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Welcome to Students Incorporated, a podcast exploring the topics of business, education,

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technology and design.

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I'm your host, Mr. Jason.

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Join me weekly as my team and I produce content that's informative, positive, fun and uplifting.

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Episodes include student conversations, interviews with thought leaders and inspirational stories

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with an international flavor.

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This podcast is created and produced with the help of students from the International

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Community School of Bangkok.

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Hello and welcome back.

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I'm Mr. Jason and today I'm joined by a special guest who's been on our podcast before, back

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in season one.

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Mrs. Janet joining us again and we'll be talking about a topic I think is often overlooked

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in many pre-college discussions between parents and graduating seniors.

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It's what I like to call the in-between months.

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You know those few months between high school and graduation before the start of the freshman

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year.

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I'm also joined by co-host Chanya for this episode who's a graduating senior and part

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of our season two podcast team.

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So we hope all seniors and parents of graduating seniors find this topic informative and helpful.

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Then for segment two, we'll be continuing with our story, The Secrets of El Dorado.

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We are on part eight, which is titled Confrontation and Escaped.

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We are getting close to the end of our adventure with Professor Hawthorne, Ava, Sierra, Ethan,

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and Lily.

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So if you've missed any of the other parts of our story, go back and listen to them.

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All right, and now let's hear our quote of the day and get some headline news.

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Hey everyone, our quote of the day comes from Kerry Washington.

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She said, Your life is your adventure and the adventure ahead of you is a journey to

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fulfill your own purpose and potential.

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This quote speaks about embarking on the greatest adventure of all, your own life.

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Each day is a new chapter waiting to be written, a journey brimming with endless possibility

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and discoveries.

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Picture your life as an epic odyssey, a thrilling adventure waiting to unfold.

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Each day holds the promise of new discoveries, challenges, and triumphs propelling you forward.

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The path ahead is not just a mere succession of events, but a profound quest full of possibilities

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and opportunities.

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And that's our quote of the day.

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Now moving on to some headline college news.

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Thank you, and here's some headline college news from around the world.

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Starting off with our first news, in the state of Indiana, Governor Eric Holcomb has resently

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signed a new law that promotes intellectual diversity.

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Under the law, professors are not allowed to bring political ideas into their classes,

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and can also be reported or have promotions and tenures withheld if their school boards

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find them guilty of not performing their duties properly.

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This has prompted many faculty members from public schools in Indiana to testify against

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a new law, which they view as a government overreach and an attack on academic free speech.

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The new law goes into effect in July, and ironically, it may have a political agenda,

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which is something that it is intended to reduce.

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Our next news piece has to do with U.S. student debt.

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The Biden administration has yet again proposed to cancel more student debt of individuals

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who are now working in the public sector.

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This proposal would be a cancellation of up to $143.6 billion and would free up about

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78,000 borrowers from their student debt, bringing the total amount since the Biden

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administration started canceling loans up to 4 million borrowers.

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The borrowers in the PSLF debt relief program will receive an email from the president informing

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them about their loan status, provided that they continue working in their current job

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position until they receive their loan paybacks.

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And now onto our final college news coming from California.

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At the University of California, Berkeley, safety concerns have been causing parents

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to take actions themselves.

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A parent association group representing about 1,300 parents called Safe Bear has spent $40,000

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on hiring security officers that patrol areas near the campus in order to deter crime on

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campus.

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While students and parents have agreed and expressed gratitude to the decision, the school,

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however, holds a different opinion.

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According to them, campus security should be left up to the campus police since they

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are questionable about the qualifications and necessities of the hired help.

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While they have said that the university funds aren't better spent hiring more campus security

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officers, the shortage of security guards does not appropriately reflect the commitment

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to campus safety.

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And that ends our headlight news for today.

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We are back for our first segment and we have Mrs. Jen Lembert back in the studio to discuss

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how parents and students can better prepare during their transition from high school to

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college and specifically focusing on the in-between months between high school graduation and

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the start of their freshman year at college.

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Jono will kick us off with our first discussion question.

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Hello, and thank you so much for coming to our show again.

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For the sake of our show's new listeners who may not know you, maybe we could start

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with this question first.

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Could you introduce yourself and tell us what role you have here at ICS?

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Of course.

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Thank you so much, Chania.

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My name is Jennifer Lembert and I am the college counselor here at ICS.

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I have been in that role for seven years now, which seems crazy.

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And our family's been here in Thailand for 10 years.

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So that's kind of a little bit.

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Before that, we lived in India and Malaysia and also the US.

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And we have three kids here at ICS, a 12th grader, 10th grader, and fifth grader.

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I've got a follow up question now.

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Because we are focusing on the topic of the in-between months between high school and college,

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could you share how this topic is relevant to you personally and if there are some things

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you have started preparing for?

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It's such a good question.

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I think the uniqueness about this year is that I'm wearing two hats within the year,

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both as a college counselor and as a parent.

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So it's been a little surreal walking through this process as a parent, too, not just as

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a college counselor.

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So yeah, these in-between months, it's really interesting.

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I think within the stages of transition, we kind of call it the have started to leave,

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but have not yet quite arrived yet.

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So it's this reshuffling and kind of doing our best to prepare, but still a lot of uncertainty

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and unknowns.

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So walking through that this year, not just as a counselor, but as a parent is kind of

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the role I'm playing, but still figuring it out and definitely not an expert.

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All right.

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So our next question is an open discussion question, and it also has to do with the idea

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of preparation.

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So the question goes like this.

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What are some ways students could prepare academically during the in-between months

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before starting college?

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From your perspective as kind of like a college counselor as well, are there some things academically

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that they could do during those in-between months?

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In-between months, yeah.

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It's such a great question.

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And you know, the irony with that one is I actually feel like our ICS students are very

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well prepared for college academically.

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So maybe I'm turning this question around a little bit, but we don't often have alumni

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come back and say, oh man, I'm struggling with my academics.

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I'm struggling with calculus class or my business classes.

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I think they feel very prepared coming from ICS, coming from an AP curriculum.

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So I guess maybe I would shift the question a little bit to how can we prepare more socially

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and emotionally and more philosophically, thinking about kind of all this independence

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and freedom that they'll be experiencing in college and how best to prepare for that and

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structure it.

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So maybe less on the academic preparation because I think ICS does so well at that, but more

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in, hey, what are some healthy boundaries, some healthy structure that I want to make

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sure I have next year when I'm on my own?

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Even how to manage stress, like what helps me manage stress now that I can continue in

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college, things like exercise, healthy eating habits, going on a walk, getting more sleep,

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all those healthy things.

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So we do try to kind of weave in some of those conversations on the social emotional side

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as we work on the academics and the college application, you know, hoops and all of that

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as well.

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Moving on, this is also an open discussion question.

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How can students use the in-between months to develop life skills that will be essential

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in college?

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Mr. Jason, maybe you could share first from your experience and then we can go on from

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there.

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Okay, so from my personal experience, because we have had two children who are grown, who

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have gone off to college, and at that time we had those in-between months between, you

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know, when they graduated as a senior, and both of our older children went off to college

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in the U.S.

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And so I know a lot of kids here at ICS are, many of them do go to college in the U.S.,

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some of them are not U.S. citizens as well.

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And so there are different nuances between being a U.S. citizen versus being a foreigner

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who's applying for a student visa.

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But in our situation, we didn't have to do that because both of our kids were U.S. citizens.

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So there were some practical things that we focused on with both of our kids, and that

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was things like setting up a bank account for them, helping them go to the bank, getting

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them a bank account, helping them understand what it's like having some money of their

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own and working through, hey, you should have a personal budget.

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You can't just spend money off your debit card or off a credit card without having money

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in the bank.

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So working through some of that stuff, financial side, also the idea of transportation, allowing

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them to, like for both of our children, we went back to the states a couple summers before

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they actually graduated and allowed them to go through driver's ed, like driving school.

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So they went to a school where they actually learned how to drive.

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And then they were able to get their driver's license, which also acted as an ID for them,

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like a personal ID.

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And that helped them get a bank account, helped them wherever they would go where they needed

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an ID to show that legitimately they could use their driver's license as an ID.

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So that was like a very practical way that they felt, okay, I feel like I'm part of the

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system again.

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I feel like I can kind of operate and get around.

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This is not an unknown to me.

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So those were some things my wife and I did, but also we were able to go to the school

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and like see them off to see them get settled.

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But then it is hard when you separate and they are there and by themselves.

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And that first year can be quite crucial for them.

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Are they going to make it or not?

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So it's very important that we really try to like focus on interacting with them as

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much as possible, virtually making sure that we check in with them, making sure that they're

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in the right friend group.

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So those are some things from my perspective.

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But I'd love to hear and those that was years ago, like four or five years ago.

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So I'd like to hear Jen's perspective on what she's going to be doing this summer with their

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first one.

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I mean, still kind of figuring it out.

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But we're also building in some time to make sure that Addie gets time with family and

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friends, which is one of the main priorities this summer.

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Another way that we've really encouraged her to find structure within her college years

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is to have a job.

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And so she will be working a bit this summer too in preparation for that, both for the

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financial piece, but also for the time management piece, just to be able to.

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Yeah, even if it's as little as five to 10 hours, I tell seniors, it's really great to

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have a job because it requires you to be somewhere and it adds some structure into this very

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kind of new found freedom.

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And so I think that's one thing we've encouraged as well.

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We've also just tried to think collectively as a family of about four or five people that

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she can spend time with kind of in different areas of importance for her.

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So both in faith and kind of in what she's interested in studying and just someone who

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was really good at connecting with friends and clubs in college and just spend time with

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them and hear from them about what was important to them in college, what they do differently,

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what they're glad they did.

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So kind of some intentionality on who she connects with this summer has been something

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we are trying to do as well.

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But yeah, I think that's it.

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I'm still learning.

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I'm very much a rookie.

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So you can ask me in another year or two and maybe I'll be more of an expert.

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Yeah, I think that time management is super important because they're coming from an environment

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where they're being told to do almost every minute of every day.

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So all of a sudden they have all this freedom.

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But a job is super important, right?

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It teaches them personal responsibility, accountability, time management.

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So yeah, that's definitely a good one.

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If you can get a job, if you have the ability to work on campus or get some sort of part

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time summer job in those months, connecting that way even with the community, I think

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is helpful.

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Totally.

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I tell seniors a lot that as they're going into college, it's a big place.

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And so they're going to want to find ways to make it small in the right ways.

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And I think a job is one way to do that.

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Clubs, of course, are one way to do that.

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Your program of study will be another way to do that.

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I think it was Chania's dad at chapel that said it's called a university because it's

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both a universe and a city.

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There's so many people to meet and connect with.

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And I think because of that, things like jobs, clubs, the cohort that you're studying with

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become really important in ways to make that big place feel a little smaller.

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So yeah, that's good.

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OK, our next question moving on.

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Our next question has to do with time management.

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Go figure.

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Yeah.

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What are some ways students could be encouraged to manage their time during those in between

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this those months and days that are waiting that they are waiting before their college

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classes begin besides maybe just a job?

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Yeah, I think, you know, for us again, priority is kind of spending time with family and friends

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and really enjoying these last few months that we have before our family reshuffles

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a bit and has some new dynamics in place.

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Of course, with the distance, you know, one thing this is I don't know if this really

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fits with time management, but I think today it is so easy to find ourselves behind a screen

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a lot.

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I heard one social scientist called technology, the fifth dorm room wall.

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So the fifth wall of a dorm room, because it's keeping college kids inside, watching

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games, movies, whatever it might be.

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So I think one good practice for our seniors who are preparing is just limit the time that

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they're on tech.

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Right.

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So college is such an opportunity to be bold and to meet people and to get to know those

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around you in this big university that we're on.

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So I think maybe even putting into place some structure around technology would be a good

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habit to prioritize in the summer months before college.

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Yeah, I think that's a really good thing to bring up.

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So thank you for doing that.

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The idea of just getting away from tech to a certain point, you know, when we're in college

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many years ago, we went to the gym, we went we actually went to a physical library.

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Right.

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We would go visit our friends at their dorms.

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We would hang out at student union.

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So there's common spaces on universities that are built to promote community, you know,

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and it's also getting yourself out there and being brave and trying to do that.

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Those are some ways not only within time management, but able to get out there and kind of just

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be a part of that smaller universe within the big city.

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Right.

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So this next question has to do with the heart and the mind of the student.

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What potential challenges might a student face mentally or emotionally during the in-between

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months that they should be aware of?

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Yeah, I would imagine one of the biggest is just feeling a little bit nervous and anxious

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about what's to come.

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You know, anytime we're faced with uncertainty and unfamiliarity, there's of course some

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anxiety and stress with that.

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Right.

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I also think it's helpful to see the excitement in that too and the opportunity.

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And so trying to shift from a mindset of I'm frozen, I don't know what to do to hey, I'm

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going to think about all the opportunities that are going to present themselves in these

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college years.

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So shifting mindset would be a big one.

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I think again, you know, like I mentioned before, asking those who have gone through

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this college experience and done it really well, maybe in a major that you're pursuing

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or with a particular clubs or hobbies that you're interested in.

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I think that can be helpful to provide some encouragement and even some ideas and guidelines

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about boundaries and expectations.

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So yeah, I'm not sure if that's really helpful, but I think being able to be excited, not

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just anxious and then talking with people who can encourage you.

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All right.

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So moving on to another question we can kind of discuss.

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It's more on the practical or logistical side.

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What are some practical benefits of attending pre-college orientation programs and how can

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they enhance a student's college readiness?

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Oh, it's so good.

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And I am actually particularly thankful for these orientation programs that schools offer,

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especially for international students and third culture kids like our kids are.

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A lot of these will offer an early onboarding for international students where they can

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come even a week ahead of the typical freshmen students.

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And they cover topics like opening a bank account, getting a job, finding the library,

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you know, finding the health center if you need it.

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So it's just really practical, but also gives you a chance to kind of settle in before some

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of the other more local students can arrive.

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And to that point, too, a lot of our students, even in ninth, tenth and eleventh grade, will

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do college campus.

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They call them pre-college programs sometimes in the summer.

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And it's such a good opportunity for our students not only to travel to the U.S. or Australia

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or wherever they might do these, but they get to experience a college campus and a dorm

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room and the cafeteria and how to manage all that.

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So I think that's a great way to kind of onboard into the college experience through these programs.

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There's even third culture kid camps that some of our students will attend.

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And not only does it help walk through some of these practical tips of transitioning to

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college, but you get to meet other third culture kids and international kids like you who have

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lived outside of the U.S. and now will be attending college in the U.S.

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So yeah, I totally recommend those if they're available.

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Quick funny story about my college, pre-college orientation.

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And it was almost a week, actually.

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This was back in early 90s.

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But one of the classes or one of the sessions we had to go to was speed reading.

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And it was so fascinating to me.

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I don't remember much about the other orientation sessions, but this one was so fascinating because

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one of the professors at the university basically showed us how to speed read.

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And it was more of an introduction into you're going to read a lot of content now that you're

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in college.

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And so here's a quick way to do it.

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And it's fascinating.

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And that guy could read really fast.

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Can you still speed read?

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No I can't.

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But he showed us the technique.

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And he's like, you just have to keep practicing and practicing it.

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And it was super fascinating.

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So pre-college orientation will have sessions that will probably be quite intriguing and

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maybe very different.

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But also I highly recommend it as well because you meet new people.

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And you get introduced to the university and the setting in a safe, maybe safer environment

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before all the upperclassmen get there.

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So all right.

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On to our, I think our final question here with Chania.

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So we like to end our guest segments by asking for advice.

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This is Jen and Mr. Jason.

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What advice would you offer to students or parents of students about this topic?

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Any parting words or thoughts?

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I guess I'll go first, but I hardly feel like an expert enough to give advice.

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Mr. Jason's walked this road.

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So I am anxious to hear his.

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I think maybe I'll give some advice that was given to me recently.

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And so as a parent, as a new parent through this college season, they said you need to

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be three things for your kids when they're away.

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And that's cheers, ears, and prayers.

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And I'm kind of taking that to heart and realizing that this is a new parenting season, right?

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It's a shift from being more of a coach to more of the cheering section.

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And so I think that's really, and I'm excited about that too, to kind of be able to sit

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in the stands and not be calling all the plays, but just be there for support, be there to

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encourage and then of course to pray for them across the miles.

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And then for the students, I just, I mean, I'm so excited for them.

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I really do think this is such a fun and exciting and a growing season that they're about to

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embark on and just to be bold and be brave and to meet new people and not be afraid to

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try something new.

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Yeah, just take it all in.

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Yeah, I think it's going to be a really exciting season for your class, Chania.

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I like that.

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So that's cheers, ears, and prayers, right?

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That's really good.

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That'll be easy to remember.

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Advice from me, I guess for the parents would be walk the road with your kids and they definitely

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will have the emotional ups and downs and you may even see different behaviors through

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those in-between months of fear possibly, maybe excitement, but then there could be

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some hesitation even like, did I make the right decision?

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Am I really going to do this type of...

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But really being kind of like their cheerleader, being in their corner, helping them navigate

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a lot of those practical things that as parents we've been through and we kind of are used

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to some of the logistical and practical things, but then I think like Mrs. Jen just said,

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really being an ear for them to talk to and not, and I have a problem with this, not always

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giving the solution, right?

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And just basically being that ear for them to rely on.

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And it's different for every family, I think.

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You figure out, I think the seniors who are graduating this year at ICS will figure out

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what's best for their family and their parents will figure that out too.

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And seniors, if I could have one piece of advice for you, call your parents.

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Talk to them.

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00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:19,560
Great advice.

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Call them, talk to them, let them know how you're doing and they don't want to always

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bug you so they don't want to be helicopter parents and want to be hovering over you,

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but man, when we can get a FaceTime call or a Zoom call from one of our kids and they're

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smiling and happy, you're doing well, even if they're not, that's a great way just to

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reconnect and we can figure out, we'll listen and hear you and see.

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So okay, I think that's it.

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Is there anything else?

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Any?

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Any final words?

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00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:49,880
No, I just appreciate the opportunity.

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00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:50,880
Guys, thanks so much.

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As a senior parent, these are all good things to be thinking through and I'm thankful you

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all initiated the discussion, so thanks so much.

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00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,440
And that ends segment one of this episode.

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00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:05,080
Stick around as we continue with part eight of our story, The Secrets of El Dorado.

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Don't go anywhere as we'll be right back after this short PSA.

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00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:18,400
Hey everyone, Premi here and in the spirit of this episode of In-Between-Us, I thought

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00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:22,520
we could definitely talk about fun activities that everyone could be doing in this upcoming

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period of In-Between-Us, the summer.

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Students, for those of you who aren't graduating just yet, maybe as a rising sophomore or a

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rising senior, the options are endless.

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You could recharge as you get ready for another year of school, maybe take up a new hobby,

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try learning a new language.

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For those of us that are becoming upperclassmen, maybe think about an internship or a job you

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00:25:42,180 --> 00:25:43,760
could take on this summer.

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Or maybe there's a subject area you've always been curious about and would love to have

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the space of a summer camp to explore.

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Most importantly though, remember to take a break in this period of In-Between-Us.

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And adventure awaits in your next chapter.

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We are back for our second segment and we will continue with part 8 titled Confrontation

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00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:06,200
and Escape.

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But first, Chania will give us a quick recap from our last episode.

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In the last episode, Ava, Sierra, and Professor Hawthorne delve into the secrets and identities

402
00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:33,960
of a few members that were part of the meeting by the reservoir the night before.

403
00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:38,160
Meanwhile, Lily awakens to find herself imprisoned.

404
00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:43,400
While Lily struggles to deal with her situation, Ava, Sierra, and Professor Hawthorne stumble

405
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:47,180
upon an unexpected discovery at a historic landmark.

406
00:26:47,180 --> 00:26:53,400
As tension rises, Lily uncovers a glimmer of hope at this her confinement, hinting at

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a thrilling escape.

408
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Thank you Chania.

409
00:26:55,920 --> 00:27:00,720
And without further ado, let's get back into our story where we join Ava, Lily, Sierra,

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00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:09,120
Ethan, and the Professor.

411
00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:11,560
Time seems to be crawling along for Lily.

412
00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:16,720
It's been about 30 or so minutes since Professor Sharpton had interrogated her about the note.

413
00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:20,600
The formula interferes and then left abruptly.

414
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:25,360
She's pretty confident it's mid to late morning and that she had spent the night in

415
00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:29,400
this small dirty space which seemed to be underground.

416
00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:34,800
Still sitting on the small flimsy cushion, Lily squints as she tries to look more closely

417
00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:39,740
at the lodge and gate that seems not to be secured properly.

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With chain sweatshirt in hand, she turns her head and looks back at the large man who's

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standing halfway down the other corridor.

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She assumes this large man is guarding her as he's been standing there the entire time

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she's been awake.

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00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:59,120
All of a sudden, she notices the man stepping out of the shuttle slightly, turns and looks

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00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:01,120
in the opposite direction from her.

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00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:05,480
He's looking down the corridor toward the corner that Professor Sharpton had disappeared

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00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:06,480
around earlier.

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He's standing more at tension with his arms at his waist as if he hears something coming

427
00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:15,200
from the other direction.

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Meanwhile, Ava, Cira and the Professor find themselves inside the entrance of the main

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00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:27,040
tunnel entrance which is located on Altman Sutter's property.

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00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:31,840
Ava's phone flashlight reveals what looks to be fresh footprints in the dirt right in

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00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:33,120
front of her.

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In a hushed tone, she points at the footprints and says,

433
00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:41,440
Look here, someone's been here, and recently too.

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00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:45,680
Hmm, you're right Ava, the Professor says, nodding his head and thinking.

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00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:51,320
Alright, let's move forward slowly and together in a single line, hoping we don't run into

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00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:52,440
anyone.

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00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:57,080
The Professor moves around Ava and Cira and starts walking forward deeper into the dark

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corridor.

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He stops for a moment, turns around and points to the walls and whispers,

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00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:06,080
This tunnel was made a long time ago.

441
00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:09,400
Thankfully, it's large enough we can walk upright.

442
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,480
We are standing in history.

443
00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,520
You see these old chisel marks in the rock?

444
00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:18,440
These are some of the same types of marks Ethan and I observed in the mines on Rob's

445
00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:19,980
Peak yesterday.

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00:29:19,980 --> 00:29:24,840
This tunnel system was built old school style, with pickaxes and hard labor.

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00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:29,040
He turns back around and continues walking forward slowly.

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00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:34,160
Cira and Ava quietly follow the Professor down the narrow tunnel, walking in a single

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line.

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00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:40,520
The three kept walking forward, another 10-15 meters before the tunnel starts to gradually

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00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:44,200
widen and then ending in a small rectangular room.

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00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:48,040
Cira stops and looks around while standing very close to Ava's side.

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00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:52,440
The Professor turns around and whispers again to the girls, this must be used as some sort

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of ventilation shaft or room for the other parts of the tunnels.

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00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:01,880
They all noticed that the air inside the small chamber was fresher than the air in the passageways,

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00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:04,960
and it smelt better, not as damp and musty.

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00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:10,120
Glinting her eyes as she shines her phone's flashlight around the chamber, she realizes

458
00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:12,320
the problem and then says softly,

459
00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:16,280
Oh, there's two ways out of this chamber now.

460
00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:19,560
There's one forward and then there's one on our right.

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00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:23,080
Which way should we go now, straight or right?

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00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:26,120
Cira looks at the Professor and then looks at Ava.

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00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:30,200
Ava is her head down and is sketching the layout of the tunnel in her small notebook

464
00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:32,440
she just pulled out of her bag.

465
00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:36,200
She is shining her phone light on the notebook page so she can see what she's drawing.

466
00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,360
She stops for a moment and says,

467
00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:42,800
Thought I'd draw a map of this place, might help us out in the future.

468
00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:46,840
Responding to Cira's question first, she answers with another question as she looks at the

469
00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:50,240
Professor and points her phone light at him.

470
00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,440
Hmm, should we split up or stay together?

471
00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:58,480
She continues, the footprints we've been observing lead down to the path going straight,

472
00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:02,520
and there doesn't seem to be any footprints that go right down the other way.

473
00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:05,360
Yep, I see that too, Ava, the Professor says.

474
00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:10,520
The Professor hesitates for a moment and then asks Ava if he could see her drawing.

475
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:15,360
The Professor peers down at the sketch that Ava was drawing and continues,

476
00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:16,880
That's pretty accurate, Ava.

477
00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:21,360
It would be great if you could continue doing that as we make our way through the tunnel.

478
00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:26,200
The Professor then stops for a moment, reaches into his bag and pulls out the old manuscript

479
00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:28,240
he's been carrying around with him.

480
00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:32,240
He flips through the pages and finally stops on a page that's filled with sketches and

481
00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:33,920
symbols and says,

482
00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:38,320
Seeing your sketch, Ava, it reminded me of this part of the manuscript we were studying

483
00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:40,400
at the reservoir yesterday night.

484
00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:42,480
Hmm, here it is.

485
00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:47,960
The Professor points to the faded ink on the page that appears to show some sort of schematic

486
00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:49,440
drawing and says,

487
00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:51,640
Ava, shine your light right here.

488
00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:54,160
You see this drawing right here on this page?

489
00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:58,320
This drawing in the manuscript looks like a schematic of something.

490
00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:02,080
It could be the layout map of this tunnel system we are in right now.

491
00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:06,560
Ava shifts her light from the manuscript page up towards the Professor's face and says,

492
00:32:06,560 --> 00:32:08,040
Sure looks that way.

493
00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:11,040
This manuscript is proving to be super accurate.

494
00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,040
It keeps corroborating with all our discoveries.

495
00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:16,600
It's no wonder this thing was never published.

496
00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:18,520
It holds all kinds of information.

497
00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:23,120
Ava then turns her light around to face Cira, who is still standing really close to Ava's

498
00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:24,120
side and asks,

499
00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:25,800
You still doing okay?

500
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:28,200
Cira cocks her head slightly and says,

501
00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:32,960
Yep, I'm hanging in there just trying not to panic a little and trying not to think

502
00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:36,000
about all the bad things that could happen to us.

503
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:37,520
Yeah, Ava says,

504
00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:40,440
Then giving Cira her notebook and pencil, saying,

505
00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:43,640
Here, this will help keep your mind off of things.

506
00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:46,400
You sketch the path out as we make our way through the tunnel.

507
00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:49,640
You're a better artist than me anyway.

508
00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:53,880
The Professor was standing there in the darkness as Ava had shifted her phone light towards

509
00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:54,880
Cira.

510
00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:59,080
As the girls were talking, the Professor peered down the path that led straight and noticed

511
00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:03,000
a faint, faint flicker of a light some distance ahead.

512
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:07,800
Professor Hawthorne scratches his head and contemplates what to do next and then says,

513
00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:10,000
Alright, I got an idea.

514
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:11,920
Let's divide and conquer.

515
00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:16,160
He says this as he clicks on his small keychain flashlight.

516
00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:20,200
His flashlight is about half the strength of Ava and Cira's phone lights and has less

517
00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:21,820
battery time.

518
00:33:21,820 --> 00:33:26,640
He does not want to let Ava and Cira know that he saw a very faint light in the path

519
00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:29,160
that led straight, so he continues.

520
00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:33,040
I'll continue straight on this path and you girls take the path that goes right.

521
00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:34,320
Are you okay with that?

522
00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:37,160
He asks both girls as he looks straight at them.

523
00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,520
I'm good with that if you are, Ava.

524
00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:41,400
Cira turns to look at Ava.

525
00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:45,920
I'll continue sketching this part of the tunnel since this part of the map in the manuscript

526
00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:47,840
is very faint and hard to see.

527
00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:50,040
Yup, let's do it, Ava says.

528
00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:53,240
She offers up an idea well before they part ways.

529
00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:58,420
Let's say we meet back here in 15 minutes and if we find ourselves getting confused

530
00:33:58,420 --> 00:34:02,160
or lost, we can just always backtrack our steps back to the spot.

531
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:06,760
They all nod in agreement and with that, Ava says to Professor Hawthorne, good luck and

532
00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:07,760
be safe.

533
00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:11,400
The professor walks slowly forward down the straight path that leads toward the faint

534
00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:13,320
light he noticed earlier.

535
00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:22,680
He looks back as Ava and Cira disappear down the other path.

536
00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:26,760
Meanwhile Lily gets up from where she was sitting and walks slowly to the gate that

537
00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:32,240
was locked, peers through it and notices that the guard who was standing there had walked

538
00:34:32,240 --> 00:34:35,560
around the corner and was nowhere to be seen.

539
00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:40,040
She waits for a moment, wanting to make sure he wasn't coming right back.

540
00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:45,080
She then makes a quick decision, turns around and quickly walks to the other gate, the one

541
00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:50,280
that is not lodged properly, and pries it open with both hands.

542
00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:56,660
It took all her strength to reach the lodge, move it upward and then push the gate open.

543
00:34:56,660 --> 00:35:01,140
She couldn't believe it, she was staring into the darkness, down another tunnel that

544
00:35:01,140 --> 00:35:05,800
let out the other side of the small room she was in, but it was the way to freedom she

545
00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:07,040
was hoping for.

546
00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:12,800
She bravely starts walking forward while holding Chen's sweatshirt, not realizing how important

547
00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:18,080
that sweatshirt will be in the days to come, slowly but surely, taking one step after another

548
00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:28,960
as she says to herself, you got this, you got this.

549
00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:34,960
Cira and Ava with two rays of light from their phones continue walking down a side passageway

550
00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:39,240
they took after leaving the small ventilation room where they parted ways with Professor

551
00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:40,580
Hawthorne.

552
00:35:40,580 --> 00:35:45,280
This passageway started getting narrow again, then curving slightly toward a sharp corner

553
00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:46,960
that turned left.

554
00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:52,760
To keep her mind off the fear she was facing, and by now it was mostly claustrophobia, this

555
00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:56,720
was something that her and Ava shared, a fear of opposite things.

556
00:35:56,720 --> 00:36:02,160
Ava's fear of heights was revealed at the reservoir and now Cira's fear of small spaces

557
00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:04,320
is being revealed.

558
00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:09,200
Cira whispers ahead to Ava who's leading the way down the tunnel slowly and cautiously,

559
00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:12,040
man, I can't wait to get out of here.

560
00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:16,820
They both come to the corner and then walk slowly, making the turn left and peer down

561
00:36:16,820 --> 00:36:19,000
another's passageway.

562
00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:24,360
All the while, and to help her keep her mind off the small passageway, Cira continues to

563
00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:29,120
sketch out the pathways they are taking, making sure her drawing and number of steps they

564
00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:32,600
are taking are recorded with accuracy.

565
00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:38,220
From this new passageway, they walk another 10 to 12 meters before noticing that the tunnel

566
00:36:38,220 --> 00:36:41,720
starts to get wider, revealing some light ahead.

567
00:36:41,720 --> 00:36:47,080
They move slowly forward and then all of a sudden they enter a large rectangular room

568
00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:52,400
which is dimly lit by one small light bulb hanging from one of the old wooden support

569
00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:54,880
beams above their heads.

570
00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:59,240
This room is larger in size and the air seems better as well.

571
00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:04,840
Maybe another ventilation room or maybe something different, Cira thinks to herself as she is

572
00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:06,680
sketching in the notebook.

573
00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:10,640
Cira and Ava turn off their phone lights to save battery.

574
00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:16,240
Cira briefly checks to see if she has cell reception, no luck, and then turns and shows

575
00:37:16,240 --> 00:37:20,560
Ava as they both shrug their shoulders while looking around the room.

576
00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:23,040
Look at that, Ava exclaims pointing around the room.

577
00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:27,440
There's shelves, documents, and what's that large paper on the wall?

578
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:30,640
I bet a lot of this stuff will make great evidence.

579
00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:35,000
Okay Cira, how about you take the left side of the room, I'll take the right, and then

580
00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:36,960
we'll gather anything that looks important.

581
00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:40,480
Oh, I'll also take a photo of the chart on the wall.

582
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:46,640
Ava continues as she watches Cira pull Lily's backpack off and set it onto the ground.

583
00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:51,840
Let's fill that backpack as much as possible and if we run out of room, grab photos of

584
00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:53,460
the other stuff we can't carry.

585
00:37:53,460 --> 00:37:57,160
On it, Cira says, hurrying to the other side of the room.

586
00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:01,920
This side of the room contained an old wooden table that was covered with old papers and

587
00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:03,560
yellow documents.

588
00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:09,360
Cira noticed that the scatter of documents on the table looked to be various maps, letters,

589
00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:11,640
and an old accounting ledger book.

590
00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:16,200
Bingo Cira says as she holds up the ledger book and turns to show Ava.

591
00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:18,320
She blurt out in a regular voice.

592
00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:23,480
This gotta be important, this ledger book is full of names, dates, weights, and money

593
00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:24,480
amounts.

594
00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:29,080
As she turns around and looks at the ledger book, Cira is holding up and says, wow, that

595
00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:31,040
might be the ticket.

596
00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:35,200
Make sure you secure that in the backpack along with as many of those old papers as

597
00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:36,200
possible.

598
00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:39,040
Ava gets back to work snapping photos of them.

599
00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:43,760
Old tools and such that are being held in small wooden crates that seem to be quite

600
00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:44,760
old.

601
00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:46,960
Nothing you would find in a hardware store these days.

602
00:38:46,960 --> 00:38:51,560
The tools and other materials, much of the wooden parts of the tools were either rotten

603
00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:55,880
or coming apart, look to be items that were used in a mine.

604
00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:59,680
They were all old and worn out, Ava thinks to herself.

605
00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:03,180
Maybe these are some of the old tools from the early cold rush days.

606
00:39:03,180 --> 00:39:07,000
She then spots some engravings on some of the handles of the tools.

607
00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:10,460
The engravings look to be Chinese characters.

608
00:39:10,460 --> 00:39:16,160
She stops for a moment, carefully focusing her camera phone as to not take blurry photos

609
00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:21,020
and systematically taking photos of more than a dozen tools which had engraved characters

610
00:39:21,020 --> 00:39:22,020
on them.

611
00:39:22,020 --> 00:39:25,800
She turns around and looks at Sira who's folding and packing papers and maps into the

612
00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:28,880
backpack and says, this is a gold mine, Sira.

613
00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:29,880
Pun intended.

614
00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:31,120
Get as much as you can.

615
00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:37,280
Sira after packing the backpack turns her phone light full on and says, the passageway

616
00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:41,560
opposite the way we came in seems to lead to another room like this.

617
00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:42,800
Let's go check it out as well.

618
00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:44,720
I don't think there's anyone down there.

619
00:39:44,720 --> 00:39:49,760
Ava looks up at Sira as she snaps one last photo, cracking half a smile as she says,

620
00:39:49,760 --> 00:39:51,400
you're getting the hang of this girl.

621
00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:52,800
Yeah, let's go check it out.

622
00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:57,320
The girls exit the room and walk through a short passageway and then enter the second

623
00:39:57,320 --> 00:39:58,320
room.

624
00:39:58,320 --> 00:39:59,560
This room was slightly smaller.

625
00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:03,680
However, it did have a single light bulb in the center of the room hanging from one of

626
00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:08,000
the horizontal ceiling support beams, similar to the other rooms it just came from.

627
00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:09,960
There were two ways out of the second room.

628
00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:14,660
You could either go back to the way you came from or take another passageway that exited

629
00:40:14,660 --> 00:40:16,600
from the right side of the room.

630
00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:21,200
Ava notices that Sira is looking down and sketching again in the notebook and says,

631
00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:23,560
thanks for mapping out the design of the tunnel system.

632
00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:26,920
It'll be so helpful when we turn all this stuff into the FBI.

633
00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:31,200
Ava looks over towards the left side of the room, opposite of the exit passageway they

634
00:40:31,200 --> 00:40:36,560
haven't explored yet, and notices several old wooden shelves with what looks to be a

635
00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:41,480
series of old glass jars filled with different things and all covered in dust.

636
00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:44,820
They all had lids on and old worn out labels on the lids.

637
00:40:44,820 --> 00:40:55,120
She glanced at Sira and says, I hope you have a little more room in that backpack.

638
00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:59,440
Professor Hawthorne finally makes his way to the source of the light he saw earlier.

639
00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:04,280
The room is much larger than a ventilation chamber he and the girls had parted ways from

640
00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:05,640
a short time ago.

641
00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:10,360
He steps just inside the room with the dark passageway he just came from directly behind

642
00:41:10,360 --> 00:41:11,400
him.

643
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:16,520
As the professor clicks off his keychain light with squinted eyes he looks up and scans the

644
00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:21,960
room quickly in an effort to get a feel of the size of the space which is poorly lit

645
00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:23,820
and mostly empty.

646
00:41:23,820 --> 00:41:27,800
He sweeps his eyes from left to right, the right side of the room being more lit than

647
00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:28,800
the left.

648
00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:33,320
As he peers through the dimly lit and dusty air toward the dark left corner of the room

649
00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:37,560
he immediately freezes and stops breathing.

650
00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:42,680
There stood a large figure of a man standing concealed by a shadow in the left corner of

651
00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:43,880
the room.

652
00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:48,080
The professor recognizes the man's pants and shoes immediately.

653
00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:53,560
Then in a split second the professor who is visibly startled notices the large man move

654
00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:57,520
out from the shadow with a gun drawn and pointed directly toward him.

655
00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:02,240
Without thinking the professor takes one quick step to the right while at the same time a

656
00:42:02,240 --> 00:42:05,800
piercing loud bang goes off.

657
00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:11,040
The sound of the gun going off in the small room immediately produces a loud and painful

658
00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:13,560
ringing noise in the professor's ears.

659
00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:19,360
The professor was hit by shattering rock and dirt on his left side from where the bullet

660
00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:22,100
hit the wall right next to his body.

661
00:42:22,100 --> 00:42:27,220
The professor turns around immediately and runs back down the dark passageway the same

662
00:42:27,220 --> 00:42:32,400
direction he came from knowing that this way led directly back to the main entry door he

663
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:35,200
and the girls had entered the tunnels from.

664
00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:39,360
While running back down the passageway toward the entry door the professor clicks on his

665
00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:40,560
keychain light.

666
00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:43,380
He enters a small ventilation chamber first.

667
00:42:43,380 --> 00:42:46,780
This was the same place the girls parted ways with him.

668
00:42:46,780 --> 00:42:51,020
He hesitates a moment and then he hears the large man coming down the same passageway

669
00:42:51,020 --> 00:42:58,320
toward him.

670
00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:03,380
Meanwhile Ciara and Ava were grabbing small glass jars from off the old wooden shelves

671
00:43:03,380 --> 00:43:06,900
and carefully placing them into the backpack Ciara had.

672
00:43:06,900 --> 00:43:12,240
The jars were heavy for their size and contained what looked to be small gold nuggets and fragments

673
00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:13,920
of gold pieces.

674
00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:18,360
Ava noticed an old cloth covering some items on the bottom shelves.

675
00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:21,880
She bent down, grabbed a corner of the cloth and pulled it to the side.

676
00:43:21,880 --> 00:43:23,400
Woah! she blurted out.

677
00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:28,240
While looking at Ciara who was trying to pack the backpack so they could leave, Ava could

678
00:43:28,240 --> 00:43:29,880
not believe her eyes.

679
00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:34,240
Ciara under the old cloth stood several identical gold bars.

680
00:43:34,240 --> 00:43:38,000
Without thinking Ava picked one up and immediately felt the weight of it.

681
00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:40,140
These are real Ciara.

682
00:43:40,140 --> 00:43:44,840
She says to Ciara as they both stand there in silence staring at the shiny gold bar Ava

683
00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:45,840
is holding.

684
00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:51,080
While looking down at the gold bar Ava notices that it is stamped with the words US Treasury

685
00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:52,300
Department.

686
00:43:52,300 --> 00:43:58,320
All of a sudden the silence is broken with a loud crack followed by echoes of boom boom

687
00:43:58,320 --> 00:44:00,520
boom boom boom boom boom boom.

688
00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:05,400
Immediately Ava and Ciara's joy and laughs just moments ago turned into fear.

689
00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:09,000
By instinct they both bent down and put their hands over their ears.

690
00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:12,920
Ava dropped the heavy gold bar she was holding and Ciara dropped one of the glass jars she

691
00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:14,000
was holding.

692
00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:17,540
The glass breaking spilling it's content into the dirt floor.

693
00:44:17,540 --> 00:44:22,000
Neither one of them could tell where the sound had come from but they knew it came from within

694
00:44:22,000 --> 00:44:22,920
the tunnel system.

695
00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:27,720
Ava looks directly at Cira as they were kneeling down and stays quietly.

696
00:44:27,720 --> 00:44:31,020
That sounds like a gunshot we need to leave right now.

697
00:44:31,020 --> 00:44:34,020
The sound came from the same direction we came from.

698
00:44:34,020 --> 00:44:35,620
What about the Professor?

699
00:44:35,620 --> 00:44:39,220
Cira responds with a concerned and shocked look on her face.

700
00:44:39,220 --> 00:44:40,520
Ava responds back.

701
00:44:40,520 --> 00:44:42,520
We can't go back the way we just came.

702
00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:47,420
We can only hope that the Professor is able to retrace his steps and leave the way we all came in.

703
00:44:47,420 --> 00:44:50,720
We need to get this backpack, the stuff we collected out of here.

704
00:44:50,720 --> 00:44:53,420
It's the only way we can prove what was going on in here.

705
00:44:53,420 --> 00:44:55,920
They both stand up and grab what they can.

706
00:44:55,920 --> 00:45:01,520
Cira grabs the heavy backpack and zips it shut while she is looking down at the broken jar she dropped.

707
00:45:01,520 --> 00:45:03,920
The contents are on the dirt by her feet.

708
00:45:03,920 --> 00:45:12,620
Cira notices that it looks similar to the rocky powder substance that Professor Hawthorne had collected from one of the mines on Robb's Peak.

709
00:45:12,620 --> 00:45:21,920
Knowing this, she quickly looks back over at the wooden shelf and grabs one more small jar with what looks like to have the same substance inside

710
00:45:21,920 --> 00:45:24,920
and then looks back over at Ava and says,

711
00:45:24,920 --> 00:45:26,420
I want to leave now.

712
00:45:26,420 --> 00:45:28,420
They may be coming for us now.

713
00:45:28,420 --> 00:45:31,720
Ava stands back up with the heavy gold bar in hand and says,

714
00:45:31,720 --> 00:45:33,020
Let's get out of here.

715
00:45:33,020 --> 00:45:34,520
Her voice is trembling.

716
00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:35,920
Like, right now.

717
00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:42,020
The two take the only other exit out of the room that doesn't lead back the way they came into the room.

718
00:45:42,020 --> 00:45:45,120
This passageway exits out the right side of the room.

719
00:45:45,120 --> 00:45:56,120
The girls with their phone lights in hand, the heavy backpack and gold bar run down the passageway a few meters and into another room that's about the same size as the last one they just came from.

720
00:45:56,120 --> 00:46:04,320
This room has a large wooden pallet filled with what looks like blocks stacked up, one on top of each other covered with a canvas tarp.

721
00:46:04,320 --> 00:46:06,820
The girls run past it and look at each other.

722
00:46:06,820 --> 00:46:09,820
There's no time to investigate what's under the tarp.

723
00:46:09,820 --> 00:46:15,120
Sarah hesitates for a moment as she notices that there are two ways out of this new room.

724
00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:19,120
She looks at Ava and stops dead in her tracks and says,

725
00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:20,620
Which way should we go?

726
00:46:20,620 --> 00:46:22,620
She looks right and then left.

727
00:46:22,620 --> 00:46:25,620
Ava, should we go right or left from here?

728
00:46:25,620 --> 00:46:32,920
Neither one of the girls knew at that moment that the left passageway would take them back to the place that Lily was being held.

729
00:46:32,920 --> 00:46:34,920
Without thinking, Ava shouts out,

730
00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:35,820
Let's go.

731
00:46:35,820 --> 00:46:37,120
Hurry, let's go right.

732
00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:43,620
Ava runs past Sarah, grabbing her arm as they both take the right passageway out of the new room they just discovered.

733
00:46:43,620 --> 00:46:50,420
Less than a minute later, Ava sees what looks like the outside light shining down onto the dirt floor a few meters ahead.

734
00:46:50,420 --> 00:46:54,320
She looks back at Sarah, who's right behind her and still holding her hand and yells out,

735
00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:57,720
It's an exit outside, we can get out of the tunnel this way.

736
00:46:57,720 --> 00:47:02,920
As they reach the beaming light that is shining through what looks like an old wooden plank door above them,

737
00:47:02,920 --> 00:47:08,220
They need to crouch down slightly as the tunnel height gradually gets smaller the closer they get to the exit.

738
00:47:08,220 --> 00:47:11,620
They climb the wooden stairs, only four rungs high,

739
00:47:11,620 --> 00:47:17,420
And then both push up on the wooden door and watch as it swings open to the outside wooden area.

740
00:47:17,420 --> 00:47:23,720
As Sarah and Ava emerge from the tunnel out a different area from where they had first entered,

741
00:47:23,720 --> 00:47:28,820
They are met with the daylight which feels incredibly safe, but also overpowering.

742
00:47:28,820 --> 00:47:34,520
They both squint their eyes, needing a few seconds to get used to the bright daylight that meets them.

743
00:47:34,520 --> 00:47:40,320
As Sierra is rubbing her eyes and looking around to see where they are at on the property,

744
00:47:40,320 --> 00:47:47,120
She sees Lily just standing there a few meters away, next to a tree and staring right back at her and Ava.

745
00:47:47,120 --> 00:47:59,920
Professor Hawthorne briefly stops and looks down the dark passageway the girls had gone and only sees darkness.

746
00:47:59,920 --> 00:48:03,120
He then continues toward the entrance metal door.

747
00:48:03,120 --> 00:48:09,620
He reaches the wooden steps and climbs quickly knowing that the man who just shot at him has got to be getting close.

748
00:48:09,620 --> 00:48:12,820
The professor fumbles around with the metal door latch.

749
00:48:12,820 --> 00:48:15,920
After a few seconds, which felt like minutes to Hawthorne,

750
00:48:15,920 --> 00:48:19,120
He is finally able to slide the latch and unlock the door.

751
00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:22,620
He then pries the door open slowly and pushes it outward.

752
00:48:22,620 --> 00:48:30,320
Professor Hawthorne is immediately met with the bright daylight and is blinded for a few seconds as he tries to get his bearings.

753
00:48:30,320 --> 00:48:36,020
Hawthorne realizing that the man chasing him would probably be close to reaching the door in a few seconds,

754
00:48:36,020 --> 00:48:41,420
Decides to let it slam shut hoping the inside latch gets stuck like it did for him.

755
00:48:41,420 --> 00:48:47,720
The professor quickly looks around and sees a large heavy rock just off the right side corner of the door.

756
00:48:47,720 --> 00:48:53,920
He moves over the large rock and starts pushing it towards and onto the top of the door.

757
00:48:53,920 --> 00:48:57,520
Hawthorne thinks to himself, I hope this slows that guy down.

758
00:48:57,520 --> 00:49:04,220
After pushing the large rock on top of the door, he quickly starts running in the direction where he knows the property line is located.

759
00:49:04,220 --> 00:49:10,020
Out of breath and still quite startled, the professor finally reaches the property line fence.

760
00:49:10,020 --> 00:49:14,720
The fence is not as high on this part of the property, possibly 8 feet.

761
00:49:14,720 --> 00:49:21,820
The professor without hesitation climbs the fence to the top and then swings his body up and over the top of the fence hoping that

762
00:49:21,820 --> 00:49:24,620
ground on the other side is not too hard.

763
00:49:24,620 --> 00:49:32,120
As he drags his body over the top of the fence, he snags the right side of his shirt and rips a large hole in his shirt.

764
00:49:32,120 --> 00:49:37,920
At the same time, he sustains a large gash right under his ribs which started bleeding.

765
00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:43,820
Ouch! the professor shouts as he continues over the fence and falls to the ground on the other side.

766
00:49:43,820 --> 00:49:53,020
The professor was lucky as he landed on the ground and there was a series of rocks and thorny underbrush just to his left that he missed when he hit the ground.

767
00:49:53,020 --> 00:49:58,520
Professor Hawthorne picks himself up and starts jogging down the mountain following the fence line toward the river.

768
00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:03,820
He is outside Old Man Sutter's property which is just on the other side of the fence.

769
00:50:03,820 --> 00:50:08,620
He thinks to himself as he continues to make his way down the mountain toward the river,

770
00:50:08,620 --> 00:50:11,820
I hope Ava and Sierra are not still in those tunnels.

771
00:50:11,820 --> 00:50:16,620
If so, at least I've flushed out the bad guy. I'd rather him be chasing me than them.

772
00:50:22,620 --> 00:50:23,820
Lydia's out.

773
00:50:23,820 --> 00:50:27,920
Sierra, Ava, oh my, where did you just come from?

774
00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:31,920
Were you in the tunnels? What just happened? What's going on?

775
00:50:31,920 --> 00:50:36,820
Sierra responds as she races over toward Lily and gives her a big hug.

776
00:50:36,820 --> 00:50:41,920
Lily, are you hurt? Are you okay? I'm so glad we found each other.

777
00:50:41,920 --> 00:50:46,420
Ava joins them and says, we need to get out of here so let's move.

778
00:50:46,420 --> 00:50:50,720
As the three begin to walk quickly down in the direction they think the river is,

779
00:50:50,720 --> 00:50:59,420
Ava tells Sierra to call Ethan to tell him they found Lily and ask him to check his tracking software to see where Professor Hawthorne is.

780
00:50:59,420 --> 00:51:05,220
On it, Sierra responds as she dials Ethan, trying not to trip on the uneven ground.

781
00:51:05,220 --> 00:51:10,520
She is holding her phone to her ear with one hand while securing the heavy backpack with her other hand.

782
00:51:10,520 --> 00:51:15,720
Yet she feels a great sense of relief to have found Lily and to be out of the tunnels.

783
00:51:15,720 --> 00:51:18,920
Ethan's phone rings twice before he could reach it to answer.

784
00:51:18,920 --> 00:51:23,720
He sees that it's Sierra and says, hello? Where are you guys? What's going on?

785
00:51:23,720 --> 00:51:30,120
Sierra blurted back without saying hello. Ethan, we found Lily. She's safe and with Ava and I right now.

786
00:51:30,120 --> 00:51:36,320
We don't know where Professor Hawthorne is. Can you check your tracking software to see if he's close to us?

787
00:51:36,320 --> 00:51:39,620
Ethan responds, sure. One moment.

788
00:51:39,620 --> 00:51:43,820
Ethan hurries to his office and grabs his tablet from his desk and opens his application.

789
00:51:43,820 --> 00:51:49,220
While the application is loading, he asks Sierra, where are you guys? It sounds like you're outside.

790
00:51:49,220 --> 00:51:51,320
Are you out of breath or something?

791
00:51:51,320 --> 00:51:57,620
Sierra answers back, we'll tell you when we see you, but first we need to know where the professor is.

792
00:51:57,620 --> 00:52:01,020
Ethan looks down at the application as it finishes loading and then says,

793
00:52:01,020 --> 00:52:06,020
Okay, I've got three dots on the map and they're all actively moving in the same direction.

794
00:52:06,020 --> 00:52:12,320
I assume that the two that are close together are you and Ava and maybe the third one is the professor.

795
00:52:12,320 --> 00:52:18,120
The third dot on my map is about 50 to 60 meters away from you up the mountain.

796
00:52:18,120 --> 00:52:21,520
It looks like he's to the right of where you are right now.

797
00:52:21,520 --> 00:52:26,720
Ethan then instructs Sierra, if you turn right slightly and then keep going, you'll run right into each other.

798
00:52:26,720 --> 00:52:29,720
As it appears, he's moving faster than you are right now.

799
00:52:29,720 --> 00:52:32,020
You'll need to hurry so you don't miss each other.

800
00:52:32,020 --> 00:52:35,620
Sierra responds back, we'll do. Thanks a ton.

801
00:52:35,620 --> 00:52:39,120
I'll call you back once we are on the road heading back to town.

802
00:52:39,120 --> 00:52:41,220
Sierra then hangs up abruptly.

803
00:52:41,220 --> 00:52:47,320
Sierra tells the girls to verge right toward the property fence they can now see and to pick up the pace.

804
00:52:47,320 --> 00:52:50,420
The fence is still only eight feet tall at this point,

805
00:52:50,420 --> 00:52:57,920
but gradually gets taller to around 12 feet as they get closer to the public access half acre section of the property.

806
00:52:57,920 --> 00:53:04,920
Ava reaches the fence first and accidentally drops the heavy gold bar to the ground as she grabs her knees to catch her breath.

807
00:53:04,920 --> 00:53:07,520
Sierra and Lily are right behind her and do the same.

808
00:53:07,520 --> 00:53:10,420
Ava says, Let's stop here and wait a moment.

809
00:53:10,420 --> 00:53:13,920
Maybe we can intercept the professor as he's coming down this way.

810
00:53:13,920 --> 00:53:18,120
Lily looks down at the gold bar and says, Is that gold?

811
00:53:18,120 --> 00:53:23,620
Yeah, we found it in the tunnel along with a bunch of other stuff we put in your backpack that Sierra's wearing.

812
00:53:23,620 --> 00:53:29,720
Ava answers, This thing is heavy and it also contains a lot of important looking stuff from the tunnels.

813
00:53:29,720 --> 00:53:32,520
We need to get it to the authorities as evidence.

814
00:53:32,520 --> 00:53:37,120
Sierra responds as she pulls the backpack off her back and sets it to the ground.

815
00:53:37,120 --> 00:53:42,920
Lily says with a surprised look on her face, Wait, you have my backpack?

816
00:53:42,920 --> 00:53:46,020
Where did you find that? Was that in the tunnels?

817
00:53:46,020 --> 00:53:49,920
It's a long story and we can fill it in, in a bit.

818
00:53:49,920 --> 00:53:54,220
But basically we found it at the reservoir last night, Sierra says with pride.

819
00:53:54,220 --> 00:53:59,920
Ava moves up against a fence and tries to peer through the small gaps between the wood and the chain link and says,

820
00:53:59,920 --> 00:54:01,820
I hear someone coming towards us.

821
00:54:01,820 --> 00:54:03,420
Sounds like they're running.

822
00:54:03,420 --> 00:54:05,420
I bet this could be the professor.

823
00:54:05,420 --> 00:54:10,720
Ava looks back at Sierra and Lily and puts her finger to her lips and says, Shhh.

824
00:54:10,720 --> 00:54:16,720
A few seconds later, she gets a glimpse of the professor as he pushes through with some light under brush.

825
00:54:16,720 --> 00:54:20,020
He's walking down towards her right along the fence.

826
00:54:20,020 --> 00:54:25,920
She waits for a moment and just as she gets close to where she's standing, she yells through the fence at him.

827
00:54:25,920 --> 00:54:29,120
Professor, Professor Hawthorne, it's Ava.

828
00:54:29,120 --> 00:54:31,420
We're standing on the other side of the fence.

829
00:54:31,420 --> 00:54:37,220
As soon as she yells this out, she sees the professor stop for a moment and peer directly towards her.

830
00:54:37,220 --> 00:54:42,520
She can tell he sees her face peering through the narrow gap between the wood and the chain link.

831
00:54:42,520 --> 00:54:43,520
Oh, thank goodness.

832
00:54:43,520 --> 00:54:45,720
The professor yells out, Where's Sierra?

833
00:54:45,720 --> 00:54:46,920
Is she with you?

834
00:54:46,920 --> 00:54:50,520
Ava responds back and says, Yeah, we're all here, all three of us.

835
00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:52,220
And Lily's here with us as well.

836
00:54:52,220 --> 00:54:53,320
She's OK.

837
00:54:53,320 --> 00:54:55,920
We can explain as soon as we get back to your car.

838
00:54:55,920 --> 00:54:57,920
The professor says, That's wonderful.

839
00:54:57,920 --> 00:54:59,620
OK, listen carefully.

840
00:54:59,620 --> 00:55:01,320
We need to leave right now.

841
00:55:01,320 --> 00:55:04,820
I'm not sure if the guy who shot at me is still pursuing me or not.

842
00:55:04,820 --> 00:55:06,820
Here, write this down really quick.

843
00:55:06,820 --> 00:55:11,020
Here's the padlock code to the fence door we used to get into the property.

844
00:55:11,020 --> 00:55:12,520
I'll meet you at the Bronco.

845
00:55:12,520 --> 00:55:13,820
Keep moving no matter what.

846
00:55:13,820 --> 00:55:17,120
And don't stop until you are back at my Bronco waiting.

847
00:55:17,120 --> 00:55:19,120
Ignore the tourists who may be at the mill.

848
00:55:19,120 --> 00:55:21,620
Just keep going and don't talk to anyone.

849
00:55:21,620 --> 00:55:26,020
With that, he started jogging down the mountain along the fence line toward the river.

850
00:55:26,020 --> 00:55:28,720
Ava, Sierra, and Lily do the same.

851
00:55:28,720 --> 00:55:33,320
After about five minutes, they finally reach the fence that separates to public access,

852
00:55:33,320 --> 00:55:36,120
half acre from the top 30 acres.

853
00:55:36,120 --> 00:55:40,820
They race over to the left corner of the fence boundary, enter the padlock code,

854
00:55:40,820 --> 00:55:46,020
open the old metal fence gate, and immediately find themselves in the public section of the property.

855
00:55:46,020 --> 00:55:50,220
There are still several families with their little kids walking around and taking photos

856
00:55:50,220 --> 00:55:53,920
of the old historic mill, the river, and its surroundings.

857
00:55:53,920 --> 00:55:59,420
The three girls hurry past the tourists who are busy snapping photos and videos of the place,

858
00:55:59,420 --> 00:56:05,520
making their way down over the river and using the bridge to run over to the professor's Bronco.

859
00:56:05,520 --> 00:56:09,620
There are several other vehicles parked there as well, probably the tourists.

860
00:56:09,620 --> 00:56:13,020
Sierra and the other girls are leaning up against the Bronco,

861
00:56:13,020 --> 00:56:16,620
trying to catch their breath and hoping the professor gets there soon.

862
00:56:16,620 --> 00:56:19,520
Looking up and back toward the bridge they had just crossed,

863
00:56:19,520 --> 00:56:23,620
she sees the professor emerging from the river and now walking towards them.

864
00:56:23,620 --> 00:56:25,420
She shouts to Ava and Lily,

865
00:56:25,420 --> 00:56:27,120
There he is, the professor!

866
00:56:27,120 --> 00:56:29,820
It looks like he's hurt and he's soaking wet.

867
00:56:29,820 --> 00:56:34,720
He had to wade or swim across the river because he didn't have access to the bridge.

868
00:56:34,720 --> 00:56:39,720
Ava, Sierra, and Lily watch as Professor Hawthorne approaches them at the Bronco.

869
00:56:39,720 --> 00:56:42,320
She says, Whoa, you're hurt, Professor.

870
00:56:42,320 --> 00:56:46,620
Ava and the girls notice a large rip in the side of his shirt and says,

871
00:56:46,620 --> 00:56:49,020
Oh no, it looks like you're bleeding.

872
00:56:49,020 --> 00:56:52,920
And where did you get those scratches on the side of your face and your arm?

873
00:56:52,920 --> 00:56:56,720
The professor responds as he stands there dripping wet and out of breath.

874
00:56:56,720 --> 00:57:00,820
I was able to stop the bleeding, but I will need stitches once we get back to town.

875
00:57:00,820 --> 00:57:03,820
He says this while pointing to the gash over his ribs.

876
00:57:03,820 --> 00:57:06,920
He then touches the left side of his cheek and explains,

877
00:57:06,920 --> 00:57:11,420
These scratches must be from the bullet ricocheting off the rock and dirt wall in the tunnel.

878
00:57:11,420 --> 00:57:14,220
The professor hesitates for a moment and then says,

879
00:57:14,220 --> 00:57:17,720
We need to leave. We can talk in the car on the way back.

880
00:57:17,720 --> 00:57:23,120
After saying this, the professor unlocks the car, jumps in the driver's side, and turns on the ignition.

881
00:57:23,120 --> 00:57:26,420
He looks at the girls as they are getting into the car and says,

882
00:57:26,420 --> 00:57:28,520
We need to make a plan on our way back to town.

883
00:57:28,520 --> 00:57:30,620
It's time to get the FBI involved.

884
00:57:30,620 --> 00:57:36,920
It looks like we have enough evidence to back up our eyewitness testimony for them to issue arrest warrants now.

885
00:57:36,920 --> 00:57:40,420
Just as he finishes saying this, he pulls out of the parking space,

886
00:57:40,420 --> 00:57:45,620
does a three-point turn on the main road, and then heads directly back towards the direction of town.

887
00:57:45,620 --> 00:57:47,820
It's about a 30-minute drive back.

888
00:57:47,820 --> 00:57:52,120
Once on the road, the professor looks in the rearview mirror back at Sierra and Lily,

889
00:57:52,120 --> 00:57:54,720
who are sitting in the back seat and says,

890
00:57:54,720 --> 00:57:56,720
Lily, it's good to have you back.

891
00:57:56,720 --> 00:57:59,520
We were so worried about you. Are you hurt?

892
00:57:59,520 --> 00:58:01,120
Lily smiles and says,

893
00:58:01,120 --> 00:58:03,720
It's good to be back. They didn't hurt me.

894
00:58:03,720 --> 00:58:04,920
She continues,

895
00:58:04,920 --> 00:58:09,920
Professor Sharpton came and saw me this morning several hours before I escaped.

896
00:58:09,920 --> 00:58:15,520
He basically said that something bad was going to happen to me if I didn't tell him everything I knew.

897
00:58:15,520 --> 00:58:21,020
He was asking about Ava and Sierra, and the formula Chen had written on that note to you.

898
00:58:21,020 --> 00:58:25,520
Ava, who is sitting in the front seat next to the professor, then interjects.

899
00:58:25,520 --> 00:58:29,520
Sierra and I have found a trove of evidence in the other part of the tunnels.

900
00:58:29,520 --> 00:58:33,620
She then uncovers the gold bar she's holding and shows it to the professor.

901
00:58:33,620 --> 00:58:36,720
As Ava was just done speaking, Sierra adds,

902
00:58:36,720 --> 00:58:40,520
We took a bunch of other stuff, maps, letters, a ledger book,

903
00:58:40,520 --> 00:58:45,020
and some small jars filled with what looks like gold and some other substances

904
00:58:45,020 --> 00:58:48,420
that look familiar to what you found at the mine.

905
00:58:48,420 --> 00:58:53,420
The professor, not wanting to take his eyes off the road as he drives through the winding roads in the valley,

906
00:58:53,420 --> 00:58:56,120
nods his head and gives the girls a big thumbs up.

907
00:58:56,120 --> 00:58:57,020
He then says,

908
00:58:57,020 --> 00:59:02,920
Okay, Ava, call your buddy at the B and let's get the ball rolling with both the media and the FBI.

909
00:59:02,920 --> 00:59:04,120
He continues,

910
00:59:04,120 --> 00:59:10,220
We need to bypass the county sheriff's office, as the guy in the tunnel who shot at me is one of the deputies.

911
00:59:10,220 --> 00:59:13,720
Thankfully, he missed. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here right now.

912
00:59:13,720 --> 00:59:20,420
Ava immediately calls Ted, her colleague at the B, and puts it on speakerphone so everyone in the vehicle could hear.

913
00:59:20,420 --> 00:59:23,820
She waits a bit, four rings, and finally Ted answers.

914
00:59:23,820 --> 00:59:26,420
Before Ted could get one word out, Ava blurt out,

915
00:59:26,420 --> 00:59:31,020
Ted, are you ready to help me break what might be our biggest story of our careers?

916
00:59:31,020 --> 00:59:35,720
For a moment, there was no response from Ted, just silence.

917
00:59:35,720 --> 00:59:41,120
Then everyone in the car heard this faint and unsure yes, I suppose.

918
00:59:41,120 --> 00:59:46,320
Ava jumps right in, into everything that just happened at Old Man Sutter's property,

919
00:59:46,320 --> 00:59:49,220
and told Ted they had physical evidence at hand.

920
00:59:49,220 --> 00:59:52,520
The professor had been shot at, and Lily had escaped.

921
00:59:52,520 --> 00:59:58,220
However, Ava did not tell Ted exactly what kind of physical evidence her and Sierra had found.

922
00:59:58,220 --> 01:00:04,720
She knows well enough to keep the leverage of the events in the favor of the four people in the Bronco as long as possible.

923
01:00:04,720 --> 01:00:10,720
As a journalist, she knows to keep the knowledge circle as small as possible for as long as possible.

924
01:00:10,720 --> 01:00:17,020
Even if they speak to the FBI, she thinks to herself as she looks down at the gold bar weighing heavy on her lap,

925
01:00:17,020 --> 01:00:21,520
with an inscription stamped on the top that reads, US Treasury Department,

926
01:00:21,520 --> 01:00:28,220
and she thinks, keep the leverage in her favor as long as possible, especially if the feds get involved.

927
01:00:28,220 --> 01:00:30,720
We don't want to show our hand too early.

928
01:00:30,720 --> 01:00:34,920
We've all been through too much to have this just flipped under the carpet by the feds.

929
01:00:34,920 --> 01:00:40,220
Ava then asks Ted, how reliable is your source and a friend at the FBI,

930
01:00:40,220 --> 01:00:43,720
the one that ran the tags for you last night in the middle of the night?

931
01:00:43,720 --> 01:00:46,420
Ted's response back was exactly what she hoped.

932
01:00:46,420 --> 01:00:50,320
Ted vouched for him and then suggested that he be put on the call as well.

933
01:00:50,320 --> 01:00:56,620
Sierra hears this and says from the backseat, thank goodness, we can finally get the FBI involved.

934
01:00:56,620 --> 01:01:04,320
The professor looks over at Ava and gives a quick nod of approval as if to say, yeah, it's time to involve the feds.

935
01:01:04,320 --> 01:01:10,120
For the next 20 minutes, the four in the Bronco share a three-way call between Ted from the Sacramento Bee

936
01:01:10,120 --> 01:01:14,420
and agent Seth Carson from the San Francisco FBI office.

937
01:01:14,420 --> 01:01:21,020
The professor and Ava do most of the talking and share the sequence of events that have occurred over the past few days.

938
01:01:21,020 --> 01:01:26,920
They also inform agent Carson they possess a trove of physical evidence to back their eyewitness stories.

939
01:01:26,920 --> 01:01:32,220
The professor is confident the FBI will now get involved and quickly.

940
01:01:32,220 --> 01:01:37,720
As the call ends and as they enter Coloma, the professor says, did you hear that everyone?

941
01:01:37,720 --> 01:01:42,820
Agent Carson suggested we all go home and stay there until he and his partner arrive.

942
01:01:42,820 --> 01:01:45,920
He couldn't guarantee that they would be able to come tonight.

943
01:01:45,920 --> 01:01:50,720
They have a two and a half hour drive, so they may wait until tomorrow morning.

944
01:01:50,720 --> 01:01:56,420
He's got Ava's number in mind, so when he calls back to confirm when they are coming, we'll let you know.

945
01:01:56,420 --> 01:02:01,020
Sierra interjects, I don't feel comfortable going home right now.

946
01:02:01,020 --> 01:02:05,220
I think Lily and I will go to the cafe and wait in Ethan's office.

947
01:02:05,220 --> 01:02:10,420
Lily follows with, yes, I do not want to go back to my apartment right now.

948
01:02:10,420 --> 01:02:15,820
I'm sure they will find out soon enough that I escaped and want to come looking for me.

949
01:02:15,820 --> 01:02:18,720
The professor responds, OK, it's settled.

950
01:02:18,720 --> 01:02:22,120
Let's go back to the cafe and debrief there with Ethan.

951
01:02:22,120 --> 01:02:26,020
It's a public enough space and we can meet and wait in his office.

952
01:02:26,020 --> 01:02:31,720
I'll call Doc Rivers from Ethan's and see if I can pop over right after his office closes.

953
01:02:31,720 --> 01:02:35,120
I need him to clean and stitch this cut on my side.

954
01:02:35,120 --> 01:02:39,320
His office sits almost directly across the street from Ethan's.

955
01:02:39,320 --> 01:02:46,220
Ava then says, I don't want to change the plan, but I really need to stop and check in on my grandma first.

956
01:02:46,220 --> 01:02:52,020
If you could drop me off there first, I can then meet you all back at Ethan's cafe a bit later.

957
01:02:52,020 --> 01:02:58,320
Several minutes later, the professor pulls into Ava's grandmother's driveway and puts the bunko in park.

958
01:02:58,320 --> 01:03:04,420
Ava looks at the professor first, then back at Sierra and Lily and says, OK, I'll see you real soon.

959
01:03:04,420 --> 01:03:07,120
Here, keep this gold bar with all the other evidence.

960
01:03:07,120 --> 01:03:11,120
I don't need my grandma seeing me walk in the door with that in hand.

961
01:03:11,120 --> 01:03:14,320
She puts the gold bar down on the passenger side floorboards,

962
01:03:14,320 --> 01:03:19,120
exits the bunko and walks through the front door of the old colonial style house.

963
01:03:19,120 --> 01:03:23,020
She looks over her shoulder and then waves at her friends as she watches the professor's

964
01:03:23,020 --> 01:03:27,220
bunko back out of the long driveway and then drive down the road out of sight.

965
01:03:27,220 --> 01:03:39,820
Ava then enters the front door of her grandmother's house and then calls out, Grandma, I'm back.

966
01:03:39,820 --> 01:03:42,420
Are you here? Are you doing OK?

967
01:03:42,420 --> 01:03:46,120
Grandma Turner responds, Hey, sweetie, I'm in the kitchen.

968
01:03:46,120 --> 01:03:52,520
Ava enters the kitchen and finds her grandma sitting at the small kitchen looking up at her with a smile.

969
01:03:52,520 --> 01:03:56,020
Ava immediately notices that her grandma is not alone.

970
01:03:56,020 --> 01:04:01,220
She has company. There's a man sitting across from her grandma and he has his back to Ava.

971
01:04:01,220 --> 01:04:03,620
He sits there still and poised.

972
01:04:03,620 --> 01:04:08,720
The man slowly turns around and looks at Ava as grandma starts to introduce him.

973
01:04:08,720 --> 01:04:11,220
Ava, this is Professor Sharpton from the college.

974
01:04:11,220 --> 01:04:15,620
He said he needed to stop over and talk to you about a project that one of your friends was working on.

975
01:04:15,620 --> 01:04:19,120
And since you weren't here, I told him he could just wait since I knew you'd be back soon.

976
01:04:19,120 --> 01:04:21,320
Remember, you said you'd help me with the garden today.

977
01:04:21,320 --> 01:04:25,120
We need to prepare the flower bundle so I can take them to the farmer's market this weekend.

978
01:04:25,120 --> 01:04:27,320
Grandma Turner says.

979
01:04:27,320 --> 01:04:32,120
Professor Sharpton looks directly into Ava's eyes with a straight face and says,

980
01:04:32,120 --> 01:04:34,120
Hello, Ava. Remember me?

981
01:04:34,120 --> 01:04:39,220
We met the other day at the college and I have some concerns about your friend's project that she's working on.

982
01:04:39,220 --> 01:04:43,220
I'd hate for her to get mixed up in something she doesn't understand.

983
01:04:43,220 --> 01:04:46,320
Maybe we can go talk to her together?

984
01:04:46,320 --> 01:04:52,720
Ava trying to keep her composure and not wanting to involve her grandma in this mess responds,

985
01:04:52,720 --> 01:04:54,920
Sure, I think that's a good idea.

986
01:04:54,920 --> 01:04:56,920
I didn't see your car out front.

987
01:04:56,920 --> 01:04:58,820
Professor Sharpton responds.

988
01:04:58,820 --> 01:05:00,920
It was a nice evening, so I decided to walk.

989
01:05:00,920 --> 01:05:02,220
I don't live far from here.

990
01:05:02,220 --> 01:05:05,620
Plus, your grandmother has been an excellent host.

991
01:05:05,620 --> 01:05:10,820
He holds up a cookie he's been eating and says, these cookies are to die for.

992
01:05:10,820 --> 01:05:15,120
By now, Grandma Turner was having an unsettled feeling in her stomach about the situation.

993
01:05:15,120 --> 01:05:19,520
She observed Ava's body language and facial expressions and knew something was off.

994
01:05:19,520 --> 01:05:21,120
Something wasn't right.

995
01:05:21,120 --> 01:05:26,320
Ava had never attended the local college and hadn't lived in Coloma for some five plus years now.

996
01:05:26,320 --> 01:05:28,320
So how would she know who this man is?

997
01:05:28,320 --> 01:05:31,120
The man who's sitting at her kitchen table right now?

998
01:05:31,120 --> 01:05:38,120
Ava tries to keep a straight face as she feels herself getting angry and scared all at the same time.

999
01:05:38,120 --> 01:05:44,520
Professor Sharpton is sitting at her grandma's kitchen table with a smug expression on his face.

1000
01:05:44,520 --> 01:05:47,720
She's also wondering how the professor found her.

1001
01:05:47,720 --> 01:05:55,920
At this point, Ava isn't aware the guard, the off-duty sheriff's deputy who had shot at and chased Professor Hawthorne,

1002
01:05:55,920 --> 01:06:01,920
the same guy who was guarding Lily, called Sharpton as soon as he discovered Lily had escaped.

1003
01:06:01,920 --> 01:06:07,220
In the time it took Hawthorne to drive them all back to town from Altman's sitter's property,

1004
01:06:07,220 --> 01:06:11,720
the guard had notified Sharpton and informed him about the situation.

1005
01:06:11,720 --> 01:06:14,720
Ava shoots a snappy comment back at Sharpton.

1006
01:06:14,720 --> 01:06:18,720
Yeah, these cookies are to die for.

1007
01:06:18,720 --> 01:06:23,720
She continues, if you like these, you really should try her homemade brownies.

1008
01:06:23,720 --> 01:06:25,720
They'll never be the same again.

1009
01:06:25,720 --> 01:06:30,720
She then excuses herself and says, if you could excuse me for a moment,

1010
01:06:30,720 --> 01:06:34,720
I need to clean up in the bathroom before I can join my little tea party.

1011
01:06:34,720 --> 01:06:38,720
I had a long morning hike which proved to be quite rewarding.

1012
01:06:38,720 --> 01:06:43,720
She then adds, Grandma, I noticed a package outside your front door when I came in.

1013
01:06:43,720 --> 01:06:46,720
It looks like it might be for your neighbor Frank.

1014
01:06:46,720 --> 01:06:51,720
It appears the post office delivered it to the wrong address again.

1015
01:06:51,720 --> 01:06:56,720
You really should go get it and take it over to him while I freshen up.

1016
01:06:56,720 --> 01:07:02,720
As Ava is saying this, she points to Sharpton with her eyes and then looks up at Grandma Turner.

1017
01:07:02,720 --> 01:07:10,720
Ava then retreats down the hall which is directly behind her, opens and closes the bathroom door to make it sound as if she went into the bathroom.

1018
01:07:10,720 --> 01:07:16,720
Ava then quickly and quietly exits the back of the house through the back screen door,

1019
01:07:16,720 --> 01:07:20,720
making sure not to let the door slam as she closes it gently.

1020
01:07:20,720 --> 01:07:25,720
As she runs across the backyard through the neighbor's yard and then onto the next street over,

1021
01:07:25,720 --> 01:07:32,720
she's hoping and praying Grandma got her hint and was able to leave out the front door and go to the neighbors.

1022
01:07:32,720 --> 01:07:35,720
That ends part 8, Confrontation and Escape.

1023
01:07:35,720 --> 01:07:36,720
Thank you for listening.

1024
01:07:36,720 --> 01:07:39,720
Tune in next episode as we continue with part 9 titled,

1025
01:07:39,720 --> 01:08:03,720
Piecing It Together as we get closer and closer to finding out all the secrets of El Dorado.

1026
01:08:03,720 --> 01:08:14,720
As we end this episode, we want to again give a big thanks to Mrs. Jenn for joining us in the studio again to talk about those in-between months for graduating high school seniors.

1027
01:08:14,720 --> 01:08:16,720
Lots of great advice and takeaways.

1028
01:08:16,720 --> 01:08:22,720
And as always, this podcast would not be possible without the hard work and support of the International Student Production Team.

1029
01:08:22,720 --> 01:08:32,720
All music and sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay.com, a vibrant community of creatives sharing copyright free images, videos, and music.

1030
01:08:32,720 --> 01:08:34,720
Until then, we are signing off.

1031
01:08:34,720 --> 01:09:03,720
We are Students Incorporated, because your voice matters.