To My Reviewers:

Robin Rainyday: Glad you like it.

Solae: Aww! Shucks! I'm really glad you like it.

Stargirl1066lkl: Sometimes parents prefer not to have a kid in the house at all, so they send them away somewhere. Maybe I didn't describe this school very well, because there are girls there, trust me. I'm happy that you like it.

Memorysofawhiterose: sniff I'm touched. It's great? Really? I hope so.

Dark Protector: I'm updating.

SaturnMax: I'm continuing, don't worry. French is my second language, so it made sense to use it.

Infamous One: Deathstroke? Wintergreen? Are these brands of chewing gum?

Alexandru Van Gordan: Yes! A little fun is forthcoming.

J752572: I'm continuing!

KaliAnn: Well, this place is strict since they have a high incidence of runaways. I'm modeling this school on what's described in "They Cage the Animals at Night" by Jennings Michael Burch. I cried a thousand times while reading that book. The places in that book are really strict, too. Glad you like it.

Chapter 30

Robin sank into his bed with a sigh and wished with all his heart and mind that he was a thousand miles away. The afternoon had not been an easy one, and after supper, it had sunk in that he was very far from home and he wasn't going to be back there anytime soon. He had heard people babble away in French all through classes (he'd understood maybe one word in three) and he'd been snarled at by teachers. Supper had been something that he didn't recognize, and that only contributed to his feeling of loneliness. Once they had been turned loose, there was something else that made him feel even worse. He was an outsider since he was from the States, and that was enough to make most avoid him. He figured that he wouldn't have that problem since they were all in the same situation, but he'd been wrong. He curled up on a window seat and gazed outside, and that was where Scott had found him.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked.

"Not really," Robin said, fighting back tears for the umpteenth time that day.

"I know what you're going through," Scott said, taking a seat beside him. "They called me all sorts of names since I was the only American, but it's a good thing I don't really speak the language, huh? I won't remember what they called me!"

That got Robin to smile. "Yeah, that's one good thing."

"They seem really stuck up," Scott said thoughtfully, "but I don't think they all can be."

"Well, French people tend to not be too open with people they don't know well," Robin said, remembering something that Bruce had told him. "That's why they appear snooty to others. If they're with people they know well, then they open up and become friendly. Part of that snootiness might be an act, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they may not want anyone else to know how badly they're hurting. After all, they're prisoners here, too."

Scott nodded. "That makes sense. Do you play chess?"

Robin smiled, and together they started a game of chess. They chatted through the evening, and Robin was introduced to the smaller boys and girls. One little girl with bright green eyes crawled up into his lap and stayed there until she fell asleep. When the warning bell for bed rang, Robin handed her off to one of the nannies for the primer class and headed upstairs with the rest of the kids, feeling somewhat better.

Now, lying in bed, Robin tried to think. The lights were off and all was quiet, but he could tell that no one was asleep yet. They were all lying awake and thinking, just as he was. The one good thing so far at this place had been finding out that Scott was one of his roommates, just one bed over. That made him feel somewhat better.

But what to do now? The headmaster and his wife had made it clear at dinner that they ruled this school in every way possible, and there was little chance of getting away. A girl who had run away had been brought back, and the rest of the students had been forbidden to speak to her until told to do otherwise, and to Robin's horror, everyone had obeyed. To the public in the general area, the school was known as a reformatory school, and any child who ran away was promptly brought back. There was no chance of begging for help from someone.

Also, during classes, he learned that the only phone in the building was in the headmaster's office, and it wasn't possible to get online. If you had to do research for a report, then you used the library or the school's database, but there was no way to send an e-mail. They were allowed to write only to their parents or guardians. In short, they were in a cage.

Robin rolled over in bed and tried to think again. No ideas came, but he fell asleep, hoping that he would manage to get away. If he did manage it, then he would make sure that the rest of the kids would get out of here as well.

Space

"Face it, dude, we're lost," Beast Boy said from the back of the van.

"I know where I'm going!" Randall snapped.

"Then why aren't we there yet?" the little green changeling demanded.

"Because we aren't there yet," Randall said, wishing for patience. "We'll be there when we're there."

"Enough, you two," Batman said, playing the parent. "Will we have to pull over?"

Randall and Beast Boy glared at him, and the other Titans tried very hard not to laugh.