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Silas ran towards the school, hoping Miss Anne could help him. When he arrived, the gate surrounding the school was closed and locked. He couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Now what?
He looked at the parking lot. Yes! Miss Anne’s car was still here. Maybe he could hide in it. Racing over, he tried a door. Locked!
Luck was not on his side. Silas looked around the parking lot, feeling very much alone and scared. There were a couple of other cars in it, but he didn’t know who they belonged to.
“Yes, yes. I see. I’ll be right over.”
Miss Anne was coming. Who was she talking to? He prayed it wasn’t Miss Cheryl. Would she even know he snuck out? He hoped not.
Silas hid by the passenger side. Maybe he could sneak in when Miss Anne opened the door.
No. She would hear him. What to do?
His stomach gurgled, and Silas felt like throwing up. He was so close to escaping.
He heard the car door open.
“Crap.” Miss Anne sounded annoyed.
What happened?
Silas peeked under the car. He saw Miss Anne’s feet. She had dropped some papers on the ground. Now was his chance.
He opened the back door as quietly as he could and jumped into the car. He snuggled close to the floor and prayed she wouldn’t spot him.
The seat creaked when Miss Anne got into the car. She closed the door with a thump, and he heard papers rustling. He peeked up and saw that she placed them on the seat beside her.
There was a click, and the car started. Silas squeezed his eyes shut and prayed, Please don’t let Miss Anne find me and return me to Miss Cheryl’s house, please.
Silas held his breath as the car moved slowly forward. His heart pounded in his chest. He did it! He escaped Miss Cheryl’s house. But now what?
They drove for what seemed hours. Miss Anne called someone on the phone, but he didn’t understand the conversation. Was she calling Ms. Cheryl? Hope and fear swirled inside him. If Miss Anne found him, would she send him back to Miss Cheryl? He wanted to talk to Miss Lily but didn’t know how to find her. She worked in a big building next to a lot of other big buildings. He’d never find it on his own.
Suddenly, the car stopped. The car door opened and shut with a clunk. Silas squeezed Teddy, ignoring the water that dripped out.
Where were they? Should he stay in the car or get out? What was going to happen to him? Would Miss Anne be angry with him? He hoped not. Silas vowed never to go back to Miss Cheryl’s house.
He’d live on the street, stay away from the police and find someone nice to watch over him or even a dog to protect him.
Wishful thinking.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Anne shut and locked the car door. Social services was in a newer brick building downtown. She’d been here several times when she applied to be a foster mom but never thought she’d be back to report a foster parent. Kids felt so much more than adults ever knew, and she wasn’t passing judgment, but the picture Silas drew disturbed her on so many levels.
The girls at Miss Cheryl’s were abusive. Lord knew if Miss Cheryl was just off in a fog and not noticing what was going on or just didn’t care. However, the brief interactions Anne had with her were not positive.
“Is Lily here?” she asked the receptionist, who had just hung up the phone. The gray-haired woman was sitting behind piles of papers and answering multiple calls.
“Is she expecting you?”
“Yes.” Anne gave her name and was asked to sit in the small reception room. The office was crowded with too many desks and chairs and the phones never stopped ringing. She wondered how anyone got work done with all the noise and then laughed to herself. Being a kindergarten teacher also had its noise and activity level.
“Anne?” A slender, dark-haired woman stood in front of her.
Anne nodded. Lily asked Anne to follow her back to her office. She went behind her desk and sat and motioned for Anne to sit in one of the well-worn chairs. The office was small, and like the reception desk, stacks of papers were everywhere.
“What can I do for you?” asked Lily.
