“Robin?” I whispered.
I listened, but heard nothing from her. Perhaps she had finally fallen asleep out of the same exhaustion I felt, or perhaps she was simply too terrified to utter a sound. I couldn't blame her.
Suddenly I heard the cry of something wild, a coyote, I thought. There was another, then another. It sounded like a whole pack of them out there in the darkness. They sounded like a pack of vampires. I wondered how Teal was doing and shuddered thinking about it. Sleep would be a hard-won prize tonight.
The long journey that had begun with a disappointment and a betrayal was finally over, I thought.
I was here.
This was my first night at Dr. Foreman's School for Girls.
And all I could think was I was right about that plane ride I took. Surely it must be the way the dead are taken to their afterlife.
I'm in hell.
What else could it possibly be?
Three New SquawsJj/ven if our buddies weren't there to whip us with their screams in the morning, the blazing sunlight pouring through the unblocked windows lit up the inside of the barn so brightly, it burned through our thick walls of sleep and dreams, melting away any determination and resistance we had to awakening. There was no question either of us wanted to wake up in a place like this. Teal, who I imagined was used to sleeping into the midafter-noon when she didn't attend school, was probably in utter shock out there.
Almost simultaneous with the glaring light exploding around us came the shouts of the m'ladies to rise. I groaned and looked at Robin. She was awake, but she just lay there staring up. I turned and saw that the other two girls, Gia and Mindy, were already dressed and outside. When did they do that? Did they dress and leave in the dark?
As soon as I sat up, my back felt as if all the muscles in it were tearing away from the bones.
“Stand up!” M'Lady Two screamed at Robin.
M'Lady Three lifted her bunk at the foot of it, then dropped it hard to the floor.
Robin cried out with pain. Reluctantly, she rose, groaning like someone in her eighties or nineties.
“What time is it?” she asked, rubbing her lower back.
“Did you speak? Did you say something without permission? I didn't hear anything, did I? Well?” M'Lady Two demanded, her nose so close to Robin's, I thought they would touch.
Robin shook her head.
“All right then,” M'Lady Two said, standing straight. She turned so she was addressing me as well. “This morning you will be introduced to your chores first and then you will be taken to breakfast.”
“This first breakfast is a gift since you have done little to earn the food,” M'Lady One said. “Consequently, from this time on, whenever you approach a m'lady or any other student at this school, you are to say, 'Excuse me. I'm sorry.' Should you forget to do it, you will be given a demerit on the spot. Is that understood? Is it?” she screamed at me.
“Yes,” I said. Robin nodded.
“March out,” M'Lady Two ordered, and we did so.
The sunlight made me squint. I covered my eyes and gradually got accustomed to what I was seeing. How could it be so hot so early? I wondered.
I looked for Teal. She was standing by her bunk, wavering as if drunk, her head down. The shackles were off her feet, but still attached to the cot. I looked around. The other two girls were nowhere in sight.
“Okay, let's have it,” M'Lady One ordered. Robin looked at me. Teal raised her head. None of us knew what she wanted. “The prayer!” she screamed. “Our morning prayer. Are you all as stupid as you are incorrigible? Recite.”
We began.
“No mumbling. Loud,” she commanded.
Teal, who now looked terrified of making any mistakes, did the best. Robin and I spoke a split second behind her, correcting ourselves.
“Not absolutely perfect, but passable,” M'Lady One decided, just as M'Lady Three came toward us. She was carrying three shovels over her shoulder.
“Good morning, girls,” she sang with exaggerated glee. “Isn't it a beautiful morning? This is one of your tools.” She distributed the three shovels to us. Teal took hers as if the handle were made of steel wool, holding it as softly as possible with just the tips of her fingers.
“From now on, you are responsible for it,” M'Lady Three continued. “We will show you where the tool shed is. You will put them away neatly with every other tool. When you open the tool shed door, wait a moment or two since rattlesnakes seem to find it comfortable in there and I know we're low on antirattlesnake venom.”
Teal looked up sharply and then at the two of us. I saw Robin was having trouble swallowing. She looked like she would topple any moment. My heart was pounding like a jungle drum, sending warnings to every part of my body. My blood was in a panic, rushing through my veins as if it were looking for a place to hide.
“This morning you will join Natani. He is a Navajo Indian and the farm manager. You are to give him the same respect and obedience you give to any of us. He will explain your work to you and you will work fortwo hours before we go to breakfast. As you have been told, you haven't done enough to earn it, but you will be given this first meal anyway. However, I assure you, anyone who doesn't do her job adequately will not be given breakfast and will remain out there working until she does.”
Robin raised her hand.
“Yes, you may speak,” M'Lady Two said.
“Can 1 go to the bathroom first?”
“You all can go to the bathroom one at a time.” She turned to her right to point at a narrow shack.
“What's that?” Teal asked. “I mean, permission
