Through the Shadows Read Online Free Page B

them.
    “Y’all thank yor sa smart, don’t cha?”
    Tori laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach. Sharon grinned as she shook her head at Lydia.
    The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing the editor, the next book, men in general, and sex in particular. When Tori’s face felt it had reached a broiling temperature, she held up her hands in defeat.
    “Okay, okay, okay. You guys win. I can’t keep up my end of the conversation so I might as well go home.”
    Lydia, by now feeling the effects of an afternoon of gin, slipped into the cockney accent she had paid to lose.
    “Naw, love, you can’t. Litl’ gulls like you shouldn’t even try.”
    “Well, ladies , it could be because I haven’t been around as many blocks as you.”
    Mother and agent both laughed uproariously. One of the things Tori thought was so special about these two women was their sense of humor.
    “Lydia, don’t even try to say you’re taking me home. I’ll call a cab. I don’t want you behind the wheel of a car. Stay here with Mom and drink about three gallons of coffee before you leave.”
    “Coffee? Oh my gawd! I can’t stand that garbage and you know it!”
    Tori giggled. She gave the cab company the address and went to sit with the two most important people in her life until the taxi arrived.
    * * *
    Sharon and Lydia were still laughing and joking when the cab driver tapped the car horn. Tori kissed both of them but she wasn’t sure if they even noticed she was leaving. When she left her mother’s house she wore a cloak of familial love that kept her warm.
    The taxi driver was in a talkative mood. The only thing required to keep up her end of the conversation was an occasional murmur from Tori. The closer they got to her house, the less she answered, until the driver was answering his own witty questions. When they arrived, Tori paid the driver then stood on the sidewalk that led up to the house that waited for her. For a few seconds Tori felt that her home looked sinister and foreboding.
    That’s just silly, Tori. This is home, your sanctuary, your soft place to fall and hide from the world. I just wish… oh, I don’t know what I wish anymore.
    Mentally berating herself didn’t alter her mood.
    She stared into the empty windows, a deep longing washing over her. She seldom left the house and this desperate loneliness at her return was probably the reason. No matter how much she might dream, or write those dreams on paper, she still had to face facts.
    This is reality, Tori. At least, it’s your reality. There’s never going to be a husband throwing open the door to say, “Hi, honey, I’m home!” There’s never going to be the sound of little feet running to greet Daddy.
    Tori stared at the sidewalk as she shuffled to the door. Patchwork leaves rattled crisply under her slow step. She stared at the key in her hand for several seconds before sliding it into the lock. The door creaked inward.
    She stood on the weathered boards of the porch and stared into the empty void of her life. She stepped into the entryway, closing the door softly behind her.
    In an effort to lighten her own heavy heart, Tori shouted into the silence of her home.
    “Okay, stop me now if you’ve heard this one. Did you hear the one about two jumper cables walking into a bar and the bartender said, “Don’t you two start anything in here. Get it? Jumper cables? Start something…”
    Not even an echo.
    “Gee, tough crowd tonight!”
    Tori dropped her jacket on the back of the couch. She walked into the dining room and put both hands on the back of a chair, leaning heavily into the wood. Her head hung low, one crystal tear slipped down her ivory cheek.
    In the dark recesses of the corner there stood a witness to this display. Without form or texture, the being struggled to be heard. In a voice that could not be detected by the human ear, the entity spoke.
    Welcome home, Victoria.
     

Chapter Three
    Tori made a sandwich for herself and another of