Pictures Of Hollis Woods

Hollis recalls a series of drawings she made of herself and the Regans at the end of August, frantically having as much fun as they could before Hollis’s planned temporary return to the agency, while the family finishes building her a room in their winter house. She fondly remembers the moment they officially told her they wanted to adopt her, and how she spontaneously kissed Steven’s cheek. They tell her, “This house […] is yours. […] All of it” (78). Even in the happy moment, Hollis remembers being worried something will go wrong. She recalls recent fights between Steven and the Old Man, wondering if they were her fault, and thinking “Was trying to fit me into a family like jamming in a puzzle piece that didn’t match? Would it ruin all the other pieces?” (79). They all try to cheer up at having one last weekend, and the word “last” repeats at the end of the chapter.

On the night of the planned escape to Branches, Hollis tries to push away thoughts about what might go wrong with her plan and hopes it won’t make the Regans angry when they find out. She packs all the food she can find and takes Josie’s Christmas ornaments out of the attic to bring along. Hollis knows from her previous escapes that the earlier you leave, the better, so she convinces Josie they should depart that night.

They get into the car and start the drive. Hollis navigates, and Josie shows signs of erratic driving. Hollis nervously thinks of what it will be like when the mustard woman arrives tomorrow and finds them gone, knowing she will call the police. As they leave Long Island, Hollis remembers running away from the stucco woman the last time and how many days it was before they caught up with her. “Maybe we’d be luckier this time” (87), Hollis hopes as the chapter ends.

After hours of driving, Hollis and Josie see the Branches exit. When Hollis points it out, Josie immediately pulls over and goes to sleep. Hollis exits the car and looks up at the familiar mountain, imagining “Beatrice would have said it was a drawing coming to life” (89). She wakes up Josie, gently encouraging her to stay awake for the last part of the drive, and at last, they get to the house. Upon seeing the place, Hollis remembers the morning she ran away from the Regans and how sad she was to realize she’d left the drawing box behind. Back in the present, she is pleased to see that Josie likes the look of the house. She escorts Josie through the snow in her impractical shoes, while Josie marvels at the stars undimmed by city lights. Once they build a fire and Josie is asleep on the couch, Hollis returns to her former room and is delighted to find her drawing box still there. Then, it’s time for Hollis to hide their car in the shed, which makes her nervous because of her car accident with Steven that summer; his voice is in her head, but she manages to do it safely and heads inside to sleep.