She had a strong nose and a sharp chin, and her cheekbones were high and thick. Like they weren’t just there to hold her up, they were there to make a point. All of her bones seemed more purposeful than other people’s. She was tall and stately, with broad shoulders and an elegant waist. Not a princess – princesses are just pretty. When Eleanor was a little girl, she’d thought her mom looked like a queen, like the star of some fairy tale. Her mom wiped her hands on the back of her jeans and tucked her hair behind her ears, and Eleanor was struck, for the ten-thousandth time, by how beautiful she was. ‘Will you have a lot of catching up to do?’

It was weird to come home and see her mom, just standing in the kitchen, like … like normal. The house was possibly even more depressing in daylight – dingy and bare – but at least Eleanor had the place, and her mom, to herself. When she got home from school, Eleanor let herself in with her new key. Somebody, probably her mom, had hung a flowered sheet between the refrigerator and the toilet. This house was designed by cave trolls, Eleanor thought. It was attached to the kitchen – like literally attached, without a door. There were only five rooms in the house, and the bathroom just barely counted. There was no way to get up without stepping on one of them, and she didn’t even know where the bathroom was … When she woke up in the middle of the night, all three of her brothers were asleep on the floor. (Which Eleanor decided not to mention.) She went to bed as soon as she could, so she wouldn’t have to go back out to the living room. There wasn’t room in this room to readjust. ‘Don’t worry about that,’ their mom said softly. Mom already told us, and Ben started to cry.’ ‘You get the top bunk,’ he said, ‘and Ben has to sleep on the floor with me. The room was tiny, just big enough for a dresser and some bunk beds. Their mom carried the duffel bag with Eleanor’s stuff into a bedroom off the living room, and Eleanor followed her. He’d be two … There he was, sitting on the floor with Ben. The baby wouldn’t remember Eleanor at all. She was eight now, but with her thumb in her mouth, she looked just like a baby. Eleanor hadn’t seen her do that in years. ‘Look, Dad, it’s Eleanor,’ Mouse said, jumping down. He reminded her more of a big, sloppy puppy – always excited, always trying to jump into your lap. They’d called him that since he was a baby, she couldn’t remember why. Which would have made Eleanor throw right up if she hadn’t just promised her mom that she’d be on her best behavior for the rest of her life. But when Eleanor walked in the house, it was like her siblings didn’t recognize her.īen just glanced at her, and Maisie – Maisie was sitting on Richie’s lap.

Eleanor and park 2