Read Online Chasing Shadows by Ashley Townsend - Free Book Online Page A

welcoming the Jones family had been and how at ease she had felt talking and laughing with them over dinner; it was as though she hadn’t been absent for months as she fit right in with their family dynamic. Even Seth appeared comfortable during the meal and when they parted ways that night, and Sarah couldn’t help but wonder if he was over his silly crush on her.
    Her mind suddenly brought before her eyes the picture of her and Will standing in the street together as he held her close, and she tried to hold onto the memory of that moment, that brief instant where she assumed everything would go perfectly, before it slipped away and was replaced with reality. It was their first time seeing each other in a long time, and she had imagined it so differently. She was embarrassed to admit that she’d even daydreamed about what it would be like to see him again—a few scenarios to keep the romantic side of her mind occupied during long summer afternoons. Sarah hadn’t thought it would do any harm, since she would never see him again, but now those imaginings of tender gazes and cheesy professions of love mocked her, gloating that she would never have any of that with anyone. 
    She squeezed her eyes closed to block out the images that played on the dark ceiling, wanting to block out the regret and questions circling around in her head. There had been so many things she had wanted to ask Will: Why had he deserted his quest to help others as the Shadow? Was it because of what she’d said to him about it being just a quest for vengeance against his parents’ killer?
    But her pride and anger had gotten in the way, and instead of seeking answers, she had only managed to stir his own temper and poke at his pride to soothe her own. His words spoken to her long ago on a trail came to mind, and she remembered his grin as he spoke.
    You and I are not so very different, Sarah.
    She was beginning to think he might have been right.                 
     
    ****
     
    Sarah and Karen ate breakfast with the rest of the family—an affair that was just as noisy and conversation-oriented as dinner—before asking Seth to hitch the wagon. With a roll of his eyes that was offset by his crooked grin, he did just that.
    “You know, I should really learn how to do it myself sometime.” The snowfall the night before had created a hush over the forest, and Karen’s words as they rode along the narrow trail were the only sound to disrupt the silence.
    “Do what?” Sarah asked absentmindedly.
    Karen glanced at her oddly. “Hitching the horses to the wagon. What were you thinking about?”
    “Why does it matter?” Sarah asked, side-stepping the question.
    Karen grinned good-naturedly. “You know, for an open person, you sure can be cryptic sometimes.”
    “I wouldn’t say I was being cryptic,” she defended.
    “You’re right. Locked-up tight is more appropriate.”
    She grimaced. “Sorry.”
    Karen seemed to shrug it off. “Don’t be. I didn’t take it personally.”
    They lapsed into silence as they approached town, and Sarah felt a stirring of anxiety in her stomach. Since Karen’s afternoon of eavesdropping outside the castle the day before had proved fruitless, they agreed that their best opportunity to discover anything was for Sarah to get hired as a maid and work from within the castle.
    She clasped and unclasped her hands in her lap nervously, her mind working too furiously for her to grab hold of any single thought. “You think I can pull this off?”
    “You are going to do just fine,” Karen replied, obviously guessing at her doubt. She glanced at Sarah before turning her eyes back to the street. “Were you ever involved in a production at your school?”
    The question took Sarah by surprise. “Yeah, small roles,” she answered slowly, not comprehending.
    “Were you any good?”
    She shrugged her shoulders and answered modestly, “I was okay, I guess.”
    Karen looked at her again and that quick grin