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'We can eventu

ally call the police. Misty can do what we planned and put on Geraldine's clothes one night. She'll parade in front of the window and he'll think it's her,' Jade said. "Then, if the police call him, he will be frightened off and will stop."

"That might work," Misty thought aloud. 'Where's the dress?"

We left it in the closet," Jade said, nodding toward it. "Does she need the wig?"

"Not if it's done at night and from a distance. Geraldine's hair was about her shade," I said.

"Okay, that's settled. You see," Misty told me, "if you will just be cooperative and willing to help the OWP's, all will be fine. We can go on without worry. In a week or so, we'll have another party and we'll find another boy for you to meet. If you like him, we can pretend Geraldine's going to be away longer this time, maybe a week or even two!"

I shook my head.

"You can't be serious."

"I make a motion Cat get rid of Stuart today for the good of the OWP's," Misty said.

I looked at Jade and Star. Neither opposed it.

"You're all thinking of yourselves, protecting yourselves, keeping your new boyfriends."

"That's not entirely true," Jade said. "We don't exactly have all that many choices here."

"I want to tell him the truth. He'll keep our secret," I insisted.

"It's not only your secret," Misty said. "It involves and endangers all of us. You have no right to make that decision on your own. It has to be an OWP decision. Am I right, Jade?"

Jade nodded.

"I have a motion on the floor," Misty continued.

"Why do you think you can trust him, Cat?" Jade asked.

"I have a motion!" Misty cried.

"This is on the motion," Jade snapped at her. "Cat?" I looked down and thought.

"You all know what my life was like with my father and Geraldine. You all know what went on, what he did to me. The first time Stuart touched me, I cringed. He felt it, but he didn't get angry or discouraged. He was gentle and sensitive," I said.

Tears began to burn under my lids, but I held them back and continued.

"No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep the memories of my father out of my mind when I was with Stuart. I could even hear my father's voice over Stuart's. I thought this is the way it will be all my life. I'm spoiled goods," I said, looking up at them. Even Misty started to soften.

The music played. The candle burned. Minutes went by and the tension was drained from our bodies.

"We're going to be all right. We're going to be fine," Jade concluded.

Before we left the room, Misty tried on Geraldine's dress and paraded about.

"What do you think?" Jade asked me. "Remember, it's from a distance."

"She is about Geraldine's height," I said, "but we should fix her hair so it looks more like

Geraldine's. And you have to hold your shoulders more stiffly," I instructed Misty.

"Okay, you'll do your first performance tonight," Jade told Misty.

"It's creepy," Misty said. "I feel like one of Stephen King's twisted characters."