Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

That's a bit of magic I'll have to learn on my

own. I thought, and went to bed dreaming that

somehow, maybe through Destiny, I would find the

way.

8 Caught Naked

. Rhona and Skeeter didn't come down for breakfast. They made lots of noise going up the stairway very late at night, completely inconsiderate of Mrs. Westinton and me, especially me. I heard Skeeter growl at my door, in fact, because he woke me and then I heard them both laughing. If Mrs. Westington heard anything, she didn't mention it. In the morning Echo kept looking for her mother to came down and even asked me if I thought she should go up to see if she was awake.

"They went to bed very late." I told her. "Let them sleep." Let them sleep forever. I thought. Maybe that was mean. but I couldn't help it.

Just as I sat down to have breakfast with Echo and Mrs. Westington, the phone rang. She told me it was Tyler Monahan calling for inc. Echo didn't know it was Tyler and I wasn't about to tell her.

"How are things today?" Tyler asked. I told him what had happened the night before with Echo and how upset Mrs. Westington had been and still was.

"I guess this wouldn't be a good time to bring up my leaving." he said.

"No. it wouldn't. Tyler."

"Can you meet me tonight in your motor home

after Echo goes to sleep?" he asked, confirming his promise to return. Excitement trickled through me like a low voltage shock. I knew why he wanted to meet, of course, and it wasn't to improve my academic skills for the equivalency exam.

"I suppose,:" I said.

"And could we turn that doll around?" I laughed. "You're the one who keeps saying it's

just a doll. Tyler."

"That's not just a doll," he said. "Okay. I'll put

her in the bedroom."

"No, maybe leave her out of the bedroom.

That's the one place I don't want her to be," he said. I

could feel myself blush. "One other thing. I think it

might be better if I parked on the road and walked to

the motor home. No need to let anyone else there

know I'm around."

"Okay," I said. although I wasn't comfortable

with us sneaking about the property. Was he trying to

keep all this secret from the people here or from his

mother?

"I'll be there about nine-thirty, waiting for you,"

he said.