The Blackfire Protocol by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 25

Later that night, Frank had just finished his dinner but, before continuing his studies, called the number Betsy had given him. She picked up within two rings.

“Betsy?” he began. “Hey, how are you?” This single question began an hour-long conversation that ended with the repeated invitation that they get together at her apartment. He again accepted and agreed to arrive at four o’clock on Saturday. Quickly opening a nearby notebook, he scribbled down her address and was surprised to discover that she lived on the other side of campus. After hanging up, Frank reflected on how this course of events had proceeded—how he went from giving simple directions to what he felt was a strong

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possibility of an overnight with someone who seemed to have been admiring him for some time. But with or without the overnight, he felt it would be nice just to spend some time with someone who wasn’t threatening or unstable; to have a simple conversation.

They noticed each other in the one or two classes they shared, and one day had lunch in the campus center. Betsy seemed somewhat casual about her interactions with Frank. He began to perceive her as someone who kept people at a distance, and as something of a lone wolf, he could readily identify with this and looked forward to discovering more about her on Saturday. Already, he noticed a difference between the person he met in the library and the person he saw in class and the campus center. In the library, people are studying, and no one notices you, but in class and other public places, everyone sees you. Perhaps Betsy was simply more comfortable with who she was when there were fewer people around—when no one was there to notice her.