Grace jumped when she heard the papers slap against Carey's leg. Looking up, she immediately recognized her handwriting on the top paper. Uh-oh.

"When did you do your homework?"

"Um... during last free period yesterday."

"After AM?" Grace nodded. "Did you read over this before you turned it in?"

Oh shit. Why? "No."

"Apparently." Carey looked at the paper. "How did the attack on Jane Doe move from the park at night to her bedroom during the day?" She tapped the paper. "You said here she should have locked her bedroom door and snuck out the window."

Oops. "I...I must have confused it with one of the other case studies," Grace said. "I'll do it over."

"You turned it in, you live with the grade," Carey said. "There were three case studies assigned; the one with the girl drinking and walking through the park, the woman working late and going to her car in the parking garage, and the woman with the flat tire. Which one of those has a bedroom?"

Grace tried to think fast but nothing would come to her. "I...I guess none of them. I must have been thinking of something someone said in AM."

"Is that your answer?"

"Yes, ma'am," Grace said, wondering if she was about to get dropped for her lie.

"Is there something you want to talk about?"

“No.”

"I can't help you if I don't know what's going on," Carey said.

"There's nothing going on," Grace said. "Really."

"Uh-huh," Carey said. "You wouldn't be here at Sapling Hill if there was nothing going on."

"Sue, got a minute?" Carey asked, motioning the shorter woman away from the mess hall door.

"Be quick," Gage said. "I can hear the din rising already. If I leave them alone for too long we'll have a food fight on our hands."

"Does Grace participate in AM?"

"Sometimes," Gage said. "It depends on the subject. Why?"

"Something she wrote has me wondering," Carey said. "Does she ever say anything about being abused or molested?"

"Waters?" Gage shook her head. "Mention sex in any form and she dams up and stares at the floor until class ends."

Carey looked at the mess hall, the noise inside growing. "Anything happen in AM yesterday?"

"Nothing worth mentioning," Gage said. "Waters seemed preoccupied but participated when I called on her."

Grace was putting her clothes in the washer when the laundry-room door opened. "Hey, Jan."

“Hey," Jan dropped her stack of clothes on the adjoining washer.

"Time to get those whites white and the brights bright."

"I hope you're not calling these bright," Grace said, poking at Jan's rolled-up pair of khakis. "They don't know the meaning of bright around here."

"You gonna hang out?"

Grace reached for the laundry detergent. "You think I'm going to take a chance and leave my clothes where Grenner can get her hands on them?" She poured the liquid in the washer, then closed the lid and set the dial. "With my luck I'd come back and find a gallon of bleach on them."

"I just know she's the one that unhooked the springs on Christine's bunk," Jan said, stuffing her clothes into the washer. "Yet another thing no one can prove that bitch did."

Grace handed her the detergent. "Her and her toadie Dawson," she said.

Jan bumped her. "You know we owe them for trashing our bunks," she said, pouring a healthy amount of soap into the washer. "If I could get that fat ass alone, I'd kick her ass."

"And get yourself put on restriction," Grace said. "Think the instructors are hard on us now? Get caught going after Grenner and see how they can be." She pushed herself up to sit on the washer. "I don't need to give Carey any more reasons to drop me."

"Yeah, well you're not the one who has to wear earplugs to bed," Jan said, hopping on her washer. "Gage dropped me three times last night. Oh!" She scooted closer. "Guess what I found in her bedroom."

"You snooped in her bedroom?" Grace said. "If she had caught you, your ass would be grass."

"You're telling me you haven't looked around when Scary wasn't there?"

"No, not really," Grace said. "I peeked in her room once but I didn't go in or anything." She gave a conspiratorial smile. "So what'd you find?"

“Let's put it this way," Jan said, holding her hands several inches apart. "It's about this long and takes batteries."

"You're kidding," Grace snorted. "That is so gross."

Jan laughed with her. "I told you she couldn't get any. Bet Scary's got a matching one in her room."

"I'm not checking," Grace said.

"Yeah, well," Jan said, swinging her legs and banging the heels of her boots against the washer. "You can't say anything, you know. If it got back to Short Shit, she'd know I was in her room and she'd kill me."

"I won't say anything," Grace said. "If they ever thought we were looking around when they weren't there, we'd be stuck in the damn infirmary until graduation." She smirked. "I get to have real coffee. Not the shit they serve in the mess hall."

"Cool," Jan said. "Hey, did you check out the shower yet? I assume the cabins are the same."

"Of course," Grace said. "You think I've been bathing in the lake or something?" She nudged Jan with her shoulder. "What about it?"

"I mean have you, you know...checked it out?" Jan leaned closer. "Put it on the pulsating head. It's great."

"You mean..." Grace smiled and looked away. "Pervert."

"Well? It's not like anyone else is gonna give it to you here." Jan shrugged her shoulders and banged her heel against the washer again. "Whatever, you'd like it. Gotta take advantage of the few extras we can get out here. Hey, did you catch those stand-up comedians last night?"

"What are you talking about?"

"On TV, they had a four-hour marathon on that comedy channel."

"Oh," Grace said. "Carey doesn't have a TV."

"Too bad for you," Jan said. "Short Shit doesn't care if I watch TV once my homework's done."

"Wanna trade?"

"Short Shit for Scary with no TV?" Jan shook her head. "I'll keep my pair of tens and you keep your queen of bitches."

"Thanks a lot," Grace said. "The only time I catch a break is when she's on late duty and doesn't get back to the cabin until after lights out."


TWO MONTHS


“Ten hut,” Carey said. "All right, I know some of you are very excited, but this is formation. Parents will be arriving at approximately 1000 hours. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior. Those of you who are not expecting anyone should be in the rec room or your barracks unless you have permission from an instructor to be somewhere else."

Grace stepped into what usually was her English classroom, excited about seeing her mother after so long an absence. Her excitement quickly turned to anger when she saw the portly man standing near the window. "What's he doing here?"

"Grace, oh Grace, it's so good to see you," her mother said, rising from the chair and enveloping her in a hug. "Look at you. You cut your hair."

"They cut it for me," Grace said, glaring at the man. "I don't want him here."

"Honey, Bob asked to come," her mother said. "He cares about you."

Stepping back from her mother, Grace jammed her hands into her pockets and formed them into tight fists. "I don't want him here."

"Now, Gracie, I know we've had our problems, but things will get better," he said, moving away from the window and closer to her.

"Stay away from me," she said, backing closer to the door. "Ma, why did you bring him? You know I hate him."

"Grace, Bob and I have reconciled," her mother said.

"You've what? Are you nuts?"

"We're getting married this fall," Bob said. "Right after you come home."

Anger welled quickly within her. "No way. No way in hell I'm living with you again. Ma, you want him, fine. I'll find someplace else to live."

"Grace, please," her mother said. "Please, just sit down and let's talk, okay?"

"Sit down, Gracie."

The fists became tighter. "Don't you tell me what to do, you son of a bitch," Grace said.

"Please don't fight," her mother said, taking a tissue out of her pocketbook. "I've missed you so much, Grace. Please, come sit down and talk to me."

Grace pulled her hand out of her pocket and reached for the door handle. "Not as long as he's here."

"Where do you think you're going?" he said. "I drove almost three hours to bring your mother here."

"Then wait in the fucking car and I'll talk to my mother," she said.

"Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that?" Bob said, moving quickly to capture her wrist in a painful grip. "Now you sit your ass down and you visit with your mother."

"Bob, let her go," her mother said. "Grace, please."

Grace tried but could not help crying out in pain as he forced her down to her knees. "Let...go."

"Are you going to listen to your mother?"

Grace nodded quickly. "Yes."

“I thought this place was supposed to make you better," he said, shoving her arm away. "You're still the same smart mouth you were then."

Still kneeling, Grace rubbed her reddened wrist. "Go to hell, you son of a bitch."

Bob moved fast, his hand swinging back to catch Grace in the side of the face before she could react. Stars filled her vision when her head smacked against the painted concrete wall. "I oughta take you over my knee and spank you until you can't sit for a week," he said.

The door opened. "Excuse me, what's going on here?" Instructor Donaldson said from the doorway.