––––––––
AS WILDER’S CABIN DOOR opened, she deeply colored. Rising from her chair, she said, “Kes, I’m so s—”
“Shh! There’s nothing to apologize for. You didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
“Hi Wilder,” said Miki, skipping through the door. She immediately climbed onto Wilder’s bunk and started bouncing. Nina ran over and also tried to climb up, but she was too small.
“Hey, girls,” Kes admonished. “Remember what I said? You have to behave yourselves. How about you play with the toys you brought?”
“It’s okay,” said Wilder. “They can bounce if they want. They don’t exactly have a lot of space to run around.” As she’d spoken, her tone had grown higher and by the time she finished she was choking on her words. She covered her face and her shoulders shook as she wept.
Miki, immediatel
