Every Last Word

It is Thursday morning, the day that Samantha is supposed to meet Caroline in the theater to reveal the life-changing secret. It has been all that Samantha could think about lately: “The last few days have been brutal, with Caroline’s words running through my head in an endless loop. I can’t imagine what she wants to show me today or how it could possibly change my whole life” (47).

When lunch rolls around, Samantha makes her way to the theater. She hides behind the theater stage curtain, as instructed. Caroline finally arrives to collect her. Caroline whispers “follow me” (48) as she disappears backstage. Backstage, there is a closed door that leads to a steep, narrow staircase. They move down the staircase, which leads to a narrow hallway painted dark gray. At the end of the hallway, there is another series of doors; Caroline stands before one of them: “[Caroline] ignores my question and points to the doorknob. ‘Okay, I’m going to be by your side the entire time, but this is all up to you from here. You have to do all the talking’” (49). Samantha’s worry is increasing, as she does not know where or what she is doing, and her instincts are telling her to flee.