x
After Jude had finished telling me he was also a patient of Dr. Alder's, I asked why he was there, like it was the most normal question in the world. Even though I hadn't answered him when he asked, he still gave me some insight to who he was.384Please respect copyright.PENANAqvT5bRrQiM
384Please respect copyright.PENANAWKDcLs0YJ0
"My dad thought there was something wrong with me because I didn't like spending all of my free time with him. I wanted to go out with my friends and go to parties, and when I came home drunk once, he said he'd had enough. He called my mom the next morning and they both agreed that I should go see someone. Unfortunately for me, Dallas is an old friend of the family. Doesn't that make my visits all the more special?"384Please respect copyright.PENANA9RIbboBFGU
384Please respect copyright.PENANAgDawfTMJak
It struck me as odd that he'd call his psychiatrist by her first name, but I didn't say anything about it. Instead I asked, "Does that make it weird?"384Please respect copyright.PENANAz0jkEHrQND
384Please respect copyright.PENANA096oYXaS79
"What?" He was in the process of shredding a napkin up and hadn't heard me.384Please respect copyright.PENANAz9otxvAhrd
384Please respect copyright.PENANAYpTZ6UZRgm
"With her being a family friend. Isn't it strange? I mean, if she's so close, wouldn't she have known your problems before you got an appointment with her?"384Please respect copyright.PENANAHZPvxHvU7i
384Please respect copyright.PENANAbJqIJ0STZn
"My parents didn't tell her anything. That would be kind of stupid, wouldn't it?"384Please respect copyright.PENANABYbQBtUrHy
384Please respect copyright.PENANABONEo83q86
"But didn't your parents have to call her?"384Please respect copyright.PENANAuQEYMSDAzX
384Please respect copyright.PENANA6ijbXGKpNX
Jude looked at me, the torn napkin forgotten. His eyes held mine for a minute before he said, "Are you trying to ruin my explanation or something? You're the one who asked for it, remember?"384Please respect copyright.PENANAJWvEdutwm2
384Please respect copyright.PENANAbU862nfD5T
I frowned. "Sorry. Go on."384Please respect copyright.PENANA92HY04CP5u
384Please respect copyright.PENANAQi1UDvoVYi
He smiled, but only slightly, like he was silently thanking me for letting him continue.384Please respect copyright.PENANAIrr5LE1AXD
384Please respect copyright.PENANAGqh9mgUMy2
"Anyway, you should have seen her face when I walked into her office. She looked like she forgot who was coming in that day. But when we started talking, she understood things very quickly. I was actually surprised, but I guess in her line of work, she got a lot of nut jobs."384Please respect copyright.PENANAZUSH6TNysN
384Please respect copyright.PENANAix5ZAH9ppC
I stiffened.384Please respect copyright.PENANA0DZbrHYNn1
384Please respect copyright.PENANASdCm2H5odw
He blinked at me. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Kendall. I didn't mean it like that."384Please respect copyright.PENANACIy9IxOWRz
384Please respect copyright.PENANAkueSTadMXF
"It's okay." But it wasn't. I just didn't want him to know that.384Please respect copyright.PENANAzyCRBft3h7
384Please respect copyright.PENANAl70HDlBM1m
Jude looked at me, his head tilted slightly, like he was trying to figure me out. He was going to fail with that one. Then he let out a long sigh and picked up his mug, draining his coffee.384Please respect copyright.PENANAktprnyukNL
384Please respect copyright.PENANAjbhdrAHUjf
"Listen," he said after he finished, "I'm not going to judge you or anything if you tell me your secret. It's not a big deal, really. I bet you're normal compared to some of the patients Dallas gets."384Please respect copyright.PENANAU7cHjXcrix
384Please respect copyright.PENANAac2au123rH
"It's not that simple," I said, though my voice was now tight, small. "If I tell you, you might get hurt."384Please respect copyright.PENANAc8yFlglEj9
384Please respect copyright.PENANAVjSlD9KFU1
That was when Jude laughed. When he stopped he said, "Please. How the hell can what's already happened hurt me?"384Please respect copyright.PENANABqpl2mRf1D
384Please respect copyright.PENANAu3WigQXko3
"You don't understand!" I practically shouted in his face, my vision blurring. "I can't tell you what happens because then you're going to go away."384Please respect copyright.PENANAh2CHi4cRvK
384Please respect copyright.PENANABEOGJFrDYx
"Wait." His eyes widened and he leaned forward. "What do you mean 'happens'? Kendall, what's going on?" He reached across the table for my hand, and I let him take it. He squeezed my fingers.384Please respect copyright.PENANAztjGJhU4ha
384Please respect copyright.PENANA3dHLkg0s8s
I looked up at him. I could feel the tears running down my cheeks now. I took a breath and finally told him. Then I wished I hadn't opened my mouth.384Please respect copyright.PENANArt5dZtG6u5
384Please respect copyright.PENANAP8rTQsm8MG
"I have dreams almost every night about killing people, only they aren't my dreams, and now I'm afraid you're going to die, too."384Please respect copyright.PENANAZA529T0dNb
384Please respect copyright.PENANA5yy3KwHPzg
Before he could reply, I stood up and ran out. But something stopped me halfway out of the shop. The window, there was something taped to it. I wiped my eyes and looked at the white piece of paper. The words MISSING PERSON were typed in big, bold letters on the top of the page, and underneath was a picture. A picture of someone I knew.
ns 15.158.61.55da2 384Please respect copyright.PENANAWKDcLs0YJ0
"My dad thought there was something wrong with me because I didn't like spending all of my free time with him. I wanted to go out with my friends and go to parties, and when I came home drunk once, he said he'd had enough. He called my mom the next morning and they both agreed that I should go see someone. Unfortunately for me, Dallas is an old friend of the family. Doesn't that make my visits all the more special?"384Please respect copyright.PENANA9RIbboBFGU
384Please respect copyright.PENANAgDawfTMJak
It struck me as odd that he'd call his psychiatrist by her first name, but I didn't say anything about it. Instead I asked, "Does that make it weird?"384Please respect copyright.PENANAz0jkEHrQND
384Please respect copyright.PENANA096oYXaS79
"What?" He was in the process of shredding a napkin up and hadn't heard me.384Please respect copyright.PENANAz9otxvAhrd
384Please respect copyright.PENANAYpTZ6UZRgm
"With her being a family friend. Isn't it strange? I mean, if she's so close, wouldn't she have known your problems before you got an appointment with her?"384Please respect copyright.PENANAHZPvxHvU7i
384Please respect copyright.PENANAbJqIJ0STZn
"My parents didn't tell her anything. That would be kind of stupid, wouldn't it?"384Please respect copyright.PENANABYbQBtUrHy
384Please respect copyright.PENANABONEo83q86
"But didn't your parents have to call her?"384Please respect copyright.PENANAuQEYMSDAzX
384Please respect copyright.PENANA6ijbXGKpNX
Jude looked at me, the torn napkin forgotten. His eyes held mine for a minute before he said, "Are you trying to ruin my explanation or something? You're the one who asked for it, remember?"384Please respect copyright.PENANAJWvEdutwm2
384Please respect copyright.PENANAbU862nfD5T
I frowned. "Sorry. Go on."384Please respect copyright.PENANA92HY04CP5u
384Please respect copyright.PENANAQi1UDvoVYi
He smiled, but only slightly, like he was silently thanking me for letting him continue.384Please respect copyright.PENANAIrr5LE1AXD
384Please respect copyright.PENANAGqh9mgUMy2
"Anyway, you should have seen her face when I walked into her office. She looked like she forgot who was coming in that day. But when we started talking, she understood things very quickly. I was actually surprised, but I guess in her line of work, she got a lot of nut jobs."384Please respect copyright.PENANAZUSH6TNysN
384Please respect copyright.PENANAix5ZAH9ppC
I stiffened.384Please respect copyright.PENANA0DZbrHYNn1
384Please respect copyright.PENANASdCm2H5odw
He blinked at me. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Kendall. I didn't mean it like that."384Please respect copyright.PENANACIy9IxOWRz
384Please respect copyright.PENANAkueSTadMXF
"It's okay." But it wasn't. I just didn't want him to know that.384Please respect copyright.PENANAzyCRBft3h7
384Please respect copyright.PENANAl70HDlBM1m
Jude looked at me, his head tilted slightly, like he was trying to figure me out. He was going to fail with that one. Then he let out a long sigh and picked up his mug, draining his coffee.384Please respect copyright.PENANAktprnyukNL
384Please respect copyright.PENANAjbhdrAHUjf
"Listen," he said after he finished, "I'm not going to judge you or anything if you tell me your secret. It's not a big deal, really. I bet you're normal compared to some of the patients Dallas gets."384Please respect copyright.PENANAU7cHjXcrix
384Please respect copyright.PENANAac2au123rH
"It's not that simple," I said, though my voice was now tight, small. "If I tell you, you might get hurt."384Please respect copyright.PENANAc8yFlglEj9
384Please respect copyright.PENANAVjSlD9KFU1
That was when Jude laughed. When he stopped he said, "Please. How the hell can what's already happened hurt me?"384Please respect copyright.PENANABqpl2mRf1D
384Please respect copyright.PENANAu3WigQXko3
"You don't understand!" I practically shouted in his face, my vision blurring. "I can't tell you what happens because then you're going to go away."384Please respect copyright.PENANAh2CHi4cRvK
384Please respect copyright.PENANABEOGJFrDYx
"Wait." His eyes widened and he leaned forward. "What do you mean 'happens'? Kendall, what's going on?" He reached across the table for my hand, and I let him take it. He squeezed my fingers.384Please respect copyright.PENANAztjGJhU4ha
384Please respect copyright.PENANA3dHLkg0s8s
I looked up at him. I could feel the tears running down my cheeks now. I took a breath and finally told him. Then I wished I hadn't opened my mouth.384Please respect copyright.PENANArt5dZtG6u5
384Please respect copyright.PENANAP8rTQsm8MG
"I have dreams almost every night about killing people, only they aren't my dreams, and now I'm afraid you're going to die, too."384Please respect copyright.PENANAZA529T0dNb
384Please respect copyright.PENANA5yy3KwHPzg
Before he could reply, I stood up and ran out. But something stopped me halfway out of the shop. The window, there was something taped to it. I wiped my eyes and looked at the white piece of paper. The words MISSING PERSON were typed in big, bold letters on the top of the page, and underneath was a picture. A picture of someone I knew.
384Please respect copyright.PENANA3LdypW7Sli