Her current foster mother was desperately in need of a break and would shortly give up on her too, although we had no knowledge of that at the time. On her second respite stay we were told her next stop would be an institution.

 There was some indefinable quality about Shaylin that tugged at our heart. The grim prospect of seeing her thrown into the uproar typical of an institution full of deeply disturbed children plunged us into dismay. Except for the irresponsibility of the adults in her life, she would not be in this predicament. Surely, we thought, someone would help her. But social services had finally given up. We could not bear seeing Shaylin institutionalized and pleaded with the agency to give us the opportunity to work with her. Although skeptical, they finally agreed.

 The state of affairs at the foster home Shaylin was living had degraded to the point they wanted her out immediately. They would not even keep her for two more weeks until we returned from a long planned vacation. She had to be respited at an emergency placement home in the interim.

 The day after our return from vacation Shaylin arrived. All the possessions she had in the world were packed in three plastic

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