More Than an Echo (Echo Branson Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

at a table near Mary and patted the tabletop. “Come sit, Mary. Leave the scissors there and come sit with me awhile.” To my delight, she did. Her fear was much less now that the shackles were out of sight. I felt her exhaustion more than anything else.
    “I’m Jane,” I said. “I’m here because I beat a kid up with my math book.”
    She grinned slightly. I guessed her to be closer to my age, maybe a little younger.
    “And you’re here because...” I closed my eyes and there it was. “Oh. You suddenly stopped talking, huh?”
    Her eyes grew wide. She looked as surprised as I felt. Nodding, she blinked back her tears.
    “Wow. You just stopped talking and so this was someone’s idea of a solution? How shitty is that?”  I suddenly felt emotions from someone behind me, so I reached out and gently put my hand on hers. “You go with Big George now, okay? He’s a good guy and he’ll make sure no one puts those shackles on you any more. Okay?”
    She looked over my shoulder and then back at me before nodding.
    “Yes, I trust him,” I repeated.
    She nodded and then ever so slightly smiled. She was pretty when she smiled, her brown eyes shifting from dark to milk chocolate.
    “You know what they say... suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Remember that, okay?”
    Mary nodded again as she rose.
    “Good.” I rose. “Do you know Celeste?”
    She nodded and smiled bigger. “Celeste told me that pretending to cooperate is the best plan for getting out of here fast.” I pulled my practice button out and slipped it into her hand. “Don’t let them drug you anymore,” I whispered. “Practice hiding them with this.”
    As Mary stood, she nodded and started past me. Just as we were side by side, she whispered so softly I almost missed it. “Thank you.” It was the slightest of whispers and meant only for me.
    I didn’t know why that meant so much to me, but it did, and something changed for me at that moment; I stopped being afraid. Maybe I really was going nuts, but even that wasn’t so scary anymore.
    When I got back to my room, I lay on the bed and wondered if Danica had given up coming to see me. I missed her so much. Away in here, it was as if the world outside wasn’t real anymore. You knew it was out there, you knew it went on without you, but every day you were gone you became less and less a part of it, less and less real...almost like you were evaporating.
    I was almost asleep when there was a slight knock on my door. It was Big George.
    “How is she?” I asked, sitting up.
    “Better. Whatever you said to her really helped.”
    I nodded and looked away. Big George had come to my room seeking answers. I didn’t know the specific questions, but I had a pretty good idea of what he was looking for. “That’s good. You know, you guys need to ditch those shackles.”
    He pulled up the chair, his eyes were riveted to mine.  “You really believe you’re going crazy, don’t you?”
    I nodded and swallowed hard.
    “You’re not.”
    “How do you know?”
    Big George leaned closer and whispered, “Because I think I know what’s happening to you. I think I know what you are.”
    What I was? Oh, that was just grand.
    “What...what do you mean you know what I am?” Sitting up, I stared at Big George. He knew . I could see it in his eyes.
    “Am I nuts?”
    Big George smiled a mouthful of long, white teeth. “Not even remotely. What you got is a gift.” Big George put his hand out and I put mine in his. He led me out into hall, where we walked a ways until we came to the small quad outside. It was enclosed with a twelve-foot-tall fence.
    “You’re kidding me, right?”
    He slowly shook his head. “If you are what I think you are, it’s a gift. You knew what Mary was feeling without her ever saying a word, didn’t you?”
    I nodded. “What’s happening to me?”
    “You feel all these emotions from everyone around?”
    My jaw dropped. “Yes! That is exactly what it feels