Itâs self-defense.â
Peggy pinches her lips flat. âIâm not going to debate this in front of the children.â
I open my mouth and then shut it again. Family members used to beat up these kids and their mothers, but Iâm not allowed to teach them self-defense? Even peacekeepers in war-torn countries are allowed to protect themselves.
My hand muscles twitch, but I force them to relax. âAll right,â I say.
âThank you.â Peggyâs eyes are hard. âWeâll review this incident in my office at once.â
Great. Why am I always getting lectured these days?
Just as I turn to leave, Casey slips her hand in mine and squeezes.
I stop.
Casey looks up at me with huge pleading eyes.
I glance at Peggy, who nods as if to say, Take care of the child first .
âWhat is it, Casey?â I say, hoping sheâll break her silence.
âShe wants you to stay,â Rachel translates.
Let Casey tell me, I think. I crouch, still holding her hand. âCasey, I have to talk to Peggy now, but I promise Iâll be back tomorrow after school.â I peek at Peggy, hoping sheâs not planning on firing me.
Casey frowns.
âAnd the next day,â I add, thinking how Iâll take any lecture Peggy throws at me if I can just come back. âAnd the next.â Iâm scheduled to help out every day after school, which felt like a lot, until now.
Casey examines my face as if searching for the truth.
When she finally releases my hand, I inhale sharply, hoping Peggy wonât make a liar out of me.
CRASH
to execute a spectacular failure
After my first week at the shelter, I ask Alena to meet me at the mall. Ever since she accused me of being like Melody, Iâve felt disconnected from Alena. Iâm hoping we can bond over coffee or window-shopping.
Alenaâs knee is still too sore to walk far, and I donât want to be reminded of Neanderthal, so we avoid Felipeâs Glam Boutique. Instead, we settle for second-rate lattes from McDonaldâs and sip them at a table in the food court.
The Saturday crowd is as noisy as usual. At a nearby table, thereâs a little girl with sandy-brown hair who reminds me of Casey, and soon Iâm telling Alena all about her.
âCasey wonât talk, and she hardly looks at anyone. Itâs as if sheâs trying to hide.â I lean my elbows on the table with my latte cupped between my hands. âItâs like when we were littleâwhen you, me and Jamarlo used to pretend to be invisible. Do you remember?â I try not to miss Jamarlo.
Alena nods. âAs long as we didnât move, no one could see us.â
âExactly.â I sip my latte, but itâs still too hot.
âAnd your brother used to throw stuff at us to prove we werenât invisible.â She grins like itâs a good memory.
âRight.â I ignore all thoughts of my jerk brother. âWhen Casey does look at me, she hardly blinks, and I canât look away.â
âIs that bad?â Alena blows on her latte to cool it.
âNo. I like her. She always gives me a hug when I arrive, and she tugs on my hand when she doesnât want me to leave.â
âThatâs sweet. And you said that she never talks?â
âNot that Iâve heard, although Sal, this guy I work with, has heard her talk a few times.â
âPoor kid.â Alena shakes her head. âDo you know what happened to make her so upset?â
âNot really.â I hate to think about what Casey may have gone through. âThe staff doesnât share too muchâonly what I need to know to take care of the kids. Casey likes music and books. She smiles when I read to her. And she likes to draw.â
âThatâs good. Sounds like youâre helping her.â Alena gives me a sincere smile.
âI try to. Iâve gotten close to all the kids so quickly. They really like me, or maybe theyâre eager