"L. J. Smith - Vampire Diaries 04 - Dark Reunion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith Lisa J)

desperation in her own voice.
Meredith paused and her keen dark eyes searchedBonnie's face curiously. Then
she knocked on the door. "I just hope Caroline's not staying home tonight. We
could end up stuck with her."
"Caroline staying home on a Saturday night?Don't be ridiculous." Bonnie had
been holding her breath too long; she was starting to feel lightheaded. Her tinkling
laughter came out brittle and false. "What a concept," she continued somewhat
hysterically as Meredith said, "I don't thinkanybody's home," and tried the
knob.Possessed by some crazy impulse Bonnie added, "Fiddle-dee-dee."
 Hand on doorknob, Meredith stopped dead and turned to look at her.
"Bonnie," she said quietly, "haveyou gone completely through the ozone?"
"No." Deflated, Bonnie grabbed Meredith's arm and sought her eyes urgently.
The door was opening on its own. "Oh, God, Meredith, please don't kill meтАж"
"Surprise!" shouted three voices.
"Smile," Bonnie hissed, shoving the suddenly resistant body of her friend through
the door and into the bright room full of noise and showers of foil confetti. She
beamed wildly herself and spoke through clenched teeth. "Kill me laterтАФI deserve
itтАФbut for now just smile."


There were balloons, the expensive Mylar kind, and a cluster of presents on the
coffee table. There was even a flower arrangement, although Bonnie noticed the
orchids in it matched Caroline's pale green scarf exactly. It was a Hermes silk with a
design of vines and leaves. She'll end up wearing one of those orchids in her hair, I'll
bet, Bonnie thought.
Sue Carson's blue eyes were a little anxious, her smile wavering. "I hope you
didn't have any big plans for tonight, Meredith," she said.
"Nothing I can't break with an iron crowbar," Meredith replied. But she smiled
back with wry warmth and Bonnie relaxed. Sue had been a Homecoming Princess
on Elena's court, along with Bonnie, Meredith, and Caroline. She was the only girl at
school besides Bonnie and Meredith who'd stood by Elena when everyone else had
turned against her. At Elena's funeral she'd said that Elena would always be the real
queen of Robert E. Lee, and she'd given up her own nomination for Snow Queen in
Elena's memory. Nobody could hate Sue. The worst was over now, Bonnie thought.
"I want to get a picture of us all on the couch," Caroline said, positioning them
behind the flower arrangement. "Vickie, take it, will you?"
Vickie Bennett had been standing by quietly, unnoticed. Now she said, "Oh,
sure," and nervously flicked long, light brown hair out of her eyes as she picked up
the camera.
Just like she's some kind of servant, Bonnie thought, and then the flashbulb
blinded her.
As the Polaroid developed and Sue and Caroline laughed and talked around
Meredith's dry politeness, Bonnie noticed something else. It was a good picture;
Caroline looked stunning as ever with her auburn hair gleaming and the pale green
orchids in front of her. And there was Meredith, looking resigned and ironic and
darkly beautiful without even trying, and there she was herself, a head shorter than
the others, with her red curls tousled and a sheepish expression on her face. But the
strange thing was the figure beside her on the couch. It was Sue, of course it was
Sue, but for a moment the blond hair and blue eyes seemed to belong to someone
else.Someone looking at her urgently, on the verge of saying something important.