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In the glowing moonlight, I saw her face contort, her eyes go wide, and then she. smiled, her lips twisted. The realization exploded in her brain and she shot her hands out, tearing my pajama top apart, the buttons flying every which way. She gazed in awe at my strapped bosom.

"You're..." The words gagged her. Disgust washed over her face and she fell back on her haunches. "Take that off." she ordered.

I shook my head, my voice having fallen so deeply in' side me. I was unable to raise it. "Do it!" she ordered. "Or I will."

She started to reach toward me. so I sat up and undid the strapping. It fell away and my breasts, like two squeezed balloons, filled to their full shape.

"Holy shit, you're a

girl." She laughed. "You're a girl!"

I brought the blanket up to cover myself, but she pulled it out of my hands. "Look at you! You're so weird. I feel so weird. Why did you do this?"

I fell back to my pillow and stared up at the dark ceiling.

"Did my father know about you? I bet he was shocked when he found out. huh?" She stepped off the bed and began to put on her nightgown,

"So what's this about? Does it have anything to do with the spirits? Your mother is making you do this?"

"No."

"No? What are you going to tell me? She doesn't know what you are?"

"I didn't say that."

"You're really nuts and so is she. You're both bonkers. I'll call that lawyer now. I'll tell everyone."

"Don't." I begged.

"Don't? Don't? No, I won't. I'll just continue to be a slave here." She turned to go out, then stopped and turned back to me. "Did my brother know about you?. . .Well? Did he? You might as well tell me all of it, the truth. Did he?"

"Yes."

She returned to my bedside.

"When did he find out?"

"I don't remember exactly when."

She continued to stand there and stare down at me. I could almost hear her brain clicking away. She glanced at the door and then she turned back to me.

"Whose baby is Celeste? She's yours, isn't she?" she said, answering her own question instantly. "And Elliot's. She's my niece. She's my father's

granddaughter. Well? Tell me!" she said, raising her voice.

My heart stopped. Mama could have heard her. If she came in now and saw this... "Please," I begged.

"Please? Please? When I begged you to help me, what did you say? We'll see? Huh? You let her treat me like this, take away my things, keep my money from me, and you say please?"

I bit down so hard on my lower lip, I could taste blood.

Elliot was standing by the window watching and listening, a big- smile on his face.

I shook my head at him and Betsy grimaced and then turned and looked at the window. "What are you looking at?"

I tried to breathe, but my lungs were so full of heat, they wouldn't expand any further. I felt the blood pounding in my temples. I started to gasp and wheeze and it frightened her.

"What's wrong with you? Stop it."