[That frown is familiar. He wore something similar when the police took his mother away. It was for the best, he knew, and but she was still his mom. It was scary, suddenly losing the foundation of his life like that, even if she wasn't a very good foundation. But no one gets that. He was supposed to be relieved. Maybe this girl is supposed to be angry because she's been left behind, but it's more complicated than that. That's not how feelings work.]

Yeah, they will. [He says it gently, but she's right. It's fact. He's not going to lie. He's not sure what happened to her parents. He wants to ask, but he won't. It's not important, he supposes.]

I grew up in foster care. It's not so bad. You've only got, what, a couple years to go? You'll make it.

[He's confident in that, at least. He doesn't know this girl, but if she's here, she's made it in some sense of the word.]

What's your name? I'm Harlan.