chapter 2

August 9, 2009

Lessi is still heartbroken over Todd. She doesn't understand what happened. Todd's nice enough, Winna knew, but he's easily distracted and not very bright. Still, something must have scared him off. He wouldn't just leave Lessi like that. Would he?

Lessi didn't sign up for classes at the local college, and her cheerleading scholarship is going to lapse. Momma is pissed, just returned from the coast. She yells at Lessi. Her new girlfriend stands silently by. Winna is scared of her.

The next day her mother comes out with a smile, and it all begins. She has an announcement.

"Well Lessi, I had hoped this boy obsession would end after high school, you ruining your grades just so you can ask for their help, or staying out late so you sleep in class, or skip it all together." Lessi looks cross, but also worried. Their mother is a bit high strung, and very hard-headed. If punishment is coming, they both know her solution could be much worse than the problem. If only they had known, they might have fled. Few intuitions have ever been so right.


February 14, 2010

"Momma, please no..." Winna whines as she's sat down at the table by Sammi. It is the first day of her new life--her sister's life of the past several months: A life she'd watched develop in horror. It now would be hers as well.

"Now honey, sweetie, you know momma doesn't like to hear you whine. Now momma has to go to the store to pick up some treats for my skinny little GROWING girl," she gently pinches Winna's lightly dimpled pouting, fearful, cheek, "but Sammi here is going to help make sure you finish all your food for momma. I'm going to be a few hours, as feeding two little girls is going to be much harder than one, so be good for Auntie Sammi. Momma loves you, and she wants you to have all the benefits your sister is going to have." With that she kisses her on the forehead and pats her on her thin stomach. "Eat up child. Happy Valentines day." And she is gone.

Before Winna is the same sort of feast she'd been watching her sister forced to consume every day for the last several months...
This would be the last Valentine's anyone could want her, she knew must be true. She cried. Sammi forced Winna's hand roughly into the pudding, and then to her mouth. And back again and repeat seemingly endlessly, as tears of fear flow down to mix with the food. It began.