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"We're losing it," Jade said, and stood. "Everyone upstairs to the room."

"What?" Star said. "What good is that?"

"Just do it," Jade snapped. "We need to get calm" Star rolled her eyes, took a deep breath, and stood up. "C'mon, Princess Jade has spoken:' Star told us?'

Misty glanced at me and then stood up. I rose and the four of us made our way up the stairs to the special room. We gathered in our circle. The candle was lit, the music turned on. Jade closed her eyes and held out her hands.

Everyone did the same.

"Clear your minds of the turmoil," Jade prescribed. "Concentrate on your breathing?'

After a moment, Misty moaned.

"It's not working. I can't stop thinking about getting caught?'

"Try harder. Don't talk for a while. Just breathe in and out, in and out?'

"Oh, this is stupid:' Misty complained after another moment.

"All right," Jade said. "What are our problems and how can we solve them? No hysterics," she warned.

'We've got to decide what to do about Stuart," Star said. "If he is going to be coming around here, he's just naturally going to want to know where her mother is."

"There are only two choices:' Jade said. "We either let Cat tell him the truth or Cat ends the relationship before it's started."

"It's already started," I said.

"How can we even think of telling him?" Misty asked. "What if she breaks up with him two days later? He could tell someone and then what?"

"She's right," Star said.

"I'm not planning on that happening," I said.

"You don't plan these things. They happen Right, Jade?" Misty asked.

"Yes, that's truer She looked at me. "What do you want to do, Cat?"

"I want to tell him?'

"But suppose it frightens him off or he thinks you're crazy for doing it?" Misty asked.

"She's right again:' Star said.

"Cat's too inexperienced to get so involved with a boy. We shouldn't have let it happen," Misty chastised. She looked at me. "He's your first real boyfriend. You shouldn't get so serious so fast."

"I don't think we should be lecturing each other about relationships:' I said.

"We know more than you do," she insisted. "Tell him you're getting too serious. Tell him you need to take a break. He'll call for a while and then he'll give up and go look for someone else."

"I don't want him to look for someone else," I protested. "You've got to make the sacrifice for the good of the OWP's," Misty demanded.

"What?"

"You wanted our help. We gave it to you. We made you part of our group. Now it's time for you to do something for us," she said.

I looked at Jade. She remained silent. Star's eyes narrowed with thought, but she didn't disagree.

"We still have to think about her father," Star said.