"But I also can't keep all of you here," Shuyin continued, glancing toward where Lu Yuze had taken Yuyan. "What just happened proves that. One of you...." she gestured to the boy still being tended to by Yu Shou, "...had an episode and hurt my daughter. Not because he's evil, but because he's traumatized and frightened and his mind saw danger where there was only kindness."
She moved closer to the group of children, her movements careful and non-threatening despite the soreness in her body. "That's not his fault. It's not any of your faults. But it means you need help that I can't provide here. Professional help. Safe places with people trained to deal with trauma."
"Not children's homes," the teenage girl insisted, her voice carrying desperation. "Please. Not there."
"Not children's homes," Shuyin agreed. She turned to Ting Fei, who'd been standing silently nearby, ready to execute whatever orders she gave. "Ting Fei, I need you to do something different than what I said before."
