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"I don’t know those terirl whose older, pregnant coh the ts of steel rings pierced at half-inch intervals down the length of her ars of black eyeliner Both ht have been thirteen or fourteen
"Max stay er said "Most shelters have a max stay of one month before they turn the kid back out on the street Forced place shoved into foster-care homes; reunifications are the court-ordered fa’s wrong at ho the baby back to the pit bulls"
As Hurley showed him the infirmary, which was kept under triple dead-bolt lock, he told him of the wide variety of probleht with the or alcohol dependencies, had suffered physical, mental, and/or sexual abuse, and hadadmitted to the Haven, the children were required to have a physical exanant on admission," Hurley said "Most can’t afford abortions, and we don’t fund theo full-term Suite takes the babies and I don’t stop theot a better chance in foster care The boys are thieves, gangsters, or hustlers; they cooes to a shelter in Kenosha that handles clients with HIV This is one of the coot one on every floor"
The area was set up like a fa roo had a Salvation Ar spaces were taken up by motionless teens A decrepit television crackled as it showed a snowy rerun of The Honeyns on every wall, the sered
John noticed one boy sitting beside a girl hite-bleached hair with black roots They were squashed together by the confines of the love seat they shared, and the boy was dozing "Brian?"
Brian Calloway’s eyelids lifted and then closed "Decree"
"Brian, it’s John Keller" He wouldn’t have recognized Christopher’s brother, except for the diagonal scar on his forehead Brian had received it during a street hockey game, when he’d taken a stick to the head "Do you remember me? I came to see you in the hospital Your brother Chris was one ofbeside Brian told John She had a voice to match her sweet smile "Mine’s Pure"
"It’s a pleasure to meet you" John was intent on Brian, who appeared to be falling asleep again "Brian--Decree--do your parents know that you’re here?"
Brian Calloway got to his feet, stretched, and yawned "Fuck off" He bent over to kiss Pure before he strolled out of the room
"Decree’s folks kicked him out," Pure told John as she rose She was taller than Brian and wore clothes so washed-out and tattered that John blinked A silver belly ring winked back at hi here now, John?"
"Yes" He wasn’t used to being addressed by his first na like a priest "Where is Brian’s rooo and talk with him"
"’Fuck off’ doesn’t sound like an invitation," Hurley advised him, "but you can’t He doesn’t live here"
"Decree has his own place" Pure bent down to pick up a plastic grocery bag that appeared to be filled with bananas, oranges, and plums "He just comes to the Haven to visit me"
"Visit" Hurley’s dreadlocks swayed "There’s a neord for it Like ht us yet" Pure’s round cheeks dimpled "See you around, John" She left the rooirl is how old?"
"Fifteen, she thinks She was born in the projects, but herher birth with the state, or celebrating her birthday" Hurley walked over to one of the other teens and held out his hand "Open anext time, pin-head"
The boy’s features soured as he produced a cruarettes, which Hurley pocketed
"You’re telling them how to break the rules," John said as they left the coer assured hiarettes he had confiscated and shook one out "Menthol" He gri the pack to John "You?"
"I don’t smoke"
"You don’t drink, you’ don’t s as he trotted up the next flight of stairs
John had a feeling the shelterthan his clients After weaving in and out of ot here?"
"Officially? One hundred and fifty, our state-approved capacity" Hurley took the cigarette out of the corner of his mouth, sniffed the air, muttered, "Fuck me," and went to unlock a supply closet "Unofficially, about three hundred or so Always doubles up after the first snohen the little darlings discover they can freeze to death sleeping out there We roll out blankets and sleeping bags in the common rooms for the extra bodies"
"Isn’t there soo?"