she didnt look up at him as she went into her own defense . long , for him , was a mere instant for her . something i 'm finding only now , surrounded by young strangers that remind me of myself . not all by himself he didnt . she had long since forgotten the page or the problem number : this particular problem she had focused on for three weeks straight now . the huge guard stepped back , grumbling . my parents would have had to give up everything and gone undercover to be with me . 