The Ghost of a Chance Read Online Free PDF

chuckles.
    "No, I don't permit
hunting," I reply evenly, glaring at him.
    Alis, to my surprise, matches my
look. "Besides, Jason, Darcy doesn't eat meat."
    He scoffs. "All you lezzies
are vegetarians nowadays."
    "Um, excuse me?" Caroline
pointedly stuffs a slice of turkey into her mouth. "Not all ."
    I turn to Alis. "I think I'd like to go home
now. I've got a headache."
    "Ah, don't rush off!"
Jason wags a finger at me. "It isn't nice to eat and run, and the fun's
only just beginning."
    "That's what I'm afraid
of," I murmur, bowing my head toward Alis apologetically. "I really
have to go. I'll call a cab."
    "No, I'll drive you."
Alis places her napkin on the table and leads me by the arm to the mudroom,
where we gather up our coats and boots.
    Just as we're about to walk out the
door, someone grabs my hand. I turn to face Caroline, all impish curves and
lashes. "In case you get lonely." She presses a card into my hand and
saunters back into the dining room.
    I step outside into the chilly
night to join Alis, who's waiting for me in the car.
    "I wasn't trying to set you up,"
she insists as soon as I slide in and close the passenger door. "I swear I
wasn't. It's just that...I overheard Caroline mention at work that she was
going to spend Thanksgiving alone, and I felt sorry for her, and I thought you
two might—"
    "Hit it off?"
    "Well, have things in common.
Relate to each other." She blushes. "You know what I mean. I hoped
you might feel more comfortable opening up to her about how you're
feeling."
    "Alis." I don't know how
to respond. I'm touched by her thoughtfulness. Besides Catherine, I've never
known anyone who was so genuinely caring, without selfish motivations. I
certainly couldn't lay claim to that virtue myself.
    "That's sweet, Alis, but the
simple coincidence that we're both lesbians doesn't mean that we'll be instant friends."
    "I know that. I just—"
    "You're a good person. I don't
trust people easily, but...I do trust you." I laugh hoarsely. "For
the record, it doesn't matter to me whether you're gay or straight. It's just
too soon for me to confide in anyone. When I'm ready, though, yours will be the
first number I call."
    She smiles softly, sweetly.
"Promise?"
    "I promise."
    "Good." She taps her
fingers on the wheel, suddenly in high spirits. "But, Darcy, for the
record? I'm not as straight as you think I am."
    "Oh, really?"
    "Hey, I went to
college..."
    "Ah, the freshman year lesbian
experience."
    She shrugs. "It was something
like that. But then I met Jason at a bar and..."
    "Love at first sight,
hmm?"
    She doesn't reply.
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
    The dream comes to me that night.
    I walk through the woods, my woods,
but all of the trees have been overrun by thorn bushes—so tall and arching that
they obscure the sky. I can scarcely see my hand in front of my face, but there
are a few things I know: I am naked, bleeding, and I'm searching for Catherine.
    Her voice leads me through the
prickly mire, faraway but hopeful. "Darcy, I'm waiting for you. Where are
you?"
    Tears streak my face; every step,
every movement brings greater pain. But I have to find Catherine. It's because
we're apart that these thorns have grown rampant in our forest. Jagged branches
claw at me, tear my skin, and I can only whisper, whimper, "I'm trying.
I'm trying my best."
    "Darcy, don't give up! I'm
here. I'm waiting."
    Frustrated, I dash madly through
the thorns, heedless of their needles, and feel the prickle of blood. Where is
she?
    Where, where, where?
    My arms and legs feel weak,
boneless, like doll's limbs full of cotton. I fall to my knees, hair and skin
catching, pulling, ripping, and bury my head in my hands. There are so many
scratches and punctures in my ravaged body; I fear that, at any moment, I may
burst at the seams.
    But then the white cat
comes—Portia—to sit beside me. Her purrs sooth me. I smile meekly at her and
stroke her back.
    "Darcy, please hurry!"
    Portia and I crane our necks in the
direction