分节阅读_109

  to think about what i'm about to do, so
  we go already?” i asked.
  ”and you're worried, not because you're headed to meet a houseful of
  vampires, but because you think those vampires won't approve of you,
  correct?”
  ”that's right,” i answered immediately, hiding my surprise at his casual
  use of the word.
  he shook his head. ”you're incredible.”
  i realized, as he drove my truain part of town, that i had
  no idea where he lived. we passed over the bridge at the calawah river,
  the road winding northward, the houses flashing past us growing farther
  apart, gettihehe other houses altogether,
  driving through misty forest. i was tryiher to ask or be
  patieurly onto an unpaved road. it was unmarked,
  barely visible amohe forest eh sides,
  leaving the road ahead only disible for a few meters as it twisted,
  serpentlike, arou trees.
  aer a few miles, there was some thinning of the woods, and we
  were suddenly in a small meadow, or was it actually a lawn? the gloom of
  the forest didhough, for there were six primordial cedars
  that shaded ah their vast sweep of brarees
  held their proteg shadht up to the walls of the house that rose
  among them, makihe deep porch that ed arou
  story.
  i don't know ected, but it definitely wasn't this. the
  house was timeless, grad probably a hundred years old. it was
  pai, faded white, three stories tall, regular and well
  proportiohe windows and doors were either part inal
  structure or a perfey truck was the ht. i
  could hear the river close by, hiddey of the forest.
  ”wow.”
  ”you like it?” he smiled.
  ”it… has a charm.”
  he pulled the end of my ponytail and chuckled.
  ”ready?” he asked, opening my door.
  ”le bit — let's go.” i tried to laugh, but it seemed to
  get stu my throat. i smoothed my hair nervously.
  ”you look lovely.” he took my hand easily, without thinking about it.
  we walked through the deep shade up to the porew he could feel my
  tension; his thumb rubbed soothihe bay hand.
  he opehe door for me.
  the inside was even m, less predictable, thaerior.
  it was very bright, very open, and very large. this must have inally
  been several rooms, but the walls had been removed from most of the first
  floor to e wide space. the back, south-fag wall had been
  entirely replaced with glass, ahe shade of the cedars, the
  lawo the wide river. a massive g staircase
  domi side of the room. the walls, the high-beamed g,
  the wooden floors, ahick carpets were all varyie.
  waitianding just to the left of the door, on a raised
  portion of the floor by a spectad piano, were edward's parents.
  i'd seen dr. before, of course, yet i 't help but be struck
  again by his youth, his eous perfe. at his side was esme, i
  assumed, the ohe family i'd never seen before. she had the
  same pale, beautiful features as the rest of them. something about her
  heart-shaped face, her billows of soft, caramel-colored hair, reminded me
  of the ihe silent-movie era. she was small, sle less
  angular, more rouhe others. they were both dressed casually,
  in light atched the ihe house. they smiled in
  welade o approach us. trying nhten me, i
  guessed.
  ”carlisle, esme,” edward's voice broke the short silehis is bella.”
  ”you're very wele, bella.” carlisle's step was measured, careful as he
  approached me. he raised his haively, and i stepped forward to
  shake hands with him.
  ”it's o see you again, dr. .”
  ”please, call me carlisle.”
  ”carlisle.” i gri him, my sudden ce surprising me. i could
  feel edward's relief at my