loved the old farm and everything about it. 

The bare pecan branches might have looked like bones reaching toward the sky—if it were Halloween—but this was the week before Christmas. Right now, they just looked magical. She and her family had strung multi-colored lights all over the stalwart branches. The lights dripped from the eaves of the rambling ranch house, too. They’d even decorated the winter-bare wisteria entwining the arched gateway.

Although she was fifteen and no longer believed in Santa Claus, Linzy loved their rural holidays. Everyone seemed kinder and more patient, even the teachers at the high school where she was a sophomore and her little sis a freshman.

Lying there, snuggled down in her childhood bed, Linzy heard the old heater kick on with a whir. It crouched in a large closet at the end of the hall near her parents’ bedroom. Linzy liked the sound of it on still winter nights. It felt reassuring knowing it was on the job, keeping them warm. She drifted off to sleep listening to its ancient purr.

Then …

“Linzy! Linzy! Get up, something’s wrong.”

She opened her eyes, certain one of the pecan tree branches had reached through the window and grabbed her shoulder. Finally, she realized it was her sister’s fingers digging into her flesh, shaking her, waking her. She tried to sit up. “Sash? What is it?” Linzy rubbed her eyes, certain she’d just dozed off.

Her sister’s pale blonde hair obscured her face as she struggled to pull her sister from the bed. “It’s - I don’t know,” Sasha said. “It’s a black cloud.” She tugged at Linzy’s arm.

“A cloud? In the house?” Linzy heard the question in her own mind, but she wasn’t sure she’d said it aloud. Her head ached something fierce.

“Yes, a cloud or something. I don’t know, but it’s going to smother us if we don’t get out of here right now.” She yanked with all her might and Linzy tumbled from the bed.

“Hang on, Sissy!” Linzy scrabbled for the flip flops poking out from under the bed. Their little pecan farm, outside the community of Brookville, Texas, was only half an hour from Galveston. The winter weather was cold, but not frigid. Linzy wore flip flops nearly year-round.

But her younger sister wouldn’t hang on. Not even long enough for the flip flops. She continued forcing Linzy across the room and into the hallway, dragging her down the hall toward their parents’ bedroom.

Sasha tripped over something crumpled just outside the doorway.

“Mom!” Both girls fell to the floor beside their mother’s body. “Call 9-1-1,” Linzy instructed, suddenly fiercely awake. “Hurry!” Now it was her turn to take charge. She gave Sasha a shove toward the kitchen. ©AnnSwann