The Bar Code Prophecy Read Online Free PDF Page B

right thing to do.”
    “Why not?”
    Eric’s changing expression told Grace he was on the verge of telling her something … but then decided against it. “No reason. Just a feeling,” he said, looking away.
    “Tell me,” she said, sure he was holding back.
    “Delay it awhile,” he suggested.
    It was not the full answer she’d wanted. “What good would that do?” she asked. “If I get caught without it, I’ll be arrested. My family will have to pay my legal fees. They can’t afford that. Plus, I don’t want to start my adult life with a criminal record.”
    Something in Eric’s eyes closed off. He seemed disappointed by her words, and it hurt her that he thought less of her. But what else did he want her to say? That was how things seemed to her.
    “You’d better get home,” Eric said. Clearly, he was done with the conversation. “It’s getting late.”
    “Tell me why you think I shouldn’t get the tattoo,” Grace repeated softly. “Please.”
    He shook his head. “Not tonight.”
    “What is it?” Grace pressed. “You said I could handle the truth, but you haven’t told me anything.” Had he changed his mind about her? It hurt to think that might be so.
    “Some truths are better not to know,” he said.
    “Stop that!” Grace insisted, feeling annoyed. Why had he given her so much talk, flattering her that she was strong and could be trusted only to give up on her now? “Tell me what’s going on. If there’s something I’m unaware of, then I want to know what is. You, yourself, said I could handle it.”
    “We can talk more tomorrow, if you like,” Eric said, and some light came back into his black eyes, as if the shut door had been cracked open a bit. “Are you doing anything special for your birthday?”
    “My mom usually cooks my favorite dinner and makes a cake. I’m hoping for a gift card for some sessions on the wall.”
    “I know it gets expensive,” Eric said. “Listen, I’ll go with you to your house to make sure you get in safe.”
    “Just stand and watch. I only have to cut through that yard.”
    They got out of the car and entered the moonlit yard, keeping to the darker areas. They stood close, and for a moment Grace thought Eric might kiss her there in the shadows. She hoped he would, but he made no move toward her and she suddenly felt foolish standing there waiting. “Thanks for tonight,” she whispered, moving away.
    When Grace arrived at the oak by her bedroom window, she waved broadly and Eric gave an answering wave before slipping off into the darkness.
    As she began to climb the oak, she reviewed the night. She liked Eric so much and he seemed to like her, too. But there was obviously something he wasn’t telling her. It made her uneasy.
    What was he hiding?
    Pasadena Sun
     
    Washington, D.C. — July 9, 2026
    NASA ORDERS EVACUATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION UNTIL METEOR 1 SAFELY PASSES EARTH
     
In a press conference today in the White House Rose Garden, President Loudon Waters expressed the opinion that “NASA’s panicky evacuation of the International Space Station (ISS) constitutes an extreme overreaction and a waste of NASA’s monetary resources.”
NASA insists that although astronomers feel confident that the giant meteor will bypass Earth, systems are in place in the unlikely event that there has been an error in calculating the velocity and/or trajectory of the approaching celestial boulder. The controversial approach of meeting a menacing meteor with nuclear rockets is once more being debated in Congress and the Senate. Although nuclear missiles could be used to explode the meteor before it reaches Earth or knock it off its deadly path, the effects of the resulting radiation raining down on the Earth could be, in itself, catastrophic.
“In the meantime, we feel it prudent to evacuate the space station and go to drone backup technology until the meteor is safely on its way,” says a NASA representative.
NEDRA, a private commercial