Free Phoenix Reborn by Carina Wilder Page B

her life was on a path of change. She was no longer weird little Ashling Jones. She was something remarkable, and would continue to develop.
    Well, at least she was potentially remarkable. The fact remained that she’d never changed into anything at all. She was a shifter who didn’t shift; all she did was burn things.
    But in the end, she had to accept it: for the first time in her life she felt genuinely excited about the future. She had something to look forward to, even if it was a little frightening. She had a purpose, and her life was beginning to make sense. Maybe the fact was that she belonged right here in Woodland Creek. Maybe it was the “normal” people that she’d once envied so much who didn’t belong. This place was threaded with magic, and she would learn to manipulate it as she manipulated molten silver, shaping the powers to fit into this new world — a world of her own making.
    And at 3:45, stepping back into a world of the normal and the mundane, she found herself heading towards the creek to meet the location scout. As she walked, her stomach braided itself into nervous knots of anticipation. Something about the meeting was making her anxious. It occurred to her that this was likely a result of the fact that Wayne knew Hawke well. And after all, she still wanted to make a good impression on him.
    But maybe the location scout wanted to scrutinize her, to work out if she and Hawke were an item. If she was worthy of their movie star friend. It had made her a little uncomfortable; for a self-conscious person, probing eyes were an invasion, a violation of personal space.
    Her phone rang as she came close to the stream; it was the same number as before. She answered it.
    “Hello?”
    “Ashling,” said the voice on the other end. “I’m running a little late. Maybe while I’m making my way towards you, you could answer a few questions for me.”
    “Sure,” she said, rolling her eyes. Why did he have to be late? She just wanted to get this whole thing over with.
    And then he began a barrage of queries, starting with simple questions: what was Woodland Creek like? How about its inhabitants?
    “It’s homey and quiet, I suppose,” she answered, careful not to reveal her newly discovered secrets. “The people are friendly. You know, normal.”
    And the questions proceeded in an unrelenting stream:
    “Have you lived here all your life?” “Who were your parents?” “Has anything really unusual ever happened here?”
    All innocent questions, but all deeply personal, as well. Ashling felt as though he were slowly peeling away layers leading towards well-hidden secrets.
    As she walked in shallow circles on the grass, answering as well as she could, Ashling found her eyes searching the sky once again. For the eagle, or the vulture, or any creature who was lucky enough to be free in that moment.
    “And the setting where we’re meeting,” said Wayne. “Tell me about it.”
    “It’s pretty. Calm, peaceful. Tall trees cast shade over the stream, reflecting in its water.”
    “This is great,” said the man as Ashling looked out at the spot that she was describing. “Just what I’d hoped for.”
    “What scene is this place for?” asked Ashling.
    “This is where they’ll make love for the first time.”
    “Make love?”
    “Hawke and the main female character. On the grass, by the creek. It’s idyllic, don’t you think? Magical, even.”
    Ashling looked around for a moment. It was almost as though the man were standing, looking at the same site as she was. But she saw no one.
    Her phone beeped and she looked at it. A text from Hawke.
    “One second, Wayne,” she said.
    Where are you, my eagle-watcher?
    Showing your location scout a stream — except he’s not here yet, she typed back.
    No, of course he’s not. He’s in New York. Took off this morning. Family emergency.
    Wait, What?
    But there was no response.
    An onslaught of adrenaline coursed through her system. If Wayne was in New