Free Shadows 02 Girl in the Shadows by V. C. Andrews

walk off toward the pond. We
went quite a way before Tyler spoke and when he did,
he nearly shouted. blurting. "I knew you were going
to create more problems and make things more
difficult for me, as if it wasn't hard enough for me as
it is. I just knew it!"
"What's that supposed to mean?What
problems?"
He kept walking, paused, changed direction,
and continued like someone caught in a great state of
confusion.
"Can you please stand still and tell me what this
is all about? What problems have I caused you?" Finally, he stopped and turned to me. "You wanted to help her with her schoolwork," he said, shaking her head. "You wanted to learn how to communicate with her quickly. You put on this whole show about simulating a deaf person's condition so you'd be forced to learn like she does. You did some job on Mrs. Westington when you told her your sad, sad store. Poor April Taylor, an orphan dumped on their doorstep,'" he said, mimicking someone who felt
terrible for inc.
"What did I do to get you so upset?" I
screamed.
"What did you do? I'll tell you what you did.
First chance you get, what do you talk about with
Echo? Her math problems? No. English homework?
No. Social studies? No. What then? Boyfriends,
kissing, petting, making babies! Her brain is so full of
that stuff, she can't concentrate on anything I tell her
to do. And she's asking me questions that would
embarrass a prostitute!"
"I didn't tell her anything a girl her age
shouldn't know, things girls younger than her know," "Who told you to tell her anything?"
"Why do you want to keep her so socially
innocent and ignorant?" I fired back, my eyes small
with accusations. "Why would you want that?" Instead of answering, he ignored me and
continued with his assault. "And then you show her
that... naked doll, a life-size, naked doll with... with
pubic hair? How could you do that?" he asked,
grimacing. "Did you get some sort of sick pleasure out
of watching how she reacted?"
"You don't understand what happened.'" "Right. I don't understand. At least you're smart
enough to realize that. My advice to you is to just pick
up and leave. Get into that motor home, drive off. and
go live with one of your own relatives, the first ones
who'll take you in."
"Oh, you're such a goody-goody, so protective
of poor Echo, so worried I would corrupt her, while
you go and carve your initials in a heart in that rock
with her and get her to think you're going to be her
boyfriend."
"Rock?"
"For your information, she showed me how you
touched her, too! In places you shouldn't have! I've
been thinking about telling Mrs. Westington. only I
didn't want to start a whole mess after being here so
short a time. If anyone has created unnecessary
problems, it's you, not me. Tyler Monahan!" His face brightened as the blood rushed into his cheeks. "What rock? What sort of touching? What are you talking about?" he demanded, stepping up to me,
his chest swelling, his hands on his hips.
I nodded at the pond. "The rock that sticks up
on the other side of the pond. She brought me there
and showed it to me. After that she showed me how
and where you touched her."
He stared at me, his black pearl eyes losing ,
some of their rage. Then he gazed out at the pond and
turned back to me. "You're lying."
"Oh. I'm lying. What are you going to do, claim
it's my imagination? Maybe we can't bring Mrs.
Westington out there. but I could tell Trevor to go
look if you need it confirmed."
"Show it to me." he said.
"Why, you don't know where it is?"
"For your information. I don't."
I hesitated. Could he be telling the truth or did
he just want to get me into that boat? I began to
imagine all sorts of things. If I got into that rowboat
with him, he might try to drown me.
"Just as I thought." he said at my continued
hesitation. He folded his arms under his chest and
stood back firmly. "You're making it up. You're sick,
as sick as the uncle who had that doll in his motor
home."
"No, you're the one who's sick," I said, "I'll
prove it,