Annette bent forward and kissed the boy too, her soft lips pressed gently over his.Richard lay there looking up at the ceiling as the girls went downs...airs. The sunlight was still quite strong as it rays filtered through the window and he began to doze.Diane and Veronica were sat at the dinner table as Richard came through to the dining room. Wendy had woken him and had watched him while he washed his face. She had combed his hair and ensured that his clothes were straight."You can sit over. “Where am I? And why?”She stood over him in a short white bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a towel. A slight blush glowed through her china skin. Violet eyes she had, mirroring the smile of her mouth – cherry lips, pearly teeth.Her mouth, he thought. Ah yes, hers now. Sweet Charlie.“Congratulations,” the girl said, while closing the tap. “I am so glad for you. We’ll be sisters now, you know, real sisters, promise me.”Memories returned.They brought images of two old faces, painted mouths talking. "At last," he thought, "this strangely terrible yet intriguing ordeal is over." Then fear gripped him. He heard Sarah's voice. "Well, my sleeping beauty. Do you realize, Harvey, that you fainted and then that you slept for quite a few hours?" Harvey groaned as he turned to face his persecutor. Oh, how those whiplashes hurt. "How could you do what you did to me last night, Miss Kaufman?" he asked. "It was necessary," she said, "in order to let you know that I could and I would beat you. .." I know, Carlie. But it is not unheard of for a girl of fourteen to marry. Among the poor, it is almost common. It gets a hungry mouth out of the house." I sighed. I knew of such. "It also often means a baby when the girl is very young. That is one reason I am waiting. My papers say eighteen. My body, it is fourteen." Yet you and Dave..." Yes. And he is very gentle with me unless I do not want him to be gentle. Sometimes I am excited and I do not want gentle. I want to be owned by Dave.".