Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

"Aw-." was all he could say, and waved at her. He struggled to his feet.

Echo looked at him with confusion and terror and then looked down at me. I tried turning myself so I wasn't so exposed. I could just imagine how frightening a sight I was to her. Rhona seized Echo by the shoulders and walked her deeper into the bedroom, forcing her to sit on the bed with her back to me.

"Stay there,' she said, waving her finger at Echo. "Stay!"

"She's not a dog," I muttered.

"You shut up," Rhona said. "Why are you still standing there like that. Skeeter? Go put something on while I think. Go on!" she shouted, and pointed at the doorway.

He moved quickly out of the room. There was no doubt she had sobered him up instantly.

"Now you listen to me," Rhona began, stepping closer to me. "This doesn't change anything, understand?" I could almost see the wheels churning in her head as she thought and spoke. "No one's going to believe what she tells them after we describe how you seduced her. Of course, she would say whatever you tell her to say. Anyone would realize that. You'll just put her through a terrible, terrible ordeal."

"She's your own daughter." I said as though she had to be reminded. "'You're the one putting her through a terrible, terrible ordeal, not me."

"You're going to make it worse for the both of you now," she replied, undaunted.

Skeeter returned in his underwear and a T-shirt. He stood by looking like a remorseful little boy, his head slightly bowed, waiting for Rhona to either whip him or grant him a reprieve. She looked at him. at Echo, and at me.

"All right. Here's what we'll do," she began, "You and Echo will stay in this room until we return from the hospital tomorrow. Skeeter, you'll nail that door shut, tie the handle, do whatever has to be done."

He nodded, looking happy he had been given something to do to repent.

"What about her?" he said, nodding at me. "Echo could untie her while we're away. I mean. I'll get that door shut so tight, it'll take a tank to open it, but still, they can go to that window and start screaming or something. I could nail it shut. too. I suppose, but they could break the glass and she could make a commotion."

She thought, nodded, and turned to Echo. "We'll have to tie her up, too, then, so she can't free April," she said.

"No, please don't do that to her. She's absolutely terrified as it is."

"It won't hurt her to lie still for a few hours,"

"I promise. I won't shout out the window. We won't try to escape.

Rhona raised her eyebrows. "Sweetie, the last time I believed in promises. I believed in Santa Claus, and you know what that's worth," she said. "Skeeter. get something to use."

"No, don't do that," I pleaded. Skeeter turned and ran out.

Rhona walked over to the closet, lifted her foot to push me into it, and closed the door on me.

"How can you call yourself a mother?" I screamed.

She was still right at the door. She brought her lips to the slight opening. "I never did," she said.

14 The Great Escape

. I heard Echo's cries for help and her moans of confusion. She surely wondered how her mother could stand by and watch Skeeter tie her up. Trevor was wrong. I thought. Blood wasn't as telling and strong as he imagined it to be, at least for someone like Rhona, who was so selfish.

Once again I heard them talking to Echo as if she were some sort of pet.

"Stay here, Just stay here," Rhona shouted at her. "We'll be back as soon as we can to untie you."

Echo was probably too hysterical and frightened by now to have the concentration required to read lips and had no idea what she was being told. All she saw was a wild, angry woman shouting down at her, a woman she once hoped would be the mother she never really had. In her small, protected world what was happening to her was far too bizarre for her to understand.

Now that they had us both tied up. Rhona decided it wasn't necessary to nail the door shut.

"It would be something we would be forced to explain later." she realized.

I heard Skeeter agree and they left to get some sleep. I could hear Echo whimpering. Apparently, so could Rhona. She returned to the bedroom and shouted at her to be quiet. She probably put her finger to her lips and gave her some sort of threatening look as well because soon after. Echo did stop crying. In my mind's eye. I could see her shivering on the bed, her hands and feet bound. Before long, like me, she drifted into the escape of sleep.