Shadow Girl Read Online Free PDF Page A

extra layers. She might have to wander around outside for a long time.
    Being Saturday, Patsy would be home and want to play. But Jules couldn’t see her. Not yet.
    Jules would go to the plaza. She’d watch people buy Christmas trees or go in and out of the stores, pretending she was like anyone else.
    Outside was a winter wonderland. Six inches of new snow. The sun was shining, and the sky was blue. She got to Zellers around noon. Mrs. Adamson was there. Jules kept her head down as she walked into the toy department. She didn’t want Mrs. Adamson to notice she wasn’t herself.
    Despite everything that had happened, it felt so good to see the doll. It was strange how something beautiful could make you feel good inside.
    Jules played with it as long as she could, but it was still too early to go home. She headed to the storybook section. Mrs. Adamson was watching her again.
    Great. Maybe she even thinks I’ll steal something!
    But, no. Mrs. Adamson caught Jules’s gaze, smiled, and nodded. There were no customers around.
    “Hi there,” she said, coming over to Jules.
    “Hi.”
    “What happened to your cheek?”
    “Snowball.”
    “Oh.” Mrs. Adamson looked at her steadily.
    Jules had been at the store until dark on Friday, long past the time for snowball fights. If she’d been hit by one Saturday morning, her cheek would be redder, not turning black and blue.
    “Um, why don’t you sit down there, Jules, where there’s a clear spot on the lower shelf? It’ll be more comfortable to read.”
    Jules was on the verge of crying and couldn’t say thanks. There was a worried look in Mrs. Adamson’s eyes.
    Jules grabbed a book quickly so she could put her face down.
    A baby’s book! A first reader. Borrring!
    When Frances called Mrs. Adamson to help her, Jules pretended to look at the pictures until the urge to cry was over. As she was able to relax, she looked for something better. She’d read most of the fairy tales that were there. Many of the kids’ books were too corny, too cute. Jules loved using her imagination, but stories for kids her age often didn’t have much imagination at all. The best stories make a person feel as if they are part of a completely different world.
    Even if it’s a down-on-earth one. That’s what I do when I imagine
.
    She picked up another book and another, finally settling on a comic.
Superman
was one of the best. It’d be wonderful to be Superman. She often dreamt about it.
    She looked up at the big clock on the wall near the store entrance. Three o’clock.
    I’ll just take my time going home. Play outside in the snow first. Dad should be there and feeling okay by then
.
    She felt grateful to Mrs. Adamson for the way she’d treated her.
    Jules got to her place by going the back way through the park. No lights shone from the windows. It was going to be hard to be in that old house alone. She looked out over the park. In the distance, she could see kids skating on Teresa’s rink.
    Funny how hard it is to do anything when you’re feeling sad inside
.
    Jules didn’t want anyone to see her, and she didn’t have the heart to make castle rooms in the snow.
    Her stomach was growling. Now would be a good time to eat, even if her dad did come home and make dinner – she wouldn’t need much and he wouldn’t get angry.
    Jules opened the fridge.
    At least there’s food to eat
.
    She made herself a bologna and cheese sandwich. No orange drink.
    Oh, well. There’s milk
.
    She carried her dinner to the living room and turned on the TV. Saturday afternoon at four-thirty had to be the worst possible time for watching television.
    Nothing on. Nothing!
    So she watched nothing. When she was finished eating, she took her plate to the kitchen, tidied up, and went back to the TV.
    Please! Something about Christmas!
    “Lawrence Welk.”
    Oh, brother!
    Her dad hated that show because it was so corny. But
she
watched it. People sang Christmas carols and looked happy.
    She managed to forget