I spend another interminably long day in the park doing nothing except thinking about how badly I want some French fries and a diet coke . . . and a hot shower . . . and my couch and remote. Throughout the endless hours of monotony, the anticipation is chipping away at my nerves.

Rowan walked away from the park early in the morning and there had been no sign of him since. Yoli, Becky and the other young woman, Emily, who rarely spoke to anyone, spent most of the day sleeping in their tents as if resting up for something. It occurred to me more than once that I should have been doing the same, but I was too impatient to rest.

Dusk darkens the sky and I decide to walk to the bathroom and wash the day's grit off my face. Olson is sitting against the brick wall of the restrooms reading a newspaper. "You look like an expectant hen waiting for her eggs to hatch. Tone it down," he advises. I know he is right, but it raises my hackles nonetheless.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just remember to stay awake tonight." I walk into the bathroom and stare into the grainy mirror. I've been in the park for three nights. My eyes look hollow from lack of sleep and lack of fresh water. Removing the braids had been a mistake. My hair looks as if I just drove across country in a convertible. Even the comb I brought in my tattered backpack is useless in the red nest on my head. My fellow park campers seem far more resilient than me. Yoli looks fresh faced and happy every morning as if her body and mind have evolved perfectly to living on the streets. It's as sad as it is slightly intriguing to know that humans can adapt to any living conditions. I was sure Yoli's healthy state of mind, even with everything she's been through, had as much to do with her looking fresh faced as anything else.

As if my thoughts conjured her, Yoli steps into the bathroom. "Jeez, I slept way too long. My head feels groggy." She walks up next to me in the mirror. Her eyes are clear and her cheeks are rosy.

"I look like a corpse next to you," I note. "Maybe I should have hibernated for the day like the rest of you. Is today some national nap day or did I just miss the memo?"

Her laugh echoes off the bathroom walls. "You're so funny, Tawny. We just want to be rested for tonight." She sucks her lips in apparently deciding she's said too much.

"It's all right, Yoli. If this has something to do with Rowan, I might already be in on the secret. Sort of anyway. He didn't fill in many details."

Yoli sighs loudly. "Thank goodness, I was having such a hard time not telling you. I told Becky the second you showed up to the park with your bedroll that you were going to be invited. Becky wasn't so sure." Yoli looks back to make sure there are no feet in the stalls behind us. It seems now that the secret portal is open, Yoli is going to pour out everything she knows. "Becky is sort of paranoid. For some reason, she has talked herself into not trusting you. I think she's just a little jealous is all."

I laugh at my reflection. "Is it the crazy ass red clown hair or the dead look in my sunken eyes?"

"Oh please, Tawny. You know you have that sex appeal thing going on. Becky has a crush on Rowan, and he hasn't taken his eyes off of you since you got here."

"Not sure what that sex appeal thing is, but it's not looking back from that haggard reflection in the mirror. There's nothing between Rowan and me. Where is Rowan anyhow? I haven't seen him all day."

"He always disappears on party day. He'll be back later."

"So he goes off to some party? What kind of party?"

Yoli turns on the water and wets the toothbrush in her hand. "No, he's getting ready for the party. Tonight's party," she says like I should understand her without question. She sees the confusion on my face. "He really didn't fill you in at all, did he? You'll see soon enough. Who knows, you might even win the golden ticket or at least that's what we call it because just like Willy Wonka's factory no one really knows what's happening inside. I don't know anyone who got the invite. I've only heard rumors of girls who were chosen. Once that happens, they are gone for good, no doubt living a marvelous, carefree, posh existence." She shoves the toothbrush in her mouth.

I use the opportunity to toss out just a few of the billion questions I have after her rambling speech about Willy Wonka and golden tickets.

"What are the girls chosen for? I assume it's not for a tour of a chocolate factory. How do you know this place exists if you've only ever heard rumors? And who is playing the part of Willy Wonka?" I add for fun. "Where do these golden tickets lead to?"

Yoli holds back her hair and spits into the sink before wiping her mouth with a paper towel. "I know about as much as you except it's some place called Lace Underground." She covers her mouth. "Maybe I'm not supposed to say that. We could get dropped from the party list if we tell any outsiders, and trust me, once you're on the list, you want to stay there. I can't imagine how tragic it would be not to be on the list anymore."

I pull an invisible zipper across my lips. "Your secret is safe." I'm doing a happy dance in my head. I've found Cherry Cola, and it seems Rowan is a direct connection to the Lace Underground. I figure I'm pushing my luck but try again for the name I'm looking for. "So who is Wonka? Who is in charge of the Lace Underground?"

Yoli shakes her head. "No, I've said too much. It's not important anyhow. Like I said, no one I know has ever been chosen. Now get yourself cleaned up. It's almost party time."