Page 33 of For Your Own Good

After greeting Sonia, the headmaster turns to the group. “First, let me thank the Collaborative for organizing this fine event.” The headmaster’s voice is deep. Commanding. When he speaks, there’s no doubt he is in charge.

Or so he thinks.Teddy smiles. This really might be his favorite day ever at Belmont.

“Now to the reason we are all here,” says the headmaster. He turns to Sonia, who looks so excited, she might spin off into another galaxy. “As you all know, Sonia Benjamin attended Belmont—”

Bang!The table of food shakes, and people rush to steady it. Everyone turns to see what happened.

Ingrid.

She is standing at one end of the table, looking a bit embarrassed. Herface is red, her eyes wide. She bends over and picks up a plastic bottle filled with something green. Tea, probably. All the yoga moms drink green tea.

“Sorry,” she whispers. “I dropped it.”

Courtney is on the other side of the room, and she looks like she wants to die.

Teddy isn’t sure whom he pities more, Courtney or her mother, but it sure as hell isn’t Sonia. She looks a bit angry.

The headmaster starts up again. “As I was saying, Sonia Benjamin attended Belmont Academy and then went on to...”

He drones on, listing her whole résumé, and Teddy tunes it all out. Instead, he watches Sonia, looking for signs of his latest experiment. So far, she looks happy and fine—and not sick at all.

Disappointing. Very disappointing. Perhaps he shouldn’t have tried something newtodayof all days. Maybe it takes too long to work. Or perhaps he didn’t use enough.

With a sigh, he looks over at Ingrid. Her face is still pink with embarrassment, and it makes Teddy smile. He looks down at her hands, which are gripping the table.

The table.

For the first time, he notices the coffee cup. No, the coffeecups.

They’re everywhere.

One is right in front of Ingrid. It’s almost empty.

The others are scattered about: on the table, in people’s hands, on the counter. Right next to a one-cup coffee maker. A box of coffee pods is next to it.

Must be a new box. It’s not as if these mothers would take pods from upstairs. They certainly can afford to buy them.

Teddy turns his attention back to the headmaster, who is still going on and on.

“And after earning her master’s degree, she went on to work with...”

He can’t help but look back over at the counter. That box of coffee podsis calling to him, because it isn’t right. Boxes are stacked tight with pods, all fitted in to maximize the space. This one looks different.

The pods appear to be thrown in, all jumbled and disorganized. As if someone threw them in after gathering them from... somewhere else.

No. No, no, it’s not possible. Teddy shakes his head, telling himself not to be ridiculous. He’s just making things up because the headmaster’s speech is so boring.

But he can’t shake that sick feeling in his stomach, and it’s not from coffee.

“And I am very proud and honored to congratulate Sonia on her ten-year anniversary. It is an incredible achievement.” The headmaster turns toward Ms.Marsha, who hands him a small velvet box. The pin. The all-important pin.

Teddy is wearing his.

The headmaster opens the box, revealing the pin, and Teddy checks his watch.This is takingso—

A scream interrupts that thought.

It comes from over on the right, where Ingrid is standing.Wasstanding.