I’m ready to go. I decided only to bring my journal and I have about two hundred dollars just in case we need it. I can’t believe we’re really doing this. I gave my mom a really long hug, but don’t worry, I didn’t make her suspicious. I just said goodbye to her in my head. I stood in Kendall’s bedroom trying to think of a way of telling her goodbye, but I couldn’t think of what to say. She finally told me to go away, that I was creeping her out. I didn’t bother saying goodbye to my dad. He probably won’t even notice I’m gone. At first I was scared about leaving but I’m not anymore. I thought about what you said, how Jordyn and Violet aren’t really my friends. I know you’re right. I can tell they are talking about me. I can hear their whispers. I think the only person who cares about me, besides my mom, is Mr. Dover. And you, of course. I’ll look for you at the train yard and then we can go away forever. They’ll be so sorry they were mean to me. You’ll be there, won’t you? You promise?

JW44:

I’LL BE THERE.

Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018

Dr. Madeline Gideon

September 14, 2018

When I got to the nurses’ station I had a note from Mara saying that she and Jim had gone to the hospital’s rooftop garden. I took the nearest elevator to the top floor and I found them staring out at the city below. The rooftop is a beautiful spot like nothing I’d ever seen in a hospital before with its glassed-in walkways lined with flowers and plants. It looked more like an arboretum than a spot for patients and their families to sit and regroup.

Seeing the look on Mara’s face, I asked, “Are the girls okay?”

“Yeah,” she said, shifting in her chair. “There was an accident this morning. Thomas Petit, the grandfather of one of the girls, fell on the tracks while a train was coming.” She lowered her head into her hands.

“He’s going to be fine,” Jim said. “John Dover, a teacher from the school, was able to pull him from the tracks in time.”

“What were they doing in the train yard?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

“There was some kind of argument.” Mara rubbed her eyes. “And Mr. Petit fell. There are rumors about Mr. Dover…”

“Don’t think about it anymore,” Jim said. “It won’t do any good. We have our own daughters to think about.” Jim looked to me. “The police said that engines have front-facing cameras mounted to them. They’ll be able to figure out what happened.” I nodded but didn’t say anything. I was processing this new information.