Breathing stopped all over the room A summons to the headmaster could cause many a stomach to come loose from its moorings Otherjack’s friend Marcus sitting in the desk behind him gave him a sympathetic punch between the shoulder blades Edwin abandoned his plans for a bashing But Otherjack stood up looking calm as a pudding Otherjack was the king of staying out of trouble In all his twelve years in all the twelve years he had lived at the Opportunities School for Orphans and Foundlings he had never once been flogged Otherjack had skipped over trouble danced around trouble slid under trouble melted away from trouble talked his way out of trouble and slipped between two close troubles like a cat through a picket fence He did not mean to break his record now He walked down the hall toward the headmaster’s study running his finger along the mustard-colored wall and breathing deeply to keep his stomach in place The ghost smells of years of boiled turnip dinners kept pace with him He sifted through his list of useful words Trepidation that was it Like fear but less so He came to the headmaster’s door so smooth and shiny
and dark brown that he wanted to lick it He knocked Turnips trouble and trepidation he said to himself That’s the life of an Opportunities Boy
Chapter Two COME Otherjack turned the crystal doorknob and pushed open the heavy door Dr Keen’s office was as solemn as church The headmaster leaned forward across his big desk His long pale fingers were arranged like a tent in front of his chin Otherjack stared at Dr Keen’s fingernails and thought of baby Myrtle the latest foundling left on the school steps Only babies and Dr Keen had fingernails that clean Well young man this is your moment of Opportunity Otherjack’s heart did a leapfrog He hadn’t wanted to let himself hope The opportunity at the Opportunities School for Orphans and Foundlings was that at age twelve each student was sent out to learn a trade At twelve he could leave behind Mr Bane and Mr Hector and Mr
