“Take it easy. It won’t be as bad as you think.” Wade’s arm around her shoulder felt like a giant leech. To the Ashfords he said, “A great party. Thank you for everything. We’ve had an extremely busy day today. She’s exhausted.” He put his mouth to her ear. “Get a grip on yourself. And show some respect.”

Nearby, three men dressed in U.S. Navy whites burst out laughing at a joke.

An orphanage. This was a huge misunderstanding. The champagne soured in Nola's stomach. Blood thudded in her temples. She scanned the room for Kong Ruiji’s dark-framed glasses. She must speak to him.

The prime minister was nowhere in sight, and Ambassador Ashford’s words came as though from a distance. “Let’s see how things pan out. You’re our representative, their guest. Together we’ll take care of you.” He took the last gulp of his drink, then extended his hand toward Nola. “May I have this last dance?”

CHAPTER 8 (1980 - 1981)

Jenna's shrieks woke their mother, who became lucid enough to yell that Nola should do something. Nola flew out of the cottage and ran through the woods without shoes or jacket. She kept slipping on the snow, but made it to the big house, where she babbled and cried so much that the caretaker couldn't at first get out of her what had happened. Then the woman called an ambulance. It took a long time for the paramedics to find the estate, longer than it had ever taken to deliver a pizza. Nola waited in the cold at the gate to show them the way to the cottage. She was more scared than she had ever been in her life, but was sure that once the doctors took care of Jenna everything would be all right. A few weeks later, when Nola was finally allowed to visit her baby sister in the hospital, nothing was better. They had grafted skin from Jenna's stomach onto her face, yet it looked worse than the old man's face did. Even in horror movies Nola hadn't seen such a face. She sat frozen by the crib, shock and guilt filling her throat. The medicinal smells of the hospital made her bones cold.

It was her fault, even though Dad told her it wasn't really, that she wasn't a trained nanny. Dad and Mom fought a lot, and Mom, who was in bed all the time, cried, and didn't say much when Nola curled up on the floor by the radiator to take away the chill. The cold had not left Nola's limbs since the time she had run in the snow. The sharp lines of the radiator cut through her sweater into her back, and it felt right, like a cage, where she should be put.