Let's Go Play at the Adams'

"You-" Barbara stopped herself and sighed.

"That's not going to make me any weaker, Paul. It's just going to make me hungrier."

"Well, you're still on it." He shut his-lips tightly.

35

There was silence,

"The more you do to me, the more you'll get punished, you know?" Barbara finally said.

She could not bring herself to say more, to grant them additional powers. A certain

stubborn insistence on her adult superior-· ity forbade it, particularly now that she had her

voice back. "What do you suppose they'll do to you for this?"

The boys acknowledged her shot. Paul became embarrassed and looked down at the rug.

Behind Barbara, John remained silent.

"Why don't you have another meeting and talk about it? You know what's going to happen:

just decide for yourselves what's best. If you keep on going and somebody finds out before

you let me go, you'll be in even worse trouble. If you let me go now, I'll"-Bar bara was still

ticked off-"I'll think about it. We'll all take a swim and talk about it."

The boys' silence became concrete and cold. "Isn't that better than what you're going to

get this way?"

Nothing.

After a bit, Dianne came back with the cereal on a tray and, being Dianne, a napkin. "What

were you talking about?" She set the things on the vanity.

Paul's relief at seeing his sister was pathetic. He writhed in gratitude. "She wants us to let

her go. She says she might not tell on us."

Dianne snorted in a ladylike way. "Can we move her over here?"

"But what's going to happen to all of you after this?" Barbara said.

"We don't want to talk. Come on." Getting over on the opposite side of the chair from John,

Dianne helped him slide Barbara up to the small vanity.

Barbara sighed again and shook her head. "Here's the water."

Dianne took it from Cindy and held it to Barbara's lips.

"Aren't you going to untie at least one hand?" The

36

caution, the insistence on detail, the si1ence, the refusal to be sensible or communicate

with her, brought Barbara close to losing her patience. "I can't run away on one hand."

"It's too much trouble." "But I want to feed myself."

"I know, but it's too much trouble. It takes too much time, and everyone wants to go

swimming," Dianne said. "Do you want this or not?"

Barbara looked at her-Barbara felt crushed-and nodded. For all the fact that it was metallic

well water, however, it was cool and healing and smooth. The sheer comfort to her throat

erased part of her irritation, and when Dianne asked if she wanted the cereal, she simply

nodded again and submitted to being fed like a baby.

Afterward Barbara felt the tension in the room begin to rise again. The boys positively

radiated it. Paul picked up the bottle again.

"Wait a minute!" They waited.

"You don't have to gag me again this afternoon.

Nobody's coming, and I won't make any noise if they do-" She looked mostly at Dianne.

Instead of diminishing the tenseness, however, she only seemed to increase it. Even

Dianne looked warily across at John, who reached over and fingered the pillow.

"But it hurts." Barbara looked from one to the other now. "I can't move my tongue or

swallow. Can't you think of something else without that rag? I've had it in my mouth all day.

Even last night." They appeared unyielding and yet reluctant to force her quiet yet. "Can't

you tie something around my mouth or just use adhesive tape if you have to?"

"Aw, that's stuff like you see in old movies." Paul twitched. "You can talk through a gag like

that, and you can lick tape off."

"You use saliva," Dianne said. "How do you know?"

37

"He's right," John said from behind her.

Barbara hung her head and breathed deeply. They were probably right at that. "All right,

but you're not ready to go swimming yet. Can't you at least leave me alone for a few

minutes?" She raised her head and tried to look over her shoulder. "Come on, John."

He sighed-the put-upon male. "OK. For a few minutes."

Barbara had no one to talk to, however. They all left the room to change into their

swimsuits, and when they came back, they meant pure business.

"Thank you," she said bitterly and opened her mouth for them.

After that-nothing-just tape and numbness and immobility and silence.

With a whoop of relief, Freedom Five banged out of the house and down the path toward

the river, leaving Dianne to watch the prisoner first. Barbara tried to make sounds and get

her attention several times, but it was no use: being ignored by her only made Barbara's

ears and cheeks bum pink with anger and humiliation. And she was ignored.

Dianne unconcernedly curled up on the bed behind Barbara and began to read. Barbara

had heard of the book not long ago-it seemed pretty grown-up for Dianne-a book club

selection about mythology and ancient times (which were often sexy and sometimes

gruesome, if the reviews were half right). In spite of this, Dianne read with absorption:

Barbara could see her by looking in the vanity mirror and thence backward over her own

shoulder.