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"One of Ma'ama's boyfriends once broke in our door like this," she said. She fixed the lock so it worked at least well enough to get the door closed.

"That doesn't look very secure," Jade said.

"Let's face it," Star told her, "if someone wants to get in, they'll get in no matter what."

"You don't have an alarm system?" Jade asked me. "No. Geraldine never wanted one, I guess."

"Maybe she was too mean to be afraid," Jade muttered. "Or too stupid," Star said.

Jade and Misty stayed for another hour or so, talking about our future plans, fantasizing trips and big parties, working their imaginations hard to drive back the fear and anxiety we all still felt. When they left, Star and I finished fixing up my bedroom and the bed, and then decided we would go to sleep and not even bother watching any television. The thing about emotional exhaustion is you don't realize how heavy it is until you stop moving and lower your head to the pillow, I realized. Then, you feel like you'll never get up.

"You don't think he'll come back tonight, do you, Star?" I whispered when we were both in the bed.

"Naw. He's got to be one confused man I bet his jaw just about dropped to the floor when he saw all the furniture in the hall and then looked in on Geraldine's room and saw what we did. That Jade, she's a piece of work. Who knows what she's planning to do in there tomorrow, but one thing's for sure, it won't be any new Beverly Hills fancy decor. Jade and her private places."

"We all need them," I said.

Star was quiet a moment.

"Yeah, I guess," she said. "Trouble is, someone's always busting in and ruining it"

"Maybe that won't happen this time," I said.

"Maybe," she said, but not with any confidence. "Night," I said.

"Sorry I couldn't have you over, Cat. Maybe some other time," she said.

"Sure. There'll be other times."

She didn't say yes.

The future was more of a mystery than ever, despite our optimistic dreams.

In the morning Star went out to rake the grave some more and make the area look less and less like a cemetery plot. We called her a cab and I gave her the money to go home. I gave her enough for her to also get a cab in the afternoon.

"I'll try to be back," she promised.

Now that my father had returned and done what he had done, taken what he had taken, I was more afraid of being alone than ever, but I tried not to show it. Nevertheless, I was at the front window watching and waiting for Jade and Misty most of the time. It was a partly cloudy day. Every time the sunlight tried to warm and brighten things, a cloud seemed to rush in and shut it off. The dreariness made me feel even more alone. When that big limousine finally appeared, I breathed a sigh of deep relief and quickly went to let Jade and Misty in. Their arms were filled with packages. The chauffeur followed carrying a fairly large oval mirror.

"You can leave that right here, thanks," Jade told him. He placed it just inside the door. As soon as he returned to the vehicle, Jade turned to me.

"Everything all right?" she asked me. "No more visitors?"

"No one. It's been quiet. Star said she'll try to return late this afternoon."

"Good."

Jade's chauffeur returned with a rolled up rug and left that beside the mirror.

"Let's get to work," Jade told Misty as soon as he left. They began carrying things up the stairs to our private place. I followed.

"What did you two buy?"

"You'll see," Misty said, smiling

They went down to bring up the rug and then the mirror. First, they rolled out the rug and placed it in the center of the floor. It was a tightly woven wool rug with red and black stripes. Jade placed the mirror low on the wall to the right so that when we were sitting on the rug, we could see ourselves. After that she unwrapped two pairs of brass candelabra, placing them at opposite ends of the room. Misty filled them with tall, black candles.

Jade had also bought what she called New Age meditation music CD's. They played one while they worked. There were posters and pictures of strange, ethereal scenes, some with clouds and water, some with stars and streaks of light. There was incense to burn and chimes Jade hung just over the doorway, and Misty put in the new doorknob and gave me a key.