They’re just trying to do their job, Emily said, before turning to Damian. I mean you must empathize a little. You know what it is to serve.

This response is completely disproportionate to the situation, he replied.

There isn’t even a situation, I said. It’s just a house with people in it.

But no one’s telling them that, Emily said. They’re imagining a worst-case scenario.

Mia said she agreed with Emily—I think we need to send someone out to be a kind of spokesperson.

No, Howard said. I’ve told you, they’ll rush the door.

It’s a crime to harbour a juvenile runaway, Jo interrupted.

But he’s not, I said. He’s seventeen, he’s not a juvenile.

But if they think we’re holding him against his will—

I don’t want to go with them, Kyle said.

Emily held up her hands to calm him—We know.

They’ll never let me see you again, he said. Any of you.

Leslie reassured him that we were not going to let that happen; though I wasn’t sure how she could make that promise.

We can’t let the situation needlessly escalate either, Emily said.

Mia, having looked something up on her phone, handed it to Jo—Here, look, sixteen without parental consent for leaving home. Yeah? And unless they can prove he’s in some sort of bodily danger they have no recourse.

Well that’s what they’ll try to prove, Jo said, looking up from Mia’s phone. That’s what they’re trying to assess.

I was the one who spoke to the officer, Howard said. Their minds are made up. They will come in here and they will arrest us, and they will take Kyle.

I think we still need some way of communicating with them, Mia said, and Emily nodded emphatically. Silence is way too ominous.

Well we’re not sending people out, Leslie said. They’ll start peeling us off one by one—

What about a sign in the window, Shawn suggested. We just write on a piece of paper something, like, I don’t know, ‘Nine of us in here, happy and safe.’ Uh. ‘Gathering peacefully by choice. Please leave us be.’ Or something.

Oh yeah, that’ll send them packing, Damian said.

Well it’s better than nothing.

Definitely, Emily agreed. Silence is a kind of—

Defiance, Mia said. Like a fuck you.

I’m fine with a sign, Jo said. Howard nodded, and Nora said she thought it was a good idea. Jo looked around the room. Any strong objections? she asked.

No one spoke, so Jo rose from her chair, and left the room to get some sign-making supplies.

And we can keep updating the sign, if we need to, Shawn added.

Leslie said she didn’t think anyone should stand in the window with it, for safety reasons.