Betrayal Read Online Free PDF Page B

short and I felt like a boy. It wasn’t until Jane tucked me in that I finally understood: my hair wasn’t the only thing that was gone. So was any hope of escape.
    Jane explained that I’d thrown a temper tantrum about the salon. In my own rage I’d taken scissors to my long hair. I cut some places so short that the only way to fix it was to cut it all off. Though she told me the story with determination in her voice, I saw the sadness in her eyes and knew that she was telling me the story my mother would hear. And it was.
    I straightened my neck, my long ponytail sliding across my back, and resumed my walk toward my room. The memory reminded my why I’d successfully avoided this house and room for nearly four years. Though my stomach turned, I was now an adult. I could make it for one night.
    “Oh!” I exclaimed as I entered my room. It wasn’t the sight of my canopy bed or flowered wallpaper that excited me. My heart leapt at the sight of the woman standing beside my bed. Her smooth, dark skin had a few wrinkles and her brown eyes were older, but they’d been my anchor. I’d assumed that after I left Savannah, her job would no longer exist, or Alton would find a way to get rid of her. “Jane! You’re still here.”
    She wrapped me in the warmest hug I’d had since I arrived. “Child, of course I’m still here. Where did you think I’d go?”
    When I was little, Jane seemed so old, but now I saw her as closer to my mother’s age, actually younger. Memories spun through my mind like a carousel. It was everything: the bedroom, the house, and the grounds. It was the sense of imprisonment and the love of the woman squeezing my shoulders.
    “I don’t know.” I squeezed her too. “You’re the best surprise I’ve had since I arrived.”
    Her cheeks rose and a dimple appeared. “Look at you! You’re all grown up.” She tapped the top drawer of my bedside stand and let out a low whistle. “I’m glad I was the one who unpacked your things.”
    My cheeks filled with crimson. “I guess I am. Grown up and also glad it was you.”
    She spun me around. “And look at you! So pretty! You’re going to be a big, fancy lawyer.”
    I nodded. “That’s the plan.”
    “I’ve missed you.”
    “I’ve missed you, too.” It was the sincerest statement I’d made since I returned.
    She walked into the closet and came out with a pink sundress. “Your momma’s been real excited about your visit. She’s been shopping.”
    “Oh please, Jane. We all know my momma doesn’t need a reason to shop.”
    Jane winked at me. “Did I hear that you’re not Alexandria anymore?”
    I nodded. “That’s right. I’m Alex.” Just saying the name gave me strength. “I’m Alex Collins.”
    “Well, look at you, all-grown-up Alex Collins. I know you don’t need no nanny, but maybe for tonight, could you settle for an old friend? After your dinner, maybe I can come back up here and we can catch up. You can tell me all about California.”
    The black hole of Montague Manor evaporated. In a room I hated, I remembered how I’d survived. “Under one condition,” I said with a grin.
    “What would that be?” she asked with a wink.
    “You sneak some mint chocolate chip ice cream up here and we find my old DVD of A Knight’s Tale .”
    Jane walked to the bookcase and immediately pulled out the DVD. In a low voice she whispered, “I bought two pints! Now hurry up: the sooner that dinner’s over, the sooner we can eat that ice cream and ogle at Heath Ledger.”
    “Thank you, Jane.”
    “Really? A pretty woman like you willing to spend the night with an old lady like me? I should be thanking you.”
    As she spoke I walked into the attached bathroom. All my toiletries from my suitcase were neatly arranged on the counter. When I looked into the mirror, the haunted girl who’d walked up the stairs was gone. In her place was Alex Collins. I splashed my face with water and let down my hair. It wasn’t as red as it’d been when