Inevitably, Runner's questions addressed to the crewman ("Why doesn't it go under the water like a rock does?" "What makes it go?"), products of her natural curiosity that Amy knew would emerge as soon as Runner reached a sufficient comfort level mingling with the dockside boys, had attracted a knot of those same boys, eagerly tossing out their own questions. Greene was ashore, lurking in the bushes with Amy, who was rubbing her newly unshackled wrists and trying to stretch her leg muscles sufficiently to do splits, as she had been unable in nearly a month of bondage in the hobble chain. The other member of the crew was belowdecks in the crew quarters, presumably in his underwear, his outer clothes now covering Amy. Amy had discovered she needed to copy Runner by wrapping a swatch of leather around herself below the shoulders to suppress the bulge of her breasts, otherwise obvious under the crewman's shirt. Luckily the portion of her nearly brush-cut hair not hidden under the crewman's hat was appropriate to her disguise.

There was a burst of excitement from the three boys with Runner as the visible crewman invited them all to take a look around on the deck -- Runner, of course, bringing Puppy with her. Amy had been adamant that Runner and Puppy had to be aboard before her -- she was well aware the crew had no real reason to let either of them come along with Amy, the only member of the trio worth anything to them.

The crewman let the boys have a close look at the engine, exposed under the opened trap door that usually covered it, on which he had been hammering before Runner arrived dockside, pretending to be fixing a problem with it. They followed him on a tour, which excluded the crew quarters, firing off a barrage of questions of their own. Eventually one of them left on his own, another departing at the command of his irritated father. The last of them left reluctantly as the crewman closed the engine cover and declared the trouble fixed. Watching the boy's departing back, the crewman gestured to Runner indicating the steps down to the cargo hold, down which she carried Puppy and disappeared from view.

The next twenty minutes had an air of comic opera, as the crewman left the boat and entered the woods, Greene then returned to the boat, left again, the crewman returned... and at last Amy, her heart doing cartwheels in her chest, barely able to breathe, walked out of the woods. Two townsmen were still on the dock, likely detailed to keep an eye on the boat in case the now-famous runaway slave should appear and attempt to board. They barely gave Amy a glance, not interrupting their conversation, as she walked along the dock, the crewman's ill-fitting boots covering the bruises on her ankles, her hands thrust into the pockets of her shorts, partly to hide her wrists and partly to hold the pants up, her shoulders hunched against the convenient rain that gave her an excuse to hide the scrapes made by her slave collar. Barely able to persuade herself it was really happening, she walked up the plank onto the deck of the boat and down into the cargo hold, where she threw her arms around Runner to give her as brief a hug as she could, then stripped off her borrowed clothes, replacing them with the leather islander outfit Runner had stolen for her weeks earlier. She left off the leather breast-wrap, not only in the interest of comfort but also to create a contrast in shape between herself and Runner -- the more obviously female she was, the less Runner appeared so, with her own breasts squashed down.

A minute later Greene came down into the cargo hold. Amy lunged at him and gave him a hug, murmuring "Thank you thank you thank you..." She had no idea how long she might have gone on, but her flow of gratitude was cut short by the abrupt ignition of the engine. Above the thundering noise, Amy could hear two terrified yelps, one from Puppy and one from Runner. Runner grabbed Amy and pressed up against her, her face buried against Amy's shoulder. Amy let go of Greene and started rubbing and patting Runner's back, saying "It's okay, it's okay," slowly pulling her down so she could wrap an arm around Puppy as well, who was crying like a small child.

Amy looked up at Greene, who gave her a bemused look in return. He said loudly enough to be heard, "We'll have some lunch a little later. For any of you who haven't sworn off food forever by that time." Picking up the clothing Amy had discarded, he turned and bounded up the steps, no doubt glad to be able to leave Amy the job of calming her two charges, who were too freaked out by their first encounter with modern technology even to begin thinking about getting seasick.

Greene led Amy, Runner, and Puppy into the galley, where one crewman was already eating at a small table, seated in one of the three chairs. Nearby sat a small fridge and a microwave. Amy felt uncomfortable without some sort of collar marking her status as a slave -- she certainly didn't want back the one she'd worn on the island, but she knew that she was technically violating the law by not wearing one. Under the circumstances, she knew nobody would object, and she suspected the men would treat her a little nicer if she looked like a free woman, despite their knowledge that she was, in fact, a slave.

Amy had, on the other hand, unbuckled Puppy's leather collar and pocketed it, before heading for the galley. Puppy's collar had been a disquieting reminder to Amy that, while Runner didn't belong to anyone, Amy had technically stolen a slave in bringing Puppy onto the boat. Amy insisted to herself that she shouldn't feel guilty about it, since Puppy's entire potential life as a human had been stolen from her at birth, which put her servitude beyond all boundaries of fairness observed on the mainland -- there were legal circumstances in which women could be made slaves involuntarily, but none of them sanctioned what had happened to Puppy.

The man eating lunch, whom Amy judged to be in his mid-twenties, was large and muscular, with dirty blond hair with ragged ends indicating he might be cutting it himself. He was the one who had pretended to service the engine, stalling for time to facilitate Amy's escape. He appeared uncertain whether to stand as Amy and the others entered. Amy smiled at the crewman, who was sipping a beer as he finished a sandwich.

Greene gestured towards the man. "Dave Bailor."

Amy smiled at Bailor, who nodded in return. "I'm really grateful for all your help."

Bailor smiled back nervously. "You really a Hanging Girl?"

Amy always felt pride at the designation, even when, or especially when, it was just reminding herself in her own head. She grinned. "I really am."

"Could you... maybe show us later? I mean, I know Justin said he seen you, but I ain't never seen one."

Amy bit her lip. The vibration from the engine and uncertain rocking motion would cause trouble. "I've never done it on a boat. I wouldn't be at my best." She brightened. "Justin told you about you being invited to one of the Academy parties, right?"

Bailor looked at her cautiously. "Yes, ma'am."

Amy shook her head while trying to read his expression. "Oh, please don't call me that. Just Amy. Academy girls are slaves." There, his reaction when she'd said "Academy" again. Despite Greene's assurances of her hanging prowess, Amy could read in Bailor's face that he wasn't entirely convinced she had any association with the Academy, nor, in consequence, that the promised reward and party would really be forthcoming. She tried to think how she could convince him. Even hanging might not do it, considering the difficulties here. She might just be a talented amateur. Reluctantly, she put the problem on hold.

Bailor wiped his hands together, his meal finished. "I'll go relieve Jimmy." He rose, nodded at Greene and left the galley, not looking at Amy again.

Greene gave him a puzzled look as he passed, not as good at reading him as Amy was. Greene turned back to Amy and shrugged. "One of them's got to steer." He gestured to the table, where he had piled cold cuts on a platter beside a stack of sliced bread, open bottles of mustard and mayonnaise with a spreading knife sticking up from the latter, and several unopened beer bottles. His gesture swept wide enough to include Runner.

Amy took one of the seats, looked at Runner and gestured with her head towards another seat. Runner had probably never used a chair before, but Amy had seen her watching closely as Amy pulled one out, sat and scooted back in. Runner copied the move exactly.

Amy looked at the beer. She'd never acquired a taste for the stuff, and was sure Runner hadn't. And she could imagine Puppy's reaction to it. "Ummm... have you got bottled water, or something like that?"

"Oh!" Greene snorted. "I just put those out automatically. If I'd been on an island without beer for a month, it'd be the first thing I thought about." He went to the fridge and pulled out several clear bottles.

Amy regarded the cold cuts. The meat appeared to be bologna and salami -- no girlmeat, which would be more expensive. These men probably had girlmeat just once or twice a week.

She twisted off the caps on two bottles, handing one to Runner. Runner took it, looking at it uncertainly, then imitating Amy's first sip from hers.

Amy looked at Puppy, and pointed to her for Greene's benefit. "Maybe a bowl? She's used to drinking out of rivers."

A minute later Amy set the cereal bowl Greene had located down in front of Puppy, and poured the contents of the last of the water bottles into it. Puppy gave it an experimental taste, then began lapping eagerly.

Amy put a sandwich together for Runner, deciding that it was probably believable that sandwiches were not a standard item of island cuisine. Amy stayed constantly on the lookout for any possible situation to which Runner might react differently from the way an adolescent island boy would. So far, there had been none. Amy spread mayo on the bread but decided to skip the mustard. Plenty of time later for Runner to discover intense spices. Runner looked at her questioningly as Amy handed her the sandwich, and watched as Amy took a bite of her own. Runner nodded, took a bite from her own sandwich, and grinned at Amy.

Amy picked up a few bologna slices, rolled them up in a tube and held them down for Puppy, who sniffed the meat, bit into it experimentally, then snatched it out of Amy's hand with her teeth and wolfed it down quickly.

The other crewman, whom Amy had never yet seen close-up, came down into the galley. Greene gestured towards him. "Jimmy Pellis."

Amy would almost have described Pellis as a boy. Smaller than Bailor, with curly brown hair, he was clearly younger than Amy, and in fact, hardly looked older than Runner, if indeed he was. Amy gave him a friendly wave. "It must have been your clothes I was wearing. I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your help."

Pellis gave her a tight smile. "No problem."

Oh, shit, thought Amy, a different problem here, just as bad, maybe worse. She didn't need to look at his crotch. His face alone said how horny he was.

Amy had considered the possibility that she might need to have sex with her rescuers. She didn't have a strong objection, except for two problems. One was that, after a month, she wasn't sure her Academy contraceptives were effective anymore. She had, in fact, had a feeling she might be ovulating, though with all the emotional stress she'd been through lately for various reasons unrelated to reproduction, it was hard to be sure. The other problem was that she had serious reservations about engaging in sex in such an uncontrolled situation. Doing it with a monitor on duty in the party pavilion was one thing, but doing it on a boat in the middle of the ocean attended only by horny males who could overpower any resistance she, Runner, and Puppy could muster together was entirely different. Greene had been nice so far, but men were men. There was also Runner to think about. Amy had detected Runner's gender soon after meeting her, despite her disguise. The hornier the men here became, the greater the chance Runner's femininity might sneak into their perceptions. Amy had decided she had to steer events away from that scenario.

Cautiously, she ventured, speaking to Pellis, "I'm looking forward to showing how much I appreciate it when you come to the next party at the Academy."

Pellis wheezed out a sharp breath. Amy had known she was ratcheting up his internal tension considerably. But she had to get him to bring what he really wanted out into the open.

His face reddening, he said, "What about showing your appreciation here? Now?" He gave her a shaky smile.

Perfect, Amy thought. She paused in her eating, sandwich held negligently in one hand, and gave him a wistful look. "That could be a lot of fun, Jimmy. But I want to make sure you get the most you can out of it. At the party, I'd give you a real girlfriend experience, or act however else you want me to act. Something you'd never forget. And if there's a girl there you like better, you could have her instead. Or me and her. And you'd see another girl snuffed by hanging, and that's exactly what all of us are trained for. She'll put on a show like you can't imagine. You can't find video of it anywhere. We don't allow that. The only way you can ever see a Hanging Girl snuffed is by being there." She leaned forward slightly, holding his eyes with hers. "I don't want you to miss out on that."

She could see the wheels turning -- no training in reading faces or body language necessary. While not quite putting it as a threat, she had made it clear that sex now versus the party later was an either/or thing. He couldn't do both. And Amy was in control of who was invited to a party. She saw a second wave of realization hit him -- that she was also in control of whether he got a financial reward out of this.

In a choked voice, he asked, "You promise? On the party?"

As sincerely as she knew how, Amy said, "I promise."

He looked at her a moment longer, then nodded. He took a final bite of his sandwich, picked up the beer bottle, and left the galley. Just as he was leaving, Amy read that same doubt in his face that Bailor had shown. This is all fine, his face said, as long as she's from the Academy. How do I know she really is?

Greene snorted as he watched Pellis's retreat, and turned to Amy. "He doesn't get out much."

"I gathered."

Greene shrugged. "I already ate. Come on up to the bridge later, if you want."

Amy nodded. "Thanks for everything, again."

As he nodded and left, Runner finished chewing the last bite of her sandwich. She looked at Amy. "Is anything wrong? I don't get what's happening."

Amy rubbed Runner's thigh and briefly leaned her head on Runner's shoulder. "Everything's okay. For now."

Puppy barked, leaned in between them and licked Amy's hand.

Amy laughed. "I'm sorry, Puppy! You're still hungry, aren't you?" She rolled up another tube of bologna.

Arms crossed over the railing and chin resting on it, Runner stared out at the rushing water alongside the boat. She seemed to be holding her own against motion sickness. Puppy, on the other hand, had been looking slightly queasy, and was now napping in the cargo hold.

Runner craned her neck, looking around as much of the periphery of the boat as she could see, and shook her head. "I saw the engine, when the man showed it to us. How is that engine pushing us, Amy?"

Amy considered how to answer. "It's like there's... arms, not real arms, metal arms, under the boat, going like this, swimming." She made a paddling motion. "The engine is making the arms do that. An engine is one kind of machine. That's something that can do work, like people can. You'll see a lot more of those later, to do different things."

Runner nodded. Moments later she straightened, began taking her pants down, and suddenly remembered. "Amy, I need to pee."

Amy called out loudly, over the engine noise, "Justin? Where's the head?"

His voice came back, "Go back in the galley. Far side."

Amy led Runner back to the galley, and discovered a door she hadn't paid attention to earlier. Inside the small room behind it stood a toilet and sink, both relatively clean. The seat, of course, was up. Amy pulled it down. "Just sit on that, and pee through the hole, into the water."

Runner nodded, pulled her shorts down, and sat -- it was not, after all, that complicated an idea -- and Amy said, "We usually leave people alone to do it. I'll be right outside."

When she heard the tinkling stop, Amy reentered, and decided it was a good time for some personal hygiene instruction. She pulled a wad of toilet paper from a roll. "You can pat yourself dry with this, then drop it in the water. Oh, and watch." She turned the tap to start running water into the sink, as Runner used the toilet paper. "Rub your hands together under the water. Where I'm from it doesn't rain nearly as much, so people rub water over themselves. They like to feel clean." As Runner washed her hands, looking up at Amy questioningly to make sure she was doing it right, Amy reached down to lift the toilet seat back up. She froze and gasped.

Runner straightened up quickly. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

Amy squatted down for a closer look. There was a tiny red circle on the seat. Obviously fresh. In the toilet, she now saw that the discarded paper also had a reddish streak.

Oh, shit, she thought. Shit, shit, shit. She'd met Runner... when was it? About three weeks ago? She might have realized the time was getting close. She whispered, glad the sound of running water made it impossible to be overheard, "Runner, you're bleeding!"

Runner, not sure why she was whispering but doing so, said, "I just started. Amy, we talked about this before. Everybody does it."

Amy stood upright and held Runner by the shoulders, leaning close, whispering even more softly. "Men don't, Runner! Only women!"

Runner gaped at her. "Why don't men do it?"

Amy shook her head. "I'll explain all that later. Right now we just need to get you plugged up somehow."

Once a month, moaned Amy, and of all times it has to be now! Two of the three men on the boat already suspected Amy might be lying about her own value to them. Amy had known all along the potential danger to Runner if the men found out she was a girl, but now Amy realized it would also destroy her own credibility as well. She and Runner both would probably end up chained in the crew quarters as permanent sex slaves.

There's got to be... yes, there they are. Amy grabbed a few paper towels from the nearby pile and, as she had done with the bologna earlier, but now for an entirely different purpose, she rolled them up into a thin tube. She wasn't sure how absorbent this particular paper would be -- it wasn't exactly an expensive brand, clearly -- but Amy thought it should do until they reached land. Luckily, so far Runner was only very lightly spotting, not flowing, but it wasn't clear how long that would last. "Take down your pants again. And bend over. I need to put this inside you."

Back on deck again, leaning over the rail once more, Amy tried to decide whether she'd covered up all traces. The offending toilet paper had been flushed, the seat cleaned. Was that it?

Runner was intently scanning the horizon ahead. Nothing but water was currently visible. "What does the Academy look like, Amy?"

Amy puzzled over how to answer, and then realized Runner intended to try to see it from mid-ocean. "We won't see it from the boat. After the boat we'll have to go there another way." Amy wondered what that might be. Would Greene drive them?

Runner looked disappointed, and turned her attention elsewhere. "What's that?" She pointed.

Amy smiled. Really, she thought, it's so much like being with a three-year-old sometimes. She saw where Runner was pointing. She'd seen this structure on the boat before, without paying much attention. She was about to describe it as the mast, and briefly wondered why a boat without sails needed one. Then she saw the thin strip of metal running up the side of the tall wooden pole. Her jaw fell open. Why didn't I think of that before?? She said excitedly, "It's... I think it's a radio antenna, R... Caleb." Ignoring Runner's puzzled "A what?" she took Runner's hand and half ran, half leapt up the steps to the bridge.

Pellis was at the wheel at present. Greene was writing in some sort of ledger. The log, Amy guessed. Breathlessly, Amy burst out, "Justin, you've got a radio, right?" Stupid, stupid, Amy, you've been such an idiot!

Greene looked up in surprise. "Well, yeah." His expression added "Duh!"

"Can you reach a telephone land line with it? Talk to somebody on the mainland, by phone?"

"Ummm... yeah, I guess. I haven't tried that before, but I suppose I can get patched through."

She nodded almost spastically, and went on, "Well, look, I can make things a lot easier for you. I need to talk to the Hanging Academy. Tell them where I am, where I'll be... I mean, you'd have to tell them that, where you're going to dock. But you won't have to take me to the city. They can pick me up and do all that."

She waited, shivering with excitement, as Runner looked at her with an expression that said, Okay, Amy, you really have to explain this to me. Greene put on a headset, flipped switches, adjusted dials, and began speaking into a microphone. Minutes later, when he turned to Amy and said, "I need the phone number," Amy almost told him, but her eye caught Pellis's, watching the by-play intently. Two birds about to be snuffed at once, thought Amy. Not only can I call home, but I can also provide proof to the skeptical. "I don't know the number. It's not like I call there myself. You'll need to get that from the operator."

She saw Pellis press his lips together and give a barely perceptible headshake. He thinks I've just proved I'm not from the Academy, she told herself. He thinks I should know the number. Just wait, Jimmy. If I gave a number to call, Pellis and Greene would have no way of knowing who I'm really talking to. But if Justin finds the number from the operator, there's no question it's the Academy.

She waited with Greene as Directory Assistance sought the number. As Greene responded at length, "Could you put me through to that number?" Amy spotted, on the radio console, a toggle switch labelled "Speaker." She reached forward and flipped the toggle, and a voice emerged from a grilled circle in the console, "...ging Academy, this is Bonnie. How can I help you?"

Through a wavery curtain of tears, Amy could make out Runner's incredulous expression, as she looked under the console to see where Bonnie might have been hiding all this time. Greene looked at Amy questioningly, and Amy waved frantically for the microphone. Greene handed it to her, and Amy said, her throat knotted, her voice shaking, "C-could you connect me with the dean's office?"

"Certainly, ma'am." There was a sharp clicking sound, and a new voice. "Dean's office. This is Tina."

Amy tried to speak, but couldn't hold back the sobs. She'd felt sure she could keep it together better than this. She took a deep breath, as Tina's voice, full of concern, asked, "Ma'am, can I help you?" and finally managed to choke out, "Tina, it's Amy."

There was a long silence. Amy looked at the console, and up at Greene. "Are we still connected?"

At last a choked whisper emerged from the speaker. "Amy! Where are you?? How are you??"

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" She sniffled desperately to clear her nose so she could keep speaking. "I'm on a boat. We're headed for land. I'm with some men who rescued me. I'm going to need somebody to come get me. I'm going to let you talk to Justin Greene. He'll tell you where to come." She handed the microphone back to Greene, and fell forward onto her crossed arms on the table in front of her, all ability to hold back the sobs now gone.

She felt Runner beside her, squatting, Runner's hand on the back of her neck. "Amy? Amy? Does it hurt to talk to that thing?"

Amy looked up and did her best to smile. Her latest sob suddenly morphed into a laugh. "It doesn't hurt. Caleb. It feels... better than anything. Ever. Oh!" She looked up at Greene, and said softly, indicating the microphone, "I need it back. When you're done."

Greene nodded, saying into the microphone, "About 10 pm, I think. Somewhere in there. Depends how choppy the water is."

Tina's voice, businesslike now, said, "Okay. Is there anything else we need to know?"

Amy made a beckoning gesture for the microphone. Greene handed it back, and Amy said, "Tina, we need transportation to the Academy for three people. There's me, and someone from the island who's going to come back with me, and a puppygirl."

"Puppygirl?" Stunned Tina replaced efficient Tina again. "What island?"

Amy giggled. "Tina, if I explained everything right now, that 10 pm target would just drift right by. Oh, one more thing. Whatever reward there is for finding me, if that could be taken care of up front, I'd appreciate that. Split three ways."

"I'll check on how that works, Amy. Is there anything else?"

Amy sighed. "I just... I don't want to stop hearing your voice, Tina, but I know you've got things to do and people to talk to."

"No kidding."

"Anyway... I'll see you soon. I'll see everybody soon."

"I know. Amy... I missed you. We all missed you."

The tears started again. "Not as much as I missed all of you. Okay, go now. Bye."

"Bye, Amy."

As the click was followed by a dial tone, Amy looked up to see Pellis staring at her, wide-eyed. She grinned and gave him a thumbs-up signal. He nodded, a smile breaking out on his face. Amy wondered how much of his reward money was already spent. Then her mind snapped back to the Academy, and she laughed, visualizing the activity she'd just inspired.

"Amy, what....?" Runner seemed unable to find words for all the questions flying around her mind.

Amy smiled, closed her eyes and sat back. I'll try to explain radio first, she decided. Somehow.

THAT NIGHT

Runner had been marveling at the electric lights. First the ones on the boat ("Amy, isn't it nighttime? I can see everything!"), for which Amy had told Runner the word, and at which Amy had cautioned her against looking directly, then at the string of lights now stretched along the horizon, slowly growing in definition as well as brightness as Amy and Runner watched from the railing. Amy could see outlines of individual buildings now, and what appeared to be a shoreline highway, judging from the moving ribbons of white and red.

The mainland!! Everything felt so unreal. She had wanted so desperately, impossibly, to find a way back. Had feared so much she would never see any land but the island, the rest of her life.

Amy noticed it seemed cool now, though she knew she'd be comfortable normally. The temperature was several degrees down from the heat she'd become accustomed to on the island. She has glad to have clothes to wear.

Runner was leaning far forward, nearly in danger of falling over the railing. "But we can't see the Academy from here?"

I can see it, Amy thought. Feel it. Taste it. But she shook her head. "No. But soon."

Runner pointed. "Look, those lights. They're..." Runner wriggled her fingers in front of her, her best description of the unsynchronized red blinking of at least a dozen lights. Police cars! Amy hadn't expected that, but realized she should have.

As the boat chugged up beside the wharf, and Pellis jumped over the railing, heading for the rope Bailor tossed overboard to secure it, a searchlight suddenly illuminated the boat and its surroundings, and a tinny voice magnified by megaphone said firmly, "Stop! Drop all weapons. Stand still with your hands up."

Squinting against the light, Amy could now see a half-dozen uniformed officers lined up just beyond the wharf, guns drawn. She muttered to herself "What in the hell...?" This, she told herself, was not the sort of reception Greene and the others needed or deserved. Against the judgment of an inner voice telling her how crazy she was being, she threw her hat into the water, to make herself more recognizable despite her hair, stood with her hands on her hips rather than in the air, balancing with difficulty against the rocking of the boat, and shouted furiously, "Did you guys not get the memo? These aren't the men who took me, they're the ones who rescued me! Do you understand the difference?"

She was hoping her attitude would convince them that she was not under any form of compulsion or restraint. Evidently it worked. A woman emerging from what appeared to be an Academy limo, not one of the police cars, shouted, "Stand down." She gestured to Pellis, who was standing frozen. "Do whatever you need to do there."

The surface of the dock was sufficiently high relative to the boat that Amy could easily hop over the railing and onto the boards. She did so, and turned back to Runner. "Hand Puppy over to me."

Runner did so, and then imitated Amy in jumping over the railing as Amy was awkwardly setting Puppy down. The woman, who appeared to be in charge, walked over to them, and faced Amy, holding out her hand. "Amy. I'm Lieutenant Sims."

Nothing so far, not all of the familiar sights and sounds of civilization, struck Amy with a sense of being home quite so much as the realization that, after a month in a land where women were nothing more than pack animals, she was back now in a world where a woman might be giving orders to the men who worked for her. Amy shook hands with Sims. "How did you know I was me?"

Sims smiled. "Admittedly you don't quite look like your picture. But I was told."

"By whom?" She then saw that a man had emerged from the same car that Sims had come from. Even against the glare of the searchlight, the dean was instantly recognizable.

Amy whooped, ran to him and threw her arms around him, something she had never, in her years at the Academy, imagined doing. With the side of her face pressed to his chest, she felt his hands patting her back. Equally hard to imagine. She murmured, "I am so glad to see you."

"I can easily say the same."

Amy laughed in delight. That statement, at least, seemed to fit him. She opened her eyes and gasped. "Steffi!! What are you doing here??"

Steffi Bloom was standing just behind the dean. "I've been doing a lot of work with the police on this. And the dean." She grinned and held out her arms, and Amy shifted her hug from the dean to Steffi.

Steffi let go first, and looked at Amy, holding her at arms' length. "What did you do to your hair, dear?"

Amy laughed. "I thought I'd try something different. If I said it's a long story, would you believe me?"

Steffi laughed with her. "I'm sure it is."

Puppy, who with Runner had followed Amy to meet the dean, had been growling at the strangers, and now let loose with several menacing barks. Steffi gave Puppy an astonished look as Runner knelt, stroking Puppy to calm her. Amy was fully accustomed to the sounds Puppy made, but she knew how much more authentically dog-like they were than anything a mainland puppygirl could manage.

She turned back to the dean. "There's a reward, right? For finding me?" She gestured back at the boat. "The three men on that boat should get it. Get all of it, whatever it is."

It was Steffi who responded. "Yes. Those three? Not this one?" She gestured at Runner, still petting Puppy.

Amy laughed and nodded. "The guys over there, yes." She looked at the dean again. "Did Tina pass on the part about me bringing along some extra people?"

"We're to give a ride to one of the men, and the puppygirl, I understand?"

"Well, more than just a ride, I hope."

The dean turned to Steffi. "You want to settle up on the reward now?"

Steffi nodded, and looked back at Amy. "Let me just make totally sure. Him, and him, and him, right?"

Amy nodded again, and Steffi headed in that direction. Amy took Runner's hand, pulling her up to a standing position, and told her, "This is the dean of the Academy. He's going to take us there."

Runner gasped. "There's a man at the Academy? I thought..."

Amy shook her head, grinning. "It's not like you're thinking. He's a good man. Very good."

Amy could see Steffi was now in conference with Greene, Bailor, and Pellis. Amy reached out and took off Runner's island hat. "Here, I want him to get a good look at you." She smoothed down Runner's hair and turned back to the dean. "Sir, this is Runner. That's the only name she has. I want her to stay at the Academy. And the puppy."

The dean was uncharacteristically flustered. Amy, following his eye movements, could tell that it was at least partly due to his sudden perception of a very beautiful woman standing in front of him, despite all his experience with same. Runner was in a class only a few of the girls reached. "You want... I don't know... how are you proposing...?"

"Sir, she's a free woman, not owned by anyone. She doesn't have any family. She's ready and willing to commit herself to the Academy as a slave. She could do whatever staff job you can give her."

He frowned, his thoughts more collected now. "Birth certificate? Any sort of identification?"

Amy looked at him intently. "Sir, do you trust me?"

He nodded hesitantly. "More than most, I'd say."

"Okay. She's past her eighteenth birthday, or she wouldn't be here. Nobody has any claim on her. In fact, aside from the people standing around here right now, nobody really knows she exists, except as a face they've seen. I can't prove any of that, but it's true. That's what I hope you'll trust me on."

He looked at Amy thoughtfully, and finally nodded. He turned to Runner. "Where are you from?"

Runner looked helplessly at Amy.

Amy spoke for her. "She's from the only place she's ever known, and she doesn't have a name for it. It's Purity Island."

"Purity Island!" He looked at Runner again. "But that was settled by people of our own stock."

Amy nodded. "Yes, but there was a native population there before that. Genetically, she's mostly an original islander. They're almost gone from interbreeding, but I think she got an unusually pure mix."

The dean looked at Runner a moment longer, then shifted his attention to Puppy. "Ummm... what staff position do you propose for the puppy?"

Amy grinned. "Dorm pet?"

He frowned. "We've never allowed..."

"Sir." She discarded the light-hearted approach, and looked at him intently. "The fact that I'm standing here is because of them. Both of them." She gestured toward Runner and Puppy. "Everything I'm going to be able to do now, everything I can accomplish with my life from now on, I owe that all to them." She felt tears stinging her eyes once more.

The dean looked at her, and Amy could read that she didn't need to state the obvious -- he already understood. To the extent that any of Amy's future activities would result in financial rewards and other advantages to the Academy, the dean himself owed Runner and Puppy a great deal as well. He nodded.

Amy heaved a great sigh. That was settled.

Steffi returned, and told the dean, "They seemed pretty pleased with that. I bumped the reward up to fifty-one. That made it easier to split into thirds." She laughed. "After all our effort publicizing it, they hadn't heard about a missing Hanging Girl before they ran into Amy, and only knew about the reward from her. They're a little outside our media coverage area."

Amy grinned. "That's great! Seventeen hundred each! No wonder they're happy."

Steffi smiled back at her. "No, Amy. Seventeen thousand."

"What!?" A fifty-one thousand dollar reward! Amy wasn't sure she would even be sold for that much! Megan, of course, had brought in far more than that. But that was Megan. "How..."

The dean smiled. "You have admirers, Amy. The Academy put up ten thousand, and then Miss Bloom and your father added twenty thousand each."

Steffi held up a finger. "Twenty-one now."

"My dad!! How is he?? Please don't tell him I waited this long to ask about him! There's just so much going on... Is he okay?"

The dean answered, "It seems to have been a false alarm. He'd given all the indications of a heart attack, but tests were negative. They kept him at the hospital a couple of days, and released him."

"But he didn't come here tonight?"

Steffi shook her head. "We haven't told him. We don't want Andrew to know you're back yet."

"Andrew! So he's still on the loose?"

Steffi sighed. "We haven't been able to find any provable connection yet. He lawyered up pretty quickly when we started asking him questions that suggested he was under suspicion. We haven't been able to talk to him much since then."

"He had to have given Dad the fake heart attack somehow. You know it's too much coincidence that he took me right when that happened. Some kind of drug?"

"None was found. There are drugs that can do it undetectably. But, well, they're undetectable. We do assume Andrew was responsible, but again, no connection found."

"When you say 'we'... Steffi, you haven't joined the police department, have you?"

Steffi laughed. "Not in an official capacity. But I've hired some detectives. They've been working with the police. And they report back to me."

Amy gave Steffi another hug. "I don't know what to say. You've been doing so much for me!"

Steffi shrugged. "You talked about owing people. I felt I owed you and the Academy a lot."

Amy tightened her grip. "Well, we're way past even now."

Steffi grinned. "Let me be the judge."

Lieutenant Sims came over, accompanied by a woman Amy hadn't met. The lieutenant said, "I'm done here for now. The men agreed to be interviewed in a couple of days."

Amy frowned. "You're not, like, arresting them or anything, right?"

The lieutenant shook her head. "I'm convinced they're what they say they are. But they might know something useful."

The dean opened the limo door. "Shall we go, then?"

Sims nodded. "Go ahead. I won't come with you, but Detective Reed will." She indicated the woman accompanying her. "She wants to ask Amy some questions."

Amy turned to the dean and breathed out a heartfelt, "Let's go home."

Detective Reed took the front seat, beside Bill, who was driving. In the second seat were Amy and Runner, with Puppy draped across their laps. The dean and Steffi took the rearmost seat.

Amy and Runner sat pressed together at shoulders, hips, and thighs, despite plenty of room on the seat. Amy held Runner's left hand in both of hers, resting them on Puppy's back. Runner needed one hand free for pointing.

Runner seemed permanently wide-eyed, not even wanting to blink in case she missed something. She pointed again. "What's that?"

"That's a billboard. It's for..." She struggled to find a way to explain advertising. "It's to tell people about something they might want to have."

"But people can't hear it. There's too much noise..." She gasped suddenly, her face alight. "Oh! Is that those letters, that make words? You hear it that way?"

Amy smiled and nodded. "It's called reading. People read those words when they go by."

In front of her, turned in her seat to face Amy, Detective Reed said, "Amy, if I could just ask you a few..."

Amy shook her head quickly. "It can wait."

"But while it's still fresh..."

Amy glared at her. "I promise I will help you all I can. I want to help. But it's always going to be fresh for me. I'll remember what you need me to remember. It can wait. This is more important."

"But..."

"Look. You'll get your job done, and I'll help you do it. But this is Runner's first night in the civilized world. It's never going to be her first night again. It's very special to her, so it's very special to me. It's my priority. I'm going to answer her questions now and yours later. Okay?"

The detective looked past Amy to the dean, for help. Out of the corner of her eye, Amy saw the dean shake his head. Detective Reed sighed and turned to face the front.

Runner pointed again. "What's that?"