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I nod, trying my best not to cry.
“We knew this was always a risk, and now it’s happened, but don’t worry. You got luckier than I thought possible.”
Dad’s not mad at me. He’s not yelling that I ruined our lives with my stupid mistake. “Okay.”
“That family over there.” Dad whistles. “They’re a special kind of stupid.”
I frown. I know Dad’s right, but for some reason, it still bothers me.
“Now you listen up. I don’t have much time.” Dad drops his voice. “There’s a bird called a brown-head cowbird, you hear?”
I nod.
“That bird is smart. It figured out that laying eggs and sitting on them and then feeding the babies is a lot of work. It wants there to be more cowbirds, but it doesn’t want to do the work, right? Because it’s a smart bird.”
I nod.
“That smart cowbird, it finds another bird that’sclose to its size, one that’s got a nice nest and is laying eggs. Then it goes and it shoves the dumb bird’s eggs out when the mother bird’s off finding food.”
“Okay.”
“And then it lays its eggs there. Then that dumb bird mom comes back and raises the cowbird babies for the smart bird.” He grins. “That’s a long con, son, but it pays off.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m True North. You know that.” He ruffles the hair on my head.
“But Dad?—”
He shushes me. “Listen up, now. I’m almost out of time.”
I sigh.
“You’re about to play the longest con of all, my boy. I’d be worried, but I know you’re ready.”
“What?”
“Those dupes have a nice nest. They’re already raising two chicks that ain’t theirs. So we’re going to drop you into their nest, let you win them over, and when I get out, we’ll bleed them dry. Together.” Dad grins. “I trust you. You know enough to do this. When I get out, it’ll be the perfect way for us to start over. Alright?”
I nod, and it starts to really sink in that Dad’s going away. “But it’s their fault you’re going to jail.” I shake my head. “I don’t want to live with them, with the people who got you locked up.”
Dad presses his face against my cheek. “That’s why youhaveto do it. We’ll get our revenge, son. When I get out, you’ll know everything you need to know about them, and we’ll get them back, you and me. Just play thelong con now, and sit in that nest, and Dad will come for you as soon as he can.”
“But—”
“Never forget the number one rule.”
“Dad.”
“You cannot ever fall for the marks. You can’t pity them. You can’t care for them. You can nevereverlove them. You hear me, boy?” Dad ruffles my hair again. “Now, you go do what I taught you, you little cowbird.”
To my great embarrassment, I’m crying when they close up the car and drive my dad away. But I do as he asked, and the next time Seren Colburn Fansee asks if I want to stay with them for a while, I say yes.
When Dad gets sentenced to twenty years and they ask if I want to stay with them more permanently, I grit my teeth, and I say yes again. Because Dad is True North for me, and that’s what he wanted. It’s hard to pretend that I like them; it’s hard to disguise how angry I am that they sent Dad away.
But I do it.
And little by little, it gets easier.
But I never forget that I’m not a Fansee.
In my heart of hearts, I’m a cowbird. I’ll always be a cowbird. Which is why I’ll never really belong. At least, not until Dad’s free.
