Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

"This is how normal people do it," she said.

"Come on in and watch if you want," Skeeter said, not pausing for a moment.

I gasped, backed out, and closed the door. My heart was pounding. They were both laughing loudly. I turned and ran to the guest room, where my things had been tossed over the bed and the floor. I shut the door behind me quickly and caught my breath. They're like two animals. I thought, and yet I couldn't deny to myself that I had been intrigued and fascinated by the sight. Did that make me as bad as they were? I shook myself as would a dog shaking off water, trying to get rid of my mixed feelings and disgust. Then I picked up my things, hung up my clothing, and put my other clothes in drawers. I gathered all the tricks and the posters that they had scattered about and put them together in a corner. After that. I went to the bathroom in the hallway, locked the door behind me, and took a quick shower.

Echo was sitting at the kitchen table when I went down, still feeling dizzy and stunned by what I had seen. I did my best to hide my nervousness from her and put up the steaks. I sauteed some onions and mushrooms to go with them. The aroma traveled through the house and up the stairs. Soon. I heard their voices and laughter as they descended.

"Sex stimulates the appetite,'" Skeeter said, poking his head into the kitchen. "I hope you made enough."

"If she didn't, we'll eat her portion," Rhona told him. They went into the dining room and sat like two people who believed everyone else existed to serve and honor them. I started Echo on bringing in the water, bread and butter, and the salads. Not realizing all that was happening around her, she was simply trying to impress her mother with her work and looked desperately for a compliment. None came. Just as before. Rhona and Skeeter behaved as if they were the only ones there or we were invisible. Echo's signs went unnoticed except by me.

"Couldn't you at least tell her she did a good job on the salad?" I asked.

"Sure," Skeeter said. He turned to Echo, pointed to the salad, smiled, and circled his mouth.

She looked at me to explain and I properly signed what he meant. She was really looking for Rhona's reaction. but Rhona was busy eating, her head down. How could someone carry a child in her body and ignore her existence like this? I wondered.

"Don't overcook those steaks!" she warned me when she noticed I was staring at her.

I hurried back into the kitchen. I had forgotten them and they were no longer medium. I put them on a serving dish nevertheless and brought them into the dining room. As soon as I placed the dish on the table. Skeeter stabbed a steak with his fork and put it on his plate. Rhona served herself slowly. He cut his and smiled. "Very tasty." he said.

She cut hers and grimaced. "Overcooked!" she cried, and flipped the steak at me. I shifted my body to avoid it and it went sailing into the doorway and slid over the floor. "Make another one and stand there watching it cook this time," she ordered.

"Hey. I would have eaten that." Skeeter said.

"Take hers if you're still hungry. She doesn't have time to eat and she doesn't need anything. She can live off her fat fora week." Rhona said.

I looked at Echo. Her mouth was open and she was in a state of shock and fear. She was actually trembling.

"Look what you're doing to her." I said.

"Not me, honey. you. If you had cooked that steak right, this wouldn't have happened, so don't blame me. Blame yourself. Go on. I'm not waiting forever."

Echo couldn't eat after that. I saw she was having trouble swallowing anything she put in her mouth.

"You could wait until my meat is cooked. Skeeter," Rhona cried.

He paused and looked at me. I hurried back into the kitchen and took out another steak. Cooking them right from the freezer usually made them tougher, but what choice did I have? I couldn't marinate it as my mother had taught me. I waited and continually tested it.

"What's taking so long?" Rhona cried. "You're not overcooking it again, are you?"

"No. I'm watching it." I told her. Echo was just sitting there staring down at her plate.

"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she finishing her food?"

"You frightened her," I said.

"Oh, what a sensitive baby. If that frightened her, she had better not set foot out of this house. There's a lot more frightening stuff going on out there."

I wanted to say I had been out there and there was nothing more frightening than her. but I bit my lower lip and returned to the stove. When I thought it was medium. I brought it in and stood by while she cut it and considered it.

"That's more like it," she said.

I noticed that Skeeter had taken my steak. I didn't care. Like Echo. I had lost my appetite as well. See. I told myself, even in this there's a silver lining. The longer you're around Rhona, the more weight you'll lose. I signed to Echo that if she wanted to leave, she could. She nodded and started to LFet up.

"Where does she think she's going? I'm not finished eating. Tell her to stay until everyone is done. That's impolite," Rhona said. "Tell her!"

I did and Echo sank back into her chair, only glancing at her mother. Skeeter was eating like it was truly going to be his last meal on earth.