Anne and Amy had left, leaving Tom and Victoria alone. Waiting a few extra minutes, Tom entered Victoria's room.

“They're gone, daddy.” She said, watching the Country Squire back into the road.

“Visiting hours begin at 1 PM. I called ahead and let them know that we were coming in today to visit Kristina. I'm sure she's going to be happy to see us.” Tom said.

“What are we going to do until then?” Victoria asked.

“Do you want to go for a ride up to Katonah and see the museum? We can go see Kristina afterward.”

“I'd love that, daddy.” Victoria replied. She loved going to the Katonah Manse; especially with her dad. She often felt as though she never spent enough time with her father and when she did, it was often short-lived.

“We'll stop for lunch in downtown Katonah before we see the Manse. I know a spot that makes one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches in Westchester County, if not New York State. They even have a sandwich called a patty melt; like a grilled cheese and a hamburger had a baby.”

“Really? Better than the place in Haverstraw? The patty melt sounds neat. Can I try one?” Victoria asked.

“Of course, pumpkin. You can try anything.”

They crossed the Tappan Zee with little traffic to bother them; the Saw Mill River Parkway ran smoothly. The surrounding landscape began to transition from tightly packed suburbs to a semi rural state. Rain started to sprinkle down onto the windshield. Thirty minutes later, they were in downtown Katonah. Tom parked the Caddy in front of a lunch counter. They walked inside and grabbed a booth in the corner. A waitress came to take their orders.

“Two patty melts. The young lady wants a strawberry milkshake. Coffee for myself, please.” Tom ordered. The waitress left them alone.

“Daddy, this place is cool. I like the old ads on the walls. Old ads are neat.”

“I'm glad you like it, pumpkin.” Tom said.

The waitress arrived with their food. The patty melt overflowing with cheese; the butter soaking through the bread. Victoria was in awe of the entire thing.

“It really is like a grilled and hamburger had a baby!” Victoria said rather loudly; her smile making everything seem brighter, her cheeks rosy. Before long she'd eaten nearly the entire sandwich and had begun on her milkshake.

“Mommy never lets me have one of these.” She stated matter-of-factly. This didn't surprise Tom, as he knew Anne often had Victoria on an overly tight leash.

“Well you'll be happy to know that you can have those when you're with me. I won't tell mom.” He said. She flashed Tom a large, toothy grin.

Twenty minutes later, they proceeded to the Katonah Manse. The rain picked up in intensity as they headed inside. The Katonah Manse was an early 19th Century mansion designed in the Federal Style. The site was one of Victoria's favorite places, and she loved going there with her father; as if this place was a special secret between the two. They walked into the parlor. Victoria perked up; spying one of the Chippendale chairs that had always seemed to be at an odd angle to her.

“Imagine if we lived here, daddy. Mommy would have me tending the fires as Amy's maid.”

“It wouldn't be THAT bad, pumpkin. We'd have Amy tending the fires, and you'd be doing the cooking and laundry.”

“Daddy!” She hissed.

Soon they were in her favorite room; the nursery. The old dolls sitting on the beds beckoned to Victoria.

“This is where Amy and I would sleep. My bed has all the dolls on it. Amy doesn't get any dolls on her bed because she says she's too old; but I know she sleeps with a bear and plays with my Barbies. I have Grimalkin, he's tougher than Mr. Bear.” Victoria said to her father as they looked around the room. He laughed slightly; his daughter's quip taking his mind off of Kristina, if even for a moment.

“I remember when you two used to share a room; a whole floor, actually. Back in New Rochelle.”

“The third floor. Amy and I were queens up there. We even divided the room in half.”

After concluding the tour, they headed back to the car. Their next stop was Broadacres Pediatric Psychiatric Hospital and Kristina.

They made their way to Peekskill in the heavy rain. The entrance to the facility loomed ahead on the right. Turning in, they were nearly sideswiped by an ambulance as it headed down to US 9. Turning into a parking lot near the entrance, Tom prepared Victoria.

“Kristina might be groggy and tired, so if she doesn't want to interact too much; that's why.”

“Did nurse Tryon poke her with a bunch of needles?”

“Who is nurse Tryon?” Tom asked. He had no idea of the inner workings of a place such as this.

“She's one of mommy's friends. She's the head nurse here.”

“Oh.” He muttered.

“Anne's influence knows no bounds. If they hurt Kristina, there will be hell to pay.” He thought.

Tom and Victoria headed to the front door and walked inside. The marble floors and bright lights making the room seem dazzling. They walked up to the receptionist.

“What is the name of the patient you are here to see?”

“Kristina Mellon, Ward B.” She looked through the list of approved people Kristina was allowed to have contact with.

“Your name?” She asked, as if questioning his integrity.

“Thomas Morrow. This young lady with me is my daughter, Victoria.”

“Ah, yes. Please wait here for someone from Ward B to come get you.”

They waited for a few moments. Suddenly Victoria saw a familiar face. She ran behind her father and squeezed his hand. He wondered why Victoria was suddenly acting the way she was.

“There she is, daddy! Nurse Tryon. Don't let her see me.” She whispered in fear. The way she stalked off in the distance sent shivers down the girl's spine. She buried her face in his side.

“She's gone, pumpkin.” He reassured. Finally, someone from Ward B had come to greet them.

“Hello, I'm going to take you back to Ward B. We've let Kristina know that you're here. She'll be in the dayroom.”

They followed the staff member through Ward A; a place Victoria was all too familiar with. She focused her gaze straight ahead; ignoring the rooms and their occupants. She could feel her skin prickle. As that feeling was reaching its peak, they entered Ward B and its relative safety. Ahead of them, a familiar figure stood in the hallway. Victoria paused a few seconds before identifying the person.

“Uncle Tom, Victoria!” She cried out as she ran towards them. She flung her arms around Tom and then Victoria.

“Are you okay?” Victoria asked her friend.

“I had a very bad episode at school. I think I got in trouble. Mom was made at me because of what happened.”

They headed to the day room and the tables within. A pile of coloring books marked the spot where Kristina had been sitting. At least her time was occupied.

“I've been coloring to pass the time. I like this one.” She said as she pointed to an Alison and The Wonder Cats coloring book. Kristina flipped the book open to reveal that she'd already colored half the pages.

“Kristina, has your mother come to visit you at all?” Tom asked.

“I think she's coming this afternoon when she gets out of work.”

They sat there at the table, making small conversation. Moments later, a woman's voice was heard.

“Hey kiddo, are you feeling today?” She asked. Kristina's eyes grew large. She reached over and gave her daughter a hug.

This is Mirasol Tholozan-Mellon; Kristina's mother. Her frazzled appearance signalling that she had a sleepless night and long day at the office. Despite all of these factors, she still looked young for thirty-five years. She began to question if it was her that had messed up somewhere. She looked at her daughter and felt her pain. Kristina's blonde hair had taken on a dull appearance; her eyes no longer sparkling.

“I'm tired, mom. I just want to go home.”

“I know you want to come home, but you have to stay here until they say it's time.” She said. Kristina frowned, she was expecting her mother to take her home now.

“If you do everything they say to do, you'll get to leave early.” Victoria told her friend.

“I won't be here forever?”

“No. Those days are gone, kiddo.” Mirasol replied. She hoped that Kristina's behavior had improved and that she wouldn't have any more episodes. These episodes often frightened the community at large whenever they happened. Mirasol produced a small bag full of clothing and activities. A staff member came up to Tom and Mirasol and took them away from Victoria and Kristina. They eyed Tom.

“We'd like to talk to both of you.”

“Tom, let me handle this.” She said quietly.

They entered a small side office out of sight from Kristina.

“We're sorry that Kristina has to spend a little time here.” They began.

“But she's in a good place after what has happened. At our midweek staff meeting, we'll bring up her discharge plans. So far she's looking at a discharge on Friday.”

“Just in time for the weekend. Will there be a follow-up?” Mirasol asked.

“There's a program on Monday afternoon in Nyack that we're setting up for her. They meet from 3:30 until 7 PM.”

Outside in the day room, the girls began a conversation.

“I was wondering where you went.”

“I got really sick Monday night and mom made me stay home. I hated every minute of it. After I got better, mom took me out of school. Now I'll be going to a new school in Massachusetts after Christmas.”

“That sucks you have to go away to a new school. Now I'll never have friends. Everyone thinks I'm too weird.”

“You're not weird, Kristina. You're awkward like me and if there's one thing I know we're the cool ones.” Victoria reassured her friend.

“You'll ALWAYS be my friend, Kristina. No matter what. I'll write to you.”

“Thanks, Victoria.” She replied, the sadness in her voice.

“You remind me of Lydia from Wonder Cats.”

“I love Alison and The Wonder Cats! Lefty is my favorite cat. I love how laid back he is. Lydia is his person. She's as laid back as he is.”

“I pretend that I'm Alison whenever I go to the park. My sister, Amy, plays as Cassie.”

“I don't like Cassie. I think she's a mean girl in disguise. The way she always surrenders to Mistress Cleo.”

“It's because she's not confident. She doesn’t believe in herself, and that's why she always falls.”

“That, too.”

Tom and Mirasol came back from the office they'd been drawn into. The way they saw Kristina and Victoria interacting with one another made them smile.

“They get along so well. They still have no idea, do they?” Mirasol wondered aloud.

“I don't know how to broach that subject with her. Part of me thinks she'd be fine; the other half thinks she'd cause a fuss at home.” Tom replied.

“No offense, Tom, but Anne would kill you. She hates me enough already as it is. As far as you are concerned, you are her uncle. If they discharge Kristina on Friday, I promised to take her to McDonald's on the way home. Can Victoria visit on Sunday? I think they should get together.” Mirasol continued. Tom liked the idea.

“Mom, Victoria and I were just talking about Wonder Cats!” Kristina cried. Mirasol hated the show for one reason and one reason only; to her the show was too preachy, the moral too in the face. To Kristina, the show was front and center in her universe and if it made her happy; Mirasol would let her watch it.

“If you behave, they'll discharge you on Friday. I'll get you McDonald's on the way home. You'd like that, wouldn't you, kiddo?” Mirasol asked her daughter. The way she quickly smiled and threw her arms around her mother meant a resounding yes.

“I love you, mama.” She whispered into Mirasol's ear.

“Victoria, do you want to go home now?”

“Yes, daddy.”

“You'll see Kristina this weekend, pumpkin.”

“Yay!”

Tom, Mirasol, and Victoria walked through Ward A; Mirasol holding Victoria's hand.

“It's all right sweetheart, she won't get you. I won't let her.”

“Don't let her poke Kristina with needles.”

"I won't let her."

The rain began to mix with snow now as Tom started the Cadillac. From the start he knew Victoria would be effected by this visit; he just didn't know how.

Driving up the ramp onto US 9, Tom silently brought the car into traffic. They were nearly to downtown Peekskill when he heard sobs coming from the passenger seat.

"Oh Daddy, I don't want Kristina to get poked!"

"Did something happen to you when you were there?" He asked, concern growing in his voice.

"The nurse pushed me down and gave me a shot in the butt then dragged me to my room and threw me on my bed." Victoria sobbed; the events still very fresh in her mind. It had all been a blur to her, but the pinch and burning were the most memorable. She'd been in the dayroom for group, and she wanted to go to her room to rest. She pitched a fit and flung herself on the ground. A crowd of nurses and mental health workers gathered around her. Above else, she was tired.

"Are you okay!?"

"Get away from me! I want my mommy! I want her NOW! Get her, NOW!" Victoria screamed. The other girls were looking at her; some laughing, others silent.

"I want to go home! I want to go to bed!"

"Get Nurse Tryon."

"Take this, you spoiled brat."

"I don't want them to push her down and poke her!" she continued.

"Pumpkin, I didn't know that had happened to you. I'm so sorry. Earlier you said that nurse was mommy's friend, is that true?"

"She comes over to drink wine with mommy sometimes." Victoria said through the tears, but maintained her composure.

"She talks about me and the other patients." She continued, sniffling.

"She says really mean things about me. Mommy does, too. She talks about Amy and how she can't seem to stop having tantrums every Saturday, It reminded me of the other night when mommy was so drunk she sounded like a teenager. She said mean things."  By now, the floodgates had opened. Victoria hung her head low and sobbed loudly. She tugged at her hair.

"It's not fair, daddy! Mommy makes Amy babysit me so that she can get drunk because she hates us!" She wailed.

"I don't think your mother hates either of you. She's frustrated."

"I don't want her to be frustrated! I want her to love us like a mommy is supposed to!" Victoria shouted in frustration. Tom knew Anne's tight leash would have this effect on his daughter. Most of the time he didn't think it would be this bad. Victoria's tears told him a different story.

"She never lets me do anything. I want to have friends. I want to be like Amy, at least she gets to go out and do things. How come I have to stay at home, hidden away?"

"Do you want to go to Kristina's on Sunday?" Tom said, redirecting his daughter.

"Yes, daddy." She replied, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"I hope she's going to be okay."

"She'll be fine, pumpkin."

"Promise me."

They crossed the Hudson on the Bear Mountain Bridge and turned onto Route 9W. The trip down the highway was partially spent in contemplation.

"We are going to miss you, pumpkin. You light up the house with your smile. Your mother won't admit it, but she's going to miss you the most."

"Are you sure?"

"Your mother says so, every evening. She's scared of losing you; in fact, it brings her to tears."

"I make mommy cry sometimes?" She nervously asked her father.

"You and Amy do. She loves both of you so much; she naturally worries about your well-being. Sometimes a little too much, but she loves you."

In reality, Anne was terrified that their two youngest children were going to private schools in Massachusetts; terrified that something would happen to them, the way something had happened to her own mother.

Amy woke up in a foul mood that Friday morning. Her head ached; her throat, sore. Exiting her bedroom, Victoria brushed past her.

“Watch where you're going; you, baby.” She teased. Amy began to see red. Victoria descended the stairs ahead of her.

“You think I'm a baby? I'll show you what a baby you are.” Amy glowered.

“No you won't because then you'd admit you're a baby, too!” Victoria continued.

“I'm not a baby! Stop saying I'm a baby; I'm fourteen.” Amy vented.

“But you act like a baby. You act like a toddler when you're with mommy. I know, she wraps you up in that quilt; LIKE A BABY!” Amy's patience had dried up. Suddenly and without realizing it, Amy had shoved her sister against the wall in the foyer; Victoria giggling the entire time. Amy had gotten into Victoria's face and screamed:

“I'm not a fucking baby! Stop calling me a baby! You're the fucking baby.” Amy began with a start.

“I always have to babysit you and make sure you don't get into trouble because damn it if you should ever get to do anything!” Amy cried out in frustration. Tears had started to form in her eyes.

“I'm tired of how you always run to mom whenever I get frustrated.” Amy continued. She sobbed now, as if Victoria's harmless banter had unleashed a torrent of frustration.

“Then mom has to get angry with me because she expects me to automatically know how to do something. It's like she was never in 8th grade. She doesn't know how it is! It's like she stopped at 7th grade and said, 'that's all I need to know!'” She nearly screamed.

By now, Anne's attention had been brought to them as she hurried out of the kitchen.

“Amy, stop it at once!” She hissed as she grabbed her second-youngest daughter by the arm. The girl screamed out in pain as Anne seemed to drag Amy behind her.

“What's gotten into you? It's 8:30 in the morning. You better not be getting sick again.”

“I'm tired of how she gets away with being a brat!” Amy wailed.

“You're the brat, Amy! Go cry in mommy's car, suffocated in that quilt.”

“Victoria, you stop it, too! You're being a brat right now. Don't make me spank you.” Anne hissed. She ran off into the kitchen.

“I'm sorry, Amy.” Anne sighed. She let Amy go and stalked into the kitchen. Seconds later, Anne began to yell; her patience temporarily ceasing to exist after Victoria accidentally spilled the Rice Krispies.

“Go to your room and don't come out until I tell you!” Victoria ran out of the kitchen; as if she was running from some cataclysmic event unfolding before her very own eyes. Things had begun to settle down for now. Anne reasserting her role as mother.

“Both of you go to your rooms! If you're going to rip each other's heads off this early, you may as well give up, now.” Anne cried. Amy shot her mother a look.

“This is stupid!” Amy cried, shooting her mother a continuous glare.

“No, what's stupid is that you two can't seem to get along today! Amy, don't give me that look.”

Amy scurried upstairs and ran to her room; seeking the safety of its confines.

Four hours later, another skirmish occurred. This time, it was Amy who fired the opening shot.

“Out of my way, dumbass.” She said as she pushed Victoria aside.

“Amy, stop!”

“No, I'm just getting started. Was it worth running to mom? Do you even know how to fight your own battles? Don't answer, it's a rhetorical question.”

“I was just having fun earlier. Please don't hurt me, Amy.”

“Hurt you? I'm not going to lay a hand on you. Wouldn't want you running to mommy now, would we?”

“Stop!”

“Just stay out of everyone's way. Go sit on your bed and hug your stuffed animal.”

“Easy for you to say, Amy. Mr. Bear is waiting for you! Go give him a squeeze. He's your boyfriend.”

“Don't talk shit about Mr. Bear! If he could, he'd scratch you to pieces because of your utter stupidity. You don't even know basic math, so how are you going to learn anything at school? You can't spell, either. Do you even know how to read?”

Victoria was growing tired of Amy holding her up in the hallway; it reminded her of another student at her former school who seemed to believe they were god's personal representative on earth.

“At least I'm happier than you, Amy. I don't have to prove to people what happiness is!”

“I don't 'prove' anything to anybody. We're not allowed to be happy. Why can't we be happy?”

“Mommy allows us to be happy. It's just you who isn't happy. Were you happier when Courtney was shoving you into the lockers?” Victoria asked. Amy frowned.

“No. I hate my old school. Too many bad people there.”

“And you want to hurt my feelings because you can't go anywhere? Who's the baby now? It's you, Amy. Go cry over it. Go cry your little brain out in your room. Away from everybody.” Victoria chided. Amy went into her room and slammed the door. Victoria began to celebrate, when the door opened again.

“Stop standing outside my door! Go away, you have no friends.”

“That's a lie, Amy, and you know it.” The sound of footsteps hurrying up the stairs unnerved Victoria. Anne burst around the corner.

“Victoria Gustine Morrow, go to your room. Stop tormenting your sister.”

“I'm telling her that she's acting like a baby, and she needs to stop it.”

“Victoria. You aren't the mother here.”

“Exactly!” Amy called out from her room.

“Amy, come out into the hallway this instant.”

“Why do you let her go on like that?” Amy interrogated her mother. Anne didn't answer, for once her mind was drawing a blank.

“When you're at your new school, everyone will run away from you, Amy.” Victoria said, sticking her tongue out.

“Victoria!” Anne hissed.

“My big sister isn't so big after all.”

“Victoria, shut up!” Both Anne and Amy said bluntly.

“Send her to the third floor, mom.”

“I'll send both of you to the third floor to work on yourselves.” Anne muttered.

“I know Amy will never write me letters. She'll be happier without me. She'll never talk to me again.” Victoria protested.

“I'll write to you once a week, Victoria. Who's afraid of losing touch?”

“No fair, Amy, you don't get to ask me questions.”

“Victoria, this isn't a one way street in the city. You've been impossible all day today. Going after Amy when it's obvious she doesn't feel well and isn't interested in having an argument with you.”

“But mommy, she shoved me!”

“Stop it, Victoria. You're this close to going to the third floor."

She slammed the door behind her as she ran up the stairs. Her tears hadn't started, but were on the verge of forming. The third floor, no more than a finished attic, offered places for Victoria to hide from everyone when she felt the world was against her. Today was no exception; what began as harmless banter and saber-rattling had practically turned into warfare in minutes. Now Victoria was on the losing end. Finding a place behind a locker box and other cardboard boxes, she positioned herself near a window. She felt safe for now. As she looked outside, the setting sun painted everything a golden hue. Victoria had found a blanket and buried herself within it. Rocking herself, she finally let her tears spill. The girl realized she forgot Grimalkin downstairs; panic rising within.

“Oh no! Grimalkin's downstairs. Mommy will get him and throw him away.” She sobbed. The solitude of the third floor, at first welcoming, was becoming sinister to her. Her hiding spot, the only bright place in this darkening corner of the house.

“Amy lied about being my best friend. She thinks she's my friend? She isn't. Amy will never be my friend.” She sobbed aloud.

“Mommy always takes Amy's side. She never sides with me. I always get sent to my room.” Victoria thought as she rocked back and forth. Something inside her made her want to scream out.

Moments later, she did. Footsteps came running up the stairs; the door opened.

“Victoria!? Where are you?”

“Over here, mommy.”

Anne snaked her way through the boxes and found where Victoria had been hiding. Hidden under a blue wool blanket, Victoria was holding and rocking herself.

“Why are you hiding, sweetheart?”

“Because you and Amy hate me. You always side with Amy and you never listen to me.”

“You know that's not true. I'm here now to listen to you.”

“Mommy, I'm afraid everyone will forget me while I'm in Massachusetts.” To Anne, it all began making sense now. 

“Nobody's going to forget you, Victoria. I promise you, Amy will write. Both of you need to apologize to each other.” Anne reassured, holding out her hand. Coaxing Victoria out of her hiding place, she hugged the child.

“I'm sorry, mommy.” Victoria choked out, burying her face into Anne's chest.

“I know you are. Amy isn't feeling well; you know how she gets when she's sick. I've been giving her space all day.” Anne replied, a touch of fear in her voice.

“I didn't know she was sick. I was wondering why she wasn't laughing earlier. Usually, we laugh when we talk like that.”

“I know you two do. I'm going out tonight, and I'm ordering pizza for both of you. I want you to be in the TV room upstairs tonight. Furthermore, I will bring up something for you to drink. If Amy comes out, give her some room.”

“I will. I promise I'll be good tonight. No more fighting. I hate fighting with Amy. I think we both hate fighting with each other.” Victoria said.

“I agree that you both hate fighting one another. When we lived in New Rochelle, you two fought ALL the time on that third floor. Let's go back downstairs."

They walked down the stairs, back into the light.

Victoria sat in the TV room watching whatever was on. She carefully picked up a slice of pizza and took a bite. She felt someone walking behind the couch, silently stalking into the room. The couch shifted as the person sat down.

“I figured it's no fun watching TV by yourself.” Amy whispered. Victoria's eyes lit up.

“I'm sorry, Amy. I didn't know you were sick earlier. I wish you would've said something.”

“Do you want some pizza?” Victoria asked.

“Is our mom named Anne?” Amy joked.

“I didn't mean to blow up at you earlier, but I had a massive headache, and you kept talking.” Amy replied as she picked up a slice of pizza. Tonight it was extra crispy; Amy's favorite way. She grabbed a bottle of Foxon Park Kola, and cracked it open. Soon the caffeine would ease Amy's headache, and they would settle in for whatever was on TV.

“I still think you're pretty cool, Amy.” Victoria began.

“Even though you can be pretty annoying sometimes.” Amy finished. This time, laughter replaced the venom that had made itself apparent earlier. Victoria took a swig of the cola and noticed something.

“Amy, look outside! It's snowing!” They ran over to the windows and looked down at the front yard. The snow had just started and hadn't fully transformed the world into a winter wonderland.

The wind had started to come up, blowing the snow against the window. Patches of the driveway had been covered. Their TV program had been interrupted by Al Roker.

"Heavy snow is moving in from west to east this evening. We could have up to a foot, depending on where you are. Long Island, you're going to get out of this relatively unscathed, but up in the lower Hudson Valley, you're going to be in for a long night."

"A foot of snow?" Victoria asked. The last time she'd seen more than that was this past February. She was out of school for almost a week; no part of the yard left untouched by either Amy or Victoria, their routines disrupted.

"Mom might not make it home." Amy said, worried. She hated the thought of her family stranded anywhere.

"Amy, with the attitude mom has, she'll melt all the snow and make it back. Besides, she went to Piermont, it's not that far."

"I thought she went across the river?"

"No, she changed her plans at the last second. She told me while you were asleep."

A car pulled into the driveway. It was the Country Squire. Anne got out, slammed the door and ran inside.

"I'm home!" Anne shouted. 

"Mom's back." Victoria said. They headed downstairs to greet their mother.