Shadows by John Saul Page B

when she would begin taking all her courses at the university, she would undoubtedly look several years older than she actually was. Which meant that once more there would be boys between eighteen and twenty-one arriving at the house, trying to figure out why the girl they’d made a date with was living with “the kids.” First, of course, they’d assume she worked there—they always did. And then Hildie would have to explain Tina’s true age, and that she lived there because she was part of the Academy. The boys would flush with embarrassment, unless they were a lot more mature than they normally were, and then flee, leaving Hildie to explain to Tina that she’d been stood up. Hildie sighed. Tina was going to be a problem. “What is it, Tina?” she asked, beckoning the girl into her office. “Is something wrong?”
    “Not with me,” Tina replied. “It’s Amy Carlson. I’ve been trying to talk her into coming to the picnic, but she won’t leave her room. She’s even more homesick than I was when I first came, and I didn’t think anyone could get it worse than I did. All Amy says is that she wants to go home, and she’s not leaving her room until her parents come and get her.”
    “All right.” Hildie sighed, putting aside the report she was working on and lifting herself out of her chair. “I’ll see what I can do.”
    Sometimes, she reflected as she started the long climb to the third floor, trying to act both as administrator of the Academy and chief housemother as well seemed like too much. And yet every thing was going so well, and George had accomplished so much in the few years since the Academy had been established, that it made the long days all worthwhile. Amy was just the kind of child the Academyhad been created for. To lose her now, before they’d even had a chance to get started with her, would be a shame.
    She tapped softly at the little girl’s door. When there was no answer, she twisted the knob and let herself into the room.
    Amy was lying on her bed, her eyes red from crying. Next to her, rubbing against her legs and mewing to be petted, was Tabby, obviously aware that something was wrong with his new friend, and worried about it.
    “Didn’t you hear me knocking?” Hildie asked, sitting down on the chair in front of Amy’s desk.
    Amy, her face stormy, made no reply, and when Tabby tried to work his head under her hand, she jerked the cat petulantly away.
    “That’s not very nice,” Hildie commented. “All he wants is tobe petted.”
    Amy’s little chin jutted out. “I’m not feeling very nice,” she said. “I wish Tabby would go away and leave me alone. And I wish you would, too.”
    “Well, I’m not going to,” Hildie replied. “At least not until you tell me why you won’t go to the picnic. It’s a beautiful day, and I know you like to go swimming.”
    “I don’t want to go swimming,” Amy shot back. “I just want to call my mother arid have her come and get me.”
    “I thought we had an agreement,” Hildie said reasonably, choosing to ignore Amy’s angry tone. “You talked to your mother twice on Thursday, and again yesterday. And we agreed that you’d talk to her again tomorrow, but not today.”
    Amy’s chin began to tremble, and her eyes glistened with tears. “I don’t care! I miss my room, and Kitty-Cat, and everything else. I hate it here, and I want to go home!”
    “But we all agreed that you’d try it for a week. That’s only a few more days, and—”
    “I want to go home
now!”
Amy demanded. “Nobody here likes me, and I don’t have any friends.”
    “Well, that’s just not true,” Hildie argued patiently. “Tabby likes you, and I like you, and Tina likes you—”
    “She does not! She’s just being nice to me because you told her to!”“Actually, she’s worried about you. She didn’t think anyone could be more homesick than she was, but she thinks you are.”
    For a split second Hildie thought she saw a flicker of