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.Whenshe happened to catch Jez's eye she smiled brilliantly, her small faceactually glowing with smug satisfaction.Aunt Nan was shaking her head.'I just want to make sure she understands,Jim.I thought she understood last night, but obviously." She threw herhands up."Well, the thing is-" Uncle Jim cleared his throat again and looked at Jez.He looked uncomfortable; he wasn't very good at discipline, but Jezcould see that he'd reached his limit."The thing is that we can't just keepyelling at you.We have to do something, Jez.So we've decided to lock up yourmotorcycle.You can't ride it anymore, not until you learn to be moreresponsible."Jez sat stunned.Not her bike.They couldn't take her bike from her.How would she get anywhere?She had to be mobile.She had to get to Morgead tomorrow-she had to get toHugh sometime.She had to be able to track down the Wild Power.And shecouldn't do any of that without transportation.Page 76ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlBut she could see from Uncle Jim's face that he was serious.He'd finallydecided to put his foot down, and Jez had gotten caught underneath it.She let out her breath.Part of her wanted to yell and storm and rage aboutthis, to lose control and make a big noisy fuss.But it wouldn't do any good.Besides, she'd managed to keep her temper foralmost a year with these people, to live her double life as a student andvampire hunter and make it all work.To blow that now would be stupid.And another part of her was scared that she was even verging on losingcontrol.That was what even a day with Morgead did to her.It cut through allher careful discipline and changed her back into a raving barbarian.Morgead.she couldn't think about him now."Okay, Uncle Jim," she said out loud."I understand.You do what you haveto.""If you can just show us that you're learning to be responsible, then you canhave the bike back.You have to learn to take life more seriously, Jez."That forced a tired snort out of her.She was laughing before she knew it,and her aunt and uncle were looking shocked and displeased.I'm sorry," she said.'I'll try harder."And I'll just have to take public transportation tomorrow, she thought whenthe lecture was over and she was free to go to her room.Even though that's alot more dangerous.I could get hunted down so easily."You messed with the wrong person, you know?" Claire said as Jez reached herdoor."You shouldn't have dumped me like that.You shouldn't make me mad.""Yeah, Claire; well, now I know better.I'm terrified.""You're still not taking things seriously, are you?""Claire-" Jez rounded on the smaller girl.Then she stopped dead."I don'thave time for this," she muttered."I have to make a call.You just run alongand harass somebody else."She shut the bedroom door in Claire's face.Which, she realized later, was a mistake.At the time, though, she was tootired to think about it.She was too tired to think properly at all.Tired and distraught, with thefeeling that everything was closing in and happening too fast.And so when she picked up the phone to dial Hugh she hardly noticed thelittle click on the line, and she didn't stop for even a second to considerwhat it meant.CHAPTER14Did you have trouble getting away?" Hugh saidPage 77ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlIt was the next morning, a very different sort of day from yesterday.The skywas overcast and the air was heavy.Everyone Jez had passed at the ConcordBART station looked a little depressed."Eh, a little," she said, and sat down by Hugh on the platform.They were atthe far end of the station, beyond the covered area with benches, beside alittle concrete security house.It was a safe and private meeting place sincethe station was almost deserted after the morning commute."They chained up mybike with this huge chain.Claire drove me to school-she's been watching melike a werewolf guarding dinner.And Aunt Nan called the office to make sure Ididn't cut" Hugh shifted in concern.There was a tiny breathof warm wind, and it stirred his fair hair."So what did you do?"Jez grinned."I cut." She shrugged and added, "I got a guy from my auto shopclass to drive me here.It wasn't hard."He smiled at her sadly, his gray eyes distant."But they're going to findout.Jez, I'm really sorry for completely messing up your life."She shrugged again."Yeah, but if I don't do it, everybody's life is going tobe even more completely messed up.Every human's.""I know." He shivered slightly.Then he drew up his legs, clasping his armsaround them.He looked at her with his chin on his knees."So what did youfind out?""That the girl Morgead thought was the Wild Power isn't [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]