6 the short second life of bree tanner布里·坦纳第二次短暂生命-第8部分

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se　next　time。　Set　a　better　example　for　the　babies。”　　Diego　just　laughed　with　him。　From　the　corner　of　my　eye；　it　seemed　like　Kevin　relaxed　some。　Was　he　really　that　worried　about　Diego　getting　him　in　trouble？　Maybe　Riley　listened　to　Diego　more　than　I　realized。　I　wondered　whether　that　was　why　Raoul　had　gotten　crazy　before。　　Was　it　a　good　thing　if　Diego　was　that　in　with　Riley　after　all？　Maybe　Riley　was　okay。　That　relationship　didn’t　promise　what　we　had；　did　it？　　Time　didn’t　pass　any　faster　after　the　sun　was　up。　It　was　crowded　and　unstable　in　the　basement；　like　every　day。　If　vampires　could　get　hoarse；　Riley　would　have　lost　his　voice　entirely　from　the　yelling。　A　couple　of　kids　temporarily　lost　limbs；　but　nobody　got　torched。　The　music　warred　with　the　game　tracks；　and　I　was　glad　I　didn’t　get　headaches。　I　tried　reading　my　books；　but　I　ended　up　just　flipping　through　one　after　the　other；　not　caring　enough　to　make　my　eyes　focus　on　the　words。　I　left　them　in　a　neat　stack　by　the　end　of　the　couch　for　Fred。　I　always　left　my　books　for　him；　though　I　never　could　tell　whether　he　read　them。　Couldn’t　look　at　him　closely　enough　to　see　what；　exactly；　
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he　did　with　his　time。　　At　least　Raoul　never　looked　my　way。　Neither　did　Kevin　or　any　of　the　others。　My　hiding　place　was　as　effective　as　ever。　I　couldn’t　see　if　Diego　was　smart　enough　to　ignore　me；　because　I　was　ignoring　him　so　thoroughly。　No　one　could　suspect　that　we　were　a　team；　except　maybe　Fred。　Had　Fred　been　paying　attention　as　I　prepared　to　fight　alongside　Diego？　Even　if　he　had；　I　didn’t　worry　too　much　about　it。　If　Fred　felt　any　particular　ill　will　toward　me；　he　could　have　let　me　die　last　night。　Would　have　been　easy。　　It　got　louder　as　the　sun　started　to　go　down。　We　couldn’t　see　the　light　fading　here　underground；　with　all　of　the　windows　upstairs　covered　just　in　case。　But　waiting　through　so　many　long　days　gave　you　a　good　sense　for　when　one　was　almost　over。　Kids　started　getting　antsy；　bugging　Riley　about　whether　they　could　go　out。　　“Kristie；　you　were　out　last　night；”　Riley　said；　and　you　could　hear　the　patience　wearing　thin　in　his　voice。　“Heather；　Jim；　Logan　　go　ahead。　Warren；　your　eyes　are　dark；　go　along　with　them。　Hey；　Sara；　I’m　not　blind　get　back　here。”　　The　kids　he　shut　down　sulked　in　the　corners；　some　of　them　waiting　for　Riley　to　leave　so　they　could　sneak　out　in　spite　of　his　rules。　　“Um；　Fred；　must　be　about　your　turn；”　Riley　said；　not　looking　in　our　direction。　I　heard　Fred　sigh　as　he　got　to　his　feet。　Everyone　cringed　as　he　moved　through　the　center　of　the　room；　even　Riley。　But　unlike　the　others；　Riley　smiled　a　little　to　himself。　He　liked　his　vampire　with　skills。　
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　I　felt　naked　with　Fred　gone。　Anyone　could　focus　on　me　now。　I　held　perfectly　still；　head　down；　doing　everything　in　my　power　not　to　call　attention　to　myself。　　Lucky　for　me；　Riley　was　in　a　hurry　tonight。　He　barely　paused　to　glare　at　the　people　who　were　clearly　edging　for　the　door；　let　alone　threaten　them；　as　he　headed　out　himself。　Normally　he’d　give　us　some　variant　on　the　usual　speech　about　keeping　a　low　profile；　but　not　tonight。　He　seemed　preoccupied；　anxious。　I’d　have　bet　he　was　going　to　see　her。　That　made　me　less　excited　about　catching　up　with　him　at　dawn。　　I　waited　for　Kristie　and　three　of　her　usual　panions　to　head　out；　and　I　slipped　out　in　their　wake；　trying　to　look　like　part　of　the　entourage　without　irritating　them。　I　didn’t　look　at　Raoul；　I　didn’t　look　at　Diego。　I　concentrated　on　seeming　inconsequentialno　one　to　notice。　Just　some　random　vampire　chick。　　Once　we　were　out　of　the　house；　I　split　off　from　Kristie　immediately　and　beat　it　into　the　woods。　I　hoped　only　Diego　would　care　enough　to　follow　my　scent。　Halfway　up　the　side　of　the　nearest　mountain；　I　made　my　perch　in　the　top　branches　of　a　big　spruce　that　cleared　its　neighbors　by　several　meters。　I　had　a　pretty　good　view　of　anyone　who　might　try　to　track　me。　　Turns　out　I　was　being　overcautious。　Maybe　I’d　been　too　cautious　all　day。　Diego　was　the　only　one　to　e　looking。　I　saw　him　from　a　distance　and　backtracked　to　meet　him。　　“Long　day；”　he　said；　giving　me　a　hug。　“Your　plan　is　hard。”　　I　hugged　him　back；　marveling　at　how　fortable　this　was。　“Maybe　I’m　just　being　paranoid。”　　“Sorry　about　Raoul。　That　was　close。”　
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　I　nodded。　“Good　thing　Fred　is　so　disgusting。”　　“I　wonder　if　Riley　knows　how　potent　that　kid　is。”　　“Doubt　it。　I’ve　never　seen　him　do　that　before；　and　I　spend　a　lot　of　time　around　him。”　　“Well；　that’s　Freaky　Fred’s　business。　We　have　our　own　secret　to　tell　Riley。”　　I　shuddered。　“Still　not　sure　that’s　a　good　idea。”　　“We　won’t　know　until　we　see　how　Riley　reacts。”　　“I　don’t　really　like　not　knowing；　as　a　general　rule。”　　Diego’s　eyes　narrowed　speculatively。　“How　do　you　feel　about　adventure？”　　“Depends。”　　“Well；　I　was　thinking　about　club　priorities。　You　know；　about　finding　out　as　much　as　we　can。”　　“And…？”　　“I　think　we　should　follow　Riley。　Find　out　what　he’s　doing。”　　I　stared。　“But　he’ll　know　we　tracked　him。　He’ll　catch　our　scents。”　　“I　know。　This　is　how　I　figure　it。　I　follow　his　scent。　You　keep　clear　by　a　few　hundred　yards　and　follow　my　sound。　Then　Riley　only　knows　I　followed　him；　and　I　can　tell　him　it’s　because　I　had　something　important　to　share。　That’s　when　I　do　the　big　reveal　with　the　disco　ball　effect。　And　I’ll　see　what　he　says。”　His　eyes　narrowed　as　he　examined　me。　“But　you…　you　just　play　it　close　to　the　chest　for　now；　okay？　I’ll　tell　you　if　he’s　cool　about　it。”　　“What　if　he　es　back　early　from　wherever　he’s　going？　Don’t　you　want　it　to　be　close　to　dawn　so　you　can　glitter？”　　“Yes…　that’s　definitely　a　possible　problem。　And　it　might　
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affect　the　way　the　conversation　goes。　But　I　think　we　should　risk　it。　He　seemed　like　he　was　in　a　hurry　tonight；　didn’t　he？　Like　maybe　he　needs　all　night　for　whatever　he’s　doing？”　　“Maybe。　Or　maybe　he　was　just　in　a　big　hurry　to　see　her。　You　know；　we　might　not　want　to　surprise　him　if　she’s　nearby。”　We　both　winced。　　“True。　Still…”　He　frowned。　“Doesn’t　it　feel　like　whatever’s　ing　is　getting　close？　Like　we　might　not　have　forever　to　figure　this　out？”　　I　nodded　unhappily。　“Yeah；　it　does。”　　“So　let’s　take　our　chances。　Riley　trusts　me；　and　I　have　a　good　reason　for　wanting　to　talk　to　him。”　　I　thought　about　this　strategy。　Though　I’d　only　known　him　for　a　day；　really；　I　was　still　aware　that　this　level　of　paranoia　was　out　of　character　for　Diego。　　“This　elaborate　plan　of　yours…；”　I　said。　　“What　about　it？”　he　asked。　　“It　sounds　kind　of　like　a　solo　plan。　Not　so　much　a　club　adventure。　At　least；　not　when　it　es　to　the　dangerous　part。”　　He　made　a　face　that　told　me　I’d　caught　him。　　“This　is　my　idea。　I’m　the　one　who…”　He　hesitated；　having　trouble　with　the　next　word。　“…　trusts　Riley。　I’m　the　only　one　who’s　going　to　risk　getting　on　his　bad　side　if　I’m　wrong。”　　Chicken　as　I　was；　this　didn’t　fly　with　me。　“Clubs　don’t　work　that　way。”　　He　nodded；　his　expression　unclear。　“Okay；　we’ll　think　about　it　as　we　go。”　　I　didn’t　think　he　really　meant　it。　
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　“Stay　in　the　trees；　track　me　from　above；　’kay？”　he　said。　　“Okay。”　　He　headed　back　toward　the　log　cabin；　moving　fast。　I　followed　through　the　branches；　most　of　them　so　closepacked　that　I　only　rarely　had　to　really　leap　from　one　tree　to　another。　I　kept　my　movements　as　small　as　possible；　hoping　that　the　bending　of　the　boughs　under　my　weight　would　just　look　like　wind。　It　was　a　breezy　night；　which　would　help。　It　was　cold　for　summer；　not　that　the　temperature　bothered　me。　　Diego　caught　Riley’s　scent　outside　the　house　without　trouble　and　then　loped　after　it　quickly　while　I　trailed　several　yards　back　and　about　a　hundred　yards　north；　higher　on　the　slope　than　he　was。　When　the　trees　were　really　thick；　he’d　rustle　a　trunk　now　and　again　so　I　wouldn’t　lose　him。　　We　kept　on；　with　him　running　and　me　impersonating　a　flying　squirrel；　for　only　fifteen　minutes　or　so　before　I　saw　Diego　slow　down。　We　must　have　been　getting　close。　I　moved　higher　in　the　branches；　looking　for　a　tree　with　a　good　view。　I　scaled　one　that　towered　over　its　neighbors；　and　scanned　the　scene。　　Less　than　half　a　mile　away　was　a　large　gap　in　the　trees；　an　open　field　that　covered　several　acres。　Near　the　center　of　the　space；　closer　to　the　trees　on　its　east　side；　was　what　looked　like　an　oversized　gingerbread　house。　Painted　bright　pink；　green；　and　white；　it　was　elaborate　to　the　point　of　ridiculousness；　with　fancy　trim　and　finials　on　every　conceivable　edge。　It　was　the　kind　of　thing　I　would　have　laughed　at　in　a　more　relaxed　situation。　　Riley　was　nowhere　in　sight；　but　Diego　had　e　to　a　plete　stop　below；　so　I　assumed　this　was　the　end　point　of　
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our　pursuit。　Maybe　this　was　the　replacement　house　Riley　was　preparing　for　when　the　big　log　cabin　crumbled。　Except　that　it　was　smaller　than　any　of　the　other　houses　we’d　stayed　in；　and　it　didn’t　look　like　it　had　a　basement。　And　it　was　even　farther　away　from　Seattle　than　the　last　one。　　Diego　looked　up　at　me；　and　I　signaled　for　him　to　join　me。　He　nodded　and　retraced　his　trail　a　little　ways。　Then　he　made　an　enormous　leap　I　wondered　if　I　could　have　jumped　that　high；　even　as　young　and　strong　as　I　wasand　caught　a　branch　about　halfway　up　the　closest　tree。　Unless　someone　was　being　extraordinarily　vigilant；　no　one　ever　would　have　noticed　that　Diego’d　made　a　side　trip　off　his　path。　Even　still；　he　jumped　around　in　the　treetops；　making　sure　his　trail　did　not　lead　directly　to　mine。　　When　he　finally　decided　it　was　safe　to　join　me；　he　took　my　hand　right　away。　Silently；　I　nodded　toward　the　gingerbread　house。　One　corner　of　his　mouth　twitched。　　Simultaneously　we　started　edging　toward　the　east　side　of　the　house；　keeping　high　up　in　the　trees。　We　got　as　close　as　we　dared　leaving　a　few　trees　as　cover　between　the　house　and　ourselves　　and　then　sat　silently；　listening。　　The　breeze　turned　helpfully　gentle；　and　we　could　hear　something。　Strange　little　brushing；　ticking　sounds。　At　first　I　didn’t　recognize　what　I　was　hearing；　but　then　Diego　twitched　another　little　smile；　puckered　his　lips；　and　silently　kissed　the　air　in　my　direction。　　Kissing　didn’t　sound　the　same　with　vampires　as　it　did　with　humans。　No　soft；　fleshy；　liquidfilled　cells　to　squish　against　each　
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other。　Just　stone　lips；　no　give。　I　had　heard　one　kiss　between　vampires　beforeDiego’s　touch　to　my　lips　last　night　but　I　never　would　have　made　the　connection。　It　was　so　far　from　what　I’d　expected　to　find　here。　　This　knowledge　spun　everything　around　in　my　head。　I　had　assumed　Riley　was　going　to　see　her；　whether　to　receive　instructions　or　bring　her　new　recruits；　I　didn’t　know。　But　I　had　never　imagined　stumbling　across　some　kind　of…　love　nest。　How　could　Riley　kiss　her？　I　shuddered　and　glanced　at　Diego。　He　looked　faintly　horrified；　too；　but　he　shrugged。　　I　thought　back　to　that　last　night　of　humanity；　flinching　as　I　remembered　the　vivid　burning。　I　tried　to　recall　the　moments　just　before　that；　through　all　the　fuzziness…。　First　there　was　the　creeping　fear　that　had　built　as　Riley　pulled　up　to　the　dark　house；　the　feeling　of　safety　I’d　had　in　the　bright　burger　joint　dissolving　entirely。　I　was　holding　back；　edging　away；　and　then　he’d　grabbed　my　arm　with　a　steel　grip　and　yanked　me　out　of　the　car　like　I　was　a　doll；　weightless。　Terror　and　disbelief　as　he’d　l