Still, there was one feeling I could never shake.
I never trusted Janice alone with her.
It wasn’t one enormous thing.
It was dozens of small moments in which Janice ignored Alison’s boundaries whenever they inconvenienced her.
If Alison did not want a hug, Janice would say, « Don’t be rude. »
If Alison wanted to wear one of her princess dresses to breakfast, Janice would complain that she was being difficult.
Then there was Alison’s hair.
Alison was five years old and completely obsessed with Rapunzel.
Her room was filled with Rapunzel dolls, bedsheets, towels, dresses, and little plastic crowns.
She also had long, naturally curly blonde hair that nearly reached her waist, and she treated every inch of it like treasure.