"Peg Kerr - The Wild Swans" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kerr Peg)

around himself into the darkness of the warehouse, outside the trembling circle of light thrown by the
candle, the feeling of comfort, of safety, ebbed away like dirty snow heaped up against a hot air grate.
He shivered. He felt cold and hungry and, though he didnтАЩt like to admit it, even to himself, desperately
scared. There arenтАШt any guardian angels here.
тАЬI gotta get some money,тАЭ he said.
Gil tapped his cigarette ash into the tuna can. тАЬYou went to the plasma center, didnтАЩt you?тАЭ
тАЬYeah, but I didnтАЩt get much.тАЭ
Gil nodded. тАЬThatтАЩs why I donтАЩt go no more. It doesnтАЩt help to be skinny when they pay by the
pound.тАЭ
тАЬAnd they wonтАЩt let me sell any more till Tuesday.тАЭ
тАЬYou donтАЩt want to try sneaking into another center?тАЭ
Elias shook his head. тАЬNo, I think theyтАЩre right. IтАЩm about bled out for now.тАЭ
тАЬThereтАЩs always Dumpster diving. Find something to pawn. Collecting cans.тАЭ
тАЬUh-huh.тАЭ He had been trying to do that the last day and a half, but other scroungers had picked over
most of the Dumpsters heтАЩd visited. He hadnтАЩt eaten since yesterday morning.
тАЬYou could grab an old ladyтАЩs purse.тАЭ
тАЬNo,тАЭ Elias said firmly.
тАЬItтАЩs easy.тАЭ
 тАЬThatтАЩs not the point. IтАЩm not going to do it.тАЭ He closed his eyes, trying desperately to find comfort in
the fact that heтАЩd rejected the idea so quickly, so automatically. Surely that meant he still had some
standards left... didnтАЩt it?
But look how far heтАЩd already fallen in just a couple of weeks. How long would it take before heтАЩd
be willing to seriously consider bashing in some old ladyтАЩs face? Even with his eyes still closed, Elias
could feel GilтАЩs cool, steady gaze, and he imagined he knew exactly what it meant: DonтАЩt think itтАЩll be
long before you change your mind.
When he opened his eyes again, Gil was studying the glowing tip of his cigarette. тАЬOr maybe ... you
could go out with Luke or me.тАЭ
Elias opened his mouth and shut it again. Part of him wanted to answer, Yeah, I suppose I could,
while another part screamed, Jesus, no way. Not ever. He felt cold dread gathering in the pit of his
stomach. Maybe, he told himself grimly, this was what hitting bottom meant: trying to figure out which of
two previously unimaginable alternatives was the least ugly. тАЬWhatтАЩs it like?тАЭ he asked softly after a
moment.
тАЬOh, it depends. Sometimes you just get fat guys from the burbs who want you to listen as they cry in
their beer about how their wives just donтАЩt understand them.тАЭ
тАЬReally.тАЭ
тАЬYeah. DonтАЩt count on it, though.тАЭ He took another drag. тАЬMost of the time you gotta earn it.тАЭ He
stubbed the cigarette out as Elias digested this. тАЬItтАЩs an option. Let me know if you want to try. YouтАЩve
got other options, you know.тАЭ He got up and stepped back toward his corner. Back into the darkness.
Elias looked down at his hands. His fingernails were bitten down to the quick. When had he done
that? He couldnтАЩt even remember. He was losing all track of time. He leaned over and blew the candle
out and settled himself again for sleep.
Other optionsтАФright. The only other option that would get me out of this is going home.
Only I donтАЩt have a home anymore.



Chapter One


Although I am a Country Lasse,