Consciousness came slowly.  I rolled over and groaned as my head began to spin.  Absently my hands twisted the blanket covering me, and I realized I was in a bed.  I sighed and relaxed a little.  It must have just been a dream.  A horrific nightmare triggered by my guilt of breaking the jar, and brought on by the pounding headache I seemed to have.  I stretched, keeping my head as still as I could and opened my eyes.

An unfamiliar face stared back at me.  I screeched and bolted upright, pulling the bed linens with me. 

“Ohh ahh,” I moaned as my vision swam.  It took a few moments before I could focus again.  An old woman sat in a small rocking chair next to the bed, her feet not quite touching the floor.  Her silver-streaked black hair was pulled away from a round face that was weather-worn as though she’d spent a lifetime in the sun.  Dressed in a brightly colored housecoat, she smiled serenely at me.  I glanced around the room and realized I had no idea where I was.

The room was tiny, even smaller than the dorm I shared with Lilli-Mae.  A large window was framed with crisp white curtains.  The only furniture in the room other than the bed and chair was a small chest at the foot of the bed.  Everything was well worn but clean…at least there was no sign this was a madman’s lair.  It was hard to imagine a murderer bothering to hang curtains.

“Calm down, dear.  You’ll make yourself sick again.  Here drink this,” the woman said and handed me a glass of water.  I took the glass and stared at her over the rim.  Her smile widened.  “It’s okay, I promise I didn’t poison it.”

I took a sip.  As it hit my stomach I was suddenly so thirsty I couldn’t stand it.  I chugged the rest and handed the empty glass to the woman. 

“Thanks,” I whispered.  “Where am I?  Who are you? What happened?”

My questions tumbled out in a rush.  She held up a hand to stem the flow and started rocking.  How she managed it boggled me.

“You’re on the Zuni reservation and my name is Kay Taylor.  My grandson, Collin, found you stumbling down the road last night.  You must have gotten dehydrated because you fainted.  He couldn’t very well leave you there, so he brought you home.”

Flashes of the day before hit me: breaking down in the desert, having no water, and me hiking for what felt like forever as things stalked me in the dark.  And the boy.  Guess he wasn’t a serial killer after all…unless they’re in it together, like in Psycho.  I glanced at Kay where she sat rocking.  Surely she wasn’t some kind of crazed killer.  Her easy manner put me at ease and I released my death grip on the blankets, dropping them. 

“Thank you,” I mumbled, unable to think of anything else.  “I’m Avalon, uh…Ava.”

“You’re quite welcome, Avalon.”  I flinched as she used my full name.  No one had called me that besides my dad.  He’d called me his little Lady of the Lake.  Avalon had been his idea and after he left, mom had never used my full name again. 

Kay stood and went to the door.  “If you’d like to get dressed, I’ll start breakfast.”  She left, shutting the door behind her.

Get dressed? Nonplussed, I glanced down at myself then gasped.  I no longer wore the jeans and t-shirt I’d put on the day before, but instead a long white nightgown that covered my legs.  Frilly lace ringed my wrists and a huge bow of ribbon hit my chin.  So help me, it better have been the grandma and not the grandson who dressed me.

I found my clothes folded across the end of the bed, they looked like they’d been washed.  I pulled on the fresh clothes, relishing how they felt on my skin after all the itchy lace.  Thank heavens for jersey knit.

A small mirror hung on one wall.  My auburn hair hung down my back in loose waves.  Kay must have brushed my hair because after all the wind from the day before there was no way it should have been that untangled.  I pulled off the hairband I always wore around my wrist and pulled it back into a messy bun.  It wasn’t as though I needed or wanted to impress anyone.  I certainly didn’t want to encourage this Collin at all.  He probably already had a knight in shining armor complex after last night. 

I was just tying my tennis shoe when a knock startled me.  “Come in.”

The door creaked and I turned expecting Kay.  A new face peered through the crack at me.  He looked vaguely familiar, like someone I’d dreamed about.  This had to be Collin.  His long hair hung in sheets and his eyes were so dark they looked black.  They were framed by the longest, thickest lashes I’d ever seen.  He cleared his throat, and I realized I’d been staring.  I shifted my gaze back to my shoelace, my face coloring with embarrassment.

“Sorry, but breakfast is ready,” he said, then left, not even giving me a chance to reply, not that I knew what I would have said.  I hurried after him, since I had no idea how big the house was and didn’t want to get lost.  I needn’t have worried.  When I walked out the door I nearly ran into the dining room table. 

The table was just big enough for four and stood in the middle of what could only be the main room of the house.  To one side a couple of comfy looking chairs sat across from a small tv.  On the walls were several pictures that had the distinct look of yearly school photos.  There was one with a large group of boys smiling.  Collin stood out in the middle, more serious then the others.

The other side of the room consisted of a sink, a small stove, fridge and a few cabinets.  Again I got the feeling that everything was old but well taken care of. 

On the table three plates surrounded a dish of scrambled eggs and bacon.  A stack of toast towered next to it.  Collin and Kay were already seated so I took the seat in front of the last plate.

I took as little food as I could without hurting Kay’s feelings as I didn’t think my stomach would be able to stand a hardcore meal yet.  I sipped more water, still thirsty, and nibbled a piece of toast.  Collin spooned enough food onto his plate for all of us and devoured it so fast I thought he’d choke for sure. 

As he slowed down, Kay shot him a worried look.  I swallowed my bit of toast, feeling it scrape all the way down.  Something felt off.

“So Avalon, what brings you out so this way by yourself?” Kay asked, her face now a pleasant mask.

I hesitated to tell her.  Could I really trust them?  “I’m studying at the University of New Mexico this summer with the archeology department.  I missed the bus out to a dig and broke down when I tried to follow.”

Another glance was exchanged.  “So you’re not from around here?” Collin asked.

I shook my head.  “No, I’m from Maine.”

Kay blinked at me, her eyes wide.  “That seems a very long way to come for a summer program.”

“What can I say?  I’m intrigued with the local history here.”

“Is this your first time doing something like this?”

“Oh no.  I’ve done a different camp each summer since before high school.  This is by far my favorite though.  It’s like hunting for buried treasure.”  I could feel my enthusiasm for history bubbling to the surface and tried to quell it with a gulp of orange juice.  There was no point in volunteering too much information.

“What made you get into that?” Collin asked, swallowing just long enough to get the question out.  His dark eyes stared through me and I had to look away.

“Um…I found an arrowhead when I was a kid.  After that my dad would take me…” I paused, pushing the memory of my traitorous father out of my mind.  “I’d go hiking looking for more.  After I found a shell mound I was hooked.”

Collin gave me a crooked smile, causing my heart to speed.  It annoyed me.  I was not interested in finding a boyfriend or even a summer fling like Lilli-Mae always seemed to have.  I reined my exuberance in the rest of the way and kept my mouth shut.

“So will you be attending college this fall?” Kay asked.

“Yeah.”  I glanced at Collin.  I was dying to ask him what his plans were.  He looked about my age but I didn’t figure he needed any more encouragement.

“Collin’s in his second year,” Kay said, pride in her eyes.  She reached out and patted Collin’s hand.  “He’s the only one of his siblings to go.”

Collin pursed his lips and shoved the last bit of bacon in his mouth.  Jumping from the table, he threw his plate in the sink with a clatter.  He bolted out the door, slamming it shut behind him.