The Girl Before Read Free Page B

inspecting her in disbelief, as if they cannot quite understand that she is real. Simone stands slightly apart from her people. She is a miniature of the woman who is trying to speak to her, but she stares past them. Somber Simone. That is how she got her name.
    One by one, I watch as my daughters are embraced and taken away by these strangers. Finally, I see Passion. My wild child. Never quite tamed, at least not for anyone but me. No one has come for her. She watches with disinterest until the uniformed men close in on her again. Then she comes to life, kicking and screaming. The camera pans away, but I can hear her continued shouts. “Clara! Clara!”
    The screen goes blank, and Connor turns to look at me. Beside me, Meredith shifts and hands me a tissue to wipe the tears I did not realize were pouring from my eyes.
Then
    The sun stretches across the smooth floor of the library, and I scoot myself away from its searching fingers, pulling my pile of books along with me. The window is open, but there is barely a breeze today, and sweat soaks the hair covering my neck. I want to put it up, but Mama insists I wear it down.
    Giggling voices float through the open window, and I glare at it. The other girls have been allowed to spend time outside today to escape the oppressive heat inside the house, but Mama assigned me a “special task.” She says it’s an honor and she only gives these tasks to the best girls, but it feels like a punishment. I sigh and lift my hair off my neck for just a moment, leaning back against the bookshelf and closing my eyes.
    â€œSo lazy,” a voice taunts from the direction of the doorway, but instead of feeling guilty, I smile.
    â€œBuzz off, Macy, I’m special.” I open my eyes and grin at my friend.
    Macy wanders across the room to the nest I’ve made for myself within the pile of books. “What are you doing, anyway? It’s too hot to be inside.”
    Rolling my eyes as she plops next to me on the floor, I shove a stack of books in her direction. “I’m supposed to pick another language to learn, and one to teach.”
    â€œYou’re such a pet,” Macy says, but not in a mean way. “How do you even learn those stupid languages?”
    I shrug. “I dunno. It’s easy. But now Mama thinks that since I can learn them, I should teach them.”
    â€œShe knows you’re eleven, right?”
    â€œI think she thinks I’m one hundred or something. Not nearly as old as she is, though.”
    We look at each other for a moment before breaking out in giggles. I sneak a glance at the open library door, certain that Mama is going to jump out and punish me for saying something like that about her, but the hallway remains quiet.
    â€œUgh, it is so hot in here,” Macy says when we have calmed down again. “Can’t you just pick some and come outside?”
    Shaking my head, I reach for the next book. “I want to pick the right ones. Mama got all these books and workbooks, and if I have to use them, I want to at least have fun with them.”
    â€œOnly you would talk about lessons as fun.”
    I shove her shoulder, toppling one of my neatly stacked piles in the process.
    â€œThey can be,” I say, restacking.
    Macy reaches over and picks up a thick volume from a pile Ihaven’t looked through yet. “How about Mandarin?” she asks. “This shouldn’t take you more than a week or two.” Her cheeky expression shines at me, bringing a smile to my face despite the teasing.
    â€œMaybe someday,” I say, grabbing the book from her and placing it in the “No” stack. “But I don’t want to outshine you too much.”
    The smile falls off Macy’s face, and I worry for a second that I hurt her feelings. Even though I roll my eyes at Mama’s “special” assignments, she makes no secret of the fact that I am her favorite. Macy, on the other hand, is always