“Who is still there?”
The girl ignored Nathan’s question and sat on her knees and searched through his records. He studied her soft expression and delicate face. The redness in her cheeks from the cold had faded. Her long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans both looked new and he found this odd for a girl who just stumbled out of the woods.
“What’s your name?” he asked her. “Who is still here?’
“I don’t know this one,” she said, looking at one of the records. “May I play it?”
Nathan nodded and Archie chimed in with excitement.
“Hey, do you wanna play a game, too?” he asked the girl. “We have that new Trivial Pursuit game. I’m pretty good at it.”
“No, you’re not,” Nathan said and squatted next to the girl. He had never considered a person’s aura, a thing Jane liked to talk about, especially if she thought Nathan was being an ass. Your aura is very negative right now, she would tell him. This strange girl from the woods without shoes evoked an eerie calm. It was not peaceful or serene. Nathan put the record on the player for her. .38 Special’s “Caught Up In You.”
“Now,” he said, “what’s your name?”
She didn’t answer and he could feel the mix of dread and frustration churning, so he asked again. Still, she did not answer.
“Who is still here?” Archie asked. “Where are they?”
“The ones who took me.” Her voice chilled Nathan’s blood. “They’re in the woods.”
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