Clara looked at the muddy clothes, scratched hands, rope, and carrier. They had entered the greenhouse repeatedly because Bubbles’s tracks led through it. Marcus explained that he had taken one poster to show his friends, while Elijah carried another during their search so they could compare Bubbles’s markings. Every detail Clara had interpreted as threatening was evidence of efforts to help her.
Tears streamed down Clara’s face before she could stop them. Henry’s kindness had survived him in ways she never understood. The teenagers she feared were standing beneath a dangerous tree because he once believed them. “Coach saw who we could become,” one said quietly. “We wanted to prove him right.”