Touching Spirit Bear Read Online Free PDF Page A

you’ve been accepted for Circle Justice. Now what are you going to do with this chance?”
    “It’s about time.”
    “I hope the committee knows what they’regetting into,” Garvey said.
    “This was your idea,” Cole shot back.
    Garvey nodded. “So, are you going to disappoint them?”
    “Don’t worry about me,” Cole said. “How soon can I get out of this stink hole?”
    “First the Keepers will prepare for the Hearing Circle, where everybody gets together to look for solutions.”
    “Who exactly will be there?”
    “Anybody who wants to help.”
    “Who would want to help me?”
    “Might be your parents, the lawyers, the judge, myself, community members, maybe even your classmates at school. Anybody can be a part of the Circle if they want to help find a solution.”
    “My parents—that’s a joke,” Cole scoffed. “They don’t care if I’m dead or alive.” When Garvey didn’t answer, Cole asked, “Will Peter be there?”
    Garvey shrugged. “It’s up to him. He may not be ready to forgive you.”
    “I don’t care if he forgives me.”
    Garvey rubbed the back of his neck, then glanced up toward the ceiling. “How come everything is always about you? This forgiveness isn’t for you. Until Peter forgives you, he won’t heal.”
    “Maybe if he forgives me, everyone will forget about what I did and I can get out of this pit faster.”
    Garvey stood to leave. “Forgiving isn’t forgetting, Chump !”

CHAPTER 4
    B Y THE TIME Cole paused to catch his breath, he found himself outside the bay, angling toward the next island, maybe a mile away. The icy water numbed him deeper with each breath. He gulped at the air. He had to make it before he froze to death. His arms ached, but he continued stroking, even as his mind wandered.
    Following Cole’s acceptance for Circle Justice, preparation meetings, called Circles of Understanding, took place. Each meeting was considered a Healing Circle but had a different name, depending on what was being discussed and who attended. There were Talking Circles, Peacemaking Circles, and Community Circles.
    Eventually there would be Bail Circles and Sentencing Circles.
    “Is everything always in a circle?” Cole had asked Garvey.
    “Why not?” Garvey said. “Life is a circle.”
    “Do I have to go to all these meetings?”
    Garvey shook his head. “The organizers of the Circles are called Keepers. When the Keepers meet with people like Peter and his family, you’re not allowed.”
    “Why do they meet with them?”
    “If the Driscals realize that the Circle allows them to have a voice in decisions, and that forgiveness can help Peter to heal, they may also join the Circle.”
    “You mean they might help decide my sentence?”
    Garvey nodded. “Maybe.”
    “They’ll hang me,” Cole said. “I’m dead.”
    “I think you’ve already hung yourself,” Garvey answered.
     
    Once preparations were ready for the first Hearing Circle, notices were sent out and meetings were held in the basement of the public library. Cole scratched nervously at his stomach as he entered the library the first night. He didn’t know what to expect as the guard removed his handcuffs outside the meeting room and let him walk in alone. The guard remained in the hallway.
    The woman who called herself the Keeper met Cole and shook his hand. “Thanks for coming tonight,” she said pleasantly. She woreblue jeans and a flannel shirt, even though she was old enough to be Cole’s grandmother.
    “I didn’t have much choice,” Cole mumbled, as he seated himself. He picked at the edge of his chair as he watched complete strangers file in and choose seats. The number of chairs made it obvious the Hearing Circle involved a lot more people than the other meetings. To make matters worse, Cole knew that tonight he might see Peter for the first time since the beating.
    Each new arrival greeted him and all the others warmly. Everybody acted as if they were friends. Cole played their game