She wasn't sure about that part, yeah. She doesn't think that will be a problem, she likes doing lots of things. If something's really interesting she might want to do three days of it but not forever.

"Sure, I think they're set up for that. It's a really nice arrangement they've got there, isn't it?"

It really is!

Julie grins at her.

Winona has gotten Julie's email by the time she gets home, and congratulates Dusk on her find.

It's pretty awesome!

She gives Winona a hug but then goes to ride her bike.

When she gets back there's squash and rice and steak, and Winona explains the plan for getting her adopted. "I'm going to want to tell the lawyer your original identity," Winona says. "Lawyers aren't allowed to tell anyone that kind of thing when they hear it from clients, but I wanted to mention it to you before I went ahead."

If the lawyer isn't allowed to tell anyone why do they need to know at all?

"She'll be able to tell us if it's ever going to be in our interests to disclose it, and try to make sure the adoption doesn't disappear if it's found out somehow."

That makes sense. Okay.

"Have you ever altered your fingerprints? I don't think it's likely and can't think why, but the lawyer might want to know if there's a way to prove you are who you are and I'd like to have an answer for her."

Not on purpose but she did mess with her hands that one time.

"That might not have changed all of them. And I'm not sure you'd have had your fingerprints taken at any point. But it was the only thing I could think of."

Yeah.

She did visit Janet the night she left, after she changed her face and her outfit. They might not listen to her about it though.

"Not nothing but not airtight proof. Like I said, I don't expect to need this, but the co-worker who referred me to a lawyer suggested it when I told her you were a stray picked up in Colorado."

Yeah. Okay.

Winona kisses her forehead, and they put on The Prestige.

It's kind of intense, but she handles it okay.

Good for her! And then it is bedtime for moms-to-be.

She's up bright and early around ten thirty again, yawning, the next day.

"Morning!" says Julie. "Winona heard back from the lawyer first thing this morning and we should know by tonight about next steps."

That's cool.

She should, like, ask - does being adopted mean anything besides that she officially gets to stay?

"It means we can do official things on your behalf like enrolling you in school," says Julie. "I guess it means that if you ran off and somebody caught you they'd take you to us instead of somewhere else, too."

That's good. If they catch her at all, anyway, that part isn't great. 

"Maybe a couple hundred years ago the world was set up so a thirteen year old could just... get a job doing laundry or something and be fine on her own, but things aren't really like that any more," sighs Julie.

She doesn't have to let people know she's thirteen, but that doesn't sound like it's what Julie means; what does she mean?