‘Is Ian gone?’ Dell asked. Really only Dell could ask. She had leaned to face Heidi and was stroking her face where the new scars were, where the teeth had been removed and replaced.

Heidi freed herself from Dell’s hand and said, ‘For now.’ Then she made an excuse to stand up. She held her body in a way that made an excuse for her standing up and made to leave the room but first she turned back to Dell and stroked her face back – Heidi’s old face. Then she left the room and they heard water running in the kitchen.

In about half an hour it would be time for them to be picked up for a meeting. Someone was picking them all up, in a van. Heidi was doing the dishes. Maybe she wasn’t waiting long enough for the water to heat up. None of them could see her. Maybe she wasn’t even using dishwashing liquid. Maybe she was spitting some new infection into all their plates and cups and cutlery. None of them could see. Someone from the picnic would probably be at the meeting and they might ask where they’d gone. It was hard to tell. None of them had ever been to a social event before. Except the bowling that Peggy and Greta had been to – but they’d stayed until the end. No one knew. But they could all point at Heidi now and say, ‘Ian’s gone,’ adding, quietly so the other person might not quite hear, ‘for now.’ So, everyone would forgive them for leaving the picnic early. No one would think it was impolite or drinking behaviour. It was fine.

They peeled off to their bedrooms. Peggy and Greta both went to grab the jeans that were on the floor.

‘Were you wearing these last?’ Greta asked. They were both looking at them, still on the floor like a dead safari park animal.

‘I thought so,’ Peggy said.

‘Me too,’ Greta said.

‘You thought I was wearing them?’ Peggy asked.

‘No.’ Greta touched them with her foot, almost like she was turning them over. ‘I also thought I was wearing them last.’

‘Hm.’ Peggy looked at their wardrobe. ‘I could wear the black ones.’

‘Would you?’ Greta seemed grateful and relieved.

Peggy thought about it. ‘Yeah. Yeah.’ She walked towards the wardrobe. ‘I can totally wear the black ones.’

Everyone got ready. They walked around the common areas looking for bits of clothing and jewellery they’d taken off in the lounge or the kitchen or the bathroom.

‘Is that them?’ Peggy said a couple of minutes later, when it sounded like the van had arrived.

‘Can you tell them I’ll be there in a sec?’ Greta was putting liquid eyeliner on.

‘Me too,’ Heidi yelled from Heidi and Dell’s room.

‘And me.’ It was Dell, of course.

Peggy walked out to the van.

‘Greta!’ the woman driving the van said.