There are victories that fit inside a single word.

PART 22: The Room With No Camera

The first time Pearl invited a friend home from school, she planned the afternoon for two weeks.

She wrote a menu, drew a map of the upstairs rooms, and debated whether to tell her guest why one part of the house had been renovated.

Her friend was named June.

She loved astronomy, had a laugh that could turn heads across a classroom, and knew enough sign language to make an effort without pretending she was fluent.

When she arrived, she held up a handmade card with two crooked signs that were meant to say HELLO, FRIEND.