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.493Please respect copyright.PENANAoqo5ms8daR
493Please respect copyright.PENANAxdUHEzvLJh
"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?"493Please respect copyright.PENANAW7LGbBkU3K
493Please respect copyright.PENANAUHQM6vCinC
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?"493Please respect copyright.PENANAdCODaSN5PH
493Please respect copyright.PENANAD9e9bLRyRb
"What?" He was in the process of shredding a napkin up and hadn't heard me.493Please respect copyright.PENANArbRbLAoN5C
493Please respect copyright.PENANABYjb5NDQnt
"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?"493Please respect copyright.PENANANMWIBJL44z
493Please respect copyright.PENANA2h28r11TVv
"My parents didn't tell her anything. That would be kind of stupid, wouldn't it?"493Please respect copyright.PENANA0A7SXCGAFr
493Please respect copyright.PENANAT0aQJQhlu4
"But didn't your parents have to call her?"493Please respect copyright.PENANAnBKiaEYh4i
493Please respect copyright.PENANAvJSTF2wzaF
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?"493Please respect copyright.PENANAwlMvB9v7DD
493Please respect copyright.PENANA1fzzMAxijJ
I frowned. "Sorry. Go on."493Please respect copyright.PENANAohmlrItkgM
493Please respect copyright.PENANATgX1gc20L0
He smiled, but only slightly, like he was silently thanking me for letting him continue.493Please respect copyright.PENANAZJLrXrmuL4
493Please respect copyright.PENANAaIfQU3Tc2c
"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."493Please respect copyright.PENANAb1m5aQ6K99
493Please respect copyright.PENANAkwaClpKYcC
I stiffened.493Please respect copyright.PENANAUUPYcljEId
493Please respect copyright.PENANAC9gbmoy4I3
He blinked at me. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Kendall. I didn't mean it like that."493Please respect copyright.PENANAwKMsnLhJoz
493Please respect copyright.PENANA9mp1qqTPat
"It's okay." But it wasn't. I just didn't want him to know that.493Please respect copyright.PENANA9nOtFaq2kT
493Please respect copyright.PENANAHgmI0AjxOS
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.493Please respect copyright.PENANA0DHj6SV5Kx
493Please respect copyright.PENANAAvOmNZvvQP
"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."493Please respect copyright.PENANAUk6VnF43gG
493Please respect copyright.PENANAH9IszxQrL8
"It's not that simple," I said, though my voice was now tight, small. "If I tell you, you might get hurt."493Please respect copyright.PENANAOmVFUedn8D
493Please respect copyright.PENANAg6SBkF3Zgh
That was when Jude laughed. When he stopped he said, "Please. How the hell can what's already happened hurt me?"493Please respect copyright.PENANAU1JOp0OBxY
493Please respect copyright.PENANALz9rs43IQQ
"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."493Please respect copyright.PENANAGJ8gEoTzGm
493Please respect copyright.PENANAAMHTv4Zfqj
"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.493Please respect copyright.PENANA8pcGVDfq5y
493Please respect copyright.PENANAtbqpNarqNm
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.493Please respect copyright.PENANAkm5tugaOq4
493Please respect copyright.PENANAoCVgvdRCgd
"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."493Please respect copyright.PENANAzChegNjNss
493Please respect copyright.PENANA8MhKAuQ1VQ
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.
ns216.73.216.144da2 493Please respect copyright.PENANAxdUHEzvLJh
"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?"493Please respect copyright.PENANAW7LGbBkU3K
493Please respect copyright.PENANAUHQM6vCinC
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?"493Please respect copyright.PENANAdCODaSN5PH
493Please respect copyright.PENANAD9e9bLRyRb
"What?" He was in the process of shredding a napkin up and hadn't heard me.493Please respect copyright.PENANArbRbLAoN5C
493Please respect copyright.PENANABYjb5NDQnt
"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?"493Please respect copyright.PENANANMWIBJL44z
493Please respect copyright.PENANA2h28r11TVv
"My parents didn't tell her anything. That would be kind of stupid, wouldn't it?"493Please respect copyright.PENANA0A7SXCGAFr
493Please respect copyright.PENANAT0aQJQhlu4
"But didn't your parents have to call her?"493Please respect copyright.PENANAnBKiaEYh4i
493Please respect copyright.PENANAvJSTF2wzaF
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?"493Please respect copyright.PENANAwlMvB9v7DD
493Please respect copyright.PENANA1fzzMAxijJ
I frowned. "Sorry. Go on."493Please respect copyright.PENANAohmlrItkgM
493Please respect copyright.PENANATgX1gc20L0
He smiled, but only slightly, like he was silently thanking me for letting him continue.493Please respect copyright.PENANAZJLrXrmuL4
493Please respect copyright.PENANAaIfQU3Tc2c
"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."493Please respect copyright.PENANAb1m5aQ6K99
493Please respect copyright.PENANAkwaClpKYcC
I stiffened.493Please respect copyright.PENANAUUPYcljEId
493Please respect copyright.PENANAC9gbmoy4I3
He blinked at me. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Kendall. I didn't mean it like that."493Please respect copyright.PENANAwKMsnLhJoz
493Please respect copyright.PENANA9mp1qqTPat
"It's okay." But it wasn't. I just didn't want him to know that.493Please respect copyright.PENANA9nOtFaq2kT
493Please respect copyright.PENANAHgmI0AjxOS
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.493Please respect copyright.PENANA0DHj6SV5Kx
493Please respect copyright.PENANAAvOmNZvvQP
"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."493Please respect copyright.PENANAUk6VnF43gG
493Please respect copyright.PENANAH9IszxQrL8
"It's not that simple," I said, though my voice was now tight, small. "If I tell you, you might get hurt."493Please respect copyright.PENANAOmVFUedn8D
493Please respect copyright.PENANAg6SBkF3Zgh
That was when Jude laughed. When he stopped he said, "Please. How the hell can what's already happened hurt me?"493Please respect copyright.PENANAU1JOp0OBxY
493Please respect copyright.PENANALz9rs43IQQ
"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."493Please respect copyright.PENANAGJ8gEoTzGm
493Please respect copyright.PENANAAMHTv4Zfqj
"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.493Please respect copyright.PENANA8pcGVDfq5y
493Please respect copyright.PENANAtbqpNarqNm
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.493Please respect copyright.PENANAkm5tugaOq4
493Please respect copyright.PENANAoCVgvdRCgd
"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."493Please respect copyright.PENANAzChegNjNss
493Please respect copyright.PENANA8MhKAuQ1VQ
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.
493Please respect copyright.PENANAUzI8wK2O82