room.
"And you think that's funny," Sister Clarence said, her voice making it clear that her words were not a question.
Kim said nothing.
"Does anyone else think it's funny?" Sister Clarence asked.
Though Kim dared not even glance around, she knew that no one else in the classroom had so much as moved a finger, let alone raised a hand. Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw Jared stand.
"I do," he said. Kim saw the surprise-and cold fury-in Sister Clarence's eyes as they shifted to Jared.
"Both of you think it's funny to mock the school?"
"It's just a pun," Jared said. "I bet lots of people call it that."
"It is disrespectful, and it will not be tolerated. Is that clear?"
Jared hesitated, then bobbed his head a fraction of an inch. "Yes."
" 'Yes, Sister Clarence,'"
the nun corrected him.
Kim could almost feel the anger rising in her brother.
Don't,
she silently begged.
Just let it go!
The quiet in the room stretched out as Jared and the teacher confronted each other.
Everyone waited.
Once again Kim reached out with her mind and begged her brother not to say anything more.
Sister Clarence's eyes behind the steel-rimmed glasses glittered dangerously.
Jared's jaw tightened. Kim saw his lips starting to form words she knew would only dig him in deeper than he already was.
Don't, Jared!
she pleaded a third time, praying that this time he would pick up her thought and heed it.
Just let it go!
The moment seemed to stretch out endlessly, but then, as clearly as if he'd spoken aloud, Kim heard Jared's voice inside her head.
Okay,
he said.
But I hate this. I really hate it!
A split second later Jared spoke aloud, his voice betraying none of the anger Kim had heard in his unvoiced thought. "Yes, Sister Clarence," he said softly.
Sister Clarence's gaze shifted back to Kim. "I've decided to overlook this, since this is your first day. But in the future such things will not be overlooked. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sister Clarence," Kim said, her chastened voice little more than a whisper.
Sister Clarence's response stung like the lash of a whip. "Speak up!"
"Yes, Sister Clarence," Kim repeated, her face burning as tears welled in her eyes.
For the rest of the hour, Kim and Jared sat silently at their desks, trying to concentrate on the lesson the nun was teaching. But for both of them, their humiliation kept replaying itself in their minds.
It doesn't matter,
Kim finally told herself.
It's just different here, and I'll get used to it.
Jared, though, was absolutely sure he'd never get used to it. Never.
Janet Conway climbed down off the ladder, automatically arching her back and stretching first in one direction, then the other. As the ache in her spine and burning knots in her shoulders eased, she surveyed the results of her two hours at the top of the ladder, where she'd twisted herself into contortions to which her body had been mounting increasingly strenuous objections. But already she knew that no matter how much pain she had to put herself through for the next day or two, in the end it would be worth it. Already, light-the clear, clean light of the fall morning-was streaming through the glass roof and the upper third of the conservatory's northern and eastern walls. When she was finished, the room would provide her with the studio that until a few days ago she had only dreamed about. With sunlight coming in from three directions as well as from above, there would never be a time when she wouldn't be able to get exactly the illumination she wanted on her canvas. Just the thought of spending hours here with her paints and brushes, her easel and canvas-bringing to life the visions she'd always seen in her mind-quickened her pulse and made her fairly tingle with excitement and anticipation.
But as her eyes moved beyond the windows to the view outside the enormous glass walls, her excitement gave way to dark trepidation.
She told herself there was nothing ominous here. Just the tangle of vegetation, the
"And you think that's funny," Sister Clarence said, her voice making it clear that her words were not a question.
Kim said nothing.
"Does anyone else think it's funny?" Sister Clarence asked.
Though Kim dared not even glance around, she knew that no one else in the classroom had so much as moved a finger, let alone raised a hand. Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw Jared stand.
"I do," he said. Kim saw the surprise-and cold fury-in Sister Clarence's eyes as they shifted to Jared.
"Both of you think it's funny to mock the school?"
"It's just a pun," Jared said. "I bet lots of people call it that."
"It is disrespectful, and it will not be tolerated. Is that clear?"
Jared hesitated, then bobbed his head a fraction of an inch. "Yes."
" 'Yes, Sister Clarence,'"
the nun corrected him.
Kim could almost feel the anger rising in her brother.
Don't,
she silently begged.
Just let it go!
The quiet in the room stretched out as Jared and the teacher confronted each other.
Everyone waited.
Once again Kim reached out with her mind and begged her brother not to say anything more.
Sister Clarence's eyes behind the steel-rimmed glasses glittered dangerously.
Jared's jaw tightened. Kim saw his lips starting to form words she knew would only dig him in deeper than he already was.
Don't, Jared!
she pleaded a third time, praying that this time he would pick up her thought and heed it.
Just let it go!
The moment seemed to stretch out endlessly, but then, as clearly as if he'd spoken aloud, Kim heard Jared's voice inside her head.
Okay,
he said.
But I hate this. I really hate it!
A split second later Jared spoke aloud, his voice betraying none of the anger Kim had heard in his unvoiced thought. "Yes, Sister Clarence," he said softly.
Sister Clarence's gaze shifted back to Kim. "I've decided to overlook this, since this is your first day. But in the future such things will not be overlooked. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sister Clarence," Kim said, her chastened voice little more than a whisper.
Sister Clarence's response stung like the lash of a whip. "Speak up!"
"Yes, Sister Clarence," Kim repeated, her face burning as tears welled in her eyes.
For the rest of the hour, Kim and Jared sat silently at their desks, trying to concentrate on the lesson the nun was teaching. But for both of them, their humiliation kept replaying itself in their minds.
It doesn't matter,
Kim finally told herself.
It's just different here, and I'll get used to it.
Jared, though, was absolutely sure he'd never get used to it. Never.
Janet Conway climbed down off the ladder, automatically arching her back and stretching first in one direction, then the other. As the ache in her spine and burning knots in her shoulders eased, she surveyed the results of her two hours at the top of the ladder, where she'd twisted herself into contortions to which her body had been mounting increasingly strenuous objections. But already she knew that no matter how much pain she had to put herself through for the next day or two, in the end it would be worth it. Already, light-the clear, clean light of the fall morning-was streaming through the glass roof and the upper third of the conservatory's northern and eastern walls. When she was finished, the room would provide her with the studio that until a few days ago she had only dreamed about. With sunlight coming in from three directions as well as from above, there would never be a time when she wouldn't be able to get exactly the illumination she wanted on her canvas. Just the thought of spending hours here with her paints and brushes, her easel and canvas-bringing to life the visions she'd always seen in her mind-quickened her pulse and made her fairly tingle with excitement and anticipation.
But as her eyes moved beyond the windows to the view outside the enormous glass walls, her excitement gave way to dark trepidation.
She told herself there was nothing ominous here. Just the tangle of vegetation, the
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