Wintergirls

Lia looks through the curtains and sees Elijah’s car stuck in the snow. Lia figures Elijah isn’t really gone, he just stepped out to run errands. Lia falls back asleep. Lia wakes up again in the afternoon and realizes Elijah’s clothes and notebooks are gone. Lia spends the afternoon watching television and knitting the blanket she’s been working on. At nighttime, Lia falls back asleep. When Lia wakes up, she sees a note from Elijah that she missed before. In the note, Elijah admits he stole Lia’s money, but tells Lia to go back home and seek help. Elijah left Lia the key to the motel office and vending machine.

In the motel room, Lia imagines crows stalking her, waiting to eat her body. Lia thinks to herself, “my body / my motel room / alone” (265).

In the motel room, Lia thinks, “If I really want to die, right now, this minute, in this empty place, I could stab myself in a vein; they’re easy enough to see. I could walk into the blizzard and lie down in the snow and bleed out” (265). Lia continues to fall asleep, wake up, and spend time in the motel room, unsure how much time is passing. Lia thinks of her mother, father, Jennifer, and Emma. Eventually, Lia thinks, “There is a chance I might want to live, after I get some sleep” (267). She falls back asleep.

When Lia wakes up, she leaves room 115 and goes into room 113, the room where Cassie died. Lia sees Cassie sitting on the bed. Cassie tells Lia she’s been waiting for her. Cassie tells Lia she is dying. Lia thinks, “For a moment, one glass-coffin moment, I want to give in. Freeze. Bleed out. Surrender would be easy to swallow. I could sleep forever after” (270). Lia tells Cassie to open her mouth. Lia sees the green sea-glass that she brought to Cassie’s wake on Cassie’s tongue. Lia takes it back and starts to see her possible futures pass in front of her eyes. Lia says to Cassie, “You lied! […] I do have a choice” (271). Cassie admits she is a ghost, stuck between two worlds. Lia tells Cassie to think about her favorite memories and Cassie starts to disappear. Cassie tells Lia there is a pay phone in the office. Before Lia leaves, she apologizes to Cassie for not picking up the night Cassie died. Cassie answers, “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner” (273).

Lia makes it to the motel office, calls her mother, and gives her mother directions to the motel. Paramedics arrive and take Lia to the hospital.

Doctors tell Lia she spent 10 days in the hospital, but Lia was asleep for most of her stay and didn’t realize.

Lia is admitted once again to New Seasons. This time, Lia makes an effort to eat, even though it is difficult for her. Lia thinks, “Food is life. And that’s the problem. When you’re alive, people can hurt you. It’s easier to crawl into a bone cage or a snowdrift of confusion. It’s easier to lock everybody out. But it’s a lie” (275). Lia’s mother, father, and Jennifer come for therapy sessions. Lia notes, “we’re all angry. But nobody storms out of our sessions. Nobody uses nasty names” (275). Lia is honest with the nurses and avoids arguing with them, even though she is still skeptical of the doctors. When Dr. Parker comes to see Lia, she says she is working with the doctors to put together a transition plan for when Lia leaves New Seasons and goes back home. Finally, Emma is allowed to come visit Lia. Emma hopes Lia can come home soon. Slowly, Lia is recovering.