She’d picked up the inexpensive long blue cotton nightgown she’d bought at the discount store. She was accustomed to silk, and the fabric felt strange as she settled it over her head.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she was relieved to see that Lucy had fallen asleep. Still wearing her clothes, she lay sprawled across the double bed. The smeared makeup formed a mask over her delicately innocent face.

Marigold lay on the bed Nealy had made for her on the floor. She was curled on her side, her plump, baby lips parted, fragile lashes lying in dainty half-moons on her cheeks, the Beanie Baby walrus under one knee. For the first time Nealy noticed that all ten of her tiny toe-nails were painted iridescent blue.

She smiled down at Lucy, then opened one of the back windows. As the night breeze touched her skin, she instinctively gazed toward the shadows outside for the guards who were always there. But tonight she saw only the gentle sway of tree branches. She felt completely isolated from the rest of the world and absolutely safe. Cornelia Case had vanished.

Lucy felt something poke her, heard a soft noise. It was too early to get up, and she didn’t want to open her eyes, especially when she knew exactly what she would see.

“Gah?”

The word was soft, almost whispered. Lucy forced open one eye and then the other. For a moment, she simply stared at her sister as she peeked over the edge of the mattress. Little blond tufts stuck out here and there, most of them stiff from yesterday’s meals, and a big smile, full of love and trust, was spread like peanut butter over her face. It made Lucy’s stomach hurt.

“Gah,” she whispered back.

The smile beamed brighter. Lucy lifted her head and saw a purple stain on her pillow from the color she’d sprayed in her hair. She also noticed a wet spot where she’d drooled while she slept. Gross.

Nell was asleep, and Lucy felt a stab of jealousy as she saw how pretty she looked lying against her pillow. Now that Nell was here, Jorik was paying attention to her instead of Lucy.

She didn’t like thinking about how much she wanted him to pay attention to her. It reminded her of all those years she hadn’t been able to get Sandy’s attention. The only things her mother had cared about were booze and her boyfriends.

As Lucy sat up, she caught sight of Jorik sprawled face down on the couch, legs hanging off the end, one arm dragging on the floor. Fourteen years worth of resentment against Sandy churned inside her. Why couldn’t Jorik have been her dad instead of some drunk Carnegie Mellon fraternity guy Sandy’d never seen again?

“Gah?”