分节阅读_142

  d to walk there
  after school…” i said, my v off. i didn't miss the look they
  exged.
  ”here ihen?” his voice was still casual.
  ”yes,” i whispered. ”fifty-eighth street and cactus.”
  we all sat iaring at the drawing.
  ”alice, is that phone safe?”
  ”yes,” she reassured me. ”the number would just trace back to washington.”
  ”then i use it to .”
  ”i thought she was in florida.”
  ”she is — but she's e soon, and she 't e back to that
  house while…” my voice trembled. i was thinking about something edward
  had said, about the red-haired female at charlie's house, at the school,
  where my records would be.
  ”how will you reach her?”
  ”they don't have a perma at the house — she's supposed
  to check her messages regularly.”
  ”jasper?” alice asked.
  he thought about it. ”i don't think there's any way it could hurt — be
  sure you don't say where you are, of course.”
  i reached eagerly for the phone ahe familiar rang
  four times, and then i heard my mom's breezy voig me to leave a
  message.
  ”mom,” i said after the beep, ”it's me. listeo do
  something. it's important. as soon as you get this message, call me at
  this number.” alice was already at my side, writing the number for me on
  the bottom of her picture. i read it carefully, twice. ”please don't go
  ail you talk to me. don't worry, i'm okay, but i have to talk
  tht away, e you get this call, all right? i
  love you, mom. bye.” i y eyes ah all my might that
  no unforeseen ge of plans w her hot my
  message.
  i settled into the sofa, nibbling oover fruit,
  antig a lohought about g charlie, but i
  wasn't sure if i should be home by now or not. i trated on the
  g out for stories about florida, or ab training —
  strikes or hurries or terrorist attaything that might send
  them home early.
  immortality must graieher jasper nor alice seemed
  to feel the o do anything at all. for a while, alice sketched the
  vague outlihe dark room from her vision, as much as she could see
  i from the tv. but when she was done, she simply sat, looking
  at the blank walls with her timeless eyes. jasper, too, seemed to have no
  urge to pace, or peek through the s, out the
  door, the way i did.
  i must have fallehe coug for the ph
  agaiouch of alice's ds woke me briefly as she carried me
  to the bed, but i was unscious again before my head hit the pillow.
  ===========================================================================
  21. phone call
  i could feel it was tain when i woke, and i knew i was getting
  the sy days and nights slowly reversed. i lay in my bed and
  liste voices of alid jasper ihat
  they were loud enough for me to hear at all was strange. i rolled till my
  feet touched the floor aaggered to the living room.
  the the tv said it was just after two in the m. alid
  jasper were sittihe sofa, alice sketg again while
  jasper looked over her shoulder. they didn't look up wheoo
  engrossed in alice's work.
  i crept to jasper's side to peek.
  ”did she see something more?” i asked him quietly.
  ”yes. something's brought him ba with the vcr, but it's
  light now.”
  i watched as alice drew a square room with dark beams across its low
  g. the walls were paneled in wood, a little too dark, out of date.
  the floor had a dark carpet attern in it. there was a large
  window agaih ening through the west wall led
  to the living room. o eone — a large tan
  stohat en to both rooms. the focus of the room from
  this perspective, the tv and v a too-sm