Chapter 2: Follow the Yellow Brick Road

May 14, 1969

Lee held the pen above the paper, the tip and the paper touching ever so slightly.  Just as he was about to apply more pressure, he moved away entirely.  "Can you explain the confidentiality agreement one more time?" he asked.  At the man's look of impatience, he added, "I'm sorry, Mr. Thorton, but my uncle's a colonel.  He's not going to be okay with me quitting school for a job I can't tell him about."

The man across from him sat back in his chair, the look of impatience replaced with one of kindness and a slight smile echoing in his eyes.  "I understand, son.  I do.  But you're not quitting school – you were kicked out," he said the words gently, and bit his tongue to keep from laughing at the look of shock that crossed Lee Stetson's face, as if he hadn't known he was kicked out of school.  "You will go back and get your Bachelor's degree – that's a requirement here.  You will then spend a year in training.  And then, and only then, will you be accepted as a full time agent for the Agency.  We trust those we recruit to make the right decisions.  Thus, you can tell your uncle whatever you feel is appropriate about this job.  It is the details of the cases you will work on as an agent that will be confidential."

Lee sighed, visibly, and leaning forward again, began, in the neat and deliberate way that young men sign their first important documents, to sign Lee.  Taking the pen off the paper for a moment to create a space, he paused again before continuing.  "Does that mean that I can tell non-family members as well?"

Harry Thorton's eyebrows raised, "Tell them about the Agency?  This place is a secret for a reason, Lee."

Lee looked down for a second, trying to decide how to explain this to the man in front of him.  "I know, but see there's this girl…" At Harry's raised eyebrows, Lee rushed on, "Not like that.  She's a friend from when I was a child.  My only real friend.  And well… when things got bad she's just always been there.  She's been the one person I've told everything to and it would feel strange to have this big secret from her now.  She'd never tell anyone.  She's very trustworthy."

Harry's eyes softened.  Over the course of the last several months, he had had several interviews with Lee as had several other members of the Agency, including three of the men he trusted most – William Melrose, Paul Barnes, and Austin Smyth.  Even Smyth, who took an instant dislike to the boy, admitted that he looked to be the right match despite his tragic childhood.  The fact that Lee wanted to tell a childhood friend was probably not an issue.  Lee Stetson was so guarded that it was hard to imagine him telling secrets to anyone who was not so trustworthy they would easily pass any Agency test.

"Again, we'll trust your judgment on this.  If you do not feel that telling this young woman will endanger the country in any way, we trust that decision."

Lee's face broke out into the biggest smile Harry had seen on the boy's face, and enthusiastically, he said, "No, sir.  Amanda wouldn't tell a soul!" as he added Stetson to the name on the line.

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Lee wandered around the college campus, not really paying attention to where he was going.  It was just a campus – he'd been to several – most places he attended.  But this was not a college he attended.  In fact, it was the college attended by the only person in his life he could imagine visiting.  Ever.  He didn't have any friends he would get on a plane to see – or even drive for very far.  There were a few perhaps – a couple of guys from the mess halls at the bases his uncle had been stationed at for more than year.   But those were few, and none of those people were even close to his age.

Amanda was different, though.  She'd been there from the beginning.  Bulldozing her way in and then securing her place as his best friend.  Even with the minimal contact they'd had during childhood, he'd always considered her that.  It was the freedom that came with never seeing her, he supposed.  He could tell her anything – if she laughed at him, he'd never know it.

And since that phone call five years ago, they'd only gotten closer.  He'd actually been in tears when he called her to tell her he couldn't come, that he needed to break his promise.  But she hadn't been angry.  She'd cried, but then she'd been crying when he called.  She said she understood and didn't pressure him.  And so he called again, the day of her father's funeral and stayed on the phone with her for hours.  She didn't say much, but he listened to her sobs and willed his thoughts to somehow give her the hug he could not.

After that, phone calls became more frequent.  Amanda never said much, but then she never had.  Even her letters had been mostly questions about Lee.  But she listened.  Better than anyone in his life did, and so he talked.  He talked more than he ever imagined he could talk, and the result was liberating.  It became a comfort to know that somewhere out there, someone knew him as well as anyone else could, supported him no matter what, and loved him for who he was.  So when things were going poorly, Lee held onto that.  Even when he couldn't call Amanda for some reason or other, he knew she would have understood if they had been able to talk.

Now he'd made this huge decision and he hadn't mentioned the possibility of it in any of their recent conversations.  Would she object, would she be okay with it?  But despite the dozens of questions floating about his head, he knew she would.

Somehow, though, he was worried about telling her.  And that was why he was here now, anyway.  Because this news seemed too big to not tell her in person.

He was startled when he bumped into someone, and looking up to apologize, came face to face with a beautiful young girl.  Her brown hair hung to her shoulders in curls and her brown eyes sparkled with a joy in life that Lee rarely experienced.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled and she replied in kind as she made a move to walk around him.  But Lee reflexively grabbed her arm, then loosened his grip at her surprise. "I'm here visiting a friend," he started, "but I haven't met up with her yet.  Would you like to have dinner with me?"

The girl looked to be in mild shock and Lee wondered if this was a mistake, but this was how he always asked out girls.  And thanks to his boyish good looks and lots of charm, he was rarely turned down.

"I'm sorry," the girl finally replied in a soft lilting voice that was vaguely familiar to Lee.  "I can't.  I have a boyfriend." And then pulling her arm out of Lee's grasp, she turned away and left Lee standing alone.

Lee watched her retreating figure, somewhat surprised.  While certainly he'd been turned down before, mostly by girls who really did have boyfriends, there was something different about this girl.  Usually they were shy and awkward around him and hesitated first, seeming to decide whether their boyfriend was worth missing out on this opportunity.  But none of that had happened with this girl.  She seemed utterly unaffected by Lee's presence, his hand on her arm, or his offer of dinner.  And that intrigued him, but unsure what to do about it, he let it go.

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"The most amazing looking guy was here for you earlier, Amanda," Lily, Amanda's roommate, said as she entered their room.

Amanda looked at Lily questioningly before Lily went on.  "It wasn't Joe, but I don't know who it was.  He didn't leave a name, just asked for you and when I said you were in class, said he'd be back."

Amanda shrugged her shoulders in response, "I wasn't expecting anyone.  I guess I'll just have to wait for him to come back."  Then dismissing the thought from her mind, she sat down on her bed, looking at Lily excitedly, "Guess what?"

"What?" Lily asked, laughing already , before she even knew what Amanda was about to say.

"After Lit class today, Dan asked me what your favorite color is.  I'm sure he's going out today to pick out your corsage."

"Corsage?" Lily asked in surprise.

"Corsage.  For the party.  He's so old-fashioned.  It's so cute."

"I guess," Lily said, not sure she wanted to go to the aforementioned party with someone that old-fashioned.

"I think the four of us are going to go together," Amanda continued, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"We should go out dress shopping after class tomorrow." Lily said, and then continuing, "What color do you think we should wear?  I'm thinking you should wear a light blue and I'll wear pink.  Or maybe purple.  And you should definitely get an off-the-shoulder dress, as Joe loves you in those."

Amanda blushed at the comment and asked, "Do you think the party is really that fancy?"  but before Lily was able to answer, there was a knock at the door.

Lily got up to answer it and after opening the door, without even saying hello, she turned to Amanda.  "It's for you," the look in her eyes clearly telling Amanda that this was the previously mentioned 'amazing looking' guy.

He entered the room, but was too surprised at seeing Amanda to say anything.  Looking up at him, Amanda's eyes held a small amount of fear, "How did you find me here?  I told you I had a boyfriend!"

Finally finding his voice, Lee replied, "Amanda?"

Amanda didn't reply, just stood next to her bed, ready to throw him out.

"I can't believe it was you earlier," Lee went on.  "Amanda, it's me.  Lee.  Lee Stetson."  He would have braced himself better for her reply if he'd seen it coming, but he didn't, and suddenly, he found himself with Amanda pressed up against him, her arms around him tightly, her laughter in his ear.

"I can't believe I turned Lee Stetson down for dinner," Amanda exclaimed, removing herself from his arms and taking a small step back.  "I thought no one told Lee Stetson no."

Lee laughed with her, and reached to hug her once more, wrapping his arms tightly around her, lifting her off the ground, and smelling her hair, taking in the sights and sounds that surrounded him, things that fit in Amanda's world although they were foreign to his own.

"Well, I guess I'll accept that you are the exception," he laughed back at her, finally placing her on her feet.

Suddenly noticing Lily watching them from across the room, Amanda turned toward her.  "Lily, this is my best friend, Lee Stetson.  And Lee, this is my roommate, Lily Peterson."

Lily shook hands with Lee, and then quickly took her leave so the two friends could be alone.

Sitting side by side on her bed, Lee could not stop staring at Amanda.  She was beautiful.  He'd never really thought much about what she'd look like now – seventeen years later.  He barely remembered what she had looked like that day so long ago.  But she was perfect – just the way he would have pictured her had he bothered to do so.

Feeling uncomfortable with the scrutiny, Amanda said the first thing to come to mind, "So, I can see why you rarely get turned down."

Lee looked at her quizzically, then catching her meaning, laughed.  Playing her words back in her head, Amanda realized what she had said and blushed.  Reaching over for her hand, Lee said, "And I can see why you have a boyfriend.  You do, don't you? You said so earlier."

Suddenly on more comfortable ground, Amanda smiled, "Yeah.  His name is Joe.  He's pre-law."

The two friends talked and caught up.  Lee told Amanda all about his offer from the Agency and Amanda told him all about college and Joe, whom was a fairly recent addition to her life, and before long the awkwardness that the meeting began with was all but forgotten.  The recognition of mutual attraction had also faded, too.  It was still there, but buried so deep beneath years of warmth and companionship as to be unrecognizable to either party.  Which was just as well since Lee was off to Maryland for college – close enough to visit, but not too often.

To Be Continued…