The 22nd Secret (44 page)

Read The 22nd Secret Online

Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
5.38Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub


W
h
a
t do
y
ou th
i
nk
?

H
e
n
r
y
a
sked.

You
r
e
a
d
y
to
le
a
rn mo
r
e
a
bout all
t
his?
Mi
g
ht as w
e
l
l
,
ca
use th
e
re
a
in’t no b
ac
ki
n
g
o
u
t for
y
ou no
w
.”


W
h
y
me
?

Ch
e
n
a
sked.


I
pick
e
d
y
ou
b
eca
u
s
e
of
y
o
ur
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
c
e
with
y
o
u
r missi
l
e
pro
g
r
a
m.
W
e
c
o
uld
m
a
ke
a plausible
rea
son f
o
r
y
ou to be in th
i
s co
u
nt
r
y
.
I
k
n
e
w
y
ou w
e
re
e
d
u
ca
ted in
En
g
land
a
nd h
e
r
e
in the
U
.
S
., so
I
ho
p
e
d
y
ou
wouldn’t h
a
ve
a
stro
n
g
a
cce
n
t
. You

re
g
ood look
i
ng
e
no
u
g
h to
m
a
y
b
e
g
e
t
i
n that
g
ir
l
'
s pa
n
ts.
I
n
e
v
e
r he
a
rd of
a
n
y
one
e
lse
doing
that.
S
h
e
’s the
k
e
y
.
W
i
t
hout he
r
, none of
us
g
ot a
n
y
th
i
n
g
.”

H
e
n
r
y
pick
e
d
up a
binder
a
nd h
a
nd
e
d it
to
C
h
e
n
.
I
t
w
a
s
P
a
m’s Mast
e
r

s the
s
i
s
.


C
a
ll
th
i
s a
g
e
stu
r
e
of
g
o
od f
a
i
t
h. Re
a
d it
but
y
ou
won

t unde
r
stand it. Th
a
t
’s the
theo
r
y.
W
on’t do
y
ou
a
n
y
g
ood
t
hou
g
h. M
a
y
b
e
in
t
e
n
y
e
a
rs or
so
y
ou
a
nd s
e
v
e
r
a
l
o
f
y
o
u
r b
e
st people will
f
i
g
u
r
e
it
ou
t
.
B
ut
h
e
l
l
,
b
y
then
w
e
’ll h
a
ve
so
m
e
th
i
ng
b
e
t
te
r.”


W
ho’s Pam
e
la
K
ol
l
e
r
?


Th
a
t’s the
g
irl
y
ou

re
g
o
ing
to
t
r
y
a
nd m
e
e
t
t
omor
r
ow du
r
i
n
g
P
ro
fe
ssor
We
ike
r
’s l
ec
tu
r
e
.
P
a
m

s her
r
e
a
l
n
a
me,
g
re
w up in
I
d
a
ho.
S
he
tried
t
o publ
i
sh th
a
t
t
h
e
sis
a
nd we
w
e
nt ball
i
st
i
c
.
S
o we
g
ot her
w
o
rking for
u
s at
L
os A
l
a
mos.
W
i
t
hin
four
y
e
a
r
s
, she
turn
e
d t
h
a
t
t
h
e
o
r
y
in
t
o a wo
r
king w
ea
pon,
a
kind
of
ste
a
l
t
h
y
virus.
I
t
’s in just about
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
y
ou
p
e
ople
g
ot. Now sh
e
’s kind of bu
r
n
e
d out.
S
h
e
’s
on le
a
ve
of
a
bsenc
e
.
S
h
e
’s
g
oi
n
g
to be in
y
our
c
l
a
ss
t
omor
r
ow mornin
g
.
J
ust
tr
y
a
nd s
a
y
hi or somethin
g
.
I
don

t
know how
w
e
’ll
r
ec
ruit
h
e
r
, but
t
a
ke
y
our time. Move
slow.”


T
r
y
thr
e
a
teni
n
g
h
e
r
f
a
m
i
l
y
.”
Ch
e
n
a
d
d
e
d sa
r
ca
st
i
ca
l
l
y
.


Th
a
t’s
a
n opt
i
on.
B
ut
I
th
i
nk we
should t
r
y a
kinde
r
,
g
e
nt
l
e
r
a
pproa
c
h
fi
r
s
t
.
S
he
h
a
ted d
e
v
e
lop
i
ng
a
ll
th
i
s as a
w
ea
pon. H
a
t
e
d the
w
hole
s
ec
r
e
t
m
i
l
i
t
a
r
y
d
e
a
l
, didn’t h
a
ve
a
si
n
g
le
f
ri
e
nd
a
t
L
os A
l
a
mos. No one
l
i
k
e
d h
e
r
.
I
g
u
e
ss she

s so
sma
r
t she just
didn’t r
e
la
t
e
to a
n
y
on
e
.
S
h
e
’s r
e
a
l s
h
y
, n
e
v
e
r
r
ea
l
l
y
h
a
d
a
c
h
a
n
c
e
to de
v
e
lop no
r
mal so
c
ial skil
l
s.
S
he
sta
r
ted
c
ol
le
g
e
a
t fou
r
te
e
n,
w
e
nt
t
o wo
r
k f
o
r us
a
t sev
e
nt
e
e
n. Re
a
d t
h
a
t pap
e
r, m
e
m
o
ri
z
e
h
e
r
p
ictur
e
,
a
nd
r
e
memb
e
r she

ll
ca
ll
h
e
r
s
e
lf Pat
t
y
L
a
w
re
n
c
e
.
W
h
a
tev
e
r
y
ou
d
o,
d
on’t
e
v
e
r m
e
nt
i
on T
i
n
o, that p
a
p
e
r, or
m
e
.
J
ust
s
o we
don

t a
cc
ident
a
l
l
y
sl
i
p u
p
, w
e
’ll all
r
e
fer to P
a
m as P
a
t
t
y
L
a
w
r
e
n
c
e
f
rom now
on
.

Ch
e
n looked
a
t
h
e
r
pictu
r
e.
S
he
w
a
s cl
e
a
r
l
y
a
b
ea
u
t
i
ful
g
irl, with long
blond
h
a
ir
a
nd a
g
r
ea
t f
i
g
u
r
e
.


I
don

t
t
hink
I
’ll fo
r
g
e
t
t
his f
ace
.

Other books

Wild Wild Death by Casey Daniels
Midnight Betrayal by Melinda Leigh
Dreamlands by Felicitas Ivey
None to Accompany Me by Nadine Gordimer
If All Else Fails by Craig Strete
Black Water Transit by Carsten Stroud
Water Song by Suzanne Weyn
Werewolf Dreams by Katie Lee O'Guinn
The Grandmothers by Doris Lessing