The creditors had pounced on her afterward and she hadn’t tried to do anything but pay. The job she had as a secretary didn’t pay nearly enough to...take care of anything though. Collections took her car, and the house she had bought with him. So her clothes had come down, and her income rose. Melanie had finally covered all the debts a few months ago, and was now just saving to leave dancing altogether. Her plan was to keep at it until her body said it was time to quit, and go back to. ?Judy seemed very eager to get rid of the brutal gag that she was sporting, even if it meant that it would just be replaced with another. I started to untie the waist apron strings behind Judy’s head, but Helen waved me off.?It’ll be quicker if I just cut it off,? Helen said and I went back to keeping Judy’s balance.Helen was very careful to not cut Judy anywhere in the face as she slid the scissors under several strands of the apron string. Then she slowly cut the strings and we both started. " What does that mean for us?" Well, that's where things get tricky. I had hoped you wouldn't figureanything out and then we could go through with my plan in its entirety.Now that you know though, I have to speed up my plans." Are you going to kill me?" I asked terrified that she was going to killme, or worse."No, no," she said soothingly, "I still love you very much and could notstand to be separated from you. I won't kill you, but I won't change youback either. You are going to be my. Perhaps a cognitively dissonant combination of both?Lissa's grin widened. "Of course, mom. He can sit across from you, like where I am ... he won't see anything..."Denise glanced, involuntarily, at her own lap, and across at her daughter. Swallowed, slightly nervously. I thought, after what she'd made me do, standing at the counter in the kitchen, there was some justice to this request of Lissa's. Almost as if Lissa knew, and was assisting. Hmm." ... as long as you're careful, of course," Lissa.