"Mary Janice Davidson - Betsy 01 - Undead And Unwed" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davidson Mary Janice)

was almost midnight, all the lights on the lower level were blazing. My mom suffered from insomnia at the
best of times. Which this certainly wasnтАЩt.

I bounded up the porch steps, knocked twice, then turned the knob. UnlockedтАФone of the things I
loved about Hastings.

I stepped into the living room and saw an old woman sitting in my motherтАЩs chair. She had my motherтАЩs
curly white hair (Mom had started going gray in high school), and was wearing my momтАЩs black suit, and
my momтАЩs pearlsтАФa wedding gift from her parents.
 тАЬWhoтАФ?тАЭ тАШтАФare youтАЩ, I almost asked, but of course it was my mother. Shock and grief had put
twenty years on her face. SheтАЩd gotten pregnant with me one month out of high school, and weтАЩd often
been mistaken for sisters. Not today.

She stared. She tried to speak but her mouth trembled and made speech impossible. She gripped the
arms of her rocking chair so hard I heard the bones creak. I rushed across the room and threw myself at
the foot of her chair. She looked so dreadful I was terrified. тАЬMom, itтАЩs meтАФitтАЩs okay! IтАЩm okay!тАЭ

тАЬThis is the worst dream IтАЩve ever had,тАЭ she remarked to no one in particular. I felt her hand come up
and gently touch the top of my head. тАЬYes indeed.тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs not a dream, Mom.тАЭ I grabbed her hand, pressed it to my cheek. тАЬSee? ItтАЩs real.тАЭ I pinched her
leg through the skirt, hard enough to make her yelp. тАЬSee?тАЭ

тАЬYou wretched child, IтАЩm going to have a bruise the size of a plum.тАЭ I felt her tears dripping down on
my face. тАЬYou awful, awful child. Such a burden. Such aтАФтАЭ She started to cry in earnest and couldnтАЩt
finish the familiar, well-loved fake complaints.

We held each other for a long time.

*****

тАЬDonтАЩt be scared,тАЭ I said about half an hour later, тАЬbut IтАЩm a vampire.тАЭ

тАЬAs Jessica would say, тАШI donтАЩt give a shit.тАЩ Also, you move faster than the human eye can track. Did
you know?тАЭ

тАЬWhat?тАЭ

Mom tossed a handful of freshly grated Parmesan into the risotto and stirred. тАЬWhen you ran to me. I
blinked and you were at my feet. You moved faster than I could follow. Either youтАЩve been involved in
some sort of secret scientific government-sponsored experiment and never mentioned itтАФтАЭ

тАЬNo, but thatтАЩs a good one. IтАЩll have to remember it.тАЭ

тАЬOr thereтАЩs a supernatural explanation.тАЭ

I blinked. Mom had always had a strong practical streak, but she was adjusting to my undead status
with unbelievable aplomb.

She must have read my expression, because she said, тАЬSweetie, you were dead. I was at the morgue. I