The 22nd Secret (29 page)

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Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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I
don

t
l
ike b
e
i
n
g
tho
u
ght of
a
s a
f
r
ea
k.
I

ve
l
e
a
r
n
e
d to prot
ec
t
m
y
s
e
lf. To
k
ee
p
c
e
rt
a
in p
a
rts of
me
c
o
n
cea
l
e
d.
N
o one
rea
l
l
y
knows m
e
.
Not ev
e
n
m
y
mo
t
h
e
r.
I
t’s
v
e
r
y
lone
l
y
, not h
a
ving
a
n
y
one
to sh
a
r
e
t
h
e
se
th
i
n
g
s with.
I
w
a
nt
e
d to
t
a
lk wi
t
h
y
ou b
e
c
a
u
s
e
, w
e
ll
y
our intell
ec
t.

You

re
e
x
tr
e
me
l
y
brillia
nt
. At le
a
st we
h
a
v
e
that in common.
I
’ve
n
e
v
e
r m
e
t
a
n
y
o
n
e
l
i
ke
y
ou. Not
e
v
e
n
m
y
pro
f
e
ssors at
c
o
l
leg
e
. M
a
y
be
y
ou
ca
n un
d
e
rst
a
nd.
I
don

t know
w
h
y
m
y
thesis w
a
s r
e
je
c
ted.
M
a
y
be
th
e
y
di
d
n

t unde
r
stand it.
W
i
l
l
y
o
u r
e
a
d it
a
nd tell
m
e
w
h
a
t
y
ou th
i
n
k
?
I
do
n
’t
ca
re
a
bout
t
he
d
e
g
re
e.
J
ust
t
e
ll
me if
m
y
theo
r
y
is
sound.”


P
a
m,
I
re
a
d
y
our th
e
si
s
.
W
e
a
ll
did.
I
t’s b
r
i
l
l
i
a
nt. You w
a
nt
t
o sit he
r
e
on
t
he
por
c
h
a
nd talk
f
or
a
while
.


You
r
e
a
d i
t
?
Ho
w
?
W
h
e
n
?

S
he
looked str
a
i
g
ht
i
nto How
a
rd

s
e
y
e
s.
Ho
w
a
rd f
e
lt
h
e
r in his
m
ind
then quick
l
y
lo
o
k
e
d out
t
o the hil
l
s. The
truth w
a
s that he
d
idn’t
ca
re
wh
e
re
th
e
y
w
e
r
e
. He
w
a
nted
h
e
r to
f
ee
l at
home.

L
e
t’s sit
on the
s
win
g
,”
P
a
m
s
a
id.

S
he
w
a
lked do
w
n the st
e
ps. Ho
wa
rd
f
ol
l
o
w
e
d h
e
r
up a
p
a
th
t
o the
r
i
g
ht of
t
he
hous
e
, tow
a
rd a
h
u
g
e
o
a
k tr
e
e
w
i
t
h a
swing
hu
n
g
b
y
c
h
a
ins.

Th
e
y
s
wu
n
g
f
or
a
f
e
w minu
t
e
s
,
e
nj
o
y
i
n
g
the
b
ea
u
t
iful d
a
y
b
e
fo
r
e
P
a
m ask
e
d.

S
o
y
ou r
e
a
d
m
y
thesi
s
. Ho
w
’d
y
ou
g
e
t
i
t?
And
w
h
y
?


S
ee
ms
y
o
ur
D
r
.
P
e
t
e
rs
o
n
c
ouldn’t m
a
ke
s
e
nse
o
f
wh
a
t
y
ou
w
e
r
e
theo
r
i
z
ing, but he k
n
e
w
y
o
ur
b
rill
i
a
nt a
ca
d
e
m
i
c
b
ac
k
g
roun
d
.
S
o b
e
f
o
re
h
e
r
e
je
c
ted
y
o
u
r
w
o
r
k outr
i
ght he
c
onta
c
ted
a p
r
o
fe
ssor
h
e
h
a
d du
r
i
n
g
h
is
g
r
a
d
u
a
te
w
o
rk
a
t
B
e
r
k
e
l
e
y
, a
P
ro
f
e
ssor
W
e
ike
r
.
He
sent
y
our
w
o
rk to him
f
or
his opin
i
on.
You m
i
g
ht s
a
y
W
e
iker
is
a
n
a
ssoci
a
te of
m
i
n
e
. He
un
d
e
rstood
y
o
u
r
w
o
r
k i
m
medi
a
te
l
y
.
H
e
ca
l
l
e
d
m
e
.
W
e
discuss
e
d it
a
nd
a
g
ree
d on
wh
a
t
w
e h
a
d
t
o do. He
ca
l
l
e
d
P
e
t
e
rson
a
nd g
a
ve
him
ten
r
ea
sons
w
h
y
y
o
u
r
w
o
r
k
w
a
s po
pp
y
c
o
c
k. Th
e
n s
u
gg
e
sted
he
g
i
v
e
a
ll
the
c
opies b
ac
k to
y
ou
a
nd tell
y
ou
t
o
c
ome up
w
i
t
h a
thesis
t
h
a
t w
a
s theo
r
e
t
i
ca
l
l
y
c
o
n
ce
ivabl
e
, not some f
a
nta
s
y
h
o
g
w
a
sh
.


Th
a
t’s
e
x
ac
t
l
y
wh
a
t ha
p
p
e
n
e
d.”
P
a
m
s
a
id.


Good.
I
would l
i
ke
to h
a
ve
those
c
opies if
y
ou sti
l
l have
them. A
n
y
w
a
y
,
we
do h
a
ve
a
n in
t
e
rn p
r
o
g
r
a
m at
L
os A
l
a
mos
for
g
r
a
d stu
d
e
nts.
I
quick
l
y
sent
y
ou
a
n inv
i
t
a
t
i
on
a
nd made
a
r
ra
n
g
e
ments to
c
ome h
e
r
e
.”


I
don

t
g
e
t
i
t.
I
f
m
y
the
o
r
y
w
a
s sound, w
h
y
did
y
ou
a
nd th
i
s
W
e
iker
do th
i
s to
m
e
?


P
a
m,
y
ou
e
v
e
r think
a
b
o
ut a p
rac
t
ic
a
l use
f
or
y
o
u
r th
e
o
r
y
.
S
a
y
it
wo
r
ks a
n
d
y
ou s
e
ll
it
to Mi
c
roso
f
t
?
W
h
a
t would
t
h
e
y
do
with
i
t
?
"

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