Relieved to hear this, Nova exhaled loudly. So loudly Mrs. Steele jolted.

“All right there, Nova?” she asked, her too-thin eyebrows drawn together.

“Won’t you try a sandwich, or perhaps some coffee?” Francine sat across from Mrs. Steele. Billy settled to her left, with a seat in between them for Nova. He tapped the back of the chair. With a small sigh, Nova sat. She glanced around the room. She hadn’t spent much time in here, since they always ate in the kitchen. Like the downstairs parlor, the dining room was fancy and formal and dull. The wallpaper was white with off-white accents. The wood floors were dark and shiny. The oak table could easily seat ten. There was even a small piano between the two long windows that faced the backyard pool, though the view was hidden behind heavy velvet drapes. She much preferred the attic.

Mrs. Steele removed a thick manila folder full of papers, a yellow notepad, and two pens, one black, one blue, from her briefcase.

Though Nova disliked the texture of cucumbers and was still feeling sort of sick, she picked up one of the crustless sandwiches and began to munch. She set NASA Bear on the table in front of her so she had a free hand to tap her chin while she chewed.

Mrs. Steele looked Nova up and down before jotting something in her notepad.

“I must say, she looks healthy. So much better than she did the last time I saw her.”

Francine and Billy exchanged a glance. Nova almost missed it, but at that moment she happened to be checking their faces for any sign that she could head up to her room. She furrowed her brow. Why were they looking at each other that way?

“Nova’s back in school now,” said Francine.

“After considerable discussion, it was determined she should repeat sixth grade,” added Billy.

“Yes, I think that was a good decision,” said Mrs. Steele.

“Do you mind if we put this on?” asked Francine, leaning back toward the small fan on the hutch. “It gets so stuffy in here otherwise, with the heat turned up.”

“By all means,” said Mrs. Steele, who was adding cream to her coffee. It dripped on the table. Billy reached for a napkin.

Nova grunted as the oscillating fan wafted the scent of Aqua Net hairspray from Mrs. Steele’s head to Nova’s nose. She hated that smell. Bridget used a lot of it too, when trying to tease her hair up huge and wild before parties. Nova hated it when Bridget teased her hair and sprayed Aqua Net because it meant she’d be going out with friends, leaving Nova behind.