"Tim LaHaye - Left Behind Kids 01 - Vanishings" - читать интересную книгу автора (LaHaye Tim)

THE FOUR KIDS




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CHAPTER ONE



Judd-

The Runaway
JUDDThompson Jr. had always hated having the same name as his father. Until now.

Every time the phone rang and someone asked for Judd, it was "Which one? Big Judd or Little Judd?"
The funny thing was, Little Judd was already taller than his father. He had just gotten his driver's license,
and the whiskers on his chin formed a thin goatee. He was tired of being calledjunior , and if he were
never called Little Judd again for the rest of his life, it would be too soon.

But now, for once, being Judd Thompson Jr. was working in Judd's favor.

This break was meant to be, Judd decided. After days of fighting with his parents about where he was
going, who he was with, what he was doing, and how late he would be in, he had just happened to be
home one afternoon. And his mother picked that day to ask him to bring in the mail. If that didn't prove
this was meant to be, Judd didn't know what did.

Judd sighed loudly at his mother's request. She said he acted like any small chore or favor was the
biggest burden in the world. That was exactly how he felt. He didn't want to be told to do anything.

"Why can'tyou get it?" he asked her.

"Because I asked you to," she said.

"Why do I have to do everything?"

"Would you like to compare what you do around here with what I do?" she asked, and that began the
usual argument. Only when his mother threatened to ground him did he stomp out to the mailbox. He was
glad he did.

On the way back to the house, idly flip-ping through catalogs and letters and maga-zines, he had found
it---an envelope addressed to him. It was clearly a mistake---obviously intended for his father. He knew
that as soon as he saw it. It was busi-ness mail. He didn't recognize the return address.

Just to be ornery, he slipped it inside his jacket and gave the rest of the mail to his mother. Well, he
didn't actually give it to her. He tossed it onto the kitchen table in front of her, and half of it slid to the