分节阅读_166

  ool, dim light of a fadi.
  as soon as we were alone, he swuo his arms, and carried me
  across the dark grounds till he reached the behe shadow of
  the madro there, keeping me cradled against his chest.
  the moon , visible through the gauzy d his face
  glowed pale ie light. his mouth was hard, his eyes troubled.
  ”the point?” i prompted softly.
  he igaring up at the moon.
  ”twilight, again,” he murmured. ”an. no matter how perfect
  the day is, it always has to end.”
  ”some things don't have to end,” i muttered through my teeth, instantly
  tense.
  he sighed.
  ”i brought you to the prom,” he said slowly, finally answering my
  question, ”because i don't want you to miss anything. i don't want my
  preseake anything away from you, if i help it. i want you to
  be human. i want your life to ue as it would have if i'd died in
  een like i should have.”
  i shuddered at his words, and then shook my head angrily. ”in what
  strange parallel dimension would i ever have goo prom of my own free
  will? if you weren't a thousarohan me, i would never
  have let you get away with this.”
  he smiled briefly, but it didn't touch his eyes. ”it wasn't so bad, you
  said so yourself.”
  ”that's because i was with you.”
  we were quiet for a miared at the moon a him. i
  wished there was some laierested i was in a
  normal human life.
  ”will you tell me something?” he asked, glane with a slight
  smile.
  ”don't i always?”
  ”just promise you'll tell me,” he insisted, grinning.
  i knew i was gret this almost instantly. ”fine.”
  ”you seemed holy surprised when you figured out that i was taking you
  here,” he began.
  ”i was,” i ied.
  ”exactly,” he agreed. ”but you must have had some other theory… i'm
  curious — what did you think i was dressing you up for?”
  yes, i. i pursed my lips, hesitating. ”i don't want to tell
  you.”
  ”you promised,” he objected.
  ”i know.”
  ”what's the problem?”
  i k it was mere embarrassment holding me back. ”i think it
  will make you mad — or sad.”
  his brows pulled together over his eyes as he thought that through. ”i
  still want to know. please?”
  i sighed. he waited.
  ”well… i assumed it was some kind of… o. but i didn't think it
  would be some trite human thing… prom!” i scoffed.
  ”human?” he asked flatly. he'd pi the key word.
  i looked down at my dress, fidgeting iece of . he
  waited in silence.
  ”okay,” i fessed in a rush. ”so i ing that you might have
  ind… that y to ge me, after all.”
  a dozeions played across his fae i reized: anger… pain…
  ao self and his expression became amused.
  ”you thought that would be a black tie o, did you?” he teased,
  toug the lapel of his tuxedo jacket.
  i sy embarrassment. ”i don't know how these things work.
  to me, at least, it seems more rational than prom does.” he was still
  grinning. ”it's not funny,” i said.
  ”no, yht, it's not,” he agreed, his smile fading. ”i'd rather
  treat it like a joke, though, than believe you're serious.”
  ”but i am serious.”
  he sighed deeply. ”i know. and you're really that willing?”
  the pain was ba his eyes. i bit my lip and nodded.
  ”so ready for this to be the end,” he murmured, almost to himself, ”for
  this to be the twilight of your life, though your life has barely
  started. you're ready to give up everything.”
  ”it's 's the beginning,” i disagreed under my breath.
  ”i'm not worth it,” he said sadly.
  ”do you r