RISA WARD BIOGRAPHY

A ward of the state since birth, Risa spent the first fifteen years of her life in State Home Ohio 23, trying to prove herself worthy of the life given to her and provided to by the state home. During one of the recitals of the wards of the state, Risa performs a sonata by Chopin, which she does beautifully in the beginning. Then she becomes distracted after her first mistake, which soon leads to four more. On the verge of tears, she hopes that it wasn't noticed by the jury, but she knows that they have, just as much as she did. One week later, called into Headmaster Thomas' office, she is faced with a tribunal of three people there. One of them is the social worker assigned to Risa's "case," the other, the school's legal counsel or lawyer, Mr. Paulson. They try to explain to her why she is being unwound but Risa only sees the unfairness of it all, asking whether she has a choice in it. She even asks if she can change her course and be a boeuf instead of a musician, which is immediately declined, saying that training to become an Army boeuf takes many years, especially for a girl.

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