。 Before I was expecting it; the forest began to thin; and I knew I
would soon be able to see the
first little houses of the reservation。
Walking away; along the left side of the road; was a tall boy with a baseball
cap。
My breath caught for just a moment in my throat; hopeful that luck was with me
for once; and I'd
srumbled across Jacob without hardly trying。 But this boy was too wide; and
the hair was short under the
hat。 Even from behind; I was sure it was Quil; though he looked bigger than
the last time I'd seen him。
What was with these Quileute boys? Were they feeding them experimental growth
hormones?
I crossed over to the wrong side of the road to stop next to him。 He looked up
when the roar of my
truck approached。
Quil's expression frightened me more than it surprised me。 His face was bleak;
brooding; his forehead
creased with worry。
〃Oh; hey; Bella;〃 he greeted me dully。
〃Hi; Quil Are you okay?〃
He stared at me morosely。 〃Fine。〃
〃Can I give you a ride somewhere?〃 I offered。
〃Sure; I guess;〃 he mumbled。 He shuffled around the front of the truck and
opened the passenger door to
climbin。
〃Where to?〃
〃My house is on the north side; back behind the store;〃 he told me。
〃Have you seen Jacob today。〃 The question burst from me almost before he'd
finished speaking。
I looked at Quil eagerly; waiting for his answer。 He stared out the windshield
for a second before he
spoke。 〃From a distance;〃 he finally said。
〃A distance?〃 I echoed。
〃I tried to follow them—he was with Embry。〃 His voice was low; hard to hear
over the engine。 I leaned