Miriam shifted in her seat. “I don’t think we’re allowed to go to places beyond the Green Line”

ZeeZee set down her tray of food on the first empty chair she saw. Some girls, she knew, took their time scanning the tables in the cheder ochel, assessing who’d be most worthwhile to sit next to. ZeeZee was happy speaking to whoever happened to be next to her. And somehow, wherever she sat, she could be sure that more girls would follow.

“Hey, guys!” She sat down and picked up her fork and knife. “Mmm, soy schnitzel today! I’m starving.”

The girl sitting across from her — it was Miriam, the girl she’d met in the airport when they first arrived — wrinkled her nose.

“Yeah, it’s gross, isn’t it?”

ZeeZee shook her head and stuck a large piece into her mouth. “No, really, I like it. It’s especially good with oily pasta.” She waved a forkful of pasta.

Miriam still looked like she thought ZeeZee was joking. Shrugging, ZeeZee called out, “So, where’s everyone headed to for their first out Shabbos?”

“My sister in Sanhedria Hamurchevet.”

“My aunt and uncle in Ramat Beit Shemesh.”

“My friend’s cousins in Har Nof.”

ZeeZee grimaced at the answers. “Seriously? How boring can you be?” She flung her ponytail over her shoulder. “I’m going to Elon Moreh, to a totally Israeli family I’ve never met in my life.”

Last night, she’d called the lady she’d spoken to at the airport and invited herself for Shabbos.

“Where’s Elon Moreh?” Miriam asked.

“Oh, somewhere up in the Shomron, near Shechem,” ZeeZee said airily. “I’m beyond psyched.”

“Shechem?” The girls gaped. “Isn’t that, like, crazy dangerous?”

ZeeZee waved her hand. “People live there, how dangerous can it be? And it’s on top of a mountain. The views are supposed to be awesome.”

Miriam shifted in her seat. “I don’t think we’re allowed to go to places beyond the Green Line.”

ZeeZee’s eyes widened. “We’re not? Why?”