her bag and took out a five-renminbi note. Precious funds to her, but if it got her an answer, she’d gladly give it up.
The boy snatched the bill as soon as it saw the light of the streetlamp. “She took off, and I doubt she’ll be back here again.”
Mari narrowed her eyes at him. “Did she take off, or was she traded?”
More surprise showed on his face that she knew street talk.
“I used to be just like you and An Ni,” Mari said softly, hoping their connection would spring more information from his lips.
The boy looked her up and down, then crossed his arms. “You’re wearing a warm coat and nice clothes. You’re clean, and you look well fed to me. I’ll bet you have a home to go to—somewhere out of the rain and cold. You’re nothing like us.” He spit on the ground at her feet, then turned and stomped away.
Mari didn’t blame him for the sudden anger. She’d spent many years with the same heavy burden, even after she was rescued. Only when she’d finally faced her anger and broken down wailing—finally letting out all her sorrow—in the embrace of her mama’s gentle arms was she able to let it go. She knew what the boy was feeling.
Rejection. Isolation. Fear.
It wasn’t easy to watch people going by on their way to protective and loving homes as you scurried into a dark hole somewhere, searching for warmth never to be found. She knew he lay awake at night—cold, hungry, and wondering Why me?
She didn’t know what fate had in store for the boy, but she did hope he at least would spend the money on a hot bowl of noodles or rice for him and his friend. And that was all she could do.
She turned and headed away, ready to hit one more street in her search to get Bolin what he needed for his relief.
Chapter Ten
A n Ni opened her eyes and stared at the shadows that moved above her. She wasn’t sure where she was but it definitely wasn’t any of their usual shelters. She didn’t see a trace of any building, overhang, or culvert. Instead, what looked like trees—tall and almost bare from leaves—were her ceiling. Where was she? Where was Xiao Mei? Had they already taken her away?
Train. Window. Jumping.
Now she remembered. She struggled to sit up, but an agonizing pain streaked through her leg and all the way to her hip, sending her flailing backward again.
“An Ni, stay still,” a small voice said. Xiao Mei appeared over An Ni’s face, leaning down to talk to her. The girl pulled at the small blanket, tucking it around An Ni even more.
“Where am I? What happened?” The pain from her attempt to sit up made her dizzy, and she closed her eyes to still the swirling trees.
“We’re in the woods. You dove out the window. Li Xi couldn’t reach you, and you hit the ground and rolled.”
It was coming back to An Ni now, though she didn’t remember the impact after her dive out of the window. “Where’s the boys?”
“They ran when you didn’t wake up. Li Xi’s scared he’s going to get a beating because of your leg.”
“My leg? What about my leg?” An Ni tried again to sit up, propping herself up to look down at her leg. What she saw made her even dizzier. The blanket—and where it had come from, she didn’t know—was short, only covering her torso. Her legs poked out, and her right leg lay in a strange, skewed angle. And it hurt. Bad.
“Oh no. Don’t tell me I’ve broken it.” She remembered that more than a year ago, one of the kids in their gang had stepped out in front of a car and broken his leg. He’d gone through a lot of pain, but Tianbing had never taken him to the hospital. Instead, he’d fixed him up himself, and the boy’s leg had finally healed—or she guessed it did, even though he’d still walked with a bad limp until the day he wasn’t with them anymore.
Xiao Mei looked at her, eyes big with fright. “I don’t know, An Ni, but I thought you were dying. You wouldn’t wake up.”
It was still night, so An Ni didn’t think she’d been
The boy snatched the bill as soon as it saw the light of the streetlamp. “She took off, and I doubt she’ll be back here again.”
Mari narrowed her eyes at him. “Did she take off, or was she traded?”
More surprise showed on his face that she knew street talk.
“I used to be just like you and An Ni,” Mari said softly, hoping their connection would spring more information from his lips.
The boy looked her up and down, then crossed his arms. “You’re wearing a warm coat and nice clothes. You’re clean, and you look well fed to me. I’ll bet you have a home to go to—somewhere out of the rain and cold. You’re nothing like us.” He spit on the ground at her feet, then turned and stomped away.
Mari didn’t blame him for the sudden anger. She’d spent many years with the same heavy burden, even after she was rescued. Only when she’d finally faced her anger and broken down wailing—finally letting out all her sorrow—in the embrace of her mama’s gentle arms was she able to let it go. She knew what the boy was feeling.
Rejection. Isolation. Fear.
It wasn’t easy to watch people going by on their way to protective and loving homes as you scurried into a dark hole somewhere, searching for warmth never to be found. She knew he lay awake at night—cold, hungry, and wondering Why me?
She didn’t know what fate had in store for the boy, but she did hope he at least would spend the money on a hot bowl of noodles or rice for him and his friend. And that was all she could do.
She turned and headed away, ready to hit one more street in her search to get Bolin what he needed for his relief.
Chapter Ten
A n Ni opened her eyes and stared at the shadows that moved above her. She wasn’t sure where she was but it definitely wasn’t any of their usual shelters. She didn’t see a trace of any building, overhang, or culvert. Instead, what looked like trees—tall and almost bare from leaves—were her ceiling. Where was she? Where was Xiao Mei? Had they already taken her away?
Train. Window. Jumping.
Now she remembered. She struggled to sit up, but an agonizing pain streaked through her leg and all the way to her hip, sending her flailing backward again.
“An Ni, stay still,” a small voice said. Xiao Mei appeared over An Ni’s face, leaning down to talk to her. The girl pulled at the small blanket, tucking it around An Ni even more.
“Where am I? What happened?” The pain from her attempt to sit up made her dizzy, and she closed her eyes to still the swirling trees.
“We’re in the woods. You dove out the window. Li Xi couldn’t reach you, and you hit the ground and rolled.”
It was coming back to An Ni now, though she didn’t remember the impact after her dive out of the window. “Where’s the boys?”
“They ran when you didn’t wake up. Li Xi’s scared he’s going to get a beating because of your leg.”
“My leg? What about my leg?” An Ni tried again to sit up, propping herself up to look down at her leg. What she saw made her even dizzier. The blanket—and where it had come from, she didn’t know—was short, only covering her torso. Her legs poked out, and her right leg lay in a strange, skewed angle. And it hurt. Bad.
“Oh no. Don’t tell me I’ve broken it.” She remembered that more than a year ago, one of the kids in their gang had stepped out in front of a car and broken his leg. He’d gone through a lot of pain, but Tianbing had never taken him to the hospital. Instead, he’d fixed him up himself, and the boy’s leg had finally healed—or she guessed it did, even though he’d still walked with a bad limp until the day he wasn’t with them anymore.
Xiao Mei looked at her, eyes big with fright. “I don’t know, An Ni, but I thought you were dying. You wouldn’t wake up.”
It was still night, so An Ni didn’t think she’d been
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