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"Just looking for so to straddle its legs She

grabbed its hair-not a good idea; it ca on it to keep it still, she

raised the suht it down hard

There was a puncturing sound and a terrible smell The knife had penetrated just under the shoulder

blade, six inches into the heart

The ghoul convulsed once and stopped ly fro in there!"

Then Aunt Nan’s voice: "Jez, are you all right?"

Jez stood, pulling her bahoul’s shirt "I’houl was in a perfect position She put her ar loose under her fingers, and heaved it up onto theseat There weren’t

irls who could have picked up alht, and even Jez

ended up a little breathless She gave the ghoul a shove, rolling it over until it reached the open ,

then she stuffed and maneuvered it out It fell heavily into a bed of i the flowers

Good She’d haul it away later tonight and dispose of it

Jez caught her breath, brushed off her hands, and closed theShe drew the curtains shut, then

turned The fair-haired boy was lying perfectly still Jez touched his back gently, saw that he was

breathing

The door rattled and Claire’s voice rose hysterically "Mom, do you slanced around the roo a handful of material near the head of the bed, she flipped comforter, blankets and sheets over

so they trailed off the foot, co the boy She tossed a couple of pillows on top of the pile

for good rabbed a ruler off the desk Then she opened the door, leaned against the

doorfrahtest smile

"Sorry about that," she said "What can I do for you?"

Claire and Aunt Nan just stared at her

Claire looked like a rury kitten The fine dark hair that fra hard, and her al sparks Aunt Nan looked more worried and

dishtly to try and get a look at Jez’s room "We heard a lot of

noise"

And you’d have heardTV "I’reat You kno

it is when you can’t find so" Jez lifted

the ruler Then she stepped back and opened the door farther

Aunt Nan’s eyes widened as she took in the mess "Jez this does not happen when you can’t find a

ruler This looks like Claire’s roonation "It does not My room’s never been this bad And what’s

that smell?" She slipped by Aunt Nan and advanced on Jez, who sidestepped to keep her fro to

the pile of blankets

Claire stopped dead anyway, her face wrinkling She put a hand to cover her nose andat Jez ’You smell like that"

"Sorry" It was true; ith all the contact she’d had with the ghoul, and the dirty knife in her boot,

she was pretty ripe "I think I stepped in so when you came in," Claire said suspiciously

"And that’s another thing," Aunt Nan said She had been glancing around the roo suspicious to see except the unusual clutter-the curtains hungon the floor was still Now she turned to face Jez again "You didn’t call to say you

were going to o after school, Jez I need to knohen

you’re going to be out late It’s common courtesy"

"I know I’ll remember next time I really will" Jez said it as sincerely as possible, and in a tone she

hoped would close the subject She needed to get rid of these people and look at the boy under the

blankets He"You’d better And you’d better take a shower before you do anything else

Throw your clothes in the laundry room; I’ll put them in the wash" She made as if to kiss Jez on the

cheek, but stopped, wrinkled her nose, and then just nodded again at her

"And that’s it? That’s all?" Claire was looking at her ,

can’t you see that? She coe and I don’t knohat, and

then she locks herself in and bangs around and lies, and all you’re going to say is Don’t do it again’? She

gets aith everything around here-"

"Claire, quit it She said she was sorry I’ain"

"If I did so like that you’d skin me, but, no, if Jez does it, itelse She cut school today She left before sixth period"

"Is that true, Jez?" a new voice asked Uncle Ji fingers He looked sad

It was true Jez had left early to set up a trap for the vampire and shapeshifter She looked at her uncle

and retful motion with her head and shoulders

"Jez, you just can’t do that I’ to be reasonable, but this is only the second week of school

You can’t start this kind of behavior again It can’t be like last year" He thought "From now on, you

leave your motorcycle at home You drive to school and back with Claire, in the Audi"

Jez nodded "Okay, Uncle Jio away, she added silently Thin curls of

anxiety were churning in her stomach

"Thank you" He s a note to shatter glass "This is just what I’ about! You

never yell at her, either! Is it because you’re afraid she’ll run away, like she did froshells around her because otherwise she’ll just take off-"

"Okay, that’s it I’ to any more of this" Aunt Nan waved a hand at Claire, then turned

around to shoo Uncle Ji to clean up the dinner table If you tant to fight,

do it quietly"

"No, it’s better if they do their ho slowly "Both of you, do your

homework, okay?" He looked at Jez in a way that was probably , but came out

wistful "And tomorrow coone, but Claire was staring after theht there were tears in her eyes

Jez felt a pang Of course, Claire was dead on about the leeway Aunt Nan and Uncle Jiave her And

of course, it wasn’t fair to Claire

I should say so She really feels bad

But before she could open her mouth, Claire whirled around The eyes that had been wet a

"You just wait," she said "They don’t see through you, but I do You’re up to so

to find out what it is And don’t think I can’t do it"

She turned and stalked out the door

Jez stood for an instant, speechless, then she blinked and closed the door She locked it And then for

the first tihoul, she allowed herself to let out a long breath

That had been close And Claire was serious, which was going to be a problem But Jez didn’t have time

to think about it now

She turned the clock radio on her nightstand to a rock station A loud one Then she flipped the covers

off the foot of the bed and knelt

The boy was lying facedoith one arm stretched over his head Jez couldn’t see any blood She

took his shoulder and carefully rolled hih"