Tessa listened as Richie tried to explain synthetic division to Rylan.

"You have to have a number for every exponent, even if there isn't one in the problem."

"Huh?" Rylan stared at her Pre-Cal book.

"Like this," he took her pencil and a piece of paper "take number nine. There's and 'x' to the fourth, 'x' cubed, and 'x', but there's no 'x' squared. But you have to leave room for one; zero 'x' squared is the same as zero, so you put that here. Get it?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "Go figure."

"Good. Okay, so then you have to . . ." he continued to work the problem as Rylan watched on.

Duncan snuck up behind Tessa and put his arms around her. "Hello, you." He purred in her ear.

"Hello yourself." She turned and kissed him. "How did it go at the lawyer's?"

Duncan took a deep breath, "We have Rylan for another week."

"It's going to take that long?"

"They have to get enough proof to build a case." He explained.

"What is there to get? It's been a week and a half and she's still purple all over. What else do they need?"

"Hard facts, it's still her word against his."

"Our word." Tessa corrected.

"Her word." Duncan insisted. "All we can say is what she told us."



"I don't get it!" Rylan proclaimed loudly from the kitchen table.

"Yeah, you do, Ry. Where did I lose you?" Richie asked calmly.

"Upper and lower bounds."

"If the sign stays the same, it's upper. If the sign changes, it's lower."

"Why didn't you say that the first time?"

"I did."

"Nuh-huh. You said something about Decarte's Rule of blah blah blah."

Richie laughed and pointed at her book. "Look up the translation for blah blah blah."



"What are they doing?" Duncan asked Tessa.

"Richie's helping Rylan with her math."

"Since when can he do math?"

"I heard that." Richie said twisting in his chair to face them. "And I'll have you know I'm very good at math."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really."

Rylan turned around grateful for the distraction. "What's up?" She asked happily.

"Nothing that can't wait until you find a good stopping place." Duncan answered.

"Oh look at that, I found one!" She closed her book.

"You were in the middle of a problem." Richie protested sliding the book closer to her.

"Any place is a good stopping place as far as math is concerned." Rylan said pushing the book away.

"And you wonder why your grades suck."

"It's just math." She defended. "And I don't wonder, I know. And besides, look who's talking."

"I wasn't that bad." Richie said grinning.

"Whatever, what was graduating GPA?"

Richie's grin faded. "I fold."

"Are you two done yet?" Duncan asked with a smile.

"Yes." They answered in unison.

"So what's the deal?" Rylan asked.

"We have another week." Duncan started. "The only thing you need to think about is what happens to you once the trial is over."

"What do you mean, what happens to her?" Richie asked.

"Well, most likely you'll be placed in another foster home." Duncan explained watching Rylan's reaction. "But, if we play our cards right we might be able to get emancipation."

"Seriously? You think anyone would go for it?" Rylan asked.

"You're almost seventeen and you're graduating in a year." Richie offered.

"Yeah, a year." She thought a moment. "I don't know, as intriguing as being on my own sounds, I honestly don't think I can pull it off. I mean, there's a lot I would have to do. . ." She trailed off and stared at the table.

"Before you go any further," Tessa interrupted "Duncan and I have been talking, and we think we might have a solution." Rylan looked up. "Our first thought was to just adopt you. But we weren't sure if you would like the idea."

"Adopt?" Rylan sputtered.

"Yes, then we realized that we've been involved in too many police reports for any sane judge to let us." Duncan answered. "So then we thought of petitioning for temporary custody. But we ran into the same problem. So our solution is to push for making you and emancipated minor, then you can stay with us and nobody can stop you."

"Here? All four of us?" She said disbelievingly. "You really want me to stay?"

"Of course." Tessa assured her.

Richie smiled. "I told you she wasn't letting you go anywhere. So what do you say?"

"Um, I don't know. Can I think about it?"

"What's there to think about? Ry, come on, just say yes."

"Don't listen to Richie." Duncan said. "Think about it all you want, but you only have until the trial. Once the judge makes a decision that's it."

"Okay." Rylan nodded.

"And as for the trial. It will be an informal, private, closed hearing."

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"It means that the only people that will be there will be the judge, you, and us. George Douglas will have his own time with the judge before us. And before him the lawyers argue their cases."

"Okay."

"And it most likely won't be in a court room, probably just everyone sitting at a table. The judge will ask everyone questions and then make his decision."

"Okay." Rylan slowly took it all in. "So you guys will be there?"

"Yes."

"Good."