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Samantha screams if you touch her.
Samantha screams if there's too much light.
Samantha screams like a slaughtered pig, kicking and slamming her body against the kitchen door when she's hungry.
(Samantha eats fast, with her bare hands. She puts leftovers in her pockets and spaghetti in her bed and when Ma try to take the rotten pieces of what used to be food, Samantha sinks her teeth deep into her skin, making her bleed, until Ma screams and slaps her.
"We don't do that, Samantha!" Ma says, hand still bleeding and all. "We don't bite people! We don't do that here!"
Samantha moves fast, her back against the wall, as she puts her hands on her head and stays very very quiet.)
Samantha doesn't speak.
Samantha beats and bites and throws hands when irritated.
Samantha can run fast and hard, and at the age of seven Clark already knows to never leave the front door unlocked.
Samantha likes the old truck.
If she behaves, Pa takes her with him to the market. He holds her hand tightly.
Samantha is good at sliding out and escaping and running away.
The next time they go to the market, Clark goes with them. Pa is getting older, he knows. Clark's young and strong and now it's his job to hold Samantha's hand.
(He is eight years old).
Clark comes with them when Samantha goes to the doctor's office. He holds her hand.
(She almost runs into traffic when she sees the big house in front of them.)
Samantha Doesn't cry. She screams, and she punches, and bites, but never cries.
But when they go into the big house, there are tears in her eyes and the agonizing noises she makes aren't as loud as her screams. She's rocking, back and forth, and her other hand keeps hitting her ear.
Clark is eight years old, and he keeps holding her hand as she falls on the ground and refuses to move on.
Samantha comes back home after a week.
Samantha comes back home, and she is quiet.
She exits the truck as if she was pursued by a bear, and Clark's hand is the only thing that keeps her from running.
Samantha doesn't scream anymore in the middle of the night.
Samantha doesn't bite.
(Samantha stops breathing when people get too close. Samantha's hands keep rocking back and forth. Samantha doesn't shove food into her pockets.
Samantha doesn't like eating pasta anymore.)
Samantha doesn't like the truck anymore. The moving used to calm her down, but now she starts hiding in the closet and under her bed when Pa tells her to come.
She hides away shoes and coats and winter gloves.
Samantha doesn't speak.
When Clark goes outside, Samantha's heartbeat gets faster and she looks at him but doesn't move. Samantha waits in place until he spreads his arm towards her, and opens his hand.
Samantha Doesn't like being inside.
When they go outside, Samantha holds his hand tightly.
Sometimes she pushes his hand, but then immediately stops and looks at him.
Samantha doesn't like closed rooms, empty rooms, rooms with bright lights and fluorescent.
Samantha likes the sun, when it's warm and you can hear the little bugs in the grass and lay down