Behind the Mask Read Online Free PDF

and—”
    “That’s a lie! This place is far too well hidden to happen upon it. Did somebody tell you how to get here? Who was it?” He gave her a moment to answer but she didn’t. Then he shouted, “Tell me, girl! How did you find me?”
    “If I told the truth you’d never believe me!” she shouted back.
    “What makes you think so?”
    “Because it’s so ridiculous I have trouble believing it myself. I don’t know what I’m doing here! I’d rather be home eating breakfast, if you must know.”
    He took a step back, as if her honesty and willingness to talk made him relax a little. “Tell me the truth,” he demanded. “All of it!”
    “Fine!” She imitated his curt tone. Realizing her knees were weak, she asked, “May I sit down?”
    He motioned toward one of two chairs at the sides of a little table and she eagerly took one. Looking up at him towering above her, she wished that he’d sit down as well, but it became evident he wasn’t going to.
    While she tried to gather words to begin, he barked impatiently, “The truth! Now!”
    Abbi cleared her throat. It sounded ridiculously loud. “Well, you see,” she began with trepidation, “I had a dream, and . . .” His eyes widened dubiously and she felt certain that continuing would be pointless. But she’d already jumped into this; she had to keep swimming. “It’s not the first time I’ve dreamed things before they happened, but . . . well, I had a dream about my mother’s death before she died—and the same with my grandfather, too. And there have been a few other odd things that haven’t meant much one way or the other. I have a friend who says it’s a gift. I don’t know about that, but . . . well—”
    “Get on with it!” he growled.
    “I had a dream that showed me how to get here!” she shouted, certain he was going to either laugh or hit her. Or both. Silence prevailed long enough for Abbi to gain the courage to look up at him. His expression was inscrutable. Again she heard echoes from her dream. Please don’t leave me. I need you.
    Cameron sat down across from this fiery-haired girl and attempted to take in what she’d said. She looked barely old enough to be called a woman; her calico dress and unruly hair reminded him more of a defiant schoolgirl. Her slight frame and small stature enhanced the childlike look of her, while her eyes revealed something wise beyond her age. She was the first human being he’d laid eyes on in nearly three years. But that wasn’t nearly so unnerving as the reality that he had been found in a place where he’d always felt certain he could never be found. A part of him wanted to keep her here. He wanted to talk to her, laugh with her, if only to feel like a part of the human race again. But something bigger and deeper screamed danger—for her as well as for himself. Clearly, she had to leave; there was no question about that. But not until he knew exactly where he stood.
    “Tell me about this dream,” he said.
    Abbi felt some relief at his gentler tone of voice. She sighed and glanced down at her fidgeting hands as she set them on the table in an attempt to keep them still. “It was . . . the night before last. I woke up feeling . . . unlike I’ve ever felt. I . . . saw the covered bridge, and . . . the fallen tree.” She saw him take a sharp breath and sit up a little straighter. “And . . . the trail . . . that led to the meadow. I rode up yesterday, but I couldn’t find a way through the ridge. I came back this morning, knowing there had to be an opening. It took me a long time to find it, and it wasn’t easy to get past the thicket, but . . .”
    Abbi held her breath as he reached across the table and took her hands, turning them over in his to reveal many deep scratches, crusted with traces of dried blood. “So I see,” he said, his gaze returning to meet hers and his hands easing away. “And that’s all?” he asked with only a hint of skepticism.
    “No,”