Page 10 of Poison Wood

“I got it,” Carl says.

Demons.My skin tingles. I got the sound bite I need.Husband of Laura Sanders claims she had demons.

My phone vibrates yet again. I hand the mic back to Carl and pull it from my pocket. Debby again. I open it and see a series of messages about one person only, my father. It’s not one long sentence. It’s four separate messages, and when my brain comprehends what she has sent, my world goes from being off kilter to being completely knocked off its axis.

Your dad is in the hospital.

Widowmaker.

You need to come home.

Now.

Poison Wood Therapeutic Academy for Girls

Kisatchie National Forest

August 7, 1999

Meadow

Dear Diary,

Well, he did it. My dad really left me here.

Oh my god, it was so hot today. And he just left me here at the front entrance to this creepy stone building in this creepy ass forest.

I mean I know I’m not the greatest daughter but this is too much.

I’d tried to watch him drive away but there’s this lady here named Mrs. Barbara O’Connor and she shoved me inside so fast I couldn’t see him leave.

She said, “All the troubled girls in my care here at Poison Wood are given a fresh start the minute they come through my front door. This is a safe space to heal.”

And I’m like whatever lady. It looks like a fucking prison here.

Then she took me upstairs to these like dorm rooms and said I have to move into one with two other girls in it and I know my dad paid for me to have my own room and I’m so calling him as soon as I figure out where the phone is and I’m going to tell him I’ll kill myself if he leaves me here.

So anyway, she took me to this room and she’s like, “Girls, meet your new roommate” and one is like, “B.O., why are you putting her in here with us?” and she’s like, “Because this is the largest two-person room. It’s a corner so it works out best.” And the girl is like, “Last time I checked, there were three other corners in this building.”

And this other girl was there and she’s just sitting there laughing and then B.O. (how stupid can you be to go along with that nickname) said, “Okay then. Dinner is at six” like nothing had been said and then she handed me this journal and told me journaling is mandatory here then as she’s leaving, I swear to God she leaned into my ear and whispered, “Good luck.”

What the hell is this place?

Jasmine

Dear Diary,

Okay, so I was told I have to write in this journal every day starting today. They told us we can put whatever we want in here becauseNo one will read it!!And they gave us all “secret” names to use. Things associated with the forest.

I call bullshit on all of it. Like these people aren’t going to read every word. This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever been told I had to do. So to whoever is reading this, “Jasmine” says fuck off.

Ivy

Dear Diary,

I think I’m going to be really popular here. I like being called Ivy. Ivy is poisonous but beautiful. I’m by far the prettiest. The other girls all look like rag-a-muffins. Poor things. There was this girl though who came late today and B.O. brought her into our room and said she had to room with us. She’s pretty but I still saw the cellulite on her legs.

Chapter Three