Nova played David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” over and over and over again in her head to block out the angry thoughts, to push away the sight of her standing alone with Earth barely visible in the distance. She did not like feeling angry, especially not with Bridget. It was not fair. Bridget almost never got angry with her, not even when Nova was hitting.

Every now and then, a bit of what Mrs. Steele or Billy or Francine was saying would force its way into her brain, but mostly Nova could tune them out, wrapped up in her own world, far away, and safe.

“…floating in a most peculiar way…”

“…think she can read! She was able to identify several words and most of her letters. Not one hundred percent of the time but enough that it couldn’t be a fluke…”

“…stars look very different today…”

“…lovely that you’re so supportive, but remember, Nova is an autistic, cognitively impaired child. You can only expect so much…”

“…sitting in a tin can…”

“…we have faith that a good school and a stable, loving family will make all the difference in the world…”

“…far above the world…”

“…if you’re sure you understand what such a commitment would entail…”

“…planet Earth is blue…”

“Yes, we understand.”

Suddenly they were standing. Nova jumped up too. The song stopped. The moon evaporated into space dust. She was all ready to say goodbye to Mrs. Steele but instead of heading to the coat closet by the front door, the three adults headed to the parlor, cups of coffee in hand.

Nova grabbed NASA Bear and grunted.

“You can go upstairs and play,” said Billy. “Or watch TV. The remote’s on top.”

Nova did not know how to use the remote control, which was square, had too many buttons, and weighed as much as an actual brick, but she was eager to escape the conversation. She had made it halfway up the front stairs, which led to the landing outside the master bedroom on the opposite side of the house from her room, when Francine’s words halted her.

“…don’t know what she understands about Bridget.”

“I tried to explain it,” said Mrs. Steele. “Those first few days I was with Nova constantly. I felt she might be looking for Bridget, and I did my best to make her understand. But like I keep telling you, though she’s a nice girl, she simply cannot comprehend most of what we say. Why keep explaining what she’s never going to get?”

“We don’t agree,” said Billy. “We think she’s much smarter than you realize.”

Nova smiled. She was nice. She was smart. This was good. She sat on the step to listen some more.

“Do we know why the girls tried to run away?” asked Francine. “Were they being neglected?”