07 The Return_ Midnight - L. J. Smith

More documents

Recommendations

Info

At a quarter to eleven Meredith came to Matt, who was cleaning the scratches of a yellow-haired eight-year-old. “Okay,” she said quietly, “I’m going to take my car and get the new amulets Mrs. Saitou said she’d have done by now. Do you mind if I take Saber?” Matt shook his head. “No, I’ll do it. I know the Saitous better, anyway.” Meredith gave what, in a less refined person, might have been called a snort. “I know them well enough to say, excuse me, Inari-Obaasan; excuse me, Orime-san; we’re the troublemakers who keep asking for huge amounts of anti-evil amulets, but you don’t mind that, do you?” Matt smiled faintly, let the eight-year-old go, and said, “Well, they might mind it less if you got their names straight. ‘Obaasan’ means ‘grandma,’ right?” “Yes, of course.” “And ‘san’ is just a thingy you put at the end of a name to be polite.” Meredith nodded, adding, “And ‘a thingy at the end’ is called an ‘honorific suffix.’” “Yeah, yeah, but for all your big words you’ve got their names wrong. It’s Orimegrandma and Orime-Isobel’s-mother. So Orime-Obaasan and Orime-san, too.” Meredith sighed. “Look, Matt, Bonnie and I met them first. Grandma introduced herself as Inari. Now I know she’s a little wacky, but she would certainly know her own name, right?” “And she introduced herself to me and said not just that she was named Orime, but that her daughter was named after her. Talk your way out of that one.” “Matt, shall I get my notebook? It’s in the boardinghouse den—” Matt gave a short sharp laugh—almost a sob. He looked to make sure Mrs. Flowers wasn’t around and then hissed, “It’s somewhere down at the center of the earth, maybe. There is no den anymore.” For a moment Meredith looked simply shocked, but then she frowned. Matt glared darkly. It didn’t help to think that they were the two most unlikely of their group to quarrel. Here they were, and Matt could practically see the sparks flying. “All right,” Meredith said finally, “I’ll just go over there and ask for Orime-Obaasan, and then tell them it was all your fault when they laugh.” Matt shook his head. “Nobody’s going to laugh, because you’re going to get it right that way.” “Look, Matt,” Meredith said, “I’ve been reading so much on the Internet that I even know the name Inari. I’ve come across it somewhere. And I’m sure I would have made…made the connection…” Her voice trailed off. When Matt turned his eyes down from the ceiling, he started. Meredith’s face was white and she was breathing quickly. “Inari…” she whispered. “I do know that name, but…” Suddenly she grabbed Matt’s wrist so hard that it hurt. “Matt, is your computer absolutely dead?” “It went when the electricity went. By now even the generator is gone.” “But you have a mobile that connects to the Internet, right?” The urgency in her voice made Matt, in turn, take her seriously. “Sure,” he said. “But the battery’s been kaput for at least a day. Without electricity I can’t recharge it. And my mom took hers. She can’t live without it. Stefan and Elena must’ve left their stuff at the boardinghouse—” He shook his head at Meredith’s hopeful expression and whispered, “Or, should I say, where the boardinghouse used to be.” “But we have to find a mobile or computer that works! We have to! I need it to work for just a minute!” Meredith said frantically, breaking away from him and beginning to pace as if trying to beat some world record. Matt was staring at her in bewilderment. “But why?”
“Because we have to. I need it, even just for a minute!” Matt could only gaze at her, perplexed. Finally he said, “I guess we can ask the kids.” “The kids! One of them has got to have a live mobile! Come on, Matt, we have to talk to them right now.” She stopped and said, rather huskily, “I pray that you’re right and I’m wrong.” “Huh?” Matt had no idea what was going on. “I said I pray that I’m wrong! You pray, too, Matt—please!”
Page 2 and 3:
L. J. Smith The Vampire Diaries The
Page 4 and 5:
Contents 1 Elena Gilbert put down t
Page 6 and 7:
28 Elena was nodding slowly. “It
Page 8 and 9:
1 “Dear Diary, I’m so frightene
Page 10 and 11:
species he’s come to hate and sco
Page 12 and 13:
one. Step two. Step three—I must
Page 14 and 15:
against a wall, or throw her across
Page 16 and 17:
Is she thinking about Stefan in the
Page 18 and 19:
vampirism was a curse. Humans never
Page 20 and 21:
3 Damon leaped. Somewhere in the mi
Page 22 and 23:
“So—assuming you’re alive—y
Page 24 and 25:
Matt’s eyes met Meredith’s and
Page 26 and 27:
comes to the final showdown with Sh
Page 28 and 29:
No, I would not let Sage make me in
Page 30 and 31:
“Well, I can—if you’re done,
Page 32 and 33:
5 “I thought you wanted to get ou
Page 34 and 35:
Stefan! I never begged your pardon
Page 36 and 37:
scared, Damon thought. “I’m mor
Page 38 and 39:
short shake of curls and then a yaw
Page 40 and 41:
He now ascended the steps slowly. H
Page 42 and 43:
“No, I’m serious! When I’m a
Page 44 and 45:
“Now sit down there,” he adjure
Page 46 and 47:
9 Damon dropped his hand. He simply
Page 48 and 49:
them off, not when you’re sleepin
Page 50 and 51:
dressed in a flannel nightgown with
Page 52 and 53:
10 Damon was making his way up the
Page 54 and 55:
He stood again, looking at the girl
Page 56 and 57:
definitely don’t like it. And tha
Page 58 and 59:
11 When M. le Princess Jessalyn D
Page 60 and 61:
Damon smiled at the surly guard.
Page 62 and 63:
Bonnie threw the star ball across t
Page 64 and 65:
12 “Stefan. Stefan!” Elena had
Page 66 and 67:
him back tightly, knowing that her
Page 68 and 69:
13 Elena, sleeping serenely with on
Page 70 and 71:
it up with some of the papers. When
Page 72 and 73:
into the urns. We do know that the
Page 74 and 75:
14 The next morning Elena noticed t
Page 76 and 77:
Matt cleared his throat as somethin
Page 78 and 79:
shop, maybe six or seven. One brown
Page 80 and 81:
15 Bonnie woke slowly, coming up fr
Page 82 and 83:
entertainment—even the Dustbins w
Page 84 and 85:
starting to feel better she was hus
Page 86 and 87:
comfort of her own. The next minute
Page 88 and 89:
star ball.” “Mouse, here, is ri
Page 90 and 91:
examined her, murmuring, “Hair of
Page 92 and 93:
17 Meredith and Matt were sitting a
Page 94 and 95:
“Since I first saw you, I loved y
Page 96 and 97:
They’re faster, she thought. As f
Page 98 and 99:
18 After breakfast Matt went online
Page 100 and 101:
stared at him but with eerie, uncan
Page 102 and 103:
The Gilbert-Maxwells were Elena’s
Page 104 and 105:
seated Misao on the couch, rubbing
Page 106 and 107:
Meredith, Matt, and Bonnie were fri
Page 108 and 109:
Long pause. Then her mother drained
Page 110 and 111:
Meredith stared in utter disbelief.
Page 112 and 113:
21 Someone was still knocking on St
Page 114 and 115:
It was Influence. Before Elena coul
Page 116 and 117:
e wrong. She and Stefan had only jo
Page 118 and 119:
22 “Mama said not in Fell’s Chu
Page 120 and 121:
They were just playing, he figured,
Page 122 and 123:
your first witness.” “We call C
Page 124 and 125:
Matt realized that the duct tape ar
Page 126 and 127:
23 In the car, Matt sat by the slee
Page 128 and 129:
She had the attic bed straightened
Page 130 and 131:
“I know that!” Bonnie said indi
Page 132 and 133:
24 Stefan woke early. He spent the
Page 134 and 135: “I’ll bring it,” Elena offere
Page 136 and 137: And only Matt knew how close he had
Page 138 and 139: deep kiss. For a moment he resisted
Page 140 and 141: 25 “Sleeping in the storage room
Page 142 and 143: fingers closed on a small sheaf of
Page 144 and 145: stamped on it, but the malach insid
Page 146 and 147: what was out there before they step
Page 148 and 149: Good-bye, Pelat. You may go.” “
Page 150 and 151: 27 Stefan whirled around and saw Bo
Page 152 and 153: and-ruby necklace and ring—but no
Page 154 and 155: Bonnie’s head came up. “Even th
Page 156 and 157: efore putting her down again. “Yo
Page 158 and 159: “Is it safe, having Biratz carry
Page 160 and 161: Elena hesitated. It was true; she c
Page 162 and 163: Damon’s warm hand was inside her
Page 164 and 165: oh, God, he might murder Stefan. Ag
Page 166 and 167: elow her feet, or so it seemed. It
Page 168 and 169: other Godawful Hellacious monsters
Page 170 and 171: Biratz’s trunks. “It was pointl
Page 172 and 173: 30 “Strip to your underwear and g
Page 174 and 175: Something was shaking the room. Sha
Page 176 and 177: we’ll destroy the container.”
Page 178 and 179: comfortingly. At last Damon dropped
Page 180 and 181: “Can you make it?” Stefan asked
Page 182 and 183: 32 “Damon doesn’t mean to be su
Page 186 and 187: 33 Elena was waiting for the fog to
Page 188 and 189: in Fell’s Church the Last Midnigh
Page 190 and 191: She found herself bumping into a ha
Page 192 and 193: 34 “You’ve been fed and taken c
Page 194 and 195: There was also a picture of a pair
Page 196 and 197: “Or where,” said the old woman.
Page 198 and 199: 35 Elena felt as if she had been do
Page 200 and 201: Elena did and gasped. For just an i
Page 202 and 203: he’d had his puppet, Damon, do wh
Page 204 and 205: “A little. But I could hear you,
Page 206 and 207: 36 Matt broke a lot of traffic rule
Page 208 and 209: shining as silver as her hair. Matt
Page 210 and 211: knew she had to keep going. Isobel
Page 212 and 213: 37 Then Meredith saw something that
Page 214 and 215: parent this night, and no parent ha
Page 216 and 217: 38 Damon had stopped and was kneeli
Page 218 and 219: was proper javelin size, had gone t
Page 220 and 221: Suddenly, a huge shudder—a convul
Page 222 and 223: Thank you…Elena. Thank you…for
Page 224 and 225: 39 Elena clutched the child to her.
Page 226 and 227: them and Damon’s body between two
Page 228 and 229: Elena knew, as perhaps this child d
Page 230 and 231: earlier. Stefan and Bonnie had been
Page 232 and 233: 41 Stefan didn’t move or speak fo
Page 234 and 235:
how do we offer them the Fountain o
Page 236 and 237:
plant to survive in. Elena stared s
Page 238 and 239:
air car. Instead of a crash with on
Page 240 and 241:
“That’s what you tell us!” St
Page 242 and 243:
escape. But she eventually was comp
Page 244 and 245:
at the blurry mass of Guardians aro
Page 246 and 247:
fierce and concerned and loving and
Page 248 and 249:
felt her soul expand and come out o
Page 250 and 251:
44 On the smallest moon of the Neth
Page 252 and 253:
Other Books by L. J. Smith THE VAMP
Page 254 and 255:
Credits Jacket art © 2011 by Carri
Page 256 and 257:
About the Publisher Australia Harpe
Page 258:
42 43 44 About the Author Other Boo
show all

07 The Return_ Midnight - L. J. Smith

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?