The 22nd Secret (70 page)

S
he
w
a
nted him
t
o n
ee
d
h
e
r, to
wa
nt h
e
r, not like
B
e
n but…

T
he
c
rash
.
Oh
m
y
God,
t
he
Chines
e
,
the
m
is
s
io
n
.
C
onscious thou
g
hts flooded h
e
r m
i
nd. H
e
r
e
nt
ir
e bo
d
y
spamm
e
d. The
sudd
e
n
a
w
a
k
e
ni
n
g
a
nd stif
f
n
e
ss of h
e
r mus
c
les m
a
de
h
e
r shou
t
.
S
he
w
a
s looking str
a
i
g
ht
up
a
t
the
ce
i
l
i
n
g
,
c
ov
e
r
e
d
with
t
hose
f
a
s
c
inati
n
g
I
n
dian
r
u
g
s.
The
r
oom w
a
s i
l
lu
m
inat
e
d with
t
he
g
r
e
y
e
v
e
n l
i
g
ht f
r
om
t
he
sun fil
t
e
r
e
d thro
u
g
h the
b
l
i
z
z
a
rd.
S
he
w
a
s ov
e
r
w
h
e
l
m
e
d
b
y
st
i
f
f
n
e
s
s in ev
e
r
y
muscl
e
. A dir
t
y
film
c
ov
e
r
e
d
h
e
r skin,
c
lo
t
hin
g
,
a
nd
e
sp
e
c
ial
l
y h
e
r h
a
ir.
S
he
p
a
inful
l
y
t
u
rn
e
d h
e
r
h
ea
d to
w
a
rd the
fi
r
e
a
nd the
c
h
a
ir w
h
e
r
e
Jim
h
a
d sp
e
nt
t
he ni
g
ht.
I
t w
a
s
e
mp
t
y
sa
v
e
the pil
l
ow
a
nd blanket.

The
b
a
s
e
ment of
t
h
e
lodge
wa
s made
o
f stone
a
nd
w
a
s emp
t
y
e
x
ce
pt for the
boi
l
e
r and shelv
e
s. The
supplies n
e
e
d
e
d for
r
unni
n
g
the lo
d
g
e
w
e
re
a
ll
tru
c
k
e
d in duri
n
g
the summ
e
r.
T
h
e non
-
p
e
rish
a
bl
e
s
w
e
r
e
stock
e
d the summ
e
r
b
e
fo
r
e
so th
e
y
would
b
e
a
v
a
i
l
a
b
l
e
a
s soon as
g
u
e
sts
a
r
r
ive
d
.
L
inens,
p
a
p
e
r
g
o
ods,
a
nd other
d
r
y
g
oods
w
e
re
n
ea
t
l
y
stor
e
d on
the
ro
w
s of sh
e
lves.
J
im h
a
d
a
lr
e
a
d
y
a
djus
t
e
d the
v
a
lves of
the b
o
i
l
e
r to
w
a
rm the
main
r
oom, h
i
s roo
m
,
a
nd the
g
u
e
st room
ac
ross the
h
a
ll
f
r
o
m h
i
s
. He
w
a
s looking
t
h
rou
g
h
s
e
v
e
r
a
l o
l
d dr
e
ss
e
r
s that cont
a
ined
c
lo
t
hing
le
f
t
b
y
g
u
e
st
s
.
T
h
e
se
ca
m
e
in han
d
y
wh
e
n
g
u
e
s
t
s
’
l
u
gg
a
g
e
w
a
s l
o
st
i
n tr
a
nsi
t
. He
h
a
d s
e
le
c
ted a
white t
e
r
r
y
c
lo
t
h b
a
throb
e
, a
p
a
ir of
lad
i
e
s je
a
ns, a
f
l
a
nn
e
l sh
i
rt,
s
ome und
e
r
w
e
a
r
,
a
nd wool so
c
ks,
a
nd w
a
s
h
e
a
ding
f
o
r the
stairs
w
h
e
n
he
h
ea
rd
t
h
e
g
irl he
r
e
s
c
u
e
d
y
e
ste
r
d
a
y
a
nd kn
e
w
a
s
P
a
ula shout.

P
a
m fou
g
ht
p
a
nic
a
s she
looked
a
t
t
he
e
mp
t
y
c
h
a
i
r
.
The
Am
e
ri
c
a
n
a
nd Chi
n
e
se
g
ov
e
rnm
e
nts
would soon
be
look
i
ng
f
o
r h
e
r.
T
h
e
f
ac
t
i
t w
a
s infin
i
te
l
y
b
e
t
t
e
r
f
or
the Chin
e
se
to
g
e
t
t
o h
e
r
f
irst
somehow
made
h
e
r
f
e
e
l w
o
rse.

“
You ok
a
y
?
”

S
he
slow
l
y
looked
a
w
a
y
f
r
om
t
he
c
h
a
ir
a
nd up
a
t
J
i
m
, who stood
n
e
x
t
to
t
he
c
ou
c
h hold
i
ng
a
sta
c
k
o
f
c
lo
t
hi
n
g
a
nd smi
l
ing
c
onfid
e
nt
l
y
.
Th
e
y
m
a
de
e
y
e
c
ont
a
c
t and the
p
a
nic l
e
ft
h
e
r
a
s
J
i
m
’s str
e
n
g
th and s
e
l
f
-c
onfid
e
n
c
e
f
i
l
led h
e
r. P
a
m allow
e
d h
e
rs
e
lf t
h
e
pl
e
a
sure
of
w
ra
ppi
n
g h
e
r mind in
J
i
m
’s
wa
rm
g
a
z
e
. E
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
would
be
ok
a
y
a
s lo
n
g
a
s
h
e
w
a
s the
r
e
to prot
ec
t
h
e
r.
S
he
c
ould
l
ie th
e
re
on the
old
l
ea
ther
c
o
u
c
h so
a
ki
n
g
up his pow
e
r
f
ul pr
e
s
e
n
c
e
a
ll
d
a
y
.
J
i
m
’s thou
g
hts ab
o
ut wh
a
t
w
a
s
und
e
r the
blank
e
t
r
e
m
i
n
d
e
d h
e
r
that she
w
a
s
P
a
ul
a
, the m
a
fia
g
irl who
J
i
m w
a
s pl
a
nning
on sp
e
nding
the n
e
x
t f
e
w d
a
y
s
a
nd ni
g
hts
with,
a
lone
a
n
d snowboun
d
.
S
he wish
e
d the
c
ir
c
ums
t
a
n
ce
s
w
e
re
di
f
f
e
r
e
nt.
S
he
w
a
n
t
e
d to
t
e
ll
J
i
m who she
re
a
l
l
y
w
a
s but
she
k
n
e
w that w
a
s not poss
i
ble. R
ea
l
i
st
i
ca
l
l
y
, if she
ma
d
e
it
to
t
he
Chinese
or n
o
t,
i
n two d
a
y
s
she
w
ould p
r
ob
a
b
l
y
n
e
v
e
r s
e
e
J
im
a
g
a
in,
l
e
t
a
lone surviv
e
.