Chapter 22
Ms. Hardin found her pistol in the straw and used it to order me away from Papa’s motionless body. He couldn’t be dead, I thought in panic. But, if not, why wasn’t he rising to slap the gun from Ms. Hardin’s hands?
The three of us stood together, stunned.
“Maybe he’s still alive.” My words were hollow with grief, the vowels choked. “We have cats who can—”
“Quiet.” Ms. Hardin’s face was tight with tension. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. Now I’ll need to start a fire.” She slapped Janie hard, leaving a streak on her pale cheek. “It’s your fault. You weren’t where you were supposed to be and now you’ve brought us into this miserable accident.” She ordered me to find a harness and tied Janie’s hands with the belt of her CREIA uniform. After I was finished, she ordered me to tu
