Walking down the hallway toward the Pineview Elementary main office brought back a flood of memories—the smell of Elmer’s glue, the sound of safety scissors cutting brightly colored construction paper, and her father’s booming voice arguing with school administrators over the school’s prohibition against little girls playing kickball.
She strolled past an exhibition of third-grade artwork, a bulletin board festooned with pumpkin and skeleton cutouts, and a poster announcing the upcoming county fair. Beyond that stood the glass-enclosed principal’s office. The door squeaked as she pulled it open.
With her arms wrapped tightly around her skull-and-crossbones book bag, Annie sat slumped on the same wooden bench outside the principal’s door that Shea had warmed more times than she could coun
