What Night Brings

Marci begins Catholic catechism classes in fourth grade, but she and Corin are in separate classes. Marci finds that she is easily bored. She begins to ask questions about the Catholic faith—she even asks her teacher, Sister Elizabeth, “if we had any proof that Jesus was ever alive” (19). Marci considers herself to be a scientist. She isn’t content with the Bible’s lack of information on dinosaurs, specifically.

Sister Elizabeth suggestions of prayer and faith don’t quiet Marci. She is taken to the head nun, who tells her that she “wasn’t allowed to ask any more question in class” (21). She continues to question Sister Elizabeth until they arrive at the classroom.

Marci attends a Girl Scouts meeting. She finds herself bored again. The group plays a game in which they say what animal they would choose to be. Most of the girls choose unimaginative answers; Marci says she would be a saber-tooth tiger. Marci learns that the troop will get to decide how to spend its time, but she is interested in few of their options. 

Marci is convinced that she can be turned into a boy because her cousin, Raylene, “is a girl. But when she was born, she was a boy” (25).