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know how they are about—”
    “Student seven sixteen!” blared out of the antique bullhorn on the wall.
    We both jumped and Minnie grabbed my hand.
    “You’re not skipping, are you?” I asked.
    “No, I’m in the bathroom,” she said with a little grin. “Are you going to be okay?”
    “Sure, it’s not like they can beat me, right?” But my heart was slamming painfully against my ribs and doubt flooded in. They had to know something or they wouldn’t be calling me. Was I the last one seen with Clint? Did they already know he was gone? Hope bloomed in my chest before I could squash it. Or maybe it wasn’t bad; maybe my dad had finally come to get me.
    On shaky legs I ran to meet the guard at the cafeteria door once again. He jumped a little when he saw me and looked me up and down with an ugly scowl before roughly motioning for me to follow him. I expected to go to one of the little offices I usually met Sophie in but to my surprise he deposited me outside the headmaster’s office. My knees were slamming together as I imagined every possibility of being called to this curious meeting. I raised my hand several times to knock but chickened out. As I steadied myself to knock one more time, the door snapped open and I jumped back.
    “Bixby,” Sophie greeted me with a tight-lipped grin. Was this her trying to be friendly? And why was she here?
    “Hi,” I squeaked out, my mouth suddenly dry. Behind her sat the headmaster at her desk and two older women in the expensive seats in front of it. Everyone was peering at me like I was some sort of unusual specimen.
    The silence lengthened as the two new women inspected me, one curiously and one with a sour expression. The headmaster finally broke the silence. “Well, take a seat,” she said, exasperated. Sophie shot her a look, as if to say, “See? She’s terrible.”
    I cautiously sat down in the only free seat, next to the women I didn’t know.
    “I expect you know why you’re here,” Sophie said, snatching some papers up from the desk.
    I began to sweat. How could they already know about Clint? Did they think I had something to do with it? I was going to kill Jordan even if I had to knock myself out first to do it.
    “I’m not sure,” I hedged.
    The kinder looking woman with the dark hair wound around her head gave a little laugh. “Well, it’s not like she’d recognize us, she hasn’t seen her since she was a little girl.”
    I stared, taking in their faces. The other woman had lighter hair streaked with grey wound around her head in the same fashion as the other. They were thin and probably taller than me. They each had on a simple, single color dress.
    I had no idea who they were.
    I gave them a hesitant smile but it was met with blank stares. My relief over not being dragged in to explain Clint’s disappearance faltered. “Sorry, I don’t know you.”
    Sophie sighed. “These are your great-aunts; they’ve come to collect you.”
    I looked from Sophie to the women. “Uh, I don’t have any aunts.”
    “ Great -aunts.” She glanced down at the papers in her hand. “From your mother’s side.”
    I shook my head. “My grandma only had brothers.”
    “From your grandfather’s side then,” the more severe looking woman snapped. As if it didn’t make a difference. I started to shake my head but Sophie swooped down on me.
    “Take a look for yourself,” Sophie said, shoving the papers in my hand.
    I looked at the first one, and then shuffled to the second, third and fourth. Cold sweat began beading on my forehead. “These are blank,” I said slowly.
    They all stared at me and I stared back, wondering what was going on but pretty sure I already knew.
    Sophie let out an agitated huff and rolled her eyes. “Seriously Bixby, is there any moment in time where you aren’t trying to make trouble?” she snapped. The headmaster just sat back and listened, nodding.
    I turned to the two women in the plain dresses. “I’m sorry, I don’t know