Read Online Under My Skin (Wildlings) by Charles de Lint - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Charles de Lint
Tags: Fantasy
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standing up for her and everything.
I feel a bit guilty for not having more sympathy that her parents threw her out. That does suck big-time, but why does it have to be Josh that she turns to? Elzie's gorgeous. She could have her pick of any guy she wanted.
And then there's Chaingang getting all friendly with Josh. I didn't expect them to get buddy-buddy. I know they weren't really talking about the band. Josh only said that for our sake. Chaingang gave me the same pep talk on being a Wildling after I changed.
He wasn't the first to give me advice, though. A guy named Jez showed up the first time I changed and told me the basics. I'm glad it wasn't Chaingang who did that, because I was buck naked. I've learned to change back wearing my clothes since then.
But when Chaingang did approach me, he was really sweet. Before I actually met him, I was scared to death of the guy. When he called me over at the beach that day, I thought I may as well drown myself right then and there. Instead, he told me that he knew what I was and warned me to be careful and all. He said he'd protect me if I got into trouble.
I kind of enjoyed the fact that he was, I don't know, softer around me than he'd ever acted before. I guess I felt as though he'd specifically chosen me to be close to. Now I realize I misread him. I know he won't out me to Josh, but somehow it hurts that they're all pals now.
Josh is free to like whoever he wants and so is Chaingang, but it's just hard to feel less and less special to either one of them.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to catch the biggest swells I can find and ride them like there's nothing on the planet except for me and a few tons of crazy water.
Josh
My phone vibrates under my pillow that night at around two in the morning. I'd turned it on with the ringer off. Let's face it, I was curious if Elzie would call. I look at the call display and my pulse does a little jump.
"Josh?" her voice says in my ear as soon as I press talk.
"Hi," I say. "Are you okay?"
"Oh sure."
"How'd you get away?"
"I'm good at that kind of thing."
"I guess you are."
"Did they stop you at all?" she asks.
"Just to ask a couple of questions."
"What did they want to know?"
"Mostly how I knew you."
"What did you say?"
"That I didn't. I told them that you just came up to me and started trying to sell me on getting proactive about the environment and I was only listening because you're cute."
I want to call the word back as soon as it comes out of my mouth, but it's too late.
"You think I'm cute?"
"Well … um …"
She responds with a throaty laugh and I feel something stirring under the sheets. I never really got the concept of phone sex before, but I think I do now.
"That's sweet," she says. "Living like I do, I kind of forget that there are nice guys like you out there."
Nice. Man. Do I want to be the nice guy? The nice guy never gets the girl.
"So where are you now?" I ask.
"Safe. But maybe not for long."
"Why not? Are they still after you?"
"I don't know if they're exactly after me. I think I'm just a 'person of interest' because they've seen me hanging around with Danny."
"So why aren't you safe?"
"I'm going after Danny."
"Really? But the FBI has him."
"And that's so not right. I've tried to get some of the others to help me, but everybody thinks Danny's a flake and that we should just cut him loose."
"But you can't."
"I know he's a flake," she says, "but he's still one of us. They shouldn't be allowed to take him away like that. He never did anything to anyone. And he helped me sometimes."
"So what are you going to do?"
She doesn't answer right away, but then she says, "I was hoping you might help me."
I remember what Marina said about her being a taker, but I think of how I'd feel if I was the one that the FBI shot full of tranqs and then locked away in some secret place. I'd sure want someone to help me.
"What do you want me to do?" I ask.
Fifteen minutes later, I'm standing in the
I feel a bit guilty for not having more sympathy that her parents threw her out. That does suck big-time, but why does it have to be Josh that she turns to? Elzie's gorgeous. She could have her pick of any guy she wanted.
And then there's Chaingang getting all friendly with Josh. I didn't expect them to get buddy-buddy. I know they weren't really talking about the band. Josh only said that for our sake. Chaingang gave me the same pep talk on being a Wildling after I changed.
He wasn't the first to give me advice, though. A guy named Jez showed up the first time I changed and told me the basics. I'm glad it wasn't Chaingang who did that, because I was buck naked. I've learned to change back wearing my clothes since then.
But when Chaingang did approach me, he was really sweet. Before I actually met him, I was scared to death of the guy. When he called me over at the beach that day, I thought I may as well drown myself right then and there. Instead, he told me that he knew what I was and warned me to be careful and all. He said he'd protect me if I got into trouble.
I kind of enjoyed the fact that he was, I don't know, softer around me than he'd ever acted before. I guess I felt as though he'd specifically chosen me to be close to. Now I realize I misread him. I know he won't out me to Josh, but somehow it hurts that they're all pals now.
Josh is free to like whoever he wants and so is Chaingang, but it's just hard to feel less and less special to either one of them.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to catch the biggest swells I can find and ride them like there's nothing on the planet except for me and a few tons of crazy water.
Josh
My phone vibrates under my pillow that night at around two in the morning. I'd turned it on with the ringer off. Let's face it, I was curious if Elzie would call. I look at the call display and my pulse does a little jump.
"Josh?" her voice says in my ear as soon as I press talk.
"Hi," I say. "Are you okay?"
"Oh sure."
"How'd you get away?"
"I'm good at that kind of thing."
"I guess you are."
"Did they stop you at all?" she asks.
"Just to ask a couple of questions."
"What did they want to know?"
"Mostly how I knew you."
"What did you say?"
"That I didn't. I told them that you just came up to me and started trying to sell me on getting proactive about the environment and I was only listening because you're cute."
I want to call the word back as soon as it comes out of my mouth, but it's too late.
"You think I'm cute?"
"Well … um …"
She responds with a throaty laugh and I feel something stirring under the sheets. I never really got the concept of phone sex before, but I think I do now.
"That's sweet," she says. "Living like I do, I kind of forget that there are nice guys like you out there."
Nice. Man. Do I want to be the nice guy? The nice guy never gets the girl.
"So where are you now?" I ask.
"Safe. But maybe not for long."
"Why not? Are they still after you?"
"I don't know if they're exactly after me. I think I'm just a 'person of interest' because they've seen me hanging around with Danny."
"So why aren't you safe?"
"I'm going after Danny."
"Really? But the FBI has him."
"And that's so not right. I've tried to get some of the others to help me, but everybody thinks Danny's a flake and that we should just cut him loose."
"But you can't."
"I know he's a flake," she says, "but he's still one of us. They shouldn't be allowed to take him away like that. He never did anything to anyone. And he helped me sometimes."
"So what are you going to do?"
She doesn't answer right away, but then she says, "I was hoping you might help me."
I remember what Marina said about her being a taker, but I think of how I'd feel if I was the one that the FBI shot full of tranqs and then locked away in some secret place. I'd sure want someone to help me.
"What do you want me to do?" I ask.
Fifteen minutes later, I'm standing in the
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