Magic Hour: A Novel

When the press arrives at the police station, Ellie describes the girl and tells them that they will receive sketches since a photograph is not available. The girl has not spoken yet, so they do not know her name.

In the car, Max asks Julia if she has drawn any conclusions about the girl. Julia thinks she may be selectively not speaking. As they near the station, Julia sees news vans in the street and panics. She tells Max that she cannot let the press see her, especially with the scratches on her face. Max tells Julia to wait in the church across the street, and he will send Ellie to get her.

Later, Julia gets angry at Ellie for holding a press conference without warning her. Ellie apologizes, and Julia tells her to call social services to get Julia approved to watch the girl; she will have to watch her constantly if she is going to make progress. Ellie takes Julia to the library, where she researches cases like the girl’s. She finds studies on “feral children,” describing how abandoned children in the woods became self-sufficient without human contact. Even though psychiatrists treated these children, the psychiatrists left to publish papers on their observations, and the children never left the mental health facilities.