, any awareness, she truly looked like someone in a hypnotic state. Mechanically, she began to undress and then stumbled under the showerhead and stood there stupidly. M'Lady Three turned it on, and she jumped and screamed.
"Wash!" they all shouted at her.
She looked my way and began to scrub. Because of her sunburn, it hurt far more. I felt sorry for her, but as Gia had so coldly pointed out at dinner the night before. there was little we could really do to help each other. It was everyone for herself here in the end.
Afterward we were brought to the house and left in Dr. Foreman's office to wait for her. Neither of us had said one word to the other.
"Are you all right. Teal?" I asked her.
She lifted her head slowly and turned her droopy eyes toward me. "My throat aches."
"You were screaming so much,"
"I dreamed I heard a drum all night."
"There was a drum and chanting. Natani must have been there. It helped me."
"Yes." She turned her head slowly to look forward again, her eyelids barely open.
Dr. Foreman entered with two glasses of orange juice in her hands.
-Here. you two are." she said as if she had really been looking everywhere for us. "Drink some juice first.'
We both took a glass and drank.
"Slowly, girls, slowly. You don't want to give yourselves bellyaches."
She sat in her chair and watched us for a moment, that same happy smile on her face. She was the crazy one, I decided, but I dared not say it.
"Now where were we? Oh, yes, you were both about to apologize for your misbehavior last night, I believe."
"It's not fair," I was about to say. I was going to describe just haw the plate had come to be broken. but Teal lifted her head quickly.
"Im sorry," she said. "I'm really sorry, I won't do anything like that again. I swear."
"Oh, that's so good to hear. Teal. dear. You don't know how words like that please me. They fill my heart with so much joy and make every ounce of effort I spend on you girls worthwhile whenever I hear a sincere apology."
She turned to me expectantly.
I glanced at Teal and nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, too. It was wrong and we won't let it happen again."
That is just wonderful. Something terrible did die last night. We buried it together. We have so much more to bury before we're through, but I know we're going to succeed. Now. Teal, what do you think we should bury next?"
Teal looked up, terrified.
Dr. Foreman laughed. "Oh. I don't mean in the coffin. Hopefully, neither of you will sleep there again." Teal's face immediately softened with relief. "But we have other ways to bury bad things. I'm hoping now that the two of you, the three of you, all of you, in fact, will be doing it yourselves. So, let's get back to where we left off the first time we all met here. What is one thing you did that you know contributed to your being brought here? Teal? Why don't you be first."
Teal tilted her head, her eyes full of defeat. "I vandalized the girl's bathroom in my public school. I broke the mirrors and clogged up the toilets and turned on all the faucets to flood the place. My father had to pay for the damages."
"And how do you feel about that now?"
"I wish I hadn't done it." she said readily.
"Why?"
"It upset my parents."
"Is that the only reason?" Dr. Foreman pursued.