Glass of Water
- Since Cecile doesn't act like a parent to the girls, it falls to Delphine to go through the bedtime routine. She helps Fern and Vonetta bathe first, then takes care of herself. She cleans herself quickly, trying to finish before her sisters start fighting and they all wind up sorry.
- Once in their pajamas, Delphine reads Peter Pan as a bedtime story until her sisters fly off with Peter and Wendy to Neverland (or, you know, fall asleep).
- Then Delphine gets out the big guns for herself: Island of The Blue Dolphins.
- Delphine drifts off, but she wakes up when Fern wanders out to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
- The kitchen—gasp.
- Cecile is still out there and is, shall we say, stern in her response to Fern's request.
- She won't even say Fern's name, instead calling her "Little Girl."
- Delphine is angry at this but swallows her pride and asks politely for Fern's water.
- Cecile begrudgingly agrees and slinks back into the kitchen.
- She closes the door quickly, but not before Delphine catches a glimpse of a big pair of white wings hanging on the wall.
- The strange object is oddly comforting for Delphine, who remembers Cecile as being a bit quirky—at least she didn't leave the girls for a normal, boring life.
- When Cecile comes back she has a cup of water and fire in her eyes.
- This scares Fern a bit and there's a showdown when Fern doesn't want to take the water, but Cecile insists she does.
- Finally, Fern grabs the cup and proudly gulps it all in one swig, ready to head back to bed.
- All along, Delphine notices that Cecile never actually says Fern's name.
- She remembers how Big Ma said that Cecile left because she wasn't allowed to choose Fern's name, which Delphine never really believed.
- But now that she's seen this, Big Ma's story must be right.
- Right?