6 the short second life of bree tanner布里·坦纳第二次短暂生命-第5部分
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ou’re wele。” We looked at each other in the dark for a minute。 His face was smooth and calm。 With anyone else； Kevin or Kristie or any of the others； this would have been terrifying the constricted
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space； the forced closeness。 The way I could smell his scent on every side of me。 That could have meant a quick and painful death at any second。 But Diego was so posed。 Not like anyone else。 “How old are you？” he asked abruptly。 “Three months。 I told you that。” “That’s not what I meant。 Um； how old were you？ I guess that’s the right way to ask。” I leaned away； unfortable； when I realized he was talking about human stuff。 Nobody talked about that。 Nobody wanted to think about it。 But I didn’t want to end the conversation； either。 Just having a conversation at all was something new and different。 I hesitated； and he waited with a curious expression。 “I was； um； I guess fifteen。 Almost sixteen。 I can’t remember the day… was I past my birthday？” I tried to think about it； but those last hungry weeks were a big blur； and it hurt my head in a weird way to try to clear them up。 I shook my head； let it go。 “How about you？” “I was just past my eighteenth；” Diego said。 “So close。” “Close to what？” “Getting out；” he said； but he didn’t continue。 There was an awkward silence for a minute； and then he changed the subject。 “You’ve done really well since you got here；” he said； his eyes sweeping across my crossed arms； my folded legs。 “You’ve survived avoided the wrong kind of attention； kept intact。” I shrugged and then yanked my left tshirt sleeve up to my shoulder so he could see the thin； ragged line that circled my
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arm。 “Got this ripped off once；” I admitted。 “Got it back before Jen could toast it。 Riley showed me how to put it back on。” Diego smiled wryly and touched his right knee with one finger。 His dark jeans covered the scar that must have been there。 “It happens to everybody。” “Ouch；” I said。 He nodded。 “Seriously。 But like I was saying before； you’re a pretty decent vampire。” “Am I supposed to say thanks？” “I’m just thinking out loud； trying to make sense of things。” “What things？” He frowned a little。 “What’s really going on。 What Riley’s up to。 Why he keeps bringing the most random kids to her。 Why it doesn’t seem to matter to Riley if it’s someone like you or if it’s someone like that idiot Kevin。” It sounded like he didn’t know Riley any better than I did。 “What do you mean； someone like me？” I asked。 “You’re the kind that Riley should be looking for the smart ones not just these stupid gangbangers that Raoul keeps bringing in。 I bet you weren’t some junkie ho when you were human。” I shifted uneasily at the last word。 Diego kept waiting for my answer； like he hadn’t said anything weird。 I took a deep breath and thought back。 “I was close enough；” I admitted after a few seconds of his patient watching。 “Not there yet； but in a few more weeks…” I shrugged。 “You know； I don’t remember much； but I do
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remember thinking there was nothing more powerful on this pla than just plain old hunger。 Turns out； thirst is worst。” He laughed。 “Sing it； sister。” “What about you？ You weren’t a troubled teen runaway like the rest of us？” “Oh； I was troubled； all right。” He stopped talking。 But I could sit around and wait for the answers to inappropriate questions； too。 I just stared at him。 He sighed。 The scent of his breath was nice。 Everybody smelled sweet； but Diego had a little something extra some spice like cinnamon or cloves。 “I tried to stay away from all that junk。 Studied hard。 I was gonna get out of the ghetto； you know。 Go to college。 Make something of myself。 But there was a guy not much different than Raoul。 Join or die； that was his motto。 I wasn’t having any； so I stayed away from his group。 I was careful。 Stayed alive。” He stopped； closing his eyes。 I wasn’t done being pushy。 “And？” “My kid brother wasn’t as careful。” I was about to ask if his brother had joined or died； but the expression on his face made asking unnecessary。 I looked away； not sure how to respond。 I couldn’t really understand his loss； the pain it still clearly caused him to feel。 I hadn’t left anything behind that I still missed。 Was that the difference？ Was that why he dwelled on memories that the rest of us shunned？ I still didn’t see how Riley came into this。 Riley and the cheeseburger of pain。 I wanted that part of the story； but now I felt bad for pushing him to answer。
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Lucky for my curiosity； Diego kept going after a minute。 “I kind of lost it。 Stole a gun from a friend and went hunting。” He chuckled darkly。 “Wasn’t as good at it then。 But I got the guy that got my brother before they got me。 The rest of his crew had me cornered in an alley。 Then； suddenly； Riley was there； between me and them。 I remember thinking he was the whitest guy I’d ever seen。 He didn’t even look at the others when they shot him。 Like the bullets were flies。 You know what he said to me？ He said； ‘Want a new life； kid？’” “Hah！” I laughed。 “That’s way better than mine。 All I got was； ‘Want a burger； kid？’” I still remembered how Riley’d looked that night； though the image was all blurry because my eyes’d sucked back then。 He was the hottest boy I’d ever seen； tall and blond and perfect； every feature。 I knew his eyes must be just as beautiful behind the dark sunglasses he never took off。 And his voice was so gentle； so kind。 I figured I knew what he would want in exchange for the meal； and I would have given it to him； too。 Not because he was so pretty to look at； but because I hadn’t eaten anything but trash for two weeks。 It turned out he wanted something else； though。 Diego laughed at the burger line。 “You must have been pretty hungry。” “Damn straight。” “So why were you so hungry？” “Because I was stupid and ran away before I had a driver’s license。 I couldn’t get a real job； and I was a bad thief。” “What were you running from？”
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I hesitated。 The memories were a little more clear as I focused on them； and I wasn’t sure I wanted that。 “Oh； c’mon；” he coaxed。 “I told you mine。” “Yeah； you did。 Okay。 I was running from my dad。 He used to knock me around a lot。 Probably did the same to my mom before she took off。 I was pretty little thenI didn’t know much。 It got worse。 I figured if I waited too long I’d end up dead。 He told me if I ever ran away I’d starve。 He was right about that only thing he was ever right about as far as I’m concerned。 I don’t think about it much。” Diego nodded in agreement。 “Hard to remember that stuff； isn’t it？ Everything’s so fuzzy and dark。” “Like trying to see with mud in your eyes。” “Good way to put it；” he plimented me。 He squinted at me like he was trying to see； and rubbed his eyes。 We laughed together again。 Weird。 “I don’t think I’ve laughed with anybody since I met Riley；” he said； echoing my thoughts。 “This is nice。 You’re nice。 Not like the others。 You ever try to have a conversation with one of them？” “Nope； I haven’t。” “You’re not missing anything。 Which is my point。 Wouldn’t Riley’s standard of living be a little higher if he surrounded himself with decent vampires？ If we’re supposed to protect her； shouldn’t he be looking for the smart ones？” “So Riley doesn’t need brains；” I reasoned。 “He needs numbers。” Diego pursed his lips； considering。 “Like chess。 He’s not
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making knights and bishops。” “We’re just pawns；” I realized。 We stared at each other again for a long minute。 “I don’t want to think that；” Diego said。 “So what do we do？” I asked； using the plural automatically。 Like we were already a team。 He thought about my question for a second； seeming uneasy； and I regretted the “we。” But then he said； “What can we do when we don’t know what’s happening？” So he didn’t mind the team thing； which made me feel really good in a way I didn’t remember ever feeling before。 “I guess we keep our eyes open； pay attention； try to figure it out。” He nodded。 “We need to think about everything Riley’s told us； everything he’s done。” He paused thoughtfully。 “You know； I tried to hash some of this out with Riley once； but he couldn’t have cared less。 Told me to keep my mind on more important thingslike thirst。 Which was all I could think about then； of course。 He sent me out hunting； and I stopped worrying…。” I watched him thinking about Riley； his eyes unfocused as he relived the memory； and I wondered。 Diego was my first friend in this life； but I wasn’t his。 Suddenly his focus snapped back to me。 “So what have we learned from Riley？” I concentrated； running through the last three months in my head。 “He really doesn’t tell us much； you know。 Just the vampire basics。” “We’ll have to listen more carefully。” We sat in silence； pondering this。 I mostly thought about
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how much I didn’t know。 And why hadn’t I worried about everything I didn’t know before now？ It was like talking to Diego had cleared my head。 For the first time in three months； blood was not the main thing in there。 The silence lasted for a whil
