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By Root 534 0

there were pictures of Lizzy, Rhonda, and Daniel in the teacups at Disney World, the two girls looking impossibly small, wearing Mickey Mouse ears with their names stitched across the front in red cursive; all three kids meeting Davey Crockett at Wild West WorldPeter, who looked to be about eleven, wearing a matching coonskin cap. The Farrs and the Shales spent nearly every holiday together, like one big extended family: here was a picture of everyone but Justine, surrounding a monstrously huge Thanksgiving turkey, and another of them sitting in a sea of festive crumpled paper and ribbons on Christmas morning. Justine was the photographer of the family, so she was in few of the photos. Clem hated pictureshated taking them and having them takenso there were many shots of him turning away: a blurred profile, a raised arm, a fuzzy, unidentifiable ghost of a man.

RHONDA OPENED ANOTHERalbum, thumbed through the plastic-covered pages, traveling forward in time, and found the pictures her mother had taken the last night they performedPeter Pan . There was a shot of all of them lined up in their costumes, holding hands, taking bows. There was Daniel carrying Lizzy in her Captain Hook costume high up on his shoulders. Daniel sword-fighting with Peter after the play. Daniel and Clem standing together drinking beer. Daniel dancing with Laura Lee Clark, who wore a slinky sequined gown. Rhonda searched the photos, searched Daniels face for a sign of his leaving, of his having had enough somehow. All she noticed that was different on Daniels face was his lack of mustache. He was clean-shaven that night, a sign, maybe, that he was ready for a change.

He chose some other life,Rhonda thought as she ran a finger over his smooth face. And then Lizzy, her secret twin, Captain Hook, stopped speaking, and eventually joined her father, leaving for school one morning never to return.

These are the choices people make,Rhonda thought, trying to convince herself such a simple explanation could account for such loss.

God, Rhonda said, pointing to the photo of Daniel and Laura Lee, look how dressed up she is! Like she was going to the Oscars or something. Then her eye was drawn to something else: Check it out, Dadhes got his hand on her ass!

Clem nodded. I think Daniels hand was quite familiar with Laura Lees derriere.

Were they sleeping together?

Clem nodded again. It wasnt exactly a secret. Actually, Aggie always thought Laura Lee had something to do with what happened to Daniel.

What do you mean?

Like maybe Laura Lee was pressuring him. Maybe she told him she was pregnant. Of course, Aggie had all kinds of theories.

Jesus, I had no idea, Rhonda said.

She flipped backward again and came across a photo she hadnt remembered. She and Lizzy wearing matching powder-blue windbreakers. They had their arms around each other and were standing in front of Lizzy and Peters house. She and Lizzy must have been about nine or ten. It was fallthere was a pile of freshly raked leaves behind them. They had the same haircuts, same face shape, they were even dressed like twins. Twins in rumpled clothes. Plump, scarecrow girls with big, haunted eyes. They held on to each other tightly, like their young lives depended on it. They were smiling, but it seemed a forced smile, agive a big smile for the camera, stop looking so sullen and say cheese kind of smile. She wondered who took the pictureAggie, Daniel? Through her own smile, she saw a glint of metal that must have been her retainer.

She let her fingers touch her lost friends face.

Can I keep this one? Rhonda asked her father.

Take the whole album, Ronnie. Your mother and I dont look at them much anymore. In fact, I think I even have that old video ofPeter Pan if you want it.

Rhonda nodded. Shed forgotten there was a video. Clem shuffled back into the bedroom and returned in a few minutes, videotape in hand.

He looked relieved to see it all go; like if you took away the proof, you could imagine whatever you likeeven erase Daniel and Lizzy from the landscape of their