"So Dad's gonna bring pizza home." "Lucy?" "Lucy!" "Don't call me that." "What would you like me to call you?" "Lucinda." "It's more adult." "Okay." "So, Lucinda, huh?" "Yeah." "It wasn't that long ago you'd have me climb into bed with you when you had a nightmare." "Whatever." "I was four." "I, uh, I need to ask you something." "What is it?" "So, there's this camping trip and everyone's going." "That's not a question." "Can I go?" "Isn't it a little cold to go camping?" "We're staying in a cabin." "Are there gonna be any parents?" " No." " Are there gonna be boys?" "No." " Morgan's going." " That's of very little comfort." "Please, Mom?" "Sorry, Lucy." "I just don't think it's a good idea." "This is not fair." "Yeah, and... if your aunt had a mustache, she'd be your uncle." "I fucking hate it when you say that." "You're not going." "And you talk to me like that again you're not going anywhere for a very long time." "You have to trust I'm just looking out for you." "Okay, Lucy?" " Lucinda..." " I'm walking home." "Lucy, come on." "Lucy!" "Lucy!" "# So #" "# The wind blew for days #" "# In so many ways #" "# You were buried in clout #" "# But now, it's left you alone #" "# You're drenched to the bone #" "# But you're safe now somehow #" "# The gales #" "# Had died #" "# And your clothes #" "# Will dry #" "# Your questions drifted away... ##" "Tess?" "Tess?" "So what'd you think?" "This is different." " You bring your skateboard?" " It's your skateboard." "It's yours now." "Okay." "She shouldn't skate around here." "There aren't any sidewalks." "Tell your mom not to be such a fuddy duddy." "Don't be such a fuddy duddy." "Is she shaking her head?" "Yeah." "Have you been playing those cords I taught you?" "A little bit." "The strings hurt my fingers." "The skin will get harder the more you play, then you won't feel anything." "Okay." "We'll practice together when I come home." "When will you come home?" "Soon." "So I'm gonna be coming home late from work." "Just like the last job." "Yeah." "I double-checked with the principal and she still thinks you should start after winter break." "'Kay." "You'll get a fresh start." "You took your pill, right?" "Yes." "You have to take your pill everyday, and you get that, right?" "I know." "Come here, boy!" "Hello." "Father Meyers." "Jessica." " This is Tess." " Short for Theresa." "Please don't call me that." " Tess." " Sorry." "I'll make sure to say a prayer..." "Thank you, father." " Tess?" " Thank you." "Hello." "Sarah?" "It's..." "Haven't see you here in a while." "Is there anything we can do for you?" "No." "Thank you." "Did you have a bad dream?" "Hey, this is Lucy's phone." "I'm not here right now." "Leave a message, and I might get back to you." "What're you gonna do today?" "Read." "Explore." "Hey." "Remember what Dr. Petty said?" "Always make eye contact." "# I stood alone #" "# And watched you go, baby #" "# My crying voice #" "# Was out of range #" "# And as I stood #" "# With none beside me #" "# I felt the seasons in me #" "# Change #" "# And a part of me #" "# Has lost my mother #" "# And a part of me #" "# Has lost a child #" "# And part of me #" "# Will rise from my roots #" "# At least not for a little while #" "# I think of you #" "# When I walk this city #" "# And I'll hold you more #" "# Than time to time #" "# And even though #" "# It's such a pity #" "# Can't make myself #" "# Just leave these behind ##" "Anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior disorder hallucinations." "She's been in and out of hospitals on different medications practically her whole life." "I remember the first time." "She was five." "She was sitting in a corner all hunched up and and just knocking her head against the wall over and over." "And we were so young when we had her." "At her age now, actually." "I've tried so hard." "I've made so many mistakes." "But then I think she's good now." "It looks like you've done well, Jessica." "She seems like a teenager." "Tess, come in for dinner." "All right." "You want this door open or closed?" "It doesn't matter." "What're you doing?" "Just looking." "It's freezing out here." "# You and I together #" "# You're the jewel in my crown #" "# You and I forever #" "# What goes up must come down #" "# And you go north till it's south #" "# And you come back around #" "# I could never leave you #" "# No matter if I tried #" "# And if you ever ran, I'd retrieve you #" "# To keep you satisfied #" "# And you can't run, and you can't hide #" "# But I'll love you till I die ##" "What're you singing?" "Nothing." "I just make it up as I go along." "Peter asked if you were coming on the camping trip." "I'd have to buy a new swimsuit that hides my scar." "Oh, screw that." "Your scar's cool." "Peter says it's like a badass tattoo." "So, wait, does that mean your mom said yes?" "Lucinda." "You haven't even asked her yet, have you?" " No, not yet." " Sarah's cool." "She'll say yes." " "Sarah's cool"?" " Cooler than my mom." "Yeah." "Morgan, that's not hard." "Don't talk about my mom, bitch." "Sarah gets it." "She's, like, worldly." " "Worldly"?" " Yeah." "Worldly." "Come on." "Your grandparents are missionaries." "They didn't stick around long." "And all she ever did was end up back here." "She's never gonna let me go." "Well, tell her I'm going." "That'll make her happy." " Yeah." " Just ask her, you wuss." "Can I help you?" "Alrighty, then." "I used to have a necklace just like that once." "How come nobody ever comes in here?" "Excuse me." "I'm always across the street." "Nobody ever comes in." "No one reads books anymore." " I like them." " I do, too." "I just wish we weren't the only ones." "If your aunt had a mustache, she'd be your uncle." "Come again." "It's just something my mom says." ""Understanding Your Dreams." That's a good book." " I get nightmares." " So does my daughter." "She has me sleep with her when she has 'em." "Do you need anything else?" "No, thank you." "Tess?" "Tess?" "Did you take your pill today?" "I know they don't make you feel good, but doctors prescribe them for a reason." "You know?" "You knew there were gonna be side-effects." "No, I know." "That's better than the alternative, right?" "I just wish she would talk to me." "I mean, you have a better connection with her and you're 10,000 miles away." "That's not true." "You're being too hard on yourself." "The way Tess is... who she is inside quiet, smart, thoughtful." "She's just like you." "You have a stomachache?" "Let me get you some antacid, okay?" "Here." "Tess." "Take two of these, okay?" "You chew both of them?" "It won't stop." "I won't stop it." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "I won't stop." "It's not real." "It's not real." "It's not real." "It's not real." "It's not real." "Not real." "Go away!" "Leave me alone!" "Just go away!" "Go away!" "Go away!" "Please stop!" "Stop it!" "Please!" "Tess?" "Tess." "Tess!" "Tess!" "Tess!" "Tess!" "Robert, she started cutting herself." "They're not gonna let me leave, not even for this." "Don't worry." "We'll get you more help." "Why didn't you tell me you were in pain?" "You always tell me." "Tess!" "Tess!" "Help!" "# It'll be here just in time ##" "Help me." "Help me." "Please help me." " Hello?" " Please." "Mom..." "Mom, please help me." " Hello?" " Please help me, Mom." "This is Lucy's phone." "I'm not here right now leave a message and I might get back to you." "Am I speaking with Tess?" "Do you see that person over there?" "There's no one there." "Let's take a look at the drawings we asked you to do." "You said you had a feeling that something was pushing you down." "You couldn't move." "Did you know that there's a chemical in your brain that makes you paralyzed when you sleep?" "It's so you don't get up while you dream." "I wasn't sleeping." " Were you taking your medication?" " Yes." "But it doesn't matter." "They don't work anyway." "With the hallucinations?" "The noises." "What kind of noise?" "They think it's a severe case of dissociative identity disorder." "The doctors are suggesting I send her to an institution where she can be supervised." "You said she can move her limbs?" "They need more tests." "Nothing's helped." "Well, let me try." "Do you believe in God?" "I don't know." " "Be strong in the Lord..." - "And the power of his might." ""Put on the whole armor of God..." ""...so that you may be able to stand against the schemings of the devil." ""For we do not rustle against the flesh and the blood..." ""...or against the principalities that powers..." ""...and against the spiritual host in these heavenly places."" "That's not going to help." "I talked to your little brother, Steven, right?" "He looks about nine." "Steven says he forgives you for what you did." "I miss you, Jeffrey." "What was that?" "I didn't say anything." "You're not serious?" "Jessica, I want to help you in any way I can, but I have no knowledge here." "There's a seminary in St. Louis that has experience with this sort of thing." "I'd love for her to talk to someone there if I can get them to see her but they'd have to meet her outside of the hospital." "They're making me talk to a social worker before I can take her home." "Well, maybe I can help with that if they trust me here." "Here you go." "Are you taking me home?" "It's for your own safety." "You have to eat." "Doesn't matter." "I'll make 'em go away." "What was that?" "Tess!" "Tess!" "Tess!" "I'm home." "I traveled a lot when I was a kid." "My parents were missionaries, so we traveled all over the world, but India was our first stop." "We'd only been there a few days when I noticed all these people filing into the house across the street." "So I snuck over and all the people were sitting in the semicircle." "And..." "This woman was kneeling in the center swaying her head back and forth..." "Until something overtook her." "She removed her hair from her face and..." "She kept staring until her eyes began to change colors." "And they all raised their hands wanting to speak to the woman actually speak to their dead loved ones through her." "She would do this every month." "I would say they were taking advantage of her, but I found out she willingly went through it." "She considered it a gift to bring the people in that room some peace and to convince the spirits they could finally move on." "I think your daughter may have the same gift and I think my daughter is inside your daughter." "Everything's that's happened to Tess could be a result of this gift." "Stop calling it that." "Sorry." "So what else makes you think this is real?" "She came into my store one day and told me she had a necklace like this one." " She's had a lot of necklaces." " And then she said a saying that I used to say to Lucy that she hated that my mother always said to me that I'm sure when she grew up she would probably say to her kids." "What was it?" ""If your aunt had a mustache, she'd be your uncle."" "Why would Tess have this?" "I think some people are just born with it." "The Indian girl didn't ask why." "She just accepted it and dealt with it in her own way." "I'm sorry." "I can't just accept it." "Maybe this is all too crazy to believe." "Tess." "Where's Dad?" "He left." "It was really hard after." "Can I talk to him?" "It's not a good idea, Lucy." "He'll never believe this." "That's Martha and Rena, Becka." "My two cousins, Crystal and Lukas." "And Pa Jeffrey." "Is that right?" "What's in that locket?" "I never got a chance to put anything in it." "My dad." "He only gave it to me a week before." "But if you need more proof." "I'm sorry for doing this to her." "I just wanted to be more like myself." "Lucy's appendix burst when she was eight years old." "I'm not evil." "Just give me some time alone with her." "She's just confused... stubborn." "You want to be alone with her?" "For how long?" " A few days." " A few days?" "However long it takes." "Look, I'll let you talk to her now, with me in the room otherwise, I have to take her away." "And what if she doesn't want to go?" "Please let me stay." "I worked so hard coming back to you." "I don't want you to go." "This isn't good for you." "You're only gonna get more confused, and then you'll never be able to move on." "But I don't want to move on." "It breaks my heart, but it's the right thing to do." "For Tess and there for you." " Please let her come back." " She doesn't want to." "The pills, the doctor's, she's done with all of them." "She's in a place where they can't hurt her." "I'm sorry, but she doesn't trust you anymore." "You have to move on, Lucinda." " I can't control it, Mom." " I know you can." " I can't." " Yes you can." "Your other spirits... if I leave, I may never be able to come back." "Do you want that?" "You have to try." "I'm so sorry for everything I said." "Just for everything." " I wish I wasn't such a little brat." " No, no, no, don't... don't say that." "I'd still be here with you and Dad and you would still be together." " It's not your fault." " Yes, it is." "I just want you to be at peace, Lucy and to be in a better place." "Okay." "What's going on?" " I love you, Mom." " I love you, too." "Is that Tess?" "I'm not sure." "You have to try harder, Lucy." "Is that Tess?" " What's going on?" " I don't know!" "Tess?" "Tess." " Tess?" " Just stop that." "What is she saying?" "I can't tell." "Tess?" "Lucy?" "Who are you?" "Tess!" "Tess!" " Tess!" "Stop!" " It's okay." "There's no way out down there!" "No!" " What are you doing?" " She might be hurt." "She's my daughter." "Tess!" "Tess!" "Please come out!" "Please come out!" "I'll keep you safe." "I'm begging you!" "I'm begging you!" "I'll do better!" "I swear." "I just need you back." "Tess?" "Where's my mom?" "Lucy's a strong soul." "That's why she was able to fight her way back." "Maybe she just needs closure." "I don't know, but isn't that..." "what they all want?" "I think they just don't want to leave." "Morgan's gone." "She'll come back." "Everyone's trying to move on." "Even you?" "Tess?" " Lucy." " Tess." "Baby, it's only gonna get worse." "Trust me, please?" "Can I just have one more night?" "Sure." "Hi." "Lucy?" "Do you really want to go back?" "I'll tell your mom you're not sure." "Lucy?" "I came back for you, Mom." "I won't leave you again." "Wait." "We can move back if you want." "Whatever you think is best." "I'll do better for you." "I know you will." "Let me see." "You got to keep building up your calluses." "Keep playing, okay?" "I will." "Promise me you won't give up." "I promise." "She seems better to you, right?" "You don't think so?" "I don't..." "I just don't know anymore." "She can be a normal kid again." "Can be even cool." "# You and I are together #" "# You're the jewel in my crown #" "# So it will be forever #" "# What goes up must come down #" "# You go north, till it's south #" "# You'd come back around #" "# I could never, ever leave you #" "# No matter if I tried #" "# And if you'd ever run, I'd retrieve you #" "# To keep you satisfied #" "You know, I never did get your name." "# As you can run #" "# You can hide #" "# Love you till I die ##"