She wanted a warning?

123
She wanted a warning?  Then being ignored by me must be a bad thing?  I
smiled.
"That sounds fair," I agreed.
"Thanks," she said, looking up.  Her face was so relieved that I wanted to laugh
with my own relief.
"Then can I have one in return?" I asked hopefully.
"One," she allowed.
"Tell me one theory."
She flushed.  "Not that one."
"You didn't qualify, you just promised one answer," I argued.
"And you've broken promises yourself," she argued back.
She had me there.
"Just one theory—I won't laugh."
"Yes, you will."  She seemed very sure of that, though I couldn't imagine
anything that would be funny about it.
I gave persuasion another try.  I stared deep into her eyes—an easy thing to do,
with eyes so deep—and whispered, "Please?"
She blinked, and her face went blank.
Well, that wasn't exactly the reaction I'd been going for.
"Er, what?" she asked.  She looked dizzy.  What was wrong with her?
But I wasn't giving up yet.
"Please tell me just one little theory," I pleaded in my soft, non-scary voice,
holding her eyes in mine.
To my surprise and satisfaction, it finally worked.
"Um, well, bitten by a radioactive spider?"
Comic books?  No wonder she thought I would laugh.
"That's not very creative," I chided her, trying to hide my fresh relief.
"I'm sorry, that's all I've got," she said, offended.
This relieved me even more.  I was able to tease her again.
"You're not even close."
"No spiders?"
? 2008 Stephenie Meyer