They stopped by Becky's cottage first only to find it deserted. "Do you think something happened to them?" Wendell asked, picking up one of Molly's dolls.
"They're probably conserving firewood," Samantha said.
They walked down the silent row of shops to the girl's dormitory. Before she opened the door, Samantha took a deep breath and tried to force a smile to her face. She didn't want any of the girls to suspect what she was planning.
"Hello everyone, we're home," she called from the parlor. They waited there a moment, a rustling coming from downstairs. Then a head of curly red hair bounded over the stairs and into Samantha's outstretched arms. "Molly! Oh, you've gotten bigger since I left. I don't think I'll be able to pick you up soon."
"Aunt Samantha, I missed you so much," Molly said.
"I missed you too, sweetie." She kissed Molly on the forehead, reminding herself this would be the last time she did so. She had to bite down on her lip to keep from crying.
Molly squirmed out of Samantha's arms to hug Wendell and then Prudence. "What happened to your arm?" she asked.
"It's a long story," Prudence said.
By now the other girls had gathered in the parlor, though Samantha didn't see Becky among them. She picked Molly up again with an exaggerated grunt. "Where's your mom?" she asked.
Molly looked down at the floor, her face darkening. "Becky is sleeping," she said.
"We'll have to wake her up then."
Molly shook her head. "You can't. No one can. We tried everything. She won't wake up."
"Where is she?" Molly pointed downstairs. Samantha set the girl down before pushing her way through the others to go downstairs. She hurried down the empty rows of beds until she found Annie curled up on her bed. Annie pointed to the opposite corner without Samantha having to say anything.
If not for Annie's guidance, Samantha might have walked by the pile of blankets in the corner. Only the slight rise and fall of the blankets every few seconds told her someone lay underneath the assorted covers. She laid a hand on the topmost blanket and said, "Becky? Becky, it's me. It's Samantha. Can you hear me? We're back." When nothing happened, Samantha started to pull off the covers. "Becky, please, wake up."
She heaped the blankets on the floor, at last revealing the body of a little girl who couldn't be any older than Molly. Samantha rolled the girl over to see the makeup slathered on her face smeared by tears. "Becky? Is it you?" Samantha asked. "What happened? Who did this to you?"