Wicked Forest by V.C. Andrews

nodded,
    "Well, then. UNC's loss is our gain."
    "I hope so."
    He smiled at my modesty.

    "I have your schedule here. I took the liberty of making sure you were in one of my classes, psych social science. You will be surprised at just how many psychiatrists I create in the first three sessions," he joked. "Before the semester ends, the whole class is analyzing itself, and everyone develops one complex or another."
    I laughed and told him I was sure it was true.
    "Are there any extracurricular activities that interest you? I saw that you didn't do very much in that regard at North Carolina."
    "No."
    "All work and no play, then, eh?" he asked with what I thought was a flirtatious
    "Let's just say I leave my playing for off-campus life," I replied. He lifted his eyebrows and nodded.
    ― Bien . Sometimes. my Spanish inserts itself" he quickly explained. "My family is from Cuba. We came over right before Castro took the island. So I was born and raised here. These two are my parents,"
    he added, turning the picture so I could get a better view, "and this is my sister and her husband the fisherman. He takes it very seriously. It's practically an art form. However, if I say anything about anyone in my family, they all pounce, accusing me of analyzing them. Did that go on in your home. too?"
    "Sometimes," I said, smiling now at what had often been bitter moments between my adoptive mother and my father. Eventually. I came to realize he was often analyzing her.
    "I assume you were born and raised in South Carolina. then?"
    "Yes."
    He nodded, a pregnant pause between us for a moment. The speed with which he had become personal at this first meeting impressed me and relaxed me.
    "I'm curious." he finally said. "how do you see yourself, say, ten years from now?"
    "Excuse me?"
    "It's a little game I play with all my students, but a game that has value. It gives me some insight about them, what they expect from their education, their career goals, that sort of thing,"
    "I hope only that I will be half the success my father was," I replied. ―I don't want to work in a clinic, however. I want to have a less structured practice. I am thinking more seriously now of working with young people, specializing in it."

    He smiled and nodded as if he had expected that exact answer,
    "Thank you," he said. "I feel certain you will like it here. We're all very new, the school being relatively an embryo compared to other universities and colleges in the state, much less the country, so you will find much less pretension. We're all students here."
    "I was happy to find a school with a program for me so close to Palm Beach."
    "Yes. Well, then," he said, nodding at the card he had given me, "how do you like your schedule?"
    I read it, feeling his eyes on me.
    "It's fine." I said "Everything I wanted."
    "Very good. I can ask Norman to give you a tour of the campus, if you like."
    "No, that's all right," I said. "I have plenty of time before I begin. I'll be back."
    "Please don't hesitate to call my office if you have any questions or if there is something I can help you with or explain farther," he offered,
    "Thank you."
    "I have a similar commute. I come from Palm Beach Gardens." he said. parents have a rather well known restaurant in West Palm Beach. It's called Havana Molena ." He smiled. "Molena is my mother's name. My sister and her husband, when he is not fishing, actually run the restaurant these days, but my father is never too far away and my mother is still the kitchen general."
    "I'll have to try it." I said.
    "If you mention my name, you get a free rum and Coke," he said, and laughed. "Well, you know when the next term begins. We operate on the trimester system. I have seen all your teachers, and here." he said, pulling a small packet out of his briefcase. "is the list of books you will need and the reading preparations."
    "Thank you," I said, taking the papers.
    "There's a map of the campus in there as well and my office hours, et cetera. Are