Yes!” Said Fang, Punching The Air. “freaks

I Was Breathless, Talking As Fast As I Could. I Was Afraid If I Stopped Talking, Even For A Second, I’d Start Sobbing Again. “whoa, There.” Fang Smiled And Reached Up, Tracing A Hand Down The Side Of My Face, Winding Strands Of My Hair Around His Fingers. “stop Talking And Let Me Just Tell You How Great It Is To Wake Up Staring At Your Face. Okay?

I Moved To Leave, And Dylan Actually Grabbed My Shoulders. I Was So Surprised That I Forgot To Karate-chop His Elbows And Break His Arms.' “i Don’t Want Anything To Happen To You,” He Said Urgently. “what You Want Does Not Matter Here,” I Said Slowly And Carefully. I Hoped Dylan Was Sensitive Enough To Read Between The Lines, To The Subtext Of: Let Go Of Me Or I’ll Kill You.

There Was Something I Needed To Say. “sorry. About Before.” Fang Shot A Sideways Glance At Me, His Eyes Dark And Inscrutable, As Always. He Looked Back Out At The Water. I Didn’t Expect Any More Acknowledgment Than That. Fang Never- “you Almost Gave Me A Heart Attack,” He Said Quietly. “when I Saw You, And All That Blood . . .” He Threw A Small Rock As Hard As He Could Down The Beach. “i’m Sorry.” “don’t Do It Again,” He Said. I Swallowed Hard. “i Won’t.” Something Changed Right Then, But I Didn’t Know What.

You Could Lock The Gasman In A Padded Cell With Some Dental Floss And A Bowl Of Jell-o, And He'd Find A Way To Make Something To Explode.

I Stood My Ground. "you Evil Scientist Are All The Same--evil. Count Me Out." Fang And I Brushed Past Mr. God And Walked Quickly But Smoothly To The Exit. It Was Barely Noon, And I'd Already Made A Huge Enemy. Dang, I'm Good.