"Timothy Zahn - The Green and the Gray" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zahn Timothy)

standing outside looking in at them, her slim figure framed by the darkening sky and the lights of the
cityscape behind her, was the girl from last night, still wearing the same patchwork tunic and tights.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out in a whoosh, Roger crossed the room, popped the broomstick
out of the rail, and slid back the door.
The girl ducked her head toward him in a sort of abbreviated bow. "May I come in?" she asked. Her
voice was deep and throaty, with a slight accent Caroline couldn't place.
"Sure," Roger said, stepping to the side. "Unless you want to stay outside with the trees all night."
It seemed to Caroline that she gave Roger a sharp look at that. But with only that one moment of
hesitation, she stepped inside. "Thank you," she said. "And thank you for helping me last night."
"It seemed the right thing to do," Caroline said, ungluing herself from the floor and moving forward
as Roger closed the door and latched it. "I don't believe we've properly met," she added. "I'm
Caroline Whittier. This is my husband, Roger."
"Hello," the girl said, ducking her head again. "I'm Melantha GreтАФ" She broke off abruptly.
Gre? "Green?" Caroline hazarded, glancing at the green-and-gray color scheme of her tunic.
The girl's lips compressed briefly. "Yes," she conceded.


file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Timothy%20Zahn%20-%20The%20Green%20and%20the%20Gray.htm (23 of 424)22-12-2006 15:57:21
The Green and the Gray

"Melantha Green," Caroline repeated. It was, she decided, an attractive combination of the exotic
and the down-to-earth. "That's a nice name. How old are you?"
"Twelve," Melantha said. "I'll be thirteen next May."
"I'll bet you're looking forward to becoming a teenager," Caroline commented. "Do you have any
family?"
The girl sent a furtive glance back over her shoulder at Roger. "I'm really hungry," she said. "Do you
have anything I could eat?"
So family wasn't a topic she wanted to talk about. Interesting. "Certainly," Caroline said, taking her
hand and leading her back toward the kitchen. Her skin was cool, but not nearly as cold as it should
have been if she'd been sitting out on the balcony all day. "The casserole's not ready, but I can get
you something to tide you over. Do you like cheese?"
"Goat's cheese?" Melantha asked hopefully as they stepped into the kitchen.
"Sorry," Roger said from behind them. "Just plain old cow-brand cheddar."
"That's okay," Melantha said, eying the cheese hungrily as Caroline pulled out one of the two chairs
at the small breakfast table and settled her into it.
"You can start with this," Caroline said, piling the slices she'd already cut onto a plate and setting it
in front of her. "Would you like some milk or juice? We have orange and apple."
The girl had one of the slices in hand before the plate even hit the table. "Some apple, please?"
"Certainly," Caroline said, getting a glass out of the cabinet and turning toward the fridge. She had to
make a quick sidestep around Roger, who was suddenly and inexplicably moving past her toward the
table. "Tell me, why did you leave us last night?" she asked as she pulled out the bottle of juice.
"Do you have any bread?" Melantha asked.
"Sure," Roger said. He had settled in at the spot where Caroline had been cutting the cheese earlier,
his back to the counter as he faced the girl. Keeping his eyes on her, he pulled open the bread drawer
and snagged a bag of dinner rolls. "Why did you leave?" he asked as he handed them over.
For a half second Melantha looked up at him. Roger gave her a smileтАФa forced smile, Caroline
could tell, but a smile nonetheless. "I was afraid," she said, dropping her gaze back to the table and
undoing the twist tie on the rolls. "I heard voices."
"That was just the police," Roger told her. "They were here to help."
"Someone attacked you," Caroline said, carrying the glass of juice to the table. "Do you remember