[15: "Removing the stitches"]

The two girls were ready for school early, their clothes stiff and Meera
wiggled a little uncomfortably, not used to clothes that fit so tight.

Their uncle drove them to school in his usual silence, and he escorted them
in and made sure they found their class.

"I will see you at 3:15 sharp."

The girls nodded solemnly.

----

They were waiting at the curb when their uncle drove up. 3:15 exactly.

The car ride back to the house was exactly thirteen minutes. 

"Tea at four twenty. You have homework?"

Their uncle glanced at his watch and nodded approvingly.

The girls nodded. "We have a little."

"Done before supper."

"Alright."

They went to Meera's room, and unpacked their school things. Meera sighed
happily as she took off the heavy sweater and moved about stretching.

"It feels so nice to not be in school! I think that sweater was going to
strangle me if I wore it any longer."

Sami giggled and they set about their homework.

After a few minutes, they heard a shout, and they both rose to look out the
window. There was a boy standing at the fence behind the house, knee deep in
the heather growing on the commons. "What's he saying, Meera?" Sami couldn't
see out of the window without standing on her toes.

"I'm not sure!" Meera lifted the sash.

"... I saw you two in there. You're new, aren't you? Come on out!"

"Is he talking about us?"

"I guess he is. Should we go say hello?"

"I think so. We still have time for homework after."

"Come on ouuut!" 

The girls raced down the stairs and out into the garden, then out to the
fence along the commons.

"Hello, then!" Sami bounced over to the boy, and Meera followed from a short
distance. 

"Hello, there. What have we here?"

Meera smiled at the boy's lilting accent.

"We're here to live with our uncle for school!"

"So what's yer names?"

"I'm Sami, and this is Meera."

"I'm Thomas."

"Hello, Thomas."

"So is it true, about your uncle?"

"What about him?"

"He was in the army, like a captain or something?"

"Yeah. He was."

"Is he all strict and things? Is he?"

Sami grinned a little. "He is a little. But he is nice!"