Phyllis and a handful of other girls charged forward to seize Veronica and pin her to a chair. Helena took hold of Molly's arm to keep her from interfering as the girls went to work on Veronica. They smeared makeup on her face, put her hair into sloppy curls, stuffed her into one of Prudence's tent-sized dresses, and forced a pair of Samantha's big shoes on her feet despite Veronica's pleas to stop. When they finished, the girls backed away, giggling and pointing. Phyllis held up a mirror so Veronica could see herself. "Isn't it cute? The baby wants to pretend like she's a grownup," Helena said. The other girls laughed along with her.
"Leave me alone!" Veronica screamed as the girls pinched her cheeks and tousled her hair. "I'm not a little kid!" The makeup applied to her face started to run as she cried.
"I think little Becky needs a nap," Helena said.
The girls dragged Veronica from the chair, following Helena and Molly out the door. "Stop this!" Veronica shouted.
No one stopped the procession on its way to the pantry. Molly didn't expect anyone to do so. This is what David wanted; this is why he insisted they go to the dormitories, knowing Helena would torture Becky now that she didn't have anyone around to stop her from doing so. Helena had always been jealous of Becky's authority and now she had the chance to get even. "When Samantha finds out about this-"
Helena interrupted Molly's threat with a laugh. "Samantha's gone. I'm in charge now." She opened the door to the cellar and dragged Molly down the steps, followed by Phyllis and a pair of other girls carrying Veronica.
They dumped both girls on the floor and then started back up. "You'll pay for this!" Veronica howled. "All of you will pay if it's the last thing I do!" With the makeup smeared on her face and in her oversized clothes, the threat seemed comical. The cellar door clanged shut, leaving them alone. Veronica batted Molly's hands away and then retreated to a corner to curl up in a ball. "They'll pay," she said again.
They spent the rest of the night sleeping in opposite corners of the cellar. Every time Molly closed her eyes, she saw Becky reaching out to her while she did nothing to help. If she had only taken Becky's hand, Becky would still be here and she and little Veronica could have lived in the cottage as one happy family. Why hadn't she taken Becky's hand?
In the morning, the cellar door opened. Molly pressed herself against an empty shelf, fearing Helena and her friends wanted to continue humiliating Molly and Veronica. Instead, David stomped down the steps. "I found out what happened," he said. "Helena and the others will be punished."