That night I slept in the small room off the laundry area.

The bed was narrow and the window looked toward the neighbor’s fence.

It was the first night in years that I did not wait for Gavin to finish talking before switching off the light.

PART 11

Selena’s robotics club had a regional showcase in October.

She and her teammate, Mia, built a small sorting device from salvaged parts.

It used sensors to separate materials into labeled bins.

The demonstration was imperfect.