“So they are not selling children,” Nina said slowly. “They are stalling their movement?” Jessa nodded. “They use words like ‘stability,’ ‘continuity.’ They will say it is better for the children. Less disruption. They will not mention that the budget meetings go smoother when no one leaves.”
Nina spent the afternoon mapping other orphanages tied to the same agency. Their reports all used the same suspicious phrases. They were keeping beds full, not moving kids around. It looked like everyone was following the same script to hide the truth. It was an official plan to use this same “forever-care” system across the country. The date the government was set to vote on this plan was the same day as her deadline.