Through the fogged glass I found the girl again—the one with the calm eyes. Her hand was still on the shoulder of the boy in the sweatshirt. He’d drawn inside himself, face tucked low, body curled as if the world were too loud even for bones.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Ms. Patel said, voice lifting above the rain. “What’s your name?”
The girl pressed her mouth to the window and spoke, and even if I couldn’t hear the sound, I could read it. Zoe. Then she pointed to the boy and mouthed Liam.
“Zoe,” Ms. Patel said, “you and I are going to help Liam together, okay?”
Zoe nodded once—no drama, just agreement. Her hand never left her brother’s shoulder.
Doc squared up to the window. “Zoe, blink twice if Liam likes quiet,” he said, demonstrating with his own eyes. Two quick blinks answered.
“Okay,” he said. “We’re going to make the world smaller for him. June?”
