Free Trapped by Laurie Halse Anderson Page B

isn’t a monster. He’s just—”
    â€œBrenna, you don’t get it, do you?” Sage asks. He’s staring hard at the road, and he’s still gripping the steering wheel. At least he’s driving carefully. “All of our lives, we’ve helped Mom and Dad take care of animals. Healing critters is what our family does. Why would you want to have anything to do with someone who hurts them?”
    I’m not sure how to answer. A few days ago, I felt the same way that Sage does toward Billy. But now I feel like I can sort of see Billy’s side of the story, and I think I’ve helped him see mine. I still don’t agree with what trappers do, but violence and revenge aren’t the answer. They don’t solve the problem, and innocent people (like me!) can get hurt.
    Mom is definitely right—things are not always black and white. More like black and blue! But how can I explain all of this to Sage?
    He doesn’t wait for me to think it through. He pulls into our driveway, parks the truck, and turns to me. “You can’t have it both ways, Brenna. Either you’re on the side of the animals or you aren’t. Which is it going to be? You have to decide.” Then he opens his door, gets out, and slams it shut.
    He starts to walk away, but then comes back and opens the door again. “Oh, and by the way, I want that spring back,” he adds.
    When I don’t answer, he slams the door again. I watch him stride toward the house. I never knew you could miss somebody so much, even when they were right there in front of you.
    I want my brother back.

Chapter Eleven
    E veryone is pretty quiet at dinner that night. I think Mom and Dad are still in shock about the fight. When they heard what happened, they said they needed time to “process” everything before we discussed it together.
    And they don’t even know yet who Billy is, why Sage got in a fight with him, and what we were doing at the clinic in the first place.
    I know I have to tell my parents about going to Billy’s house and rescuing the fawn, since the fawn is coming to stay with us. But for the moment, I’m just not ready to talk about it. I pick at my black bean burrito, avoiding Sage’s eyes.
    He’s not looking at me, either.
    Jayvee doesn’t seem to notice that anything is wrong. He chatters away about his day at school, his upcoming birthday, and his best friend’s new hamster. Mom and Dad laugh at his stories, and he loves all the attention.
    â€œOK, buddy,” Mom finally says to Jayvee, after we’ve finished dessert. “Bathtime for you. I’ll be up later to read a book with you.”
    Jayvee heads upstairs.
    â€œTea?” Dad asks the rest of us, getting up to put the kettle on. He brings mugs, honey, and milk to the table. “It’s time to talk.” Mom nods in agreement.
    Sage looks away. But at least he doesn’t get up and storm off like he’s been doing lately.
    â€œBrenna, why don’t you start?” she asks. “Tell us the whole story, from the beginning.”
    The beginning seems like a long, long time ago. I can’t believe it’s only been a few hours since I left school. “We took a fawn to Dr. Mac’s today,” I say, after a moment. “Sage and I.”
    â€œWait a minute right there,” Mom says. “You moved a fawn? On your own?”
    â€œWhat were you thinking?” Dad interjects. “You know how dangerous that is.”
    I roll my eyes. Do I have to go through this again? “I know,” I say. “I’m sorry. I promise it’ll never happen again.”
    Mom tightens her lips and shakes her head.
    Dad looks mad, too. “Well, that explains where Sage went in such a hurry today.” But then his voice softens. “So, does this mean we’re going to have a new guest soon at the critter barn?”
    â€œDr. Mac thinks so,” I tell him. “We