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.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0qsegDb9B
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"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?"446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabzCjWGtIE
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdgvbCcpXb
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?"446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLULCg2ZfIk
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUkOOw8OhV
"What?" He was in the process of shredding a napkin up and hadn't heard me.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2ZqyZyeqQ
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsufQVFAnV
"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?"446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfLbaxDNPA
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"My parents didn't tell her anything. That would be kind of stupid, wouldn't it?"446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0bv7oXYVW
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"But didn't your parents have to call her?"446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMddmO6XHAu
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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?"446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshKM8jICno
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I frowned. "Sorry. Go on."446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7MW3xTOc2
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He smiled, but only slightly, like he was silently thanking me for letting him continue.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6MWPQXvfy
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsbiTTzmNA
"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."446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tSyqweSjA
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I stiffened.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0DHiFTrzi
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He blinked at me. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Kendall. I didn't mean it like that."446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhoqStQ8Pt
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1b9ScBypA
"It's okay." But it wasn't. I just didn't want him to know that.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsN259Kb9m
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREmOerB1fz
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.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3G35kEgGNa
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7FoWzUI07
"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."446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbF9ekYl7N5
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"It's not that simple," I said, though my voice was now tight, small. "If I tell you, you might get hurt."446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnoYVWySGq0
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That was when Jude laughed. When he stopped he said, "Please. How the hell can what's already happened hurt me?"446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAA6wIrNZF
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrJqHAPLCI
"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."446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTXMzxYOA6
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDADWbbjZz0
"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.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kqKiRi7Cj
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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.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJBMtjueYG
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprtUN3p3QR
"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."446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQ5hWaiRNQ
446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yDGy7SLya
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.