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I shook my head and looked at the wolf again. I must be going crazy if I was talking to a wolf like this. But I couldn’t leave him hanging without the ending; he had been a wonderful listener. “You’ve been a fantastic listener,” I said to him. “Maybe you could meet me here again someday? Then at least I won’t be talking to myself.”
The wolf, sensing I wasn’t going to say anything more, got up on his legs. He really was huge. Beautiful, though, with his white coat and dark markings on his ears. I felt an urge to reach out and run my hands through his fur, but before I could act, he turned and jumped over the stream, running off into the forest without looking back.
I waved at him and smiled, hoping to see him again.
Luc
I sat slumped against a tree,not too far from where Jill was sitting on the log but where she couldn’t see me. I could still hear her heartbeat and her soft breathing. She’d talked to me, and it was devastating. Even the wetness in her eyes hadn’t escaped me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart aching to run back to her. My wolf was screaming in my head that I had gone in the wrong direction, leaving her all alone. I should be comforting her, not wallowing under this tree.
But I couldn’t. What if she was another Kit?
The only comfort I could grasp at that moment was that my brothers, Jacob and Bruno, had both agreed to visit me on the pretense that I missed them. If they only knew . . . .
Jill
The next week flew by,but I didn’t see the wolf again. I did talk to a bird and a squirrel at one point, but it wasn’t the same; they stayed for only a few seconds before flying or running away.
By this point, I had totally forgotten about the masquerade ball and was just enjoying my mundane life. However, on the night of the ball, Becca showed up with two dress bags in her arms.
“What is this?” I asked her, a sinking feeling in my gut.
“Our costumes!” she announced, with the biggest grin on her face.
“We’re really going, aren’t we?”
“Of course. Did you think I forgot?”
“I was hoping so.”
There was a poignant silence between us before Becca pulled me into a hug. “I’m sorry, Jill. I just want to get the old Jill back. Look, if you don’t want to go tonight, it’s okay.”
Relief surged through me, but it faded when I saw the sadness in Becca’s eyes. It reminded me that everything I had lived through had been carried by Becca. It was a miracle she was still even talking to me!
The one thing Rich had let me have was a cell phone, one that he monitored. Becca was one of the only people he’d allowed me to talk to, and only once every two weeks.
Becca hadn’t even told me she was going to get me out of there. The one time she had tried to talk “business” with me on the phone, I’d gotten beaten up by Rich. From that point onward, we’d only talked about safe subjects, like what flowers she was growing in her garden, what restaurant she had visited that week, what was the latest movie she’d gone to see, and her crush—who I still thought was Brandon. We had learned to speak about anything but the subject of my freedom.
These thoughts slammed into my mind as she stood there, waiting on my response. She’d done so much for me, and this ball obviously meant a lot to her. If she wanted me to come with her to another party, who was I to say no? I owed her more than I knew. Plus, there was also the fact that I couldn’t get the last party out of my mind . . . or a certain man.
“No, I’m the one that should be sorry,” I now said. “You’ve done so much for me, Becca. And you’re right, I need to get back out into the real world.”
“Really?”
The surprise in her eyes almost made me cry. I had put her through so much. “Yes, really. Give me my dress. I’ll go change into it right now.”
She thrust the dress at me. “Okay, here. There’s a mask that goes with it. You’re going to love it!” she announced with a huge smile.
* * *
We got ready in record time. The dress Becca had picked out for me was stunning. It was made of black silk and was formfitting to the waist, clinging to my chest and torso before falling into a large skirt that fanned out around my ankles when I twirled. The bodice was strapless, but ruching from the waist down added some texture, and a gold stripe lined the zipper on the back, giving it a pop of color. It was beautiful, even if it made me feel self-conscious. All I could remember was that the last time I’d shown so much skin, Rich had made me go and change. Wearing this dress would put another ghost to bed, so I swallowed my fear and stepped into it.
Becca kept up a running dialogue as we got ready, keeping us in a party mood. She did a very good job of it because, before I knew it, we had makeup on, and Becca had managed to do my hair in a low bun at the nape of my neck. Last to put on were the masks, which in themselves were exquisite. They were both gold and black with lace edging, but Becca’s had a feather on one side that made it look even more beautiful.
I couldn’t believe we were going to a masquerade ball! It had always been one of my dreams, and Becca knew it. She tied the ribbon on my mask and stepped around to stand in front of me. Her eyes grew wide, and she let out a loud squeal. “You look absolutely stunning, Jill! Wait till Luc sees you.” I opened my mouth to brush her comment off, but Becca cut in with, “One off the bucket list, yeah?”
I gave a sigh. “You know me well.” I turned to take another look in the mirror and felt a prickly sensation in my fingers as I eyed my appearance. It was hard to believe that was me staring back.
