“Rebecca, please,” Sam said. Her heart was pounding. She thought she’d cry as she looked at the two red-faced women, facing each other across a coffee table of varnished yellowing logs. “Don’t.”

The lean woman ignored her. “Linda, I’ve been listening to you since I got here. Defending him, saying it wasn’t so bad, we didn’t steal all that much, maybe Daniel didn’t kill so-and-so…Well, that’s bullshit. Get real. Yes, the Family was sick, totally sick.”

“Don’t say that! It’s not true.”

“Goddamn it, it is true. And Daniel Pell’s a monster. Think about it. Think about what he did to us….” Rebecca’s eyes were glowing, jaw trembling. “He looked at you and saw somebody whose parents never gave her an inch of freedom. So what does he do? He tells you what a fine, independent person you are, how you’re being stifled. And puts you in charge of the house. He makes you Mommy. He gives you power, which you never had before. And he hooks you in with that.”

Tears dotted Linda’s eyes. “It wasn’t like that.”

“You’re right. It was worse. Because then look at what happened. The Family breaks up, we go to jail and where do you end up? Right back where you started. With a domineering male figure again—only this time, Daddy’s God. If you thought you couldn’t say no to your real father, think about your new one.”

“Don’t say that,” Sam began. “She’s—”

Rebecca turned on her. “And you. Just like the old days. Linda and I go at it, and you play Little Miss United Nations, don’t want anybody upset, don’t want anybody making waves. Why? Is it because you care about us, dear? Or is it because you’re terrified we’ll self-destruct and you’ll be even more alone than you already are?”

“You don’t have to be like that,” Sam muttered.

“Oh, I think I do. Let’s take a look at your story, Mouse. Your parents didn’t know you existed. ‘Go do whatever you want, Sammy. Mommy and Daddy’re too busy with Greenpeace or the National Organization for Women or walking for the cure to tuck you in at night.’ And what does Daniel do for you? He’s suddenly the involved parent you never had. He looks out for you, tells you what to do, when to brush your teeth, when to repaint the kitchen, when to get on all fours in bed…and you think it means he loves you. So, guess what? You’re hooked too.

“And now? You’re back to square one, just like Linda. You didn’t exist to your parents, and now you don’t exist to anyone. Because you’re not Samantha McCoy. You became somebody else.”

“Stop it!” Sam was crying hard now. The harsh words, born from a harsh truth, stung deeply. There were things she could say too—Rebecca’s selfishness, her bluntness bordering on cruelty—but she held back. It was impossible for her to be harsh, even in self-defense.

Mouse…