Chapter 2: The Swiss Institute
Summer was fading into autumn when the fragile peace of the greenhouse shattered.
Lucy was in the kitchen helping her mother polish silver when she overheard Mr. Vale’s executive assistant talking on the phone in the hallway. The words made Lucy’s blood run cold.
"Yes, the boarding school in Switzerland," the assistant said, her voice crisp and businesslike. "A special institute for the hearing impaired. Mr. Vale wants him enrolled by November. It will be better for the boy's development, and it frees up Mr. Vale for the upcoming Senate campaign. Out of sight, out of mind."
Lucy dropped a silver spoon. It clattered loudly against the granite countertop, but she didn't care. She bolted out the back door, ignoring her mother’s sharp reprimand, and ran all the way to the greenhouse.
Matthew was sketching a map of the Andromeda galaxy. When he saw Lucy’s tear-streaked face, he stood up immediately.
What is wrong? he signed rapidly.
Lucy’s hands were shaking so badly she could barely form the words. She took a deep breath, forcing her fingers to steady. Your father. He is sending you away. To Switzerland. Next month.
Matthew stared at her hands. The color drained from his face, leaving him looking like a ghost. He didn't cry. Instead, that same hard, polite mask from the gala slammed back down over his features. He turned his back to her, gripping the edge of the wooden planting table until his knuckles turned white.
Matthew, Lucy signed, stepping in front of him.
He shook his head, refusing to look at her hands. He closed his eyes, retreating into the total, isolating silence he had lived in before she found him.
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But Lucy remembered her great-grandfather’s rule. Never leave anyone behind. She grabbed a piece of chalk from the table and wrote on the slate floor in massive, block letters: WE ARE NOT GIVING UP.
Matthew opened his eyes, looked at the floor, and finally looked at her.
