"What about you?" the security guard asked Ian.
"Not at the moment," Ian told him.
"Fine," the security guard said, and closed the door.
The nurse stood by the bathroom door and waited for me like a security guard herself. Why was it that everywhere we were since Mama and Daddy's accident we seemed to be easily locked away? Afterward, while Ian fidgeted and read every magazine in the room. I fell asleep on the sofa waiting. I woke when the door was opened again. Miss Harper stood there looking in at us. She glared at Ian, her eyes blazing, and then looked at me before entering and closing the door softly behind her. "Have you any idea, any idea at all, what you two have put your grandmother and me through? Do you have any idea of the panic, the embarrassment?" "I have an idea of the embarrassment, maybe," Ian said, "but not the panic."
"Don't you be smart with me, young man," she said, moving toward him. "Don't you dare show your disrespect and insolence."
Ian shrugged. "Then don't ask me any questions that require truthful responses,'" he said.
Her cheeks reddened as though they had been slapped. "Get up, both of you. You'll walk out of here and go with me immediately to the limousine." "My grandmother didn't come?" Ian asked. I was wondering the same thing.
"She had to go to the hospital to see about your father. In the middle of this terrible family crisis, you do this sort of stupid thing."
"It wasn't stupid," Ian said.
"A number of people," she began, "have done favors for your grandmother to get your mother into this wonderful treatment center under the care of the finest specialists. Because of your grandmother, the head of the Responsiveness Program himself has taken a personal interest in your mother. You can't imagine how embarrassed your grandmother was by what you've done and how badly this reflects on your family."
I glanced at Ian, who just stared at the wall. "I will not blame your sister, Ian. She's too young to know what she's doing, but you are far too intelligent and mature not to have known and understood."
'Of course, I know and understand,'" he said, turning back to her. "We were doing a good thing, a thing we should have been brought to do
immediately:'
"I don't care to discuss it any further with you. Now march," she said, pointing at the door. Go on!" she added sternly when Ian didn't move.
He rose like an old man and nodded to me. We started out. We walked out ahead of her. The nurses watched us leaving and the hospital security guard followed right behind Miss Harper.
Outside, Felix leaned against the limousine with his arms folded watching us approach. He looked a little amused by what we had done. Then his eyes went to Miss Harper and he moved instantly to open the door for us and step back. Ian and I got in and she followed, sitting across from us. She just stared at the two of us as if she had to convince herself we were really there and that it was all true.
What. I wondered, would life be like for us at the March Mansion now?
23 Juvenile Criminals
. It didn't take long to find out. Almost as soon as we started back to the March Mansion, Miss Harper began.
"When we get home. Ian, you are to go directly to your room and remain there until further notice." She smiled coolly. 'You will discover that your room has been emptied somewhat."
"What does that mean?" Ian asked immediately. "All of your scientific equipment, your microscope, your telescope, the ant farm, books, magazines have been removed."
"Removed? Where are they?" She didn't reply.
"You can't do that," Ian said. "That stuff belongs to me, not you."
She smiled. "Nothing belongs to you, Ian. Everything you have was bought for you using your grandmother's money, even the clothing on your back you now wear. I know a lot more about your family than you think, and your grandmother approves of everything I have done and decided. She is so distraught, in fact, she doesn't even want to know about it. When she found out what you did, she was nearly in tears."
"I don't believe you," Ian said.
"Whether you believe me or not isn't important to me, Ian. However, I wouldn't bother appealing to her, if I were you. She is in no mood to hear either of you whine, especially you."
"I don't whine,'" Ian said.
"It won't do you any good if you do," she said. Then she turned to me. "While it's true you're too young to be fully at fault. Jordan, you still bear some responsibility here. You should not have gone with your brother. You should have come right to me to tell me what he wanted you to do."
"She would never go to you to rat on me," Ian said.
"Perhaps so. She has misplaced loyalties and responsibilities. However," she said, looking at me, "you, too, shall remain in your room until told otherwise.