Bound to a System, Six Years Too Early

Chapter 2: The Report

I found out what the meeting was about the next morning, when Tessa was assigned to eat breakfast at the staff table.

She came in with a sheet of paper in her hand. Mr. Pritchard walked behind her.

"Is that a behavior report?" I asked.

"Eat your cereal," he said.

Tessa sat at the far end of the room. She didn't look at me.

I waited until Mr. Pritchard went to the kitchen. Then I carried my bowl over and sat opposite her.

"What does it say?"

"Nothing important."

"You don't get moved for nothing important."

Her fingers tightened around the paper. "I didn't get moved."

"Yet."

She looked up. "You don't know anything about it."

That was true. I knew Tessa had been called into the office on my birthday. I knew she'd returned with her face locked down. I knew she had a meeting with her caseworker next week. None of that told me what was happening.

I asked, "Can I see it?"

She hesitated, then pushed the report across the table.

The first line read: RESIDENT INITIATED PHYSICAL ALTERCATION IN COMMON AREA.

Below it, the report said that Tessa had shoved another resident, Kelsey, during an argument. It listed two staff witnesses. It also said the incident had happened at 7:15 p.m.

I frowned. "This says last Tuesday."

"I know."

"I thought you were at the library with me."

"We were." She took the paper back. "Doesn't matter."

"It does if they're saying you were somewhere you weren't."

"Maybe I was in two places at once. Maybe that's my new special skill."

The system chimed. "Objective available: write down what you personally observed."

"Not now," I whispered.

"What?" Tessa asked.

"Nothing. I mean, I saw you at the library."

"You don't have to get involved."

"I'm already involved. I was with you."

"You have a placement meeting coming up."

I frowned. "How do you know that?"

"Ms. Rowan told me. You're supposed to meet the Hales this weekend."

I'd heard their names once. A couple in the next county who wanted to foster a girl around my age. Ms. Rowan, my caseworker, had said they seemed kind. She'd shown me a photo of their porch and the golden retriever in their yard. I'd tried not to imagine living there. It felt too much like planning a trip before I knew I could afford the ticket.

"I haven't decided anything," I said.

"You should. They could take you."

"And you might get sent somewhere else because of a report that's wrong."

"Maybe I did shove Kelsey."

"Did you?"

She looked away. "No."

I wanted her to say more. I wanted her to tell me who wrote the report and why. But I also knew what it felt like to have someone keep asking questions until your answers became a different kind of trap.

That afternoon, I went to Ms. Rowan's office with the report tucked in my backpack. The office was at the county family services building, which smelled like coffee and wet coats. Ms. Rowan sat behind a desk piled with folders.

"I need to ask you something," I said.

"Sure. How was your birthday?"

"Fine."

She waited. I hated how patient adults could look when they were waiting for you to say what they already suspected.

"I saw Tessa at the library last Tuesday," I said. "She wasn't at Alder House at 7:15."

Ms. Rowan took off her glasses. "What makes you say that?"

"Because I was with her."

"Were you there the entire time?"

"Yes. We left after school, walked to the library, and came back around six. We signed in at the front desk."

"Did you see the report?"

I nodded.

She reached for her laptop. "I'll look into it."

"Can I have a copy?"

"I can't give you someone else's confidential file."

"It's not private if people are using it to move her."

"I understand why you're concerned. But there are processes for this."

"What processes?"

"Her caseworker can review the incident. I'll contact her."

I pressed my hands against my knees to keep them still. "Can you tell me when?"

"I can't promise a specific time."

I'd asked my clear question. It had produced a vague answer.

When I got back to Alder House, the voice announced, "Objective complete. Progress: record-keeping."

"Does that mean you can tell me whether the report is wrong?"

"No."

"Can you show me what happened?"

"No."

"Can you make the grown-ups pay attention?"

"No."

"Then what good are you?"

"I can help you prepare."

I went to my room, opened the purple pen, and wrote on the back of a school worksheet:

Tuesday, library with Tessa after school. Left school at 3:20. Returned to Alder House around 6:00. Signed in at library desk.

I stared at the words. They looked small. They looked like the kind of thing a person could lose.

I folded the paper and slid it inside my math book.