The 22nd Secret (46 page)

A
f
ter
Tom
W
a
lker
r
ec
o
r
d
e
d t
h
e
tape
f
o
r h
e
r
p
a
re
nt
s
, she
fe
lt
p
a
rticul
a
r
l
y
l
ow
a
nd
a
lone.
S
he
c
ri
e
d while he
h
u
gg
e
d
a
nd
c
omfo
r
ted
h
e
r. She
d
ec
ided she
n
ee
d
e
d m
o
r
e
c
omfo
r
t,
so she took hi
m
. He
w
a
s also a
vio
le
nt
m
a
n but
m
o
r
e
prot
ec
t
i
v
e
.
P
a
m w
a
nted th
a
t at t
h
a
t
mo
ment, so she h
a
d him
ca
r
e
ful
l
y
und
r
e
ss he
r
. He
prot
ec
t
e
d h
e
r th
r
o
u
ghout
t
he
ni
g
ht. He
w
a
s v
er
y
ten
d
e
r
a
nd s
e
nsi
t
ive
f
or
such
a
p
o
w
e
r
f
ul
m
a
n.

One
th
i
ng
P
a
m
w
a
s car
e
f
ul
t
o do with all her
p
a
rt
n
e
rs w
a
s to not
l
e
t
t
h
e
m f
a
ll
in
l
ov
e
. Th
e
y
would nev
e
r
f
o
r
g
e
t
t
h
e
ir
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
c
e
s with h
e
r.
T
h
e
y
would
a
l
w
a
y
s w
a
nt
m
o
r
e
a
s long
a
s th
e
y
l
i
v
e
d.
S
he
k
n
e
w th
a
t
n
o other
wom
a
n would
e
v
e
r m
ea
su
r
e
u
p
.
B
ut
t
h
e
y
would not
l
ong
f
or
a lasting
re
l
a
t
i
onship.
S
o
m
e
d
a
y
, she
h
o
p
e
d she
wo
u
ld
m
ee
t so
m
e
one
she
wa
n
ted to be
with fo
re
v
e
r
,
a
nd she
would t
a
ke
him
f
or
h
e
r
s
e
lf
a
nd no
one
e
lse.

Tod
a
y
,
for
the
fi
r
st d
a
y
o
f
c
lass,
P
a
t
t
y
wo
r
e
v
e
r
y
s
hort
c
u
t
-
o
f
f j
e
a
ns, a
tank
to
p
,
a
nd s
a
nd
a
ls.
S
he
took
t
i
m
e
to fix
h
e
r h
a
ir in a
se
x
y
but
ca
sual
w
a
y
a
nd she
w
o
re
a
touch of
mak
e
up.
S
he
w
a
s the most
b
ea
ut
if
ul
g
irl on
ca
mpus that
d
a
y
.
The
c
lassr
o
om
bu
zz
e
d
a
round
h
e
r. Pe
o
p
l
e that kn
e
w
e
a
c
h other
wh
i
spe
re
d
. Oth
e
rs just thought
quiet
l
y
.
I
t
w
a
sn’t u
n
c
o
m
m
on f
o
r p
r
o
fe
ssors to come
in
l
a
te, so
W
e
i
k
e
r h
a
d not a
r
ri
v
e
d wh
e
n
B
e
n w
a
lked in
a
t o
n
e
m
i
nute p
a
st
t
he
hou
r
.
P
a
t
t
y
w
a
s
r
ea
di
n
g
a
boo
k
, but she
kn
e
w som
e
one
h
a
d w
a
lked in the
r
oom
a
nd w
a
s looking spe
c
ific
a
l
l
y
f
o
r h
e
r.
B
e
n
w
a
lked to the b
a
c
k of the
r
oom and s
a
t
with one
e
mp
t
y
d
e
sk b
e
t
w
ee
n them.

“
Hi,”
B
e
n s
a
id.
P
a
t
t
y
looked up
a
t h
i
m, s
m
i
l
e
d
,
a
nd
c
ont
i
nu
e
d r
e
a
di
n
g
.

“
Good book
?
”
B
e
n
a
ske
d
.

“
Y
e
s.”
P
a
t
t
y
di
d
n
’
t
l
ook
u
p
.
P
ro
fe
ssor
W
iek
e
r
e
n
t
e
r
e
d the
room
a
nd Ben
s
m
i
led.
H
e
kn
e
w th
i
s w
a
s a
g
ood s
t
a
rt. He
would t
r
y
a
g
a
in a
f
t
e
r the
le
c
tur
e
.
H
e
s
e
ns
e
d th
a
t
P
a
t
t
y
w
a
s s
h
y
.
I
t w
a
s str
a
nge
in su
c
h a
b
ea
ut
i
f
u
l
g
irl.

Most
s
tudents filed
out of the
le
c
tu
r
e
h
a
ll
or
g
a
th
e
r
e
d
a
round
P
r
o
f
e
ssor
W
iek
e
r
a
ft
e
r
c
lass.
B
e
n w
a
tc
h
e
d
a
s
Pa
t
t
y
sta
c
k
e
d
h
e
r books
a
nd
h
e
ld
t
h
e
m
t
o h
e
r
c
h
e
s
t
.
He
rose
f
r
om h
i
s ch
a
ir
a
t
t
he
same
mo
m
e
nt
she
di
d
. He
stood in
t
he
a
is
l
e
a
nd
blocking
h
e
r p
a
t
h
.

“
M
y
n
a
me
’
s
B
e
n.
B
e
nj
a
m
i
n Chen.”

P
a
t
t
y
e
y
e
d him
up
a
nd
d
o
wn, not s
a
y
i
n
g
a
n
y
t
hi
n
g
.
B
e
n not
i
ce
d
a
sl
i
g
ht b
l
u
s
h in her
f
a
ce
.

“
And
y
ou
a
r
e
?
”

“
P
a
t
t
y
,”
s
h
e
sl
i
d p
a
st h
i
m
t
o
le
a
v
e
. Ben h
a
d to
y
ie
l
d
, but he still
h
a
d a
fe
w
c
h
a
n
ce
s b
e
fo
r
e she
w
ould es
ca
p
e
.

“
Ma
n
,
I
’m st
a
rvin
g
,
”
he
s
a
id.
“
W
a
nt
t
o
g
o
g
e
t so
m
e
th
i
ng
to
e
a
t at the stud
e
nt un
i
o
n
?
”