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.222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCCXFVmimY
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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?"222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwKcOSEhwS
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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?"222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9coLsWX0P
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"What?" He was in the process of shredding a napkin up and hadn't heard me.222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojLtJDwCVo
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"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?"222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMG76ZkxRuK
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"My parents didn't tell her anything. That would be kind of stupid, wouldn't it?"222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyF2PJmmxlj
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"But didn't your parents have to call her?"222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYmqPY5zWU
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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?"222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTddVAjPrKX
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I frowned. "Sorry. Go on."222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqBbXg69FJ
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He smiled, but only slightly, like he was silently thanking me for letting him continue.222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTso5s6oLP
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"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."222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmFHJXS5Ox
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I stiffened.222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lMpH7UiBh
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He blinked at me. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Kendall. I didn't mean it like that."222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuYtOa5peQ
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"It's okay." But it wasn't. I just didn't want him to know that.222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2MlY5CioQ
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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.222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZBuWj9YGL
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"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."222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWk7MDUEI2v
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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."222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwD7QyIl0s
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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?"222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGbDbl4YmN
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"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."222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHcMCFG3Ls
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"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.222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzpfmR9BET
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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.222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRj1H1vgWLn
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"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."222Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSsvWTPngU
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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.