His Eagle Eyes on Me

Even Layla was struggling to stay awake.

"Mommy, I think I'm going to write about what happened today in my journal." Layla stared at the photo she had taken.

Hightide Church usually did not allow the taking of photos, but Layla was not sure whether she could take photos or not, and she had asked a nun to take a photo of her and the other children. The nun smiled and agreed.

"Sure! Show it towhen you are done." "Okay, Mommy. Look at the photo. I counted, and apart fromand Robert, there are thirty-two children," Layla said with a smile. "What a coincidence. There are thirty-two students in my class as well." "Now that Rose is gone, there should be only thirty-one children." "Irene left as well!" "Irene doesn't count because she has a family. It's a shthat we didn't get to meet her. She must be a sweet child, like Rose, for Rose to like her so much," Avery said.

have to leave simply because Rose left? Didn't the nun say that Irene didn't want to leave? Is that really her grandmother?" Layla asked. "That's her actual grandmother, right?" Her questions had rendered Avery speechless, and she

church and it did not make sense for her grandmother

her." "Oh. Does Irene not have parents? Why else would her grandma take her up to a mountain to live there?" Layla felt sorry for Irene for having no one but her grandmother, who could be too old to

Rose had been adopted by Shea, so her life would only improve, whereas Irene might not do very well with her grandmother. The two best friends started off in the sposition, but they would soon lead very different lives and that thought

widen, and even if they were to meet again, they might not be as close as they

as well," Avery said. "Let's wait and see if Irene calls me!" "Okay." Once they were home, Mrs. Cooper took Robert to his room, while Layla

place?" Elliot picked Layla up with one arm and turned to look at

"I am sleepy, too." S "If you sleep now, you won't be able to sleep at night," Elliot said as he accepted the phone Layla passed him and studied the group photo they took. "These little girls all, decent. Why does here?" et ook "She didn't get to see her best friend, Irene. Irene was