Balancer Read Online Free Page B

socks.
    “I know. Really wakes you up, right?” Amy joked, and Nicole couldn’t help but laugh.
    With great care, Nicole used the visible tree roots and large, exposed rocks as footholds until she got to Amy’s supporting arms in the middle of the stream.
    A glance down at Elise told her that the little girl had sunk back into unconsciousness. Nicole knew that to stop her from going into shock, she should keep her awake, but this part of the journey could be more dangerous and scary for her anyway. She decided to wake her on the other side.
    “Steady.”
    Amy led the way slowly to the other side of the stream, constantly testing the ground for the most stable footing. Nicole was careful not to hold on to Amy too tightly, just in case she lost her footing.
    The group made it through the final few yards to the other side of the water without any trouble.
    They were now ready to climb up the embankment. Amy scrambled up the side first to join Charlie, then held out her hand for Nicole to grasp. After a count of three, she pulled Nicole to help with her difficult ascent with Elise. With only the tail of Elise’s sweater wet from the stream, the little girl was safely on the other side of the bank.
    Amy fell to her knees, wheezing, while Nicole laid Elise down for a moment, taking in the luxury of a few seconds of respite. Charlie seemed to say it all with his excited barks and jumps.
    Amy appeared to have used up all of her energy to help guide Nicole and Elise across the water. With her adrenaline subsiding, her throat and lungs started to fight against her, and her breathing became unsteady.
    “Do you need a rest?”
    “No,” Amy said after several shallow breaths. “Let’s just keep moving.”
    With Elise back in her arms, Nicole started up her frantic pace again. Charlie was running on ahead and barking, Amy was behind Charlie, and Nicole was bringing up the rear and returning to her mantra of forest floor and Amy once more.
    Surely they’d reach safety soon?
    With less oxygen, Nicole began to feel dizzy. It was like she had spun around in circles too much, and the world around her seemed somehow blurred, as though she was a little removed from this reality.
    She half shut her eyes to focus on Amy’s ahead. That’s when her mind began to drift, like it did during boring school lessons or when she was a passenger on long car trips. It was as if she couldn’t exactly feel herself in her body, even though she was aware of the pain in her throat and the tightness in her chest. They were there, but now — now she was someplace else.
    She began to hear footsteps and a different kind of chanting replacing her own. Suddenly she wasn’t carrying anyone in her arms, yet her hands were not free. They were bound. There were shackles on her feet. With every step, the sound of chains jingled around her, and the voices and clamor behind her became louder.
    A large man dressed in torn rags held the other end of the rope that held her wrists. He looked filthy, and judging by his appearance, although he was strong, he was extremely ill with some type of disease. His skin was pale and covered with sores. His hands were swollen and torn, and his face was distorted. Nicole felt like a dog being dragged to someplace a dog wouldn’t want to go. Whenever she paused, the large man would shout something unintelligible at her and then yank the rope to force her to keep moving.
    She looked over her shoulder to see at least twenty or so people following a safe distance behind her in the darkness. They all held torches, and some carried sharp farm tools. But they weren’t carrying them as if they were about to do farm work — they were holding them like weapons. Some of their expressions carried rage, some carried pain, and some carried fear.
    What have I done?
    The leader of the mob was a middle-aged man dressed all in black except for a white collar. He clutched a cross in his hand and shouted words of hatred in Nicole’s