A/N: Okay, this will be the last chapter I post before the big move. Our internet goes out tomorrow. I should be back in a week or so.
Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed this story! You're keeping me SO motivated!!
Peter sat in his office, pondering what Sarah had said to him at the docks, 'Don't believe everything you read.' He had her file in front of him. What was he missing about this girl? There were so many things that he didn't understand. Why was there so little information about her after so many schools and therapists?
He sighed, and pulled out the list of schools that she had attended this year.
Moorland Boarding School: expelled after 3 months for poor behavior
Ashland Prep: expelled after 2 weeks for inappropriate behavior and poor test scores
The Excel Academy: failed to participate in class and activities, parents removed her after 1 month
Pine Ridge Wilderness School: expelled for continual violent behavior towards herself and others
Peter stared at the list, trying to make some sense of it. There were other schools listed, those that she had attended the previous year, and the public schools that she had attended when she lived with her parents. But his focus was on the past year of her life. Three acclaimed prep schools and one highly praised wilderness alternative school, where had they gone wrong? Suddenly, a thought struck Peter with such force that he felt ill.
***Flashback***
"Let me guess, one of those four other schools was a wilderness school?" laughed Shelby.
"Two of them actually," answered Sarah. "I've spent more of my life in tents…"
***End Flashback***
Why had Sarah told Shelby that she attended two wilderness schools when her file only listed one?
***Flashback***
"What do you know about my life? What a stupid file tells you, that's it. Well, don't believe everything you read."
***End Flashback***
Peter's head was spinning. He could not stop thinking about how Sarah constantly referred to being a 'pawn' in a game that she had no control over. Was it possible that her file was wrong? Was someone trying to hide something about Sarah's past? He still had not been able to get in touch with any of her past therapists, as if they had disappeared, or never existed in the first place. He thought of how angry she had become after she read her file, thinking he had called her parents, and her parents' desire to have no contact with her. What were they hiding?
He knew what he had to do. He would have to talk to Sarah directly about her file. She knew what was going on, and she was the only one who could help him understand.
*****
In less than an hour, Sarah was sitting in Peter's office. She had a feeling she was in trouble, but she didn't mind that much, after all, she was missing geometry for this.
"Sarah," Peter started.
"So I'm assuming you talked to Roger and Jeff, and I can explain," she interrupted.
Peter shook his head. "No, it's not about that. Though we will talk about that later." He paused. "I was hoping you could tell me about your other schools."
Sarah looked at him as if he had sprouted an extra head. "You pulled me out of class to talk about the other schools I've attended? What am I missing?"
Peter hesitated, then handed her the list of schools from her file. "This is the information that was sent over in your file, of the schools you attended this year. Could you take a look at it?"
Sarah took the paper from Peter and glanced down at it. Peter thought he saw something spark in her eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "So what's your point here Peter? I've been expelled from a lot of schools. This is really what you wanted to talk about?"
"Sarah is the information accurate? Because I recall you telling Shelby that you had attended two wilderness schools, and this only lists one."
She shook her head. "I must have been confused. Maybe it was the year before. I don't know."
Peter was sure she was lying. "No matter what you say, I'm not going to call your parents."
She shifted in her chair, but remained silent. She seemed to be thinking about his offer. Finally, after a few minutes, she spoke up. "Whatever I tell you, it's between us right? You can't tell anyone else?"
"Unless you plan on hurting yourself or someone else, or tell me about abuse. Then I'm bound by law to tell authorities." He added, softly, "you can trust me Sarah."
She fidgeted for awhile, then said, "It's accurate. All of it. Sorry to disappoint you." Peter stared at her in disbelief. "Can you take me back to class now, since I'm still on 24 hour watch and all…"
Peter hadn't really expected her to tell him everything, but at least she had something to think about. He only hoped that soon she would trust him with the truth.