Irresistible Fear Read Online Free PDF Page A

of an enormous willow tree. Snap. The wind blew the elongated leaves to the ground and she peered over the lens, looking for that perfect shot. She was trying desperately to forget about the nightmare that had plagued her sleep. Once again, she had dreamed of awful image after awful image. She wished that she could forget about them once she woke up, but these dreams didn’t work that way.
    She angled her camera slightly, taking another picture. Last night she had dreamed of her mother. Her mother mutilating her as she screamed for help. Yep, it didn't take Dr. Freud to figure out the basis for that one. She had woken from it drenched in sweat and when she thought of it now, her heart rate picked up and she felt fluttery inside.
    Shaking her head, she focused on her teacher, whose soft voice drifted from between the trees. “Okay guys, pay attention to the shadows and the movement of the light. I want you to find something that is a perfect blend of light and dark.” The art teacher, Mrs. Au, called from across the front lawn. It was after school and Emily and a group of ten other kids were wandering around the grounds snapping photographs.
    Emily loved the photography club. Mrs. Au was very artsy and loved to dress the part. She wore vibrant colors and a super cheesy beret. She didn't hold the beret part against her though. Emily loved Mrs. Au and when she had approached Emily after seeing a photograph she submitted for her freshman art class, she had suggested she join the fledgling photography club.
    In the beginning there had only been Emily and one other girl, Abigail Spencer. But a year later there were now ten of them that gathered in Mrs. Au’s art room every other Thursday afternoon. It was nice to feel a part of something.
    Emily laid herself underneath the swaying branches and pointed her camera upwards, seeing glimpses of the sky between the intertwined wood. Emily felt so relaxed laying there, her camera firmly gripped in her hands. She lived for moments like this, just she and her camera. There were times when she thought she’d be happy with just that.
    She tried not to mire herself down in thoughts of what waited for her when she got home. Her life was not something that inspired much creativity. Photography allowed her to forget all that, even if only for a moment. Sasha laughed at her, calling her a photo junkie. And Emily always laughed with her, agreeing that at times it bordered on obsession. But there were times when her camera was all that kept her sane. Having that passion, this escape, this need to capture something as random as a sliver of light on a fallen leaf is what made it possible to put one foot in front of the other.
    Emily heard a rustle of leaves and a whoosh of warm air as Mrs. Au settled onto the ground beside her. Her teacher looked up at the sky and was quiet. Emily continued to take pictures, not bothered to fill the silence with useless chit chat like most people. “I’m sure this will be a very pretty picture Emily.” Mrs. Au said.
    Snap. Emily took another picture from a different angle. Something about Mrs. Au’s tone bothered her. “Yeah. I like the way the sky becomes the backdrop for the leaves. It kind of reminds me of fingers reaching out you know?” Emily pointed up to the drifting branches. Mrs. Au cocked her head and peered above her.
    “Hmm. Yes. I can see that. But I do wonder Emily why you don’t branch out a bit.” She chuckled at her pun. Emily stood up abruptly and brushed the grass from her pants. Mrs. Au took her time to follow her, watching Emily the entire time. “What do you mean?” Emily asked, making as if to clean her camera, trying to avoid whatever conversation Mrs. Au seemed determined to begin with her.
    “Emily, you are a gifted photographer. I saw that the first time you submitted a picture for my class. But you kind of…how do I say this…play it safe. I’ve never seen you go outside of your box, of trying something beyond your