"Huff, Tanya - Keeper 3 - Long Hot Summoning" - читать интересную книгу автора (Huff Tanya)

And then the threshold was between them.
Ms. NealТs brow furrowed. She stared at Diana for a long moment, shook her head, and walked away.
Although not by nature a bouncy person, Diana almost skipped down the steps of the school. It was two thirty on Thursday, June the twenty-third, and she was finally free to be what sheТd been intended to be from birth. Crossing the threshold for that last time had moved her from reserve to active Keeper status.
At two thirty-one, the Summons hit.
Both hands clamped to her temples, she tried to uncross her eyes. УOkay. I probably should have expected that.Ф
УMom? You home?Ф
УSheТs at the Pough house,Ф Sam told her, coining out of the living room. УThere was some kind of emergency involving ravens and bad poetry. She said . . .Ф He paused, stared at Diana for a moment, then rubbed up against her shins. УWeТve got a Summons!Ф
УWe do.Ф She told him about the bracelet as they pounded upstairs.
УKingston?Ф Sam jumped up on the end of the bed. УShouldnТt it be ClaireТs Summons, then?Ф
УNo. ItТs mine.Ф
УYeah, but . . . you know . . . itТs just . . .Ф
УAustin.Ф Diana dumped assorted end-of-year crap out of her backpack and shoved in her laptop, a pair of clean jeans, socks, underwear, and her hiking boots. There were places Otherside where even heavy rubber sandals wouldnТt be enough. Actually, there Were places where hazmat suits wouldnТt be enough, but she planned on staying away from the Girl Guide camp. УYouТre afraid to go onto his territory.Ф
УI am not afraid. But he doesnТt like me.Ф
Zippered sweatshirt. Pajama bottoms. Tank tops. УHeТs old. He doesnТt like anyone except Claire.Ф
УHe likes you,Ф Sam protested following her into the bathroom.
УHe tolerates me because I can operate a can opener.Ф Shampoo. Toothbrush. Toothpaste. Soap. Towel. УDonТt worry. WeТll be in and out before Claire and Austin even know weТre there.Ф
Eyeing the toilet suspiciouslyЧwho knew porcelain could be so slipperyЧSam jumped up onto the edge of the sink. УYou know, a hole big enough to pass physical objects through might be harder to close than you think.Ф
Diana snorted, threw in a couple of rolls of toilet paper just in case, and headed for the kitchen where she packed a box of crackers, a jar of peanut butter, a nearly full bag of chocolate chip cookies, and six tins of cat food.
УLess chicken, more fish,Ф Sam told her.
УFish gives you cat food breath.Ф
He looked up from licking his butt. УAnd thatТs a problem because . . . ?Ф
УGood point.Ф She made the change, pulled the small litter box and a bag of litter out of the broom closet and packed them as well. УI think thatТs everything. Now I just need to leave a note for the Сrents.Ф
УMake sure they can see it.Ф A few moments later, his pupils closed down to vertical slits, Sam stared up at the brilliant letters chasing themselves around the refrigerator door. УThat seems a little much.Ф
УWell, theyТll be able to see it.Ф
УYeah; from orbit.Ф
УSome cats are never happy.Ф About to pick up the pack, she paused. УYou want to get in now? Our first rideТll meet us at the end of the driveway.Ф
УMight as well.Ф He flowed in through the open zipper, and the green nylon sides bulged as he made himself comfortable. УHey . . .Ф Folded space distorted his voice. УWhatТs with the rubber tree and the hat stand?Ф
УTheyТre holding open the possibilities.Ф Zipping up all but the top six inches, Diana swung the pack over her shoulders and headed for the road.
Their first ride took them into Lucan.
Their second, to London.
In London, they got a lift from a trucker carrying steel pipe to Montreal. Diana spent the trip strengthening the cables that held the pipes to the flatbedЧ a little accident preventionЧand Sam horked up a hairball on the artificial lambТs wool seat cover. Which was how they found themselves standing by the side of the road in Napanee, a small town forty minutes east of Kingston.
At SamТs insistence, they stopped for supper at MomТs Restaurant . . .
УNo, thatТs not a cat in my backpack. ItТs an orange sweater that just happens to enjoy tuna.Ф
. . . where they met someone willing to take them the rest of the way.
Her back to the West GardenerТs Mall parking lot, Diana waved as the metallic green Honda merged into Highway Two traffic. УThat was fun. I donТt think IТve ever heard СItТs Raining MenТ sung with so much enthusiasm.Ф
УMy ears hurt,Ф Sam muttered, jumping out onto the grass.
УI suppose youТd rather have angelic choirs?Ф
УAre you nuts? All those trumpetsЧitТs like John Philip Sousa does choral music.Ф Carefully aligning his back end, he sprayed the base of a streetlight. УItТs all praise God and pass the oom pah pah.Ф
УIТm not even sure I know what that means, but just on principle, please tell me youТre kidding.Ф
УOkay, IТm kidding.Ф
She turned to face the mall. УNow say it like you mea . . .Ф And froze. УOy, mama. ThatТs not good.Ф
The circles of light that overlapped throughout the parking lot had all been touched with red, creating a sinisterЧalthough faintly clichщdЧeffect. At just past nine, with the mall officially closed, the acres of crimson-tinted asphalt were empty of everything but half a dozen . . .
УMinivans. ItТs worse than I thought.Ф
He had stood at this door, at this time, every Friday night for the last twenty-one years. There had been other doors in the long years before, but there would be no other doors after. He would make his last stand here. The door was open only to allow late shoppers to exit; he, a human lock, protected the mall from those who would enter after hours.
He watched the girl stride toward him. His lips curled at the sight of bare legs between sandals and shorts. His eyes narrowed in disgust at the way her breasts moved under her T-shirt. He snorted at her backpack and her youth.
Were it up to him, heТd never let her kind into the mall. He knew what they got up to. Talking. Laughing. Standing in groups. Standing in pairs. Pairs tucked away in BozoТs School Bus using lips and hands.
He stiffened as she stopped barely an armТs length away.
УThe mall is closed. It will reopen tomorrow at nine a.m.Ф
Pink lips parted. УPlease move out of my way.Ф
Twenty-one years at this door. УThe mall is closed. It will reopen tomorrow at nine a.m.Ф