Rachel Hawkins

You know, I can see more than just the future or the past.""Really?" I asked, paging through through the papers in the file. "Can you also see the present? Because I can do that, too. Like, right now, I sense that I'm in a messy room with a total toolbox.

No. Don't distract me with your sexy talk.

Must be weird for you, having your mom here.""Weird for me, weird for her, probably weird for you since you had to give up your swinging bachelor pad.""Mrs. Casnoff let me install my heart-shaped Jacuzzi in my new dorm room.""Cal," I said with mock astonishment, "did you just make a joke?""Maybe.

Um...Mercer? Haven't seen you in nearly a month. I was expecting something like, 'Oh Cross, love of my heart, fire of my loins, how I've longed--

I don't know what I was expecting a vampire's room to look like. Maybe lots of black, a bunch of books by Camus... oh, and a sensitive portrait of the only human the vamp ever loved, who had no doubt died of something beautiful and tragic, thus dooming the vamp to an eternity of moping and sighing dramatically.What can I say? I read a lot of books.

When someone tells you somebody__ been murdered, laughing is probably not the best response. You know, for future reference.But laughing is exactly what I did.

But this room looked like it had been decorated by the unholy lovechild of Barbie and Strawberry Shortcake.

I heard the man and woman cry a warning as I frantically racked my brain for some sort of throat-repairing spell, which I was clearly about to need. Of course the only words that I actually managed to yell at the werewolf as he ran at me were, 'BAD DOG!'Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of blue light on my left. Suddenly, the werewolf seemed to smack into an invisible wall just inches in front of me...."You know," someone said off to my left, "I usually find a blocking spell to be a lot more effective than yelling 'Bad dog,' but maybe that's just me.

No, but as a vampire, I'm able to detect subtle shifts in emotional energy.

Right. So no plans at all then?"Jenna frowned. "Other than rocking in the fetal position for a while?""Yeah, I was thinking about taking one of those showers where you huddle in the corner fully clothed and cry," Archer offered.

So hologram means--" I finally said."It means non-corporeal, yeah. Which sucks seeing as how there are a lot of very corporeal things I'd like to do with you right now.

Yeah, I was thinking about taking one of those showers where you huddle in the corner fully clothed and cry," Archer offered.

I picked up the nearest weapon I could lay my hands on: a stapler. I lifted it, going for __enacing._ I admit it lacked a certain elegance, but hey. It was worth a shot. David placed his hand on my arm and pushed it back down.__hat?___ust . . . that__ embarrassing for all of us,_ he replied.

It just seems like overkill when you already have a dagger and I have superpowerful magic at my disposal.____uperpowerful?___e stood up, a gold chain dangling from his fingers. __et me remind you of two words, Mercer: Bad. Dog.

Jackass, jackass on the wall, where's the info on Hex Hall?

Mom always liked to say that we hardly ever know the decisions we make that change our lives, mostly because they are little ones. You took this bus instead of that one and ended up meeting your soul mate, that kind of thing. But there was no doubt in my mind that this was one of those life-changing moments.

Cryptic Dad is cryptic,' I muttered ... We'd hung out all day today. Was there no time in there he could have said, 'Oh, hey, meet me at the magical bookcase at the butt-crack of dawn tomorrow, cool?

No, but I mean do you like him? You know, in the carnal sense."I rolled my eyes. "You've clearly been spending too much time with Dex.