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hot. She didn’t want to be talking about this with Mrs. Wenzel. She didn’t need any support groups and she didn’t want to sit around talking to a bunch of other kids about her dead sister.
    “I—I think we’re doing just fine, Mrs. Wenzel. I think it’s nice of you to be concerned for me. But I don’t need anybody else knowing right now. I think the whole world knows already.” She forced another smile.
    Mrs. Wenzel gave her such a probing look that Elly was afraid she might crack. She tapped her crutch impatiently. “I really should be going. It takes me longer to get down the hall with these crutches.”
    “Of course. But, Elly, I mean it. If there’s anything I can do to help . . .”
    Elly slipped behind her pasted smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Wenzel,” she said. But inside she thought,
No one can help
.

EIGHT
    A lone in her bedroom before supper, Elly stared long and hard at her reflection in the mirror. She saw dark circles under her eyes. Despite her blush and freshly applied lip gloss, she looked pale and thin. “So, is that the best you can give me?” she asked the mirror in an accusing tone. “Where’s your smile? Where’re your dimples?”
    The mirror’s sullen reflection glowered at her.
Ugly
, she thought.
Why does my hair always hang so limp and ugly?
Elly tipped her head and picked up a hank of her hair. It hung in a clump from her fingertips. Memories from the past began flooding her.
    “Aw, come on, Elly. Just let me cut some bangs.”
    Five-year-old Elly thrust out her lower lip at Kathy. She didn’t want her hair cut. “You’ll make it ugly.”
    “I will not. I’m six years old and I know all about cutting hair. Tell you what—if you let me cut your bangs, I’ll let you play with my doll.”
    Elly perked. “The doll with the wedding dress?” “And the boy doll, too. You can have a wedding for them.”
    Elly looked at her hazel eyes and round cheeks in the mirror. She tried to picture herself with straight bangs. She thought of the beautiful doll that was Kathy’s special favorite. How she’d begged to play with it before! Now Kathy was almost letting her. “Well, if you promise not to poke me with the scissors.”
    Kathy gave her a smile. “I’ll be real careful.”
    Elly watched as her sister lifted the scissors along with a hank of Elly’s hair. Kathy’s blue eyes danced with delight. The scissors snipped away. Finally, only one tuft of hair was left. It stood straight out from Elly’s forehead. Kathy’s eyes grew wide and she tried to smooth it flat. The stubborn strands refused to obey.
    Elly squirmed. “Can I play with your dolls now?”
    “I—I guess so.” Kathy quickly slid the scissors intoher dressing table drawer. “Uh—Elly. Do you like your bangs?” Kathy nodded as if to encourage Elly’s approval.
    Elly tipped her head from side to side and watched the prickles of her hair bob. “It’s all right. Let’s go show Mom.”
    “No, let’s not. You can show Mom and Dad tonight. Let it be a surprise.”
    Elly shrugged and wiggled off the chair. “Let me have the dolls, Kathy,” she pleaded.
    “Are you going to tell them I cut your hair?”
    “But you did cut it.” Elly didn’t understand why Kathy seemed nervous. All Elly wanted was the dolls.
    Kathy put her arm around Elly’s shoulders. “Tell you what. If you don’t tell them I cut it, I’ll let you play with my dollhouse, too.”
    Elly clapped and giggled. “You will? Oh, Kathy, you’re the bestest sister ever!”
    Elly shook off the mood of the memory. She recalled that they’d both been spanked and that it had taken her bangs six months to grow back. But she never forgot the wonderful afternoon she’d spent playing with her sister’s dolls. Now, as her reflection stared back at her, her hair looked particularly unattractive.
    “Wonder what it would look like real short?” she asked herself out loud.
    A sort of excitement rippled through her as she imagined her hair in short