Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

forgot about my uncle's doll."

"Naked on a bed? That's just so sick. You're

uncle must have been so perverted beside being a

drunk,"

"He was not! You're so arrogant. You don't

know what you're talking about."

"Maybe I don't. but I wonder if you do either. I

can only imagine what it was like for you to be living

under those circumstances and traveling about with

someone like that."

"Nothing ugly happened!" I cried, and then I

really did begin to cry. "He taught me magic tricks

and I helped him with his act. He was my only close

relative. He loved me and he was alone. too. I had

nowhere else to go!"

As inscrutable as Tyler tried to be with me, his

face couldn't help but soften with some compassion. "Look. I admit I don't know your whole story.

All I know is what I've been told by Mrs. Westington

and what Echo described to me earlier. I'm sorry if

Fin jumping to too many conclusions, but you're

guilty of the same sort of impulsive judgments," he

said, nodding at the rock.

I flicked the tears off my cheeks. Then I took a

deep breath. This was a big mess. I wasn't here a week

and already there was great turmoil. Does it just

follow me wherever I go? Will it always?

"Well, what do we do now?" I asked him. "Declare a truce," he said. "You want me to

row us back?"

"No, I can do it," I said, grabbing the oars

before he could. He shrugged and then leaned back. "I don't mind being spoiled." "Very funny." He looked at me with somewhat more trusting