Page 41 (2/2)

Beside me, Cody overhead the comment and snorted into the radio handset "Um, yeah, not so ht that’s what you wanted, but it’s a very, very dangerous choice Vampires in real life aren’t like the ones in thebaseball in a thunderstoruished look "You don’t understand anything I knohat it was like! I was there! With people who care about art and music, real art and real uages like Greek and Latin, and everything everyone I know thinks is stupid"

There was ht of tears

Huh I’d never thought of Twilight Manor as a culturalintellectuals

"Heather" Cody’s voice was deep and soothing "There’s a steep price for belonging to that community"

She sniffled "I know! Jesus, duh! It’s worth it!"

He shook his head "You’re too young to ree But if it’s really where you want to be, you’ve got to start thinking about tihteen? Two years?" He snapped his fingers "That’s nothing to an ih I was dubious about the merits of Cody’s advice, at least it calmed her down We headed back toward don Pemkowet and by the time we pulled into the driveway of the Sined to her fate

I half expected to find so dark and abusive in the Silect that would explain Heather’s profound sense of alienation, but her parents appeared to be perfectly norhter’s disappearance They greeted her with hugs and profound relief and offered profuse thanks to Cody andtheir faces turn pale as Cody explained where we’d found their daughter, I felt bad for theirl off, Cody drove me back to Pineview Gas & Convenience to pick upabout the night’s events

"Two years is a long ti lot "A lot can happen"

"Yeah, well, I’m not sure it helped to tell her to think about tied "Maybe, et her to think differently about immortality" He parked the cruiser besidetime to fill with chamber music concerts and tableau whatsits"

"Vivants," I said autooing on with the family?"

Cody shook his head "You?"

"No" I unbuckled my seat belt but didn’t make a er, you know? A s the scratches Lady Eris’s nails had left on his cheek I’d been afraid theyto knit "Beth Cassopolis was only eighteen when she raduate with the rest ofto say that Bethany wasn’t a s before she’d become a blood-slut But the truth was, I hadn’t known her then I didn’t really know her now except as Jen’s troubled older sister Maybe she had been seek who couldn’t get taken seriously because everyone in school knew she’d given her first blow job when she was fourteen Of course, that didn’t excuse the fact that she’d tried to brain Cody with a light fixture tonight, not toa minor "Neverit "More or less You?"

"I’ht, Pixy Stix" Cody gavelook "I hope youlike this happens again, I’ by her rules"

"I know," I said "I lad you’re on our side"

My pent tail twitched unco to keep the peace"

"Okay"

"Okay," I echoed

He gave ht frolinted on his bronze stubble "Anyway, it was a pretty good fight, don’t you think?"

I s across me, Cody reached to open the door of the cruiser "Look, I’ot out "You, too"

So that was that I stood in the parking lot watching the taillights of Cody’s squad car vanish down the highway, feeling a little alone, a little ry, since my dinner had been cheese and crackers at the Fabulous Casimir’s house I went into the convenience store to buy a frozen pizza, then ho on the futon and watching reruns of Iron Chef A

I thought about Sinclair, wondering if he felt he’d found a path he could follow in Casi if there would co side of the law and what he would choose if that ever happened<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>