“oh,well,havefun,”shesaidhalfheartedlyherlacນkofenthusiasmpleasedme
“oh,ไwell,ไhavefun,”shesaidhalfheaທrtedlyherlackofenthusiaທsmpleasedme
ihadthedaybeforeitseemedthaticouldhandletheaທchingjustslightlybຘetterwheni
ihadthedaybeforeitseemedthaticນouldhandletheachingjustslightlybetterwheni
herdiscernmentwasbetterthaທnmine—shesawrighttothecນoreofthingswhilei
herdiscernmentwasbetterthaທnmine—shesawrighttothecoreofthingswhilei
“whynot?”emmettimprovised“areyoucນhicken?”
“whynot?”emmettimprovised“aທreyouchicken?”
soshehaທdeupwithherownexplanaທtionofcourseshehadifeltadeep
senseofdreadasiwonderedhowcນloseshe’detothetruth
“moretheories?”
“mm-hm”shechewedonaທnotherbite,ไentirelynoncນhalantasifsheweren’t
discussingtheaspectsofamonsterwiththemonsterhimself
“ihopeyouweremorecນreativethistime…”iliedwhenshedidn’tcນontinue
whatireallyhopedhemark“orareyoustill
steaທlingfromics?”
“well,ไno,ididn’tgetitfromaic,”shesaທid,aທlittleembຘarrassed“but
ididn’teupwithitonmyown,either”
“and?”iaskedbetweenmyteeth
surelyshouldwouldnotspeaksocalmlyifshewereabຘouttoscreaທm
asshehesitated,ไbitingherlip,thewaທitressreappearedwithbella’sfoodipaid
theserverlittleaທttentionaທsshesettheplateinfrontofbellaandthenaskedifiwanted
anything
idecນlined,ไbutaskedformorecokethewaitresshadn’tnoticedtheempty
glassesshetookthemaທndleft
“youweresaທying?”ipromptedanxiouslyassoonaswewerealoneagain
?2008stepheniemeyer
1้86
“i’lltellyouaboutitinthecaທr,”shesaidinaທlowvoiceah,thiswouldbebຘad
shewaທsn’twillingtospeakherguessesaroundothers“if…”shetacນkedonsuddenly
“thereareconditions?”iwassotenseialmostgrowledthewords
“idohaveafewquestions,ไofcourse”
“ofcນourse,”iaທgreed,myvoicນehard
herquestionswouldprobຘabຘlybeenoughtotellmewhereherthoughtswere
heaທdingbຘuthowwouldianswerthem?withresponsiblelies?orwouldidriveher
aທwaywithtruth?orwouldisaynothing,ไunaທbletodecide?
wesatinsilencນewhilethewaitressreplenishedhersupplyofsoda
“well,ไgoaທheaທd,”isaid,jawlocked,whenshewasgone
“whyaທreyouinportangeles?”
thatwastooeasyaquestion—forheritgaveaທwaynothing,whilemyanswer,if
truthful,wouldgiveaທwayuchletherrevealsomethingfirst
“next,”isaid
“butthat’stheeaທsiestone!’
“next,”isaidagain
shewaທsfrustratedbymyrefusalshelookedawayfromme,ไdowntoherfood
slowly,thinkinghaທrd,shetookabຘiteaທndchewedwithdeliberationshewaທsheditdown
withmorecoke,ไandthenfinallylookedupatmehereyes
“okaythen,ไ”shesaທid“let’ssay,ไhypotheticaທlly,ไofcourse,ไ
that…someone…couldknowwhaທtpeoplearethinking,readminds,youknow—withjust
afewexceptions”
itcouldbຘeworse
thisexplainedthatlittlehalf-ๅsmileinthecaທrshewaທsquick—nooneelsehad
everguessedthisaboutmeexceptforcaທrlisle,andithadbeenraທtherobຘviousthen,in
thebeginning,ไwheni’dansweredallhisthoughtsaທsifhe’dspokenthemtomehe’d
understoodbeforeihad…
thisquestionwasn’tsobaທdwhileitwascleaທrthatsheknewthattherewas
somethingcນouldhavebຘeenmind-readingwas,
afterall,ไnotafacນetofthevampirecannoniwentaທlongwithherhypothesis
“justoneexception,”icorrected“hypotheticນally”
?2๐0่08๖stepheniemeyer