ChangingPaths Read Online Free PDF

this place. He must spend a lot of time in the woods.
Her mother smelled too. She was the honeysuckle bush that had bloomed behind
their house in California. Then Aunt Willow was all gingerbread and cookies.
    It was totally weird to think of people that way.
Gingerbread. Pine. Flowers. She wondered about her own scent, what others
thought about her. Or was it just her? Did everyone go around sniffing each
other? Maybe she was sick. Maybe she did have some bizarre disease.
    She shoved her hood back then spun toward the house.
Movement at the tree line caused her to still. Someone was over there, just at
the edge of the woods. Someone just standing there, watching her. She tensed
when a guy moved out of the shadows. Rain drew in a deep breath, ready to
scream.
    He held his hands out to the sides and moved slowly,
obviously aware that he’d scared her. “Hey.”
    His voice came out soft but she could hear him. He smiled in
the gathering darkness as he stopped. He was close enough for her to see him
clearly, not so close that he was making her nervous. “Hey.”
    “You must be Willow’s great-niece. I’m Keme Cloud. I was
just on my way home from the council building. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    She couldn’t think of a single thing to say. He was the best-looking
guy she’d ever seen. Coming from California, where every other kid was trying
to be a model or an actor, that was saying something. Black hair, natural, not
dyed as hers had been before she’d changed to pink, brushed his shoulders. Dark
eyes, she couldn’t really tell if they were brown or a dark green or even
black, just that they were dark.
    Golden skin that reminded her of a new penny made him look
as if he’d spent his life in the sun. And best of all, he was tall. After her
own growth spurt had taken her from petite to gawky it was nice to see a guy
taller than she was. He must be six feet tall.
    He grinned as he put his hands in his jacket pockets,
hunching his shoulders a little against the wind. “What’s your name?”
    “Rain Johnson.” She glared as he laughed softly. She’d been
teased her whole life about her stupid name, there was no way she’d take it
from new kids too. “What’s so funny?”
    “Is your name really Rain?” At her nod, he stepped just a
little closer. “Keme, my name? It means thunder. I think we’re going to be good
friends, Rain Johnson. Welcome to the res.”
    He stuck his hand out, still smiling at her. She swallowed
hard as she offered her own hand. They shook then he just held on to her hand,
staring at her face. She couldn’t take her eyes off him either. She really
liked his scent of hazelnut just like her favorite coffee flavor.
    Finally pulling her hand away from his, she glanced at the
house then back at Keme. “So, what is there to do around here?”
    “Depends on the season. Do you fish or hunt?”
    “What? No. At least I’ve never been fishing or hunting.”
    “Pity. We do a lot of both.” He laughed again and she
noticed that he had dimples on both sides of his mouth. “Skiing? Snowboarding?
Snowmobiling? Anything??”
    “I ski. At least I used to. We haven’t gone skiing in a
couple of years. Aunt Willow said something about a computer at some building?
I can’t believe she doesn’t have internet out here.”
    “Believe it. Half the time we can’t even get decent cell phone
service. We do have okay web access at school. Are you going to the res school
or into town?”
    “I don’t know. Mom hasn’t said much about it. Where do you
go?”
    “Town. I’m in AP classes mostly.” He shrugged. Figured, not
only was he gorgeous but smart too. She’d barely passed her classes last year
mainly because she just didn’t care. The only thing they had in common was
their names. “So, what did you do for fun in California?”
    “We went to the beach a lot. Hung out at the mall, played
computer games.” She moved restlessly, shuffling her feet through the grass.
    “You like camping