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know.”
    â€œThis is nobody’s fault,” Mom says. She hasn’t stopped pacing. She’s still in her fuzzy, rainbow-colored bathrobe. Green slippers peek out like little nightmare monsters hiding under the bed skirt. “We were on the phone half the night with our lawyer. She says there was nothing we could have done then.” Mom stops pacing. “And there’s nothing we can do now.”
    I swallow hard. “When . . . wh-when will . . . ?” I can’t go on.
    Ethan finishes my question: When will they come for Dream?
    Mom and Dad exchange a look that says it all. Then Dad answers, “Grayson and his father are coming this evening.”
    I get up from the table.
    Mom swoops beside me. “I had a good conversation with Mrs. Ford. She said they’ll keep Dream for the summer while Grayson is staying with them. She said Annika made a special point to invite you to visit whenever you want.”
    I nod. But I know I won’t visit. How could I? How could I stand seeing Dream— Jinx —and then leaving her again?
    Mom drives Ethan and me to school. I stare at my old tennis shoes. I can’t bear looking out the window at the places Dream and I have ridden. The places we’ll never ride again.
    Ethan elbows me. I’m still praying it won’t happen, he signs.
    Me too, I sign back. And it’s true. I haven’t stopped praying for a miracle. Every time I woke up in the night, I asked God to keep Grayson and his father far away from my horse. But what if God says no? I sign to Ethan without saying it aloud like we usually do. What if God lets them take Dream away from me?
    Ethan doesn’t look away. It will be okay. You will be okay, Ellie. You’ll see.
    I want more. I want Ethan to promise me that God won’t let this nightmare come true. I want him to promise that something will happen to let me keep my horse. But I know he can’t promise me that. Nobody can.

    â€œEllie!” Cassie runs up to our car as soon as my mom pulls into the loading zone.
    Rashawn is right behind her. “Colt told us everything. I can’t believe this is happening!”
    They hug me and keep their arms around me as we walk inside. I can tell Cassie has been crying. It makes me cry too.
    â€œTh-they’re coming tonight,” I manage to get out. “They’re taking Dream away. I don’t know what I’ll do—” I can’t finish because I’m crying too hard.
    â€œI talked to my aunt,” Rashawn says. “She’s a lawyer in Kansas City. But she doesn’t know anything we can do either. It’s so unfair!”
    When we reach our classroom, Ashley and three of her friends come up to me.
    â€œWe think it’s horrible, Ellie!” Ashley says. “I wish I could do something to help. I just can’t believe what Larissa did to you!”
    â€œYeah. That’s pretty low,” Hunter agrees. Hunter Van Slyke is one of Larissa’s best friends. At least I thought she was.
    I look up through the mob of girls circled around me, and I see Larissa. She’s already in her seat, staring at her desk.
    I sit down. Dylan and a couple of Colt’s other buddies stop by and tell me they’re sorry about my horse.
    I don’t know what to say to anybody.
    When we’re all at our desks, Colt signs to me, I’ll walk you home. We can run away if you want.
    I sign, Thanks . Part of me wants to say yes to running away with Dream and Colt and Bullet. But what good would that do? They’d come after us and take Dream anyway. I have to think of Dream now. I have to make this as easy as I can on her.
    Miss Hernandez has us finish our blog presentations. Nobody is into it. Ashley and Rashawn report on their presidential blog. But Ashley starts tearing up when Rashawn tells about one candidate who owns horses. So they cut it short and sit down.
    At recess everybody in our