All of the other kids laughed heartily as the larger boy’s food went flying and Finch landed in a mound of mashed potatoes. But Finch wasn’t laughing. Just as Collin expected. When asked later by one of the orphanage workers why he did it, he looked the woman straight in the eye and said, ‘‘Just seemed like the thing to do.’’ Three hours later on the playground, Collin was alone on the swing set, when Finch shoved him from behind in midswing, making Collin dive out of it. As he rose, sand clinging to his face, he snatched a handful of sand and flung it straight into Finch’s laughing face. A caretaker broke in before it went any further but as she led Finch away he turned and mouthed, ‘‘Just you wait.’’ Later that night, Collin was only pretending to be asleep on the bottom of the bunk bed, when he heard footsteps approaching. More than one pair of footsteps. Hands grabbed all four of his limbs and dragged him out of bed.
