Into the Forest Shadows Read Online Free PDF

fiercely. She
consciously relaxed her mouth. She didn't like showing so much
emotion. Better to keep people guessing.
    Two little ears of white and soft brown poked
up over Ayden's shoulder. A petite bunt head with a twitchy nose
and huge wide brown eyes poked over the shoulder to look back at
her. A paw reached up to scratch the fur at the base of one
ear.
    Kate groaned, "Great, one of them got in
here."
    Ayden reached up and patted the head of the
bunt, "Nah, this is Bunbun. He's with me."
    The bunt turned away from Ayden's hand and
dove down into the top of his coat.
    "You have one for a pet? I didn't think that
worked, that they would just run away."
    "Bunbun is a special case," Ayden said.
    The thought of a bunt running around the
small apartment she and her mother shared just about sent her into
giggles. Letting a few loose in Uncle Travis's apartment would be
even better. Now that was an idea!
    No, the things were too cute to do something
so cruel with. They didn't deserve the likes of Uncle Travis.
    Ayden's head turned towards his window. Kate
turned to look out her own. She preferred the silence. Time to
start thinking seriously about her plans once she got back to the
city. Something decisive needed to be done about several
situations, and soon.
    Ayden leaned across the aisle to look out the
window on the same side of the shuttle Kate sat on. Kate looked
outside again, but she didn't see anything other than the colors of
the forest itself.
    Ayden switched back in one sharp move towards
another window.
    "What's the matter with you?" Kate
demanded.
    "I think I see fog," Ayden said.
    "So what? The auto-pilot doesn't need to see
to get us where we're going."
    Ayden shook his head, "This isn't that kind
of fog."
    Kate looked back out the window at the trees
below. Wisps of white moved between the trees. The fog curled over
the tops of the shorter trees, ghostly arms reaching ever
higher.
    The way it moved gave her shivers, reminding
her of warnings Grandma had given about staying out of the forest
fog, as it could be dangerous. She'd never seen it before in the
few trips she'd made out to the cottage. Now she wished she'd asked
for more details.
    Ayden threw off his seat harness and ran the
few steps to the front of the shuttle and opened an inset
cabinet.
    "What are you doing?" Kate demanded, her
hands tensing on the handle of the basket.
    Ayden frowned at her, "You're Kate O'Hanson,
right?"
    "Yeah, what of it?"
    Ayden pressed two red buttons at the top of a
panel, "This is shuttle 719 Alpha on the way to Gatherer Camp
Alpha. There are two souls on board named Ayden Jarreau and Kate
O'Hanson. Fog is lifting and growing in density. Can the shuttle
course be altered?"
    A voice answered Ayden but she couldn't hear
the words over the sound of the engines. The shuttle banked hard as
Ayden moved back to his seat, using the chairs to help him stay on
his feet. The tight turn pressed Kate into her seat. The forest
below blurred.
    The shuttle leveled out. From the placement
of the mountains it looked like they were headed straight back
towards Grandma's house.
    "What going on? What's happening?" Kate
demanded.
    "Didn't you hear me? The fog is moving
in."
    The steady sounds of the engines hiccuped.
Kate looked back down the aisle, even though she couldn't see the
engines at all. The engines had never done that on any of her
trips.
    The shuttle engines changed tone, sounding
ragged with fits and bursts.
    "What does the fog have to do with shuttle
engines?"
    "You're about to find out!" Ayden said as a
shrill whine from the engines filled the cabin.
    Outside, fog swirled up from the trees,
appearing out of nowhere, reaching up at them as if alive.
    It had to be her imagination. Fog didn't move
like that.
    She let the basket drop between her feet and
put both hands on the harness where it went over her shoulders,
holding on tight. The trees outside moved by faster, but they also
looked closer.
    The shuttle nose dipped, giving no doubt