Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer [86]
I wasnt always so paranoid, but I remembered the feel of Sams commitment. The total one-track focus on destroying the danger he saw. Would he take advantage of the fact that he could lie to us now?
No problem! Seth was only too eager to do whatever he could. You want me to explain to the Cullens? Theyre probably still kinda tense.
I got it. I want to check things out anyway.
They caught the whir of images from my fried brain.
Seth whimpered in surprise. Ew.
Leah whipped her head back and forth like she was trying to shake the image out of her mind. That is easily the freakin grossest thing Ive heard in my life. Yuck. If there was anything in my stomach, it would be coming back.
They are vampires, I guess, Seth allowed after a minute, compensating for Leahs reaction. I mean, it makes sense. And if it helps Bella, its a good thing, right?
Both Leah and I stared at him.
What?
Mom dropped him a lot when he was a baby, Leah told me.
On his head, apparently.
He used to gnaw on the crib bars, too.
Lead paint?
Looks like it, she thought.
Seth snorted. Funny. Why dont you two shut up and sleep?
* * *
14. YOU KNOW THINGS ARE BAD WHEN YOU FEEL GUILTY FOR BEING RUDE TO VAMPIRES
When I got back to the house, there was no one waiting outside for my report. Still on alert?
Everythings cool, I thought tiredly.
My eyes quickly caught a small change in the now-familiar scene. There was a stack of light-colored fabric on the bottom step of the porch. I loped over to investigate. Holding my breath, because the vampire smell stuck to the fabric like you wouldnt believe, I nudged the stack with my nose.
Someone had laid out clothes. Huh. Edward must have caught my moment of irritation as Id bolted out the door. Well. That was nice. And weird.
I took the clothes gingerly between my teeth- ugh-and carried them back to the trees. Just in case this was some joke by the blond psychopath and I had a bunch of girls stuff here. Bet shed love to see the look on my human face as I stood there naked, holding a sundress.
In the cover of the trees, I dropped the stinking pile and shifted back to human. I shook the clothes out, snapping them against a tree to beat some of the smell from them. They were definitely guys clothes-tan pants and a white button-down shirt. Neither of them long enough, but they looked like theyd fit around me. Must be Emmetts. I rolled the cuffs up on the shirtsleeves, but there wasnt much I could do about the pants. Oh well.
I had to admit, I felt better with some clothes to my name, even stinky ones that didnt quite fit. It was hard not being able to just jet back home and grab another pair of old sweatpants when I needed them. The homeless thing again-not having anyplace to go back to. No possessions, either, which wasnt bothering me too bad now, but would probably get annoying soon.
Exhausted, I walked slowly up the Cullens porch steps in my fancy new secondhand clothes but hesitated when I got to the door. Did I knock? Stupid, when they knew I was here. I wondered why no one acknowledged that-told me either to come in or get lost. Whatever. I shrugged and let myself in.
More changes. The room had shifted back to normal-almost-in the last twenty minutes. The big flat-screen was on, low volume, showing some chick flick that no one seemed to be watching. Carlisle and Esme stood by the back windows, which were open to the river again. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were out of sight, but I heard them murmuring upstairs. Bella was on the couch like yesterday, with just one tube still hooked into her, and an IV hanging behind the back of the sofa. She was wrapped up like a burrito in a couple of thick quilts, so at least theyd listened to me before. Rosalie was cross-legged on the ground by her head. Edward sat at the other end of the couch with Bellas burritoed feet