The Secret of Spruce Knoll Read Online Free PDF

wasn’t exactly forthcoming with the knowledge today.
    “No problem,” she answered.
    Sylvia perked up immediately and began chatting away. But Eren’s mind wandered, going back to one comment. Her family and Aiden’s adopted family were at odds. What could that mean, and why hadn’t he said anything about it? It was time she started getting some answers.

Chapter 5

    When Sylvia retired to her room to read Eren lingered in the living room writing in her journal. The moment her aunt was out of sight she tossed the journal on the couch and dashed to the bookshelves beside the entertainment center that was oddly without a television. There were no photo albums or yearbooks. No help there. Many of the books lining the shelves were leather-bound volumes of classic novels, history books, and encyclopedias. There were also a lot of books on art and famous artists. While that was interesting, no help there either.
    There were no pictures anywhere on any of the shelves. That was stranger than the lack of a television. Maybe something out of her direct line of sight would be more helpful. She settled down onto the hardwood floor and folded her feet before her so she could lean forward.
    A brown leather binding on the bottom shelf caught her eye. It was titled Life In A Society . Hadn’t her aunt called the people of Spruce Knoll “Societies?”  The author listed on the binding was Zolin Yaretz. Yaretz was her mother’s maiden name.
    Eren pulled the book out and opened it. The publisher was listed as Spruce Knoll Press. A tingling sensation crawled across her skin. This was getting stranger by the moment.
    The cover page said a novel by Zolin Yaretz, 3 rd edition, first edition published in 1812 . It must have been written by her great grandfather or something. Her mother had never said anything about having an author in the family. Then again, it was originally published a few hundred years ago by a small press most people had probably never heard of. Yesterday her aunt had called the people in town “Societies.” Stranger and stranger. She turned to the first page.
    It was not written like a novel at all. There was an academic flavor to the words and layout. It read almost like a manual or a school book. The first chapter was all about finding a Society and how a person’s energy had to bond with that of the other members of the Society. From the sound of it, one didn’t have a choice in the matter, their energy chose for them. At the mention of energy the tingling sensation that had been crawling over Eren intensified until it almost hurt. Fear started to churn in the pit of her stomach. Could there be a connection between her sensitivity to energy and her great, great, grandfather writing this novel?
    She shook her head. That was ridiculous. The strangeness of this place was starting to get to her, making her see connections where there couldn’t be any. Still, she wanted to read more, though she convinced herself it was just out of curiosity.
    A floorboard creaked and footsteps sounded from upstairs. Eren closed the book and put it back on the shelf. She could always sneak a peek at it again later, but if she took it then Sylvia might notice. While that could spark a conversation, Eren didn’t trust her aunt to tell her the truth. For now she would see what she could learn on her own.
    A quick adjustment to line the book up with the others made it look as though it had never been touched, she hoped. By the time Sylvia made it downstairs, Eren was back on the couch with her journal in hand.

Chapter 6

    The next morning, Eren spent a bit more time on her appearance. She actually turned the light on, which helped tremendously. Once her long hair was smoothed back into a tidy ponytail, and she settled on her third outfit, she rushed downstairs.
    As she crossed the living room she slowed and tried to get control of her racing heart. She didn’t want to ruin the potential friendship—or the chance of it becoming