Chapter 12 - THE SCHOOL THREE STATES AWAY
Daniel had never heard Noah sound afraid of a place until that moment.
“She showed me pictures,” he said. “Big gray buildings. She said kids stay there until they learn to obey.”
Daniel knelt in front of him.
“You are not going there.”
“What if the judge says I have to?”
“No judge has said that. Rachel lied to you.”
Noah’s eyes searched his face.
“You promise?”
“I promise I will fight for you every day.”
At the school, Dr. Lewis gave Daniel copies of everything Rachel had submitted.
There were behavior reports Daniel had never seen, describing Noah as aggressive, manipulative, and “fixated on controlling his younger sister.”
One report claimed Noah shoved Lily into a wall.
“That never happened,” Noah said.
Dr. Lewis looked stricken. “Rachel said you were ashamed and refused to discuss it.”
Another report said Lily had frequent unexplained bruises.
“Did anyone examine her?”
“The nurse did. Most were ordinary childhood bruises. One on her arm concerned us, but Rachel said Lily fell off a scooter.”
Lily was sitting beside Daniel with crayons.
She stopped coloring.
“I didn’t fall.”
Everyone turned.
Daniel’s voice went soft. “What happened?”
Lily pressed the purple crayon hard enough to snap it.
“Aunt Rachel grabbed me.”
Dr. Lewis closed her eyes.
Daniel felt as if someone had punched through his ribs.
Then the school counselor, Ms. Patel, brought in a sealed folder.
“I kept this because something felt wrong,” she said.
Inside were three drawings Lily had made during counseling.
In each picture, Daniel was outside the house.
Rachel was inside.
Noah stood in front of Lily.
Above Rachel, Lily had drawn a giant black square.
“What is that?” Daniel asked.
Lily whispered, “The phone.”
“What phone?”
“The one she uses when she makes us practice.”
Noah looked at Daniel.
“She records us.”
Ms. Patel pulled one more drawing from the folder.
This one showed a red circle around a vent in the upstairs hallway.
May you like
Lily tapped it.
“She hides the phone there.”
