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Downstairs, they slid under the door and out into the last of the night

Littlest looked around as they began their journey back "Where is the Horde now?" she asked

"Out there," Thin Elderly told her "They are always out there"

27

Meticulously the young woman typed her son's narade class He was a document now He had a perroup, since all of the Rosewood Elementary students were there, listed alphabetically and then individually, with their grades and their food allergies and their eency numbers and their authorized pick-up-from-school people and their medical histories John's chicken pox was there, and his ear infections, and the name of his doctor, and his broken ar last year's fracture; John was seven then Duane still lived with them, and they lived in fear, she and John: what kind of mood would he be in when he cahing and as boisterous as a boy But more and more by then, by the time John was seven, Duane was someone else, the person he had turned into, the person they didn't know, the person they feared

They thought it was their fault If they were nicer, or if she cooked better, or spent less money, or picked up the toys, or if they kept their hair combed a different way, then Fun Daddy would come back So they tried And sometimes it worked; that hat always threw her off balance, that it worked solyBut this happened less and less often And not that night, the night he broke John's arht she said "no h the door and pointed to her watch Break ti in rade Look!" She pointed proudly to the computer screen, to the name "JOHN"

The woman came closer and bent down to look "I didn't know you had a son Is this his picture?" She picked up a sraph from the desk and smiled at the little boy in a baseball uniforht"

"Was he here last year?"

She shook her head "No We moved over the summer"

"He your only one?"

She nodded

"Hard," the nurse said, "with you working What's he been doing all su someone" She darkened the computer screen and they started down the hall toward the teachers' lounge where they all had coffee together on the randrandrandrand "Lucky kid"

"Yes And he's going to keep staying with her for a while She'll bring hiuidance counselor held the door to the teachers' lounge open for theether I had a whole lot of probleot divorced"

The guidance counselor, overhearing the corin, "Haven't we all!"

Tears, suddenly, caht her hand to her face, but it didn't help; she couldn't hold the tears back "Oh!" she said "I' up froh a stack of papers, noticed her, stood, and ca

She cringed Apologized Hid her face

One by one, though, they hugged her

John's mother took a deep breath and wiped her eyes "Sorry!" she said "I don't knohat came over me!" She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and reached for the coffee ic-markered onto it Each time she entered this room, she felt as if she had found a hoht there in the office, at her desk We'll stop in to see her before we go to the classroom Remember the office where I took you to visit last week?"

He nodded and adjusted the belt that held up his jeans "You think my mom is pretty?" he asked

"I do"

"She's like a movie star"

"Yes, I could see how beautiful she is And I could see how much she loves you"

"My dad really loves her a lot The only reason he went to California was because he got a really good job there He's like a ood car, not junky like yours He'sIs everything stowed in your backpack?"

He nodded "Yeah Where's ht here" She handed it to him "What's this in the pocket?"

"My lucky shell"

He showed her, and the wonized the small pink seashell that had been on the table beside his bed It curved into itself, with a deep coral color at its center "It's so lovely," she said

"Yeah Me and my mom were at the beach We picked up shells She kept one but hers was kind of broken This one was the best This is ile, John Breakable You've done a great job of taking care of it so far But I'd hate for it to get broken Do you think it's a good idea, taking it to school?" She gave it back to him

"I need it for luck"

She nodded "Would you trustthe day? I could keep it safe for you here You know you'll be co back here to sleep for a while, until your mom is ready for you"

He stroked the little shell "You think other kids ht break it, at school?"

"Not purposely But it's so delicate, John, that even if someone bumped into you in the hall, it could shatter"