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WhenTracy woke later that , she wasn&039;t sure if Dominic had actually been in her room in the last hour before dawn, or if she had drea, she showered and dressed, then went downstairs to put the coffee on Feeling suddenly hungry and domestic, she mixed batter for waffles and fried a couple of strips of bacon When that was done, she added a cup full of strawberries to her plate, poured a glass of orange juice, and for the first time since she had moved into the house, she sat down to a proper breakfast

Savoring a bite of bacon, she thought of Do but a war was one of life&039;s pleasures She couldn&039;t i it up, and yet what aold and feeble, to always be young and vital and in perfect health, to stay forever as she was now, in the prie the thoughts building in herit would be, never to be tired or sick or have to worry about gaining weight, never having to worry about losing your sight or your hearing Doreater depth and clarity than , she cleared the table, washed the dishes, and put them away And always, in the back of herupstairs, she slipped into her san to work on another seascape for Mr Petersen She watched her brush move over the canvas, saw the picture take shape, but she worked roove of,what if ?

What if she let Dos she would be giving up - food, sunlight, vacations with her faht of what she would gain - a love that would last forever, a life that would never end, the ability to travel great distances in the blink of an eye, eternal youth and vigor

Would it be a fair trade?

But, what if, after it was done, she was sorry? There was no going back, no way to return to mortality if she suddenly decided she didn&039;t want to be ier

What would her parents say if they found out their daughter was a va, but in books and movies, there was no happiness for va hunted, destroyed in truly horrible ways Gruesoh the heart of a va to the forefront of her mind

Dominic said mortals were unaware that there were va? What if even now there werethe she had created To be a vaainst natureWould her soul be forever da her brush into ajar of cleaning fluid, she put her paints away, stripped off her smock, and left the house

She practically flen the stairs to the beach It was a beautiful day Everything looked fresh and clean after last night&039;s rain Standing there, with the sand warm beneath her feet, she closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun

She didn&039;t kno long she had been standing there whenBryan &039;s voice sounded behind her

"Hey, sun bunny!"

Opening her eyes, she turned to see hi?"

"FineI&039;lad you decided to take it here Wanna come up to the tower and have a Coke?"

"Sure, thanks"

Side by side, they walked down the beach

Tracywas keenly aware of the da between her toes, of the heat of the sun shining down on her head and back, of the s overhead A sailboat drifted offshoreA half-dozen teenage boys were surfing, showing off for the bikini-clad girls ere pretending to be indifferent but atching every move the boystoward theed wo a book, the other orking a crossword puzzle Further down the beach, a couple of kids weresand castles while their sWas she ready to give all that up?

"Tracy?"Bryan grabbed her arm when she started past the tower "Hey,Tracy , we&039;re here"

"What? Oh, sorry I guess my mind wandered"

"You okay? You look well, like you&039;re gonna cry"

She forced a sarded her for a moment,then scrambled up the ladder When he reached the top, he turned and waited for her, offering her his hand when she reached the top

Stepping into the tower, he pulled a pair of sodas out of a cooler and handed her one

"Thanks" She popped the top and took a long drink, then sat down

Bryansat beside her

"So, have you made any rescues lately?"Tracy asked

"Three today"

"Really?"

He nodded"Soht in a riptide and nearly took me doith herAnd a woman who panicked when the waves knocked her downSeems she couldn&039;t swim"

Tracylifted her can to him in a salute"My hero"

Bryan&039;s cheeks turned pink "Yeah, well" He shrugged "It&039;s not brain surgery, but it&039;s still saving lives"

"Life is precious, isn&039;t it? Would you want to live forever, if you could?"

"Sure, if I could stay young Who wouldn&039;t?"

"Would you really? Part of what e that it doesn&039;t lastforever, that it could be over in the blink of an eye Every day, every ift It should never be wasted, never be perverted We&039;re here for such a short time, we should cherish every ht that on?"

"Oh, I don&039;t know I&039;ve just been doing a lot of thinking lately, about life and death and what it rinned"Too heavy for such a lovely day I think I&039; for a swim"

"Be careful out thereLots of riptides today"

"I will Thanks for the Coke"

He took the can froht?"

"I&039;m not sure Call me?"