Hidden Pictures

Later, Mallory fights the urge to talk to Caroline. She takes the three latest drawings and goes outside, where she sees Ted and Caroline by the pool, talking about Teddy. Mallory twists her ankle and hits her elbow when she falls. They hear her shout and come to help. When they see the drawings, Ted laughs. He says he reads Teddy the original Grimm’s fairy tales each night. Caroline disapproves, citing the extreme violence of the original stories. Caroline says Teddy uses Anya to avoid cognitive dissonance. Mallory asks if Anya might be Annie Barrett and says that she always hears him talking to her.

The Maxwells are annoyed. Caroline is furious to learn that Mallory talked to Mitzi first. Teddy overhears them, and Ted tells him the drawings are scaring Mallory. Ted then hugs Mallory and says that getting Teddy was an ordeal, but he does not elaborate. Mallory realizes that Caroline is insecure: “I’ve been so busy admiring Caroline, I’ve never stopped to think that she might be envious of me” (110). She gives the drawings to Ted, and he tears them in half.