Trust (Chasing Shadows) Read Online Free Page B

I knew that the plants provided an important staple for the indigenous people such as the Chumash as well as early settlers of the area. Plants and flowers were used for medical purposes in the form of teas, while the berries from the Himalayan honeysuckle and acorns from the Oak trees were a food staple.
    I found a few acorns on the ground and began munching, but it didn’t do much to satisfy my mounting hunger. The fact that I hadn’t eaten properly was also contributing to my drop in body temperature and lack of concentration. I shivered and realized that I wasn’t even moving like my usual self. Each bump and rock on the ground threatened to cause my ankle to twist. The sudden dips in the trail sent shock waves through me as I realized I wasn’t anywhere close to where Nate and I used to hike.
    I had made my way past our usual vantage point, clearing over the mountain and having continued through the Calabasas grade and over the next peak. The full moon lit the trail, showing that it was far narrower in this stretch than the one I was familiar with. It twisted and turned at hard angles, dropping low and then taking on steep climbs.
    When I got to the rise of yet another new incline, there was a fork and I chose to continue upwards thinking that I might get high enough to catch a view of the entire range and therefore, figure out where I was. It was unlikely considering the hour, but it still seemed like my best option. If I got high enough, I’d be able to see the valley below and perhaps even spot where I had left my car. I climbed higher, totally unaware that recent rains had washed out part of the trail. I took one step too many.
    Fear didn’t immediately hit me because I fell before being aware of the danger. But once airborne, my scream automatically erupted as I slid over the ledge and dropped about twelve feet. I thought of Nate and soon after, Ethan. I remember trying to call for help, but it only came out like a whisper as I landed hard. It didn’t matter. There was nobody nearby to hear me. My entire body ached with a searing pain, and then there was nothing at all.

Chapter 9 - Ethan
     
     
    Even though I hiked these trails every weekend, I had never run into Ella until a week before she ended up at the hospital. I sometimes wonder if meeting her here on the trail, where she was obviously in her element, had made a difference to my impression of her in the hospital. She was so strong and athletic when I saw her. Hell, she even dodged an oncoming car on the highway above us. But then, seeing her recover from Nate’s death and the accidental drug interaction that put her in my care presented her in another light. I wanted to help. I wanted to make her whole again.
    Thoughts of her propelled me forward and I found myself jogging. I went past the area where I first encountered Ella, looking for the section where we had met once our counseling sessions began. That area wasn’t as clear in my mind -- both the trail and what exactly those sessions meant. I took the fork that looked as if it led to the one we were on earlier, but there was no sign of Ella.
    I stopped again to take in the bends of the trail. One way led to higher ground, the other path took on more twists and turns that led deeper into the canyon. It would be darker down there and even though Ella was on a mission to find herself and spend time alone, she couldn’t possibly think that going down that path at night was a good idea. I kept climbing, believing that she would have done the same.
    The sheer bravery or craziness it took to do a night hike was beyond me. Then again if circumstances were different, I would have wanted to be here with her. The moon lit up the trail dramatically and I recalled the way Ella’s face beamed as bright as the moonlight when she spoke about nighttime hikes being magical with the fragrance of night blooming Jasmine and the Bigberry Manzanita. She was correct in her assessment that daytime hikers never get