Mrs. Tyler raised her eyebrows. 'It was your twin sister who did the dirty work, as I understand,' she said.
'Yes, but we're two different people, even though we are twins, Mrs. Tyler. Abby knows that.'
I saw from the way she gazed at her husband that Abby had said that too.
'Where are her things?' Mrs. Tyler demanded.
'Everything's set aside. All of her things are there.' I pointed to where I had organized everything. Her father looked grateful. 'How can I talk to her? When can I see her?'
'She's in the car outside,' Mr. Tyler revealed.
'Abby's here?'
'She didn't want to come in here with us,' her mother said.
'I don't blame her,' I said as I hurried past them and out. In the lobby the girls were keeping their comments under their breaths while Abby's parents were in the building. Even Gisselle's voice was subdued. I didn't pause to look at them. Instead, I rushed out the front door. I saw Abby sitting in her parents' automobile and hurried down the steps and over to it. She rolled down the window as I approached.
'Hi,' I said.
'Hi. I'm sorry I kept running away from you last night, but I just couldn't stop once I had started. All I wanted to do was get out of there.'
'I know, but I was so worried about you. Miss Stevens went driving around looking for you, because Mrs. Ironwood wouldn't let me leave the grounds.'
She smirked and muttered, 'The Iron Lady.'
'Where were you?'
'I hid for a while until the rain slowed some and then I got ride into the city and called my parents.'
'Oh, Abby, I'm so sorry. It's so unfair. My sister is more horrible than I ever h lined. I found out she snooped into your things and read some letters from your parents.'
'That doesn't surprise me. Anyway, it wasn't all just her doing, I'm sure,' Abby said. 'Although she did seem to relish her part, didn't she?' she added. I nodded. She smiled at me and got out of the car. 'Let's take a little walk,' she suggested.
'What are you going to do now?' I asked.
'Enroll in the public school. In a way this was a good thing. My parents have decided to stop trying to ignore who I am and who they are. No more moving all around the country, no more pretending to be someone I'm not.' She gazed around at the campus. 'No more fancy schools.'
'I've had my fill of fancy schools too.'
'Oh no, you're doing well here, Ruby. All of our teachers like you and you have a great relationship with Miss Stevens. You'll do great things with your artwork. Take advantage of the opportunities and ignore the rest.'
'I don't like being in a place where there is so much hypocrisy. Grandmere Catherine wouldn't want me here.'
Abby laughed. 'From the way you described her to me, I think she'd tell you to dig in like a clam, shut yourself off from the phonies like an oyster, and clamp down on what you want like an alligator. Besides,' Abby said in a whisper, 'you know how to get the bad gris-gris off you. My mistake was last night, when I didn't wear the blue skirt with the good gris-gris sewn in.' She winked and we laughed. It felt good, only I realized I wouldn't be hearing her laughter anymore; I wouldn't be having our girl-to-girl talks anymore, and we wouldn't be sharing our dreams and fears anymore. Gisselle was right to have been jealous: Abby had been the sister I never had, the sister Gisselle, despite our identical faces, would never be.
'I wish there was something more I could do for you,' I moaned.
'You've done a lot. You've been a good friend, and we can still be good friends. We'll write to each other. Unless Mrs. Ironwood has your mail screened,' she added.
'It wouldn't surprise me.'
'I'll tell you what you can do for me,' Abby said, suddenly animated. 'Next time you're called into Mrs. Ironwood's office, for any reason, see if you can find one of her hairs lying about on the desk or floor. Put it in an envelope and send it to me and I’ll give it to a moma to use to make a doll into which I can stick pins.'
We laughed, but Abby wasn't just kidding. Behind us, her parents were completing loading the car. We paused and watched them a moment.
'I'd better get going,' she said.
'I'm glad I got a chance to see you.'
'It's really why I came along,' she revealed. 'Goodbye, Ruby.'
'Oh Abby.'
'No tears or you'll start me crying and give Gisselle and her friends just what they want,' she said with defiance. 'They probably all have their noses to the windows right now, watching us.'
I looked back at the dorm. I swallowed my sobs down quickly and nodded. 'Probably,' I said.
'Don't get too involved with Louis,' she warned, her eyes small and thoughtful. 'I know you feel sorry for him, but there are a great many ghosts wandering through the Clairborne family's dreams.'
'I know. I won't.'
'Well . . . ?
