Beyond A Shadow by Alison Kent

Author:Alison Kent [Kent, Alison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780758211149
Published: 2006-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

M onday afternoon, Emmy Rose got off the school bus and climbed from the bottom of the drive to the top of the hill, where she headed for her back door. Usually she went inside right away for a snack, but today she had something else she wanted to do first.

She set her backpack on the steps so her mom would know she was home, and she kept on her parka so she wouldn’t get in trouble, and then she skipped down to the maintenance shed. She didn’t know where Ezra Moore was working, but she thought he might be there.And then she knew he was because she heard someone chopping wood, and her dad had left early this morning before she’d even gotten out of bed. She stopped for just a second to snug her hood into place and tie it on tight, then fix her hair to cover her left eye and cheek.

She found Ezra behind the shed swinging an ax to split a log on the chopping block. She stood way back out of his way like her dad had taught her to do. She didn’t want to get hit by pieces of splintered wood, or by the ax head if it came flying off the handle. If it hit her skull, it would slice through her brain, and she’d fall down in a pool of gory red blood and die.

“Ezra Moore!” she called, waving both arms overhead. “It’s me, Emmy Rose.”

He stooped to pick up the pieces of wood and toss them toward the pile waiting to be stacked in the shed. Then he turned and motioned her closer, watching her skip toward him, frowning when she got right up next to him. “What happened to your face, young Miss Maples?”

Ugh. Her hood had come off. She reached to pull it back up but then realized it didn’t matter anymore. He’d already seen her black eye. “Do we have to talk about it?”

He looked down at her, and his dark eyes reminded her of a wise old owl’s. “Isn’t talking about it why you are here?”

She hung her head, nodded. He always knew everything. She reached up and touched the tender spot on her cheek. “Mrs. Counsel didn’t see it, and I didn’t have to go to the principal or the nurse, so my mom doesn’t know.”

His eyebrows lifted above his owl eyes. “I am surprised that none of your classmates thought to tell your teacher about your injury.”

“No one said anything because Cassie O’Malley told them she’d give them the same thing if they did.”

“I see,” he said, then it sounded like he hummed. “So this was not an accidental injury.”

She shook her head, frowned when she looked up at him. “Do you think I’ll end up with a scar? Like you have?”

“It would take more than a child’s fist to cause you to scar.” He walked back to the chopping block and sat down. She followed. “Would you like to tell me what

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