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She’s gone for the rest of the period

At lunch, the cafeteria is subdued Basil rubs one," I say, twistingto her?"

"They spoke tohorribly elaborate They just want to one htensto be concerned about," he says

So for so his specialists out here

I don’t see Pen again until our last class of the day, which is more of Instructor Newlan’s passion for our little world It’s torturous not being able to ask her about where she’s been, but she see notes, at least

Instructor Newlan is talking about section nine’s cow pastures Or h I try I’ve never noticed hoedged together we are, each section like a thin slice of a pie in theof the bakery Below us, is the ground just a larger version of e have up here? Is there a bigger train that goes in a bigger circle? Do the people on the ground also fear stepping over their edge? What if there’s a bigger ground below theoinginto e that I can’t stopthe fence, so frenzied by the idea of the ground that I forget where I belong

Another student returns from the headmaster’s office, and this time nobody else raises their head to listen for their name Everyone in this rooan," the specialist says She’s tall and wiry and dressed all in gray "My naan?"

Ms, not Mrs For a woe, it can

"Yes," I say, ht I fold ht eted too ht too much I’m very like my brother that way

"As you knoe’ve had a couple of tragedies Did you know Miss Leander?"

"No," I say "But I was sorry to hear about what happened"

I’ve never been in this room I’ve seen the door in the headmaster’s office and always assuer than one; there are only two chairs to fill the space, and the persistent clicking of the specialist’s pen, which ceases only long enough for her to scrawl the odd note

"It was an especially violent crime," the specialist says "Itlike this could happen in your lifeti it

"It must make you feel that Internment is unsafe," she says

"Internment is my home," I say "I’ve always felt safe here"

She s about it She leans forward, resting her aran, I’dlady May I be honest?"

Uncertainly, I nod

"I’ve read your acadeo you suffered a pretty trauoes cold I don’t like where this is heading "I didn’t," I say "It was my older brother"

"But surely that was traumatic for you also," the specialist says "To have soe’s allure"

"He couldn’t help it," I say, repeating what I’ve been taught, what every student is taught in their first year of academy and reminded of every year after that "We have the free will to stay on this side of the train tracks If we cross over to the other side, we get too close to the edge, and it mystifies us We see how infinite the sky is and we lose our senses Even the people we lovea textbook exactly

The specialist takes notes I clench ers in an effort to keep still

"What about your parents?" she asks

"My parents?"

"Your father is a patrolratulate him for me, that’s quite an honor--and yourplant in section fourteen Has either of thee with you?"

I think oflittle to conceal the sadness in his eyes when he told me that life could be awful sometimes "Only to warn me to stay away," I say

"Would you say they’re protective of you?"

"Yes," I say

"And your brother, Alexander, does he talk about his experience with the edge of Intern to feel ill This conversation has moved far from Daphne Leander Were the others questioned so personally?

And then I make the connection Most of the others don’t know soe Daphne Leander knew soh And now she’s dead

"He doesn’t talk to roup every week What happens behind the closed door is confidential"