Had we escaped a terrible punishment? Dr. Foreman had so wanted to divide the three of us again. I could almost see her tasting the new victory. Surely that was what had disappointed her, but when she was disappointed, she was so depressed and angry, it made Mama's tantrums look like child's play, I thought,
None of us spoke until we were far enough away from the front of the hacienda not to be overheard.
"How could you do that?" Robin began, grabbing Teal so hard, she almost pulled the crutch out from under her. "How could you say I was the one?"
"I didn't know what to say. She had me trapped in that room and it was terrifying. First she was so nice, so thoughtful and concerned, and then she was so angry, I thought she was going to boil me in a big pot. and I was very frightened whenever the buddies came around. I was stuck in that bed and the door was always locked and--"
"Forget about it. Robin." I said. "You would have given up your mother.'
"Big deal. I'd give her up for a piece of apple pie right now," she said, still fuming. Then she relaxed and looked at me and smiled, "That was good thinking in there. Phoebe. I didn't remember Gia saying it was Posy who did it. but that was a good idea. It stopped her cold. I could see that."
"Yeah, thanks for getting me off the hook." Teal said, limping along. "I'm surprised she let us go so easily. I guess Gia might be right after all. I guess Posy was her daughter.'"
I stopped walking, "There was no Posy. She has no daughter. Posy was just someone Gia made up."
They both stared at me.
"How do you know that for sure?"
"Gia wanted to prove to me that there was a Posy and that she was in the basement,"
"How?"
"I went there with her one night and she tricked me and trapped me below. But it wasn't her fault, Dr. Foreman had her do it."
"Why?" Teal asked.
I told them about my experience in the basement and the letter. "You've kept that all to yourself?" Teal complained.
"It wasn't anyone else's business," I said. "and those were Dr. Foreman's orders."
"You could have told us anyway,"
"Oh, suddenly you're my new best friends? C'mon, if she told you to keep quiet about something that involved me. you would become a total mute. Don't put on any airs or try to make me feel bad. Teal."
"She's right." Robin said, still unforgiving. "You gave me up and I don't care what they did to you."
"And she's right about what you would have done, too."
"Okay, so we're not exactly loving friends. What's the difference whether or not Phoebe told us about Gia and the imaginary Posy?" Robin said. 'She's right. It had nothing to do with us."
"Oh. how I hate this place," Teal moaned.
Robin turned back to me and smiled, "You were even more clever than I first thought. Phoebe. Blaming an imaginary person that Dr. Foreman wanted you to keep secret. What was she going to do? Call you a liar? And in front of us?"
I looked back at the hacienda, "I don't know. Maybe it was smart. Maybe it was the dumbest thing I've done since I was brought here. Whichever it was," I said, starting along again. "I have the feeling I'm gonna find out soon.
"Maybe sooner than I imagine."
We continued along, silence like a big black sheet falling over us with just the sound of Teal's crutch poking the dried earth accompanying us back to our barracks.
None of us looked forward to sleeping tonight. We'd all see those eyes.
Dr. Foreman's eyes at the end of our session, full of the most utter disgust and contempt I had ever seen in the eyes of an adult who was looking at me.
What would cause such rage? I wondered,
And then I thought, perhaps we... or maybe just I was the first candidate she had ever had that she thought she might fail to make into a Foreman girl after all.