You've Always Been My Equal, Roza.

Who Else Is Going?" I Asked. He Shrugged. "just You And Me." My Mood Promptly Shot Up Past 'cheerful' And Went Straight To 'estatic.' Me And Dimitri. Alone. In A Car. This Might Very Well Be Worth A Surprise Test. "how Far Is It?" Silently, I Begged For It To Be A Really Long Drive. Like, One That Would Take A Week. And Would Involve Us Staying Overnight In Luxury Hotels. Maybe We'd Get Stranded In A Snowbank, And Only Body Heat Would Keep Us Alive. "five Hours" "oh." A Bit Less Than I'd Hoped For. Still, Five Hours Was Better Than Nothing. It Didn't Rule Out The Snowbank Possibility, Either.

I Heard Some Interesting Things About Your Performance Up Here." "i Hear Interesting Things About Your 'performance' All The Time Doug, But You Don't Hear Me Making Jokes About It.

That's Pretty Weird—and When I Say Something's Weird, You Know It's Serious.

What's Your Name?" What?" I Asked, Squinting At The Light. Your Name." I Reconized Dr. Olendzki Peering Over Me. You Know My Name." I Want You To Tell Me." Rose. Rose Hathaway." Do You Know Your Birthday?" Of Course I Do. Why Are You Asking Me Such Stupid Things? Did You Lose My Records?" Dr. Olendzki Gave An Exasperated Sigh And Walked Off, Taking The Annoying Light With Her. "i Think She's Fine.

How?" I Demanded. "how Could You Have Screwed This One Up?" "when I Got In, They Said The Manager Was On The Phone And Would Be A Few Minutes. So, I Sat Down And Ordered A Drink." This Time, I Did Lean My Forehead Against The Steering Wheel. "what Did You Order?" "a Martini." "a Martini." I Lifted My Head. "you Ordered A Martini Before A Job Interview." "it's A Bar, Sage. I Figured They'd Be Cool With It.