Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

the far corner.

"Where should we begin?" she asked, buttering

her bread. She looked up when I didn't respond. "I don't know. Probably with my meeting up

with Uncle Palaver."

She nodded. "Good. I don't want to talk about

Celia."

"You haven't heard from her since--" "No. That's over. Go on, tell me what it was

like being on the road with him, doing those shows." I described it as best I could. She ate and

listened. but I felt she was looking past the stories and

the descriptions. She was studying me so hard. When

I described Uncle Palaver and his Destiny, she shook

her head.

"I really did use to wonder about that. He never

brought her around. There was always one excuse or

another. How sad. Where's the doll?"

"I still have it. I won't let it go,"

"I see. And after he died, this old lady just took

you into her home to be with her deaf

granddaughter?"

"Yes," I said. "Mrs. Westington."

"Well, what's that been like, living there?" I talked so long and enthusiastically about

Trevor. Echo, Tyler. and Mrs. Westington, Brenda's

eves just remained wide the whole time. She smiled

and nodded and then. when I began to talk about

Rhona and Skeeter, her face darkened. I told her what

they had done to Echo and me, about their arrest and

their upcoming trials.

"I'll have to be a witness, of course."

"All this just happened to you?"

"Yes, and to Echo."