says. "What a fake thing to say."
"What do you think Nameless is doing right now?" I say.
"That idiot," she says. "Probably eating bugs or worms or something."
"I don't know if he really does that," I say. "At least he's not in here. He didn't get caught."
"Not yet," she says.
"What happened to your kitten?" I say.
"He's gone away somewhere," she says. "Probably the same place as that dumb horse of yours."
Later I take the top bunk and Valerie is in the other top bunk straight across from me in the dark. She is whispering to Taffy and Taffy whispers back and it's in a way where I can't understand the words.
"What are you saying?" I say, and they giggle and after a while start up again.
I wonder how many days it will be and if that will be long enough for all three of us to be friends together. I cannot fall asleep in the same room with them and without Father next to me. I stretch my foot all across the bed and don't touch his hairy leg. I rest there with my foot sticking out in the air until it's cold and I pull it back. Somewhere I hear a dog barking far away. I am thinking hard on Father's face so hard that I can feel him thinking back at me and so I don't worry. Miss Jean Bauer said it was illegal to live in the forest park and I wonder if already Father is in an orange outfit, if he'll be taken out to cut the long grass with the white truck of dogs watching him through their cages, ready to chase.
A wizard is one who practices magic but can also be a person who is clever at a task or test, which is a series of questions, a trial, affliction, crucible, ordeal, tribulation, visitation.
We sit on soft chairs in Miss Jean Bauer's office. She has flowers and a computer. Out the window I can see more tall buildings of the city. She scoots closer and touches my arm with her hand.
"Now Caroline," she says, "how was your breakfast?"
"I liked the orange juice," I say.
"Good. Now is it all right if I ask you a few questions?"
"Yes," I say. "That's what you said we were going to do."
"Your name is Caroline and you are a thirteen-year-old girl who has been living with your father. Correct?"
"Where is Father?" I say.
"He's close," she says. "He's fine. He's doing fine. He misses you, too."
"Can I see him?" I say. "Of course that's my name."
"We just want to make certain we have everything right," she says, "so we can start."
"If I scream," I say, "would he hear me?"
"Please don't scream."
"I wouldn't scream," I say. "There's never any good reason to raise one's voice."
"Really?" she says. "Why do you think that?"
"When will I see my Father?" I say.
"Your physical and mental examinations have been very good," she says. "Excellent, in fact. Would you say you've had a happy and normal childhood?"
"Am I going to stay here forever?" I say.
"No," she says. "Don't worry. I've told you that before. Let's try it this way: I'll say what your father told me and you can tell me if it's not right, okay? He says that you lived in Forest Park for four years because it was safer and better for you than being on the streets and he didn't have the money to rent an apartment or a house. He says you've never met your mother, that she passed away?"
"We have a house," I say. "My father is paid every month. She had the same name as me."
"Caroline."
"Yes."
"But you haven't gone to school," she says.
"My father teaches me at our house," I say. "You said I passed your test, so we should be able to go back home."
"Yes," she says, "you're ahead of where you need to be, but you must understand that you can't live there. And school is about social skills, too, not only intellectual ones."
"I am happy," I say. "I was happy. Where are the dogs?"
"Who?" she says.
"The dogs who found us. Are they here?"
"In this building?" she says. "No. They are search and rescue dogs."
"Are they the ones who watch the criminals?" I say.
"They live in kennels," she says, "at the police station."
"We didn't need to be rescued," I say.
I like
"What do you think Nameless is doing right now?" I say.
"That idiot," she says. "Probably eating bugs or worms or something."
"I don't know if he really does that," I say. "At least he's not in here. He didn't get caught."
"Not yet," she says.
"What happened to your kitten?" I say.
"He's gone away somewhere," she says. "Probably the same place as that dumb horse of yours."
Later I take the top bunk and Valerie is in the other top bunk straight across from me in the dark. She is whispering to Taffy and Taffy whispers back and it's in a way where I can't understand the words.
"What are you saying?" I say, and they giggle and after a while start up again.
I wonder how many days it will be and if that will be long enough for all three of us to be friends together. I cannot fall asleep in the same room with them and without Father next to me. I stretch my foot all across the bed and don't touch his hairy leg. I rest there with my foot sticking out in the air until it's cold and I pull it back. Somewhere I hear a dog barking far away. I am thinking hard on Father's face so hard that I can feel him thinking back at me and so I don't worry. Miss Jean Bauer said it was illegal to live in the forest park and I wonder if already Father is in an orange outfit, if he'll be taken out to cut the long grass with the white truck of dogs watching him through their cages, ready to chase.
A wizard is one who practices magic but can also be a person who is clever at a task or test, which is a series of questions, a trial, affliction, crucible, ordeal, tribulation, visitation.
We sit on soft chairs in Miss Jean Bauer's office. She has flowers and a computer. Out the window I can see more tall buildings of the city. She scoots closer and touches my arm with her hand.
"Now Caroline," she says, "how was your breakfast?"
"I liked the orange juice," I say.
"Good. Now is it all right if I ask you a few questions?"
"Yes," I say. "That's what you said we were going to do."
"Your name is Caroline and you are a thirteen-year-old girl who has been living with your father. Correct?"
"Where is Father?" I say.
"He's close," she says. "He's fine. He's doing fine. He misses you, too."
"Can I see him?" I say. "Of course that's my name."
"We just want to make certain we have everything right," she says, "so we can start."
"If I scream," I say, "would he hear me?"
"Please don't scream."
"I wouldn't scream," I say. "There's never any good reason to raise one's voice."
"Really?" she says. "Why do you think that?"
"When will I see my Father?" I say.
"Your physical and mental examinations have been very good," she says. "Excellent, in fact. Would you say you've had a happy and normal childhood?"
"Am I going to stay here forever?" I say.
"No," she says. "Don't worry. I've told you that before. Let's try it this way: I'll say what your father told me and you can tell me if it's not right, okay? He says that you lived in Forest Park for four years because it was safer and better for you than being on the streets and he didn't have the money to rent an apartment or a house. He says you've never met your mother, that she passed away?"
"We have a house," I say. "My father is paid every month. She had the same name as me."
"Caroline."
"Yes."
"But you haven't gone to school," she says.
"My father teaches me at our house," I say. "You said I passed your test, so we should be able to go back home."
"Yes," she says, "you're ahead of where you need to be, but you must understand that you can't live there. And school is about social skills, too, not only intellectual ones."
"I am happy," I say. "I was happy. Where are the dogs?"
"Who?" she says.
"The dogs who found us. Are they here?"
"In this building?" she says. "No. They are search and rescue dogs."
"Are they the ones who watch the criminals?" I say.
"They live in kennels," she says, "at the police station."
"We didn't need to be rescued," I say.
I like
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