The days that followed were mournful; she didn't speak at all at college or work, unless spoken to. She kept her mother's last request in mind, but never believed she could achieve such a friend as Maxine. Seeing that his daughter was greatly troubled, Dad called the parish priest Father James, and he came over and offered Pauline advice that preserved her throughout life.

"God will never abandon you, and all things that happen in life are a part of his plan."

"But why would such a loving God take away Mom?"

"There's a reason behind everything God does, though we might not know it. If you build your foundation on Him, He will keep you steady throughout your life. He was ready for your Mom, and she is now seeing Him in heaven."

Pauline was unconvinced.

"Open your eyes to the world around you and try to see things through God's eyes. You are His beloved child, with you He is well pleased, and you can do all things through Him who gives you strength. Keep those verses close to your heart and recite them through hard times, you will find encouragement."

Obediently, Pauline began to memorize those verses and as Father James said, they did provide encouragement. She seemed happier than usual, though she still missed Mom greatly. And soon came the day she found an opportunity to make a friend.

She was walking through the same art museum and saw a young woman, taking notes in front of the "The Sword of Balyn." She looked to be around her age and guessed she was a college student, judging by the notes she was taking and the careful examinations she was making. Her mother's words suddenly echoed through her head and she took in a deep breath and she marched up to her.

"Hi," she started slowly, "What are you doing?"

"Taking notes for a research paper I'm doing for Medieval history class."

There was an awkward silence and then the woman asked, smiling, "So, you're a college student?"

"Yes, I'm studying to be a curator."

"Cool, I'm studying to be an exhibit designer. My dad is a curator."

"That means you like history as well?"

"History is so interesting, you can learn a lot from it."

They began to chat about their favorite history books or different works of art they had written about, and thirty minutes went by swiftly. Pauline looked down at her watch and sighed, "I gotta go, class starts in 20 minutes."

"Oh, I never got your name."

"I'm Pauline Clary."

"Amanda Walker."

This was the beginning of many fun weekends and girls' nights at the nearest fast food place. Amanda was such a sweet woman, she thought of everything, from Pauline's pecan allergy to her favorite flavor of ice cream. They would take strolls through the park and look over beautiful Lake Erie. When their friendship had grown strong, mysterious things started happening in the museum.

Pauline had found the Sword of Balyn lying out of it's case after Amanda had left. She carefully lifted the sword, her fingertips tingling with the excitement of holding a historical artifact, and set it gently in its case. Amanda asked of this and Pauline told her the whole story, but her trust was shaken by the way her friend acted as if she knew what happened. It was Pauline's turn to ask and she replied simply and sweetly, "Oh, you were in the museum and I just asked because I was curious."

Suspicion grew from a tiny thought to a crazy emotion. Amanda was hiding something, and she wanted to know what, but every time she would ask about it, she would just laugh it off and continue on a different subject. One night, she called Pauline, squealing excitedly into the speaker, "Come with me, Dad gave us the opportunity to help pack away the Sword of Balyn."

"Wait, why is the sword being packed away?" Pauline asked cautiously, not allowing Amanda to drag her away to something that would get her in trouble.

"Oh, you didn't hear? The sword was only supposed to be in for a few months, now it needs to be off to another museum by 10 o'clock. Are you coming or not?"

"Sure," Pauline hung up, trying her best to contain her enthusiasm. She, Pauline Clary, helping move an artifact, this was one step closer to achieving her dream of being a curator. Pulling up into the parking lot, the windows in the museum were dark, which signaled that nobody was there. She tried to call Amanda, but she didn't answer. Curiosity got the better of her and Pauline entered the museum; strange, no security, the doors were unlocked, what's going on?

She crept to where the Sword of Balyn usually sat, and that's where Amanda, along with several men, all dressed in dark clothes, were ready to pack away the sword.

"Pauline!" Amanda exclaimed, rushing up to give her a hug, "I'm so glad you could make it."

Amanda's smile was fake, it was dead clear that the men weren't anyone who worked in the museum either. They weren't moving the sword, they were stealing it. Pauline's heart was thumping rapidly against her chest and her bright green eyes were filled with fear. Amanda, the best friend she thought she had, was trying to get her to steal a historical artifact; those weren't notes she was taking, more like plans to rob the museum. I guess I will never be able to make a real friend anymore, Pauline thought, turning to leave, but she was stopped by an iron grip around her bicep. With her other hand, she rummaged around her purse for her pepper-spray. Her hand closed in around a silver cylinder and she jerked her and up and sprayed the man in the eyes.

He released her and she made a break for it, ramming into the exit doors but they were locked. An ear-piercing alarm blared through the tense silence and the lights flashed on. Good, the police will be here to save me soon. The other men, who had her pinned against the wall, escaped while they had a chance, Pauline was about to call her dad, but a sharp, electrical shock pulsed throughout her body and fell her to the ground, unconscious.