The other Hoyners had asked Leta if they were sure they wanted to come. Even though things were getting better – slowly – for most of the kids, Leta was still technically an inmate for a crime. They might react worse to them being noncompliant.

“Nothing will ever change if we don't act out,” Leta had said, “I sure hope we make them mad.”

When she said that the other kids understood. They all took Leta's side without further question – she was indisputably coming with the rest of them.

So Leta ended up at the head of the 3rd Alan Hoyne student walkout.

They stride proudly forward, legs and eyes and elongated tongue on full display. The rest of the Alan Hoyne kids follow behind, chattering with an air of defiant camaraderie. They cheer as, upon reaching the far sure, Leta launches herself up and swings onto a lamppost with their tail.

“We're still here!” cries out Leta, as if addressing the entire city, “you can lock us up on an island and pretend we're not there, but we are! And we won't let you just ignore us!”

They swing from one lamppost to another, bouncing off a metal street sign with a clang. There's a small crowd of onlookers from outside. Some look impressed at Leta's boldness; More look disturbed; quite a few look angry. But all of them look.