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.She just drives and drives andthinks and thinks.Is it possible that Polly is right and Aaron borrowed his story from the book? She drives anddrives.No, it can t be.Eventually, she decides to park in a movie theater parking lot the next town over.But what if.?She takes the copy of The Immortals from the passenger seat and begins to read.You know this story.She reads the cover: The Immortals by Annabelle Reve.She turns to the first page. There are two kinds of people in the world: those who believe in love and those who don t.Ibelieve in love.She s flipping pages so quickly she gets a paper cut..lonely being the new kid in school..because you re the most interesting person in the whole damn place. They just weren t looking close enough. As much as it will kill me, I ll leave, Jane, and I won t even be able to say goodbye.Paige can t even finish reading the book.What she feels is violated.It s as if someone has beenwiretapping every single conversation she has ever had with Aaron and then transcribed them for allthe world to see.To read! Even their most private exchanges.Things that no one in the world couldhave known.The only real change is Paige s name.In the book, Paige is called Jane.Reading thatname feels like being burned.Or erased.She turns to the back jacket flap. Annabelle Reve, shereads,  lives in New York City with her son.The Immortals is her first novel. There s a colorphotograph of her, too.She looks to be in her early thirties.She s pretty, Paige decides.Like someonefrom an old painting.And then, Paige notices Annabelle Reve s eyes they re gray and violet just like.Paigerereads the bio.No mention of a husband.Just a son.It doesn t necessarily add up, but Paige doesknow one thing: She has to find Annabelle Reve.Paige calls Information on the off chance that Annabelle Reve is listed; she is.No phone number,but there is an address and it s not even that far from where Paige lives.Paige calculates that it willonly take about forty minutes to get there, if traffic is good.When paige was a little girl, her mother used to let her skip school to see the Wednesdaymatinees on Broadway.This is to say she has visited New York City many times and she locatesAnnabelle Reve s apartment building without any problem.It s a nice, old building with animpressive lobby and, unfortunately for Paige, a doorman. I m here to see Annabelle Reve, Paige says as confidently as possible.The doorman informsPaige that Ms.Reve isn t home. Um.Maybe I could just wait in her place until she s back.I m her niece.She s my aunt.She s expecting me, Paige lies easily. I m visiting from out of town. Listen, kid, I d like to help, the doorman says not unkindly. But Ms.Reve didn t say anythingabout a niece visiting.You can wait down here, but that s the best I can do.So Paige sits on the green velvet couch in the lobby and waits.It isn t that long before she fallsasleep.When she wakes, Annabelle Reve is looking at her with those familiar violet-gray eyes. They told me my niece was waiting for me in the lobby.I suppose you would be her.Annabelle has a half smile on her face.She offers Paige her hand to shake. Annabelle. Paige. Would you like to come upstairs for a bit?Paige nods and follows Annabelle into the elevator.In the apartment, Annabelle puts a kettle on the stove. I ve had letters and emails, of course, but you re the first to show up here, Annabelle callsfrom the kitchen. The book s only been out a month, so it s looking like I m going to have to become unlisted, Iguess.Paige doesn t say anything. That s why you re here, right? Annabelle asks. The Immortals. Yes. So, you ve come all this way.Where d you say you were from again? New Jersey, Paige says.She thinks to herself, I know you know where I m from.You knoweverything about me.Aaron told you everything about me. Well, not too far, then, but still a lot of effort.So, what do you want to know?Paige has so many questions, but she can only manage one. Is Aaron here?Annabelle emerges from the kitchen carrying a tray with a teapot and two cups. Come again? I want to know if Aaron is here.Annabelle nods and pours Paige a cup of tea. Well, if you mean the character Aaron, I suppose,in a way, he s here in that he s inside my head, and I did write the entire book inside this apartment. And if you mean, my son, Aaron? I really don t know why you would want to know about that,but he s staying with his father this week. I thought Aaron s father was dead, Paige says. Well, in the story, yes.In real life, we re just divorced.I guess I thought I was being clever.Myex-husband, probably not so much. But.but.the rest is all real? Paige stammers. I mean, Aaron is a real person.I mean, Iknow him. Paige. Annabelle looks into Paige s eyes.Those eyes are so like Aaron s that Paige nearlywants to cry for missing him. The Aaron in the book isn t a real person, but I did name him for a realperson.My son.He s four years old. Annabelle laughs sweetly. He s probably gonna kill me for doing that when he gets older. You re lying.You have to be lying. Paige stands and begins to pace Annabelle Reve sbookshelf-lined living room. Because if you re not lying, how did you find out all that stuff about me,then? How were you able to put my whole life into that book?Annabelle walks over to Paige and takes her hand. I m flattered that the characters in my story were so.um.vivid to you.But I think you vemade a mistake. LET GO OF ME! JUST TELL ME WHERE AARONIS! Paige screams. I KNOW YOU HAVE HIM SOMEWHERE.HE TALKED ABOUT YOU.HE TALKEDABOUT HIS CRAZY MOTHER WHO S ALWAYSMAKING HIM MOVE! I.Paige begins to cry. I know I screwed up.I know I m bad.But I love him.And I can t livewithout him.Please don t keep him from me.I love him.I believe in love.Paige sits on the floor.She puts her hands around her knees and rocks herself. I believe inlove, she whimpers. I believe in love.I believe in love.Annabelle excuses herself.She goes into her bedroom where she calls the doorman first and,then, the police.For the whole first week she s there, they won t even let her have a pencil, and she feels like shemight really go crazy.Things that happen to her don t seem real until she can write them down.And ofcourse, she wants to write Aaron even though she s not supposed to contact him anymore, even thoughshe s not exactly sure where he is.The doctor asks if she knows why she s there, and she replies, Because my parents don t like my boyfriend, and they re trying to keep us apart.The doctor nods, but doesn t say anything. They re cynical, Paige says. You know they re divorced, right? I think you may have mentioned it before. The point is.My point is.they re both so bitter it s disgusting. It sounds sad, actually. It is sad.But I m not like them.I will never be like them. She lowers her voice, I m here because you think I m crazy.But everyone who s ever loved anyone is crazy, right? Sothat makes me normal.And do you know what I think is really, really crazy? No. What s really and truly crazy is not to love at all.The doctor nods, but it is unclear if she agrees. I want to show you something, the doctor says.She takes a copy of The Immortals out from herdesk.When Paige sees it, she begins to drum her fingers on the table. Does the book make you nervous?Paige doesn t speak [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]