Black (Clashing Colors Book 1) by Elin Peer Read Free Book Online

last comment made Black turn her head away from me. Once more silence fell upon us and lasted until we drove into the camp area inside the Rain Forest, ninety minutes later.
    I got out of my car and stretched my limbs, taking in the beauty and the lushness of this amazing place. Going to the rain forest had actually been on my list of things to do while in Seattle for the summer, and I was looking forward to some long hikes while I was here.
    Black on the other hand looked completely out of place with her Goth looks against all the green around us. Somehow the contrast made her dark appearance seem even more dramatic.
    “Hello.” I recognized Bruce when he came toward us from the biggest of the cabins. There was one large main house and ten small cabins placed in a large circle. In the middle there were stones placed in circles for campfires, and to the side a playground with a set of swings, a sandbox, a slide, and some monkey bars. It all looked very family friendly but I saw no people around.
    “Welcome,” Bruce said and reached out to shake our hands. “Good to see you made it here so fast.”
    “The traffic was good,” I told him and got my bag from the trunk.
    “Follow me.” Bruce led the way into the main house and walked us through a large common area with a cozy fireplace and toys, books, and board games laid out. “Come in to my office,” he said.
    Once we were seated around a table in his office Bruce started talking to Black.
    “As I told you on the phone, we follow a program that has proven successful. Our methods are somewhat unorthodox but our results speak for themselves and that’s why people come here.”
    “Okay,” Black said with mild interest.
    “We’ve already determined what you want to achieve from your stay. You said money, but we boiled it down to your need for a place to stay and money for food. Which really translates into your understandable need for safety and certainty.”
    She nodded.
    “In a minute my colleague Therese will come and take you to our neutralizing zone, while I will go over the payment and the sleeping arrangements with your uncle.”
    “What’s a neutralizing zone?” I asked, a bit worried.
    “It’s just a room where Black will change her clothes and get rid of her jewelry and things. Regression, as the word implies, means going back in time to a younger version of oneself, and obviously Black didn’t have nose piercings or colored hair when she was a small child.”
    Her hand flew up to a piercing. “I’m not taking out my piercings or changing my hair.”
    The expression on Bruce’s face was stern. “Yes, you will. When you leave in two weeks you can dress in black as much as you want to, but while you’re here there will be no façade of make-up or black clothes to hide behind; we want to see the real you – which reminds me, what is your real name?”
    Black crossed her arms and pouted, so I answered for her. “Darcia Emma Nilsson.”
    “And do you prefer Darcia or Emma?”
    “Neither,” she said.
    “Well, pick one,” Bruce told her, unimpressed with her attitude.
    “I told you I don’t li–” she started but I interrupted her and said, “How about Cia?”
    She closed her mouth and after a few seconds she gave a slight nod.
    “Cia it is,” Bruce said.
    She was still pouting when Therese came in to escort her out of the room.
    Therese, in contrast, was a happy kitten in her mid-twenties with long auburn-colored hair to her waist. She had cute dimples and when she shook my hand she placed her other hand on top and gave me a warm smile.
    Maybe these two weeks wouldn’t be so bad after all… Nature, hiking, and some fun with Therese might turn out to be a good kind of vacation.
    When we were alone in the room, Bruce took my credit card information and gave me more instructions.
    “It’s important that you understand what is expected of you. Cia doesn’t really want to be here and most likely doesn’t think she needs our help. Our