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Chapter 17

With her warning still ringing in my ears, we trooped back to the kitchen after Jeannie opened one of the dryers, groped around inside, then turned the dryer back on "A quilt," she explained, and I nodded just like this was an ordinary week, day, conversation, whatever

We got back just in tiht, all right, you crummy kid, you win the bet"

Jessica, obviously the loser in a ga, looked relieved to see me as she rubbed her shoulder "Ah, the Mysterioso Twins are back What&039;s up?"

"Just giving her directions to the playground," Jeannie calo, but you -you understand?"

"Yes, Moain," the next Pack leader said

"Nice pigtails," I replied

Chapter 18

That was how I foundLara-Michael and Jeannie&039;s eldest-to the nearby playground for good, clean, wholesome olf fun

She was a cutie, no question She had her father&039;s eyes, that odd yellow-gold I&039;d seen on television nature shows-eyes the color of an owl&039;s, or a hawk&039;s Slender and straight, with her curly dark hair pulled into pigtails Jeans and a Hannah Montana T-shirt Maybesix?

"-then Daddy said you were going to bring Antonia back but now you have to talk to the Council and nobody knoill happen after that but Derik&039;s really upset because he loves-loved-Antonia and-"

"Where the hell is the playground?" I muttered Lara, as far as I could tell, hadn&039;t taken a breath in the last eight rounds and onto a small, brick-lined sidewalk beside a bike trail Lara had explained that it was "really close" Sure it was

"-had to go before the Council since Grandpa took over the Pack so nobody knohat&039;s going to-"

"There is no park," I muttered "That&039;ssidewalk beside a never-ending bike path"

"-walk around outside?"

"What?"

"I said, how come you can come outside? It&039;s daytime"

"I just can"

"But how come?"

It sounded too dumb to say it out loud, but I did it anyway "Because I&039;ht can&039;t hurt ht you&039;d have to sleep in a coffin but uest suites and there&039;s no coffins in there and-"

I stopped Lara halted beside me We&039;d rounded a tree-lined corner and suddenly the park was spread out before us There was a large sign at the entrance that read, MICHAELWYNDHAMSRMEMORIAL PARK

"Don&039;t tell uess," Lara said, giving me a look I kneell It was the what-kind-of-ht there"

"So your dad made this?"

"No Daddy&039;s the third"

"He&039;s what?"

"Michael Wyndharandpa was-"

"You knohat? I&039;ve kind of lost interest by now" Legacies I should have reland, not Minnesota "Run along"

So she did, heading straight for thelot to the left- A couple ofon benches on the far side of the park, chatting and keeping half an eye on the children

Which left me time to think about just what the hell ere in for For example, just what the hell was the Council? Was it as bad as it sounded? Because it sounded a bit like a trial without a jury Or a fair-e And as I supposed to tell thes for uy shot, and Antonia died The end

I prowled around the teeter-totters and tried to think of a plan But I had no gift for strategy-I left that shit strictly to Sinclair and Tina-and felthere, anyway?

Let&039;s say the Council decided the vampires had screwed up What then? They couldn&039;t punish us Could they? Would that o to war? That could be a proble around on the planet, I had no way to mobilize them And I didn&039;t want to I found it completely ridiculous that I had to police adults, most of ere far, far older than I was And as far as siccing the out loud? Puh-leeze

I kicked irritably at an errant tuft of grass, then looked up at the unirl-three? four?-was sprawled in the gravel, sobbing, and a bigger boy-nine, ten?-was standing over her

"I said your turn was over," the brat said, sounding remarkably unrepentant I knew a few va childless (as I still thought ofa relatively late arrival inbadly On the one hand, you know the kid&039;s in the wrong and you want to help On the other hand, it&039;s not your kid, so perhaps it was none of your business

The little girl was still crying The bigger boy was now on her recently vacated swing

I glanced over at the ossip and say in that fake "I&039; boy!" tone that I absolutely hated, "Jaaaaason! You know you&039;re supposed to wait your turn, honey"

"I&039;ravel sobbed "I&039;! Mom! Mommy, Jason pushed me off the-"

"You be nice to your little sister, Jason Dunheim?" the ent nitho insist on procreating but not parenting "Jason? Okay?"

Why is she asking? I hate when parents ask What happens if the kid says no? Then what are you supposed to do? Slink away? Have a tantrum? What?

"Mommy!"

"Shut up, bawl baby"

"Jason? You knoe don&039;t use that phrase in our house, Jason? Honey?"