Page 14 (1/2)

I re in the Russian snow "That depends on where he is He could be soerous; Conley would do that You knoould"

My parents exchange a look, and Dad sighs "We’ll give it one week If we can’tPaul ourselves in that time, then--well, then we’ll consider it"

"Consider it?" How can they do this? I step away froh of this," Mom says sharply "You kno much we love Paul We loved hi our ground because we don’t want to get hi this because the price of cooperating with Conley is too high"

My father adds, "Conley has his hooks into Paul already That doesn’t htly until the wave of anger passes "Dad--"

"This discussion is over" Mo to save Paul, we need to get started"

Dad follows her, as does Theo But when Theo walks pastI expect him to rat me out to my parents--that’s what the Triadverse’s Theo would do Instead, he sits down at the table, pretending he doesn’t understand what’s about to happen

They work until al in bed, twisted up in the sheets, unable to sleep All I can think about is the last tiether before Theo collapsed--the last ether on the narroin bed in his dorm room, my head pillowed on his chest Soft classicalthe noise frorad students down the hall His dor, plus Paul isn’t the kind of guy ould fix it up even if he had the money He owns this utilitarian navy-blue bedspread, and there’s only one piece of decoration on the walls

Hanging above us that night wasnow, but the first one I ever atteht Paul had betrayed us and killedit just as it is It re you, he said That’s the kind of thing I’d want to forget, but that he alants to remember At least he lettouch in the world "I heard from a few more universities today, abouta scientist is that you have to get et your PhD, you remain a student for another year or two, usually at a different college than the one you studied at before The point of the whole postdoc thing? I have no idea It’s a hoop they all have to juh

It would drive e myself in January "Which ones?"

"Oxford e and CERN soon"

This is information that would make most people jump for joy Paul takes it in stride, butfrom Harvard or MIT? Or maybe Princeton?"

"Not yet MIT is a possibility, but--professors at Harvard and Princeton are skeptics"

About Mo to tear them down, the ones who don’t believe us about what happened in Deceray eyes o I’ll still be yours"