Francine and Billy smiled. They had reached the double doors. Billy knocked on the glass. From inside the building, a heavyset man wearing a blazer with jeans was making his way toward them. He opened the door.

“If it isn’t Mr. and Mrs. West!” The man shook Billy’s hand and kissed Francine on the cheek. Nova promptly stuck her hand out like Billy, ready to shake, because there was no way she wanted this man’s beard and lips anywhere near her face.

“How polite!” exclaimed the man, taking Nova’s hand. “You Must Be Nova!”

“Mm,” said Nova. She was certainly using that word an awful lot today.

“My Name Is Principal Dowling!” Like so many of her former teachers and foster parents, Principal Dowling emphasized each word as if Nova couldn’t hear well. “Nice To Meet You! Ready For The Grand Tour?” He put his face close to hers so she had to look at him. She did not make her “Mm” sound or look at his eyes, but she did notice his front teeth, which were crooked like her own, before shifting her gaze to the yellow-and-blue-tiled floor.

“We’re ready,” said Francine. “Lead the way!”

The school was as flat and rectangular on the inside as it was on the outside. From the main entrance, hallways stretched to the left and to the right, and a wide staircase stood before them.

“We had a long talk with the powers that be and determined it would be best for you to go back to sixth grade,” explained Billy. Nova narrowed her eyes. She was already halfway through seventh grade. Why go backward? You only went backward when you were counting down to lift-off. Did this mean she would repeat fifth grade next year and fourth the year after that? She pictured herself seventeen like Bridget, squished into a kindergarten desk, and frowned.

“You Will Love Sixth Grade!” Principal Dowling was smiling with too many (crooked) teeth. Nova covered her ears and hummed but she could still hear him talking to her foster parents.

“As you know, upstairs we have seventh grade, eighth grade, and the planetarium, but unfortunately Mr. Mindy keeps it locked up when he’s not here, so she’ll have to wait and see on Wednesday. That’s when sixth grade has X-Block.” He turned to Billy. “Did you tell her about X-Block?”

“We sure did!” said Billy, smiling. He nudged her playfully. “Right, Nova?”

“Mm,” she said.