Chapter 1-1
316 Words
1
Yachats State Park, Oregon
Present Day
Tonya walked along the beach with her arms wrapped around her waist. Her thoughts were scattered, and nausea threatened to make her lose her last meal. She had been warned that she might feel this way for a short period after her return due to the residual magic from her last trip.
She staggered and almost fell on a mound of seaweed-covered sand. She heard a man’s yell and looked up. She lifted an unsteady hand and pushed her long, dark brown hair back from her face when the wind blew it across her eyes. A blast of chilly mist from the incoming fog seeped through her jacket, and she shivered.
“I’m sorry but the Park closed at sunset. Hey—are you okay?” the ranger asked with concern.
Tonya looked at him with dazed eyes. She nodded, unable to speak at first. The dizziness was beginning to piss her off. She had never liked roller coasters, and at the moment she felt like she had just gotten off the biggest one in the world.
“I’m fine. What—what day is it? How long have I been gone?” she asked.
“I’ll be damned! Aren’t you one of the people that went missing?” the ranger exclaimed in surprise.
“Did the others come back?” she demanded, her voice stronger now as her stomach began to settle.
“My name’s Marty. Are you Tonya Maitland?” Marty asked.
“Yes. Did the others—” she shook her head and started again. “Did Agent Tanaka and Ruth Hallbrook come back?” she repeated, her voice becoming louder in her distress.
“I haven’t seen anyone else. I think I’d better call the clinic and see if Doc Field is in,” Marty recommended, reaching out in concern when she swayed.
The name immediately registered—Doctor Kane Field. He would know, or at least his lover, Magna, would know what she was talking about. She carefully nodded her head, afraid of exacerbating the dizziness and nausea that were finally beginning to fade.
“Yes, I would like to see Dr. Field,” she agreed.
- Writer
