Read Online Nowhere Girl by A. J. Paquette - Free Book Online

realize what I have done and am too late to take it back. The shock sends me sprawling backward into the bush, and my feet slip on the wet ground.
    There is a scuffle out on the trail, but my leafy curtain has fallen and I cannot see the couple. I pull my feet back inside the shrubs from where they had slid out.
    â€œHey, d’you hear that?” comes the man’s voice. It is facing in my direction now. He sounds wavering and unsure.
    â€œHeard and saw, ” says Tam, and her voice is very close. I wonder if I should run away—but going off the trail into the forest is too risky. “Two sandaled feet, yes I did—and if I’m not mistaken, they were right about … here !”
    With that word, the cluster of growth in front of me is yanked away and I see Tam’s face, very close, like a hunter checking on a trap. But seeing me so near must surprise her because she jumps back a step, letting the bush snap into place. I hear the scrabbling of feet and low voices conferring out on the trail.
    I know what I need to do. They’ve already seen me—and after all, what do I have to lose?
    Standing up, I pat my hair and smooth my clothes, making sure everything is in place. Then I push aside the bushes and step out.
    There is a moment of shocked silence. I stand facing them, and they look at me with turtle gawps. Finally Tam clears her throat.
    â€œWell, hi there. You just out for a walk in the bush or something?” She hesitates. “You, uh, speak English?” The words shoot from her mouth so sharp and quick it’s all I can do just to keep up.
    â€œYes, I do,” I say.
    Tam frowns. “Where’re you from, then? You’ve got a different accent from any I’ve heard. Oh—” She laughs, and juts out her hand. “I’m Tamara Zus, by the way. And this is my mate Paul. We’re from Sydney.”
    I look at her hand, unsure what to do. Finally I take a guess and put my hand out alongside hers. She gives me an odd look, then grabs my hand and squeezes hard. I gasp a little, but she is smiling, so I squeeze back. I am not used to touching hands like this, but her grasp is firm and warm, and I can feel the friendship-squeeze run all the way down to my toes.
    Paul puts his hand out next. Now that I know what to do, the squeeze does not catch me by surprise. His hand is too big, though, and sticky with sweat.
    â€œSo,” says Tam, “you were talking about what you’re up to out here in the wilderness. Not trekking the country alone at your age!”
    I know that I look young, and I shake my head quickly. “No. I am visiting friends. They live near here.” It’s getting easier to talk to these easygoing foreigners, but a life on the inside has taught me caution. I wonder how much I should tell them about myself. And then it comes to me, a warm gush of realization. These people—these strangers—know nothing about me. They will know only what I tell them. To them, I am not an oddity, a girl who has grown up in prison, who has lived behind bars every day of her life. To them, I am normal.
    I am whoever I say I am.
    Understanding breaks over my face in a smile. So this is how I can begin again, how I can become new. I just need to distance myself from my past. Leave it behind once and for all.
    I look up to meet Tam’s eyes. “I was born here, in a city up north. I’m traveling with a friend—his family lives nearby. I just came out for a walk.”
    Tam and Paul don’t even blink at my story. It’s all true, of course, but I’m amazed at how those few omissions make my life sound so ordinary.
    â€œYeah, well, we’ve been trekking since yesterday morning,” says Paul. “We drove up on Monday and we’ve been staying in the village, trying out the trails. Bad time of year for this kind of adventuring, that’s what I say.” He shakes his head and throws a scowl in Tam’s