Jin pressed his forehead to the cool glass and looked down at the patch of patio, one floor below.  In a way, Aunt Lorna had made it easy for him, back then, by exiling all his animals out there.  After he'd climbed out the window and dropped down, he'd only had to load them all up on Minako's outgrown stroller, left in the lee of the fence earlier that day.  He'd been terrified at the time that Gyre's squawk and Lucky's meowing would alert the household, or that the glass box holding the rats and the turtle would tip and clatter, but it had been a cold night, the windows closed, and nobody but him paid attention to his creatures anyway.

Well, Tetsu had got in the habit of teasing Gyre, till Gyre had, naturally, bit him.  Then there'd been the trip to emergency care, and the surgical glue and antibiotics, and Aunt Lorna screeching more than Tetsu, though mostly about the bill.  Tetsu had shown off his battle scar at school the next day pretty smugly, Jin thought.

Jin slipped over and tried the door, turning the latch as silently as he could.  Still locked.  There had been another big argument about whether people had to get up in the night to let Jin go to the bathroom, which Uncle Hikaru had settled, in a very practical way, by providing Jin with a bucket, which had scandalized Aunt Lorna and made Tetsu and Ken make fun of him, till Uncle had thumped them.  That had been after the squabble over where Jin was to sleep, since his sister was now judged too big to share a bed with him, or maybe it was the other way around.  Tetsu and Ken, already dividing a cramped room, complained about having yet a third boy shoved in atop their clutter, and had also objected to being made Jin's watchers.  Jin had endured much in silence, last night and today, in anticipation of a timely escape.  He hadn't expected to be locked in.

"Just till the boy settles down," Uncle Hikaru had said—as if Jin would abandon his creatures.  As if he would ever stay here.

Was Miles-san taking care of his charges properly?  What must he think, when Jin never came back with his money?  Would he think Jin had stolen it?  The police had stolen it, really, but would even that extraordinary off-worlder believe Jin over the grownups?  He swallowed a lump in his throat, determined not to cry again, because maybe letting go like that was why he'd fallen asleep, earlier.  Although what was the point in forcing himself to stay awake when he couldn't get out?  He returned to the futon and sank down in despair.