Dawn glances back at Steve, but he’s over at the desk pretending to ignore her. So Dawn follows Tanya deeper into the building. Into an empty room, a bright-white light, no windows. A table and two chairs. A pile of junk in one corner, straps and rope and what looks like a tarp. Dawn stares at the pile of junk. When she looks back, Tanya’s snapping on rubber gloves.

(What the fuck?)

“Welcome to Out of the Wild,” Tanya says. “We’re America’s number one wilderness therapy program for troubled youth. Your parents signed you up because they think we can help you.”

(What the fuck?)

“From this moment on, you’re one of our Bear Cubs,” Tanya continues. “You’ll remain in the program until you reach Grizzly status. You’ll work hard for that status. You’ll learn responsibility and respect. You’ll learn how to survive in the wild.”

“Okay,” Dawn says. “What in the actual fuck.”

Tanya ditches the spiel. Looks Dawn in the eye. “You’re here because people care about you, Dawn, and because our program works. By the time you walk out of here, you’ll be a whole different person.”

Dawn wants to slap her. This feels like a dream. “You’re completely nuts,” she tells Tanya, “if you think I’m doing any of this. Those people who supposedly care about me? They’re the reason I’m so fucked up in the first place.

“I want to go home,” she says.

But Tanya is unfazed. “You’ll go home when you graduate,” she tells Dawn. “Not a minute before. Believe me, it’s easier if you just accept it.”

She checks her rubber gloves.

“Nothing from the outside world is allowed past this point,” she says. “Strip.”

What happens next is too demeaning to talk about. Suffice it to say, Dawn walks out of that shitty little room without the clothes she walked in with, without her phone, and with Tanya satisfied she’s not holding any of Julian’s stash.

“Bear Cubs wear yellow,” Tanya tells Dawn, handing her a pair of cargo pants and a yellow T-shirt. “So we can find you better if you lose the rest of the Pack.”

“What the hell is the Pack?” Dawn asks. “Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll figure it all out soon enough,” Tanya replies. Then she gestures to the pile of junk in the corner. “That’s the rest of your supplies. We leave it to you to figure out how to transport it.”

Dawn stares at the pile of junk. Can’t really make sense of it.

“I’ll be back in ten minutes to take you to camp,” Tanya tells her. “Good luck.”

THE CONTENTS OF DAWN’S PILE OF JUNK: