The next afternoon, I knocked on Nora's door to tell her it was time to go check out some schools. She emerged in jean shorts and a t-shirt, which seemed to be her go-to attire. I guess she was more like me than I'd first realized. She had her own Metro card, so we hopped on the subway. The first stop was my alma mater, Hunter College.

The high school actually consisted of grades 7-12. Technically, the admissions window was closed, but I was pretty much their favorite alumnus. I'd done events for them, so when I called the principal he was more than willing to meet with me. Nora seemed unsure of herself as we entered the building. The kids here were all brainiacs, which I supposed was a bit intimidating to someone who came from a sub-par school. I had a hunch, though. If she was half mine, she was probably pretty sharp. She probably had just never been challenged.

The principal called us back and I shook hands with him, having met him on several occasions before. I introduced Nora and she bashfully shook his hand.

"I took the pleasure of faxing your current school this morning for a transcript request," he began, rearranging some files on his desk. "I have to admit, your grades aren't usually what we see from our applicants."

He set Nora's transcript down on the desk in front of us and Nora curled her face up, obviously not proud. I scanned it over, seeing mostly C's and D's, with a few other letter grades thrown in. Interestingly, she got A's in English. She did say she liked reading.

"However," he continued. "When we pulled up your standardized test scores, they were off the charts." He pulled out another paper, showing Nora was in the 98th percentile for the state standardized test for her 7th grade year. Other years had similar numbers.

"So, Nora," he folded his hands on the desk. "Why do you think your grades are so low but your scores are so high?"

I looked at her, curious as to what she would say. She just shrugged, slouched in her chair. I imagine this was not the type of child the principal envisioned me bringing in.

"Do you think Altman does a good job at challenging you?" He prompted her.

"Not really, I guess," she said softly, not meeting his eyes, her arms crossed.

"Do you think you might do better if you were in a challenging environment?" He questioned Nora. Again, she shrugged.

I cleared my throat, deciding to offer up my two cents. "Altman is a very low-performing school, so I imagine the teachers weren't able to challenge you much," I theorized. "Were you bored?"

"Aren't all schools boring?" She said, causing the principal to chuckle.

"We don't think so at Hunter," he said. "We have a very rigorous curriculum and lots of extra-curricular activities. Do you participate in any sports?"

"Skateboarding," she said.

He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm afraid we don't have a club for that, but if you'd like to start one, you might be able to find some interest."

I sat up in my chair a little. He'd said 'if you'd like to start one'. Did that mean he would accept her?

"So," I cut in. "Would you have an opening this year for Nora?"

He thought for a moment before continuing. "Usually, with those grades, no, but I'm willing to take a chance on you, Nora, based on your test scores. I have a feeling once you're taught at your instructional level you might thrive."

"Or is it just because of who my father is?" She asked bluntly.

The headmaster looked away uncomfortably. "Your father is one of our greatest alumnus," he admitted. "He won the Pulitzer Prize."

"Well, I had a very good foundation here," I admitted. "Not many places allow students to direct theatrical productions."

Nora seemed to be done, fidgeting in her seat. We wrapped up the conversation with the principal and I let him know we were visiting a few more schools and would be in touch with him. I led the way out the front door, Nora trailing behind me.

"What did you think?" I asked as we stepped into the sunshine.

"Seems a little uppity," she said honestly, and I laughed.

"Well, the kids here are pretty sharp," I said. "They wouldn't be here if they weren't. But they're still just kids. They're not aliens."

Nora didn't respond so we began walking towards the next school. At the other two schools we visited that afternoon, she seemed disinterested and unimpressed. The other schools were fine, but I was really leaning towards sending her to Hunter. It was a great opportunity, considering her grades were so bad. I wondered if her grades were so bad due to pure boredom or to show the world the middle finger, so to say.

When we arrived home, she went straight to her room, where she seemed to spend most of her time. I let her be, knowing this was a lot for her. She'd been uprooted from the only environment she'd ever known, living with strangers. It was a lot of change for a thirteen year old.

Vanessa was going to pick the boys up from daycare this evening, so I set up on the couch with my laptop to get some work done. I must have gotten caught up with what I was doing, because soon the front door opened and my son came bounding in. He came straight to me, jumping into my lap for a hug. I hugged him tight and kissed his head. The kid was a bundle of happiness.

"Lin, you haven't started dinner?" Vanessa asked from the kitchen. I checked my watch and saw it was 6:00.

"Sorry, I got caught up with what I was doing," I apologized, standing up with Sebastian in my arms. We walked over to the kitchen and I set him down on the counter. "Sebastian, what should daddy cook?"

"Mac & Cheese!" he said predictably. If it was up to him, all he'd eat would be mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and grilled cheese. I decided to make it as a side, and found some chicken I could throw on the grill quickly. Vanessa went to change, leaving me with both boys. In between grilling, I picked up Francisco and chatted with him and he babbled back. I had a feeling he'd be a big talker like his brother.

Vanessa let Nora know dinner was ready and we all sat at the table.

"So, Nora, did you like any of the schools you visited today?" Vanessa asked.

"They were okay," she said, pushing her food around.

"Did you like Hunter?" she asked.

"It was fine," Nora replied dismissively. I had a feeling she wouldn't be getting overly excited about any school. I got it. It was school.

"She got an offer to attend Hunter," I chimed in.

Vanessa made a big show of being excited for her. "That's great, Nora. Hunter is a wonderful school. I went there too, you know."

Nora wasn't talking. "So what do you say?" I asked her. "Want to give Hunter a try?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

"Sleep on it, and let us know in the morning," I advised. "But I think you'd really like it there."

"I bet," she whispered unconvincingly. "Can I go to my room?"

Vanessa looked at me, concerned she hadn't eaten much of anything. "Sure," she said. Nora stood up and took her plate to the kitchen and had soon disappeared into her bedroom.

"Not much for talking," Vanessa observed. "I wonder if she's like this with everybody or if she's just nervous around us."

"Give her some time," I said. "This is a big change."

We gave Nora some space, but I decided to go check on her before bedtime. I knocked on her door and didn't hear a response, so I slowly pushed the door open.

"Nora?" I called, but didn't receive an answer. I pushed the door all the way open and found the room empty, the window open. I rushed over to the window and looked out, but couldn't see her anywhere. "Shit!"

I ran back to the hallway and found Vanessa in the master bedroom. "V, Nora's gone!" I reported. She put her Kindle to the side and immediately got up. She began checking the whole house to see if she had wandered off somewhere, but she wasn't there. I pulled out my cell phone and called her number, but didn't get a response.

"Where could she have gone?" I asked, looking at my wife.

She raised her eyebrows. "Queens?"