Chapter 28 Summary

Niki teaches Astrid how to get high on acid. She has a bad reaction to the drug; she is trembling and nauseated. They go to the art museum to soothe Astrid. She feels restored as they look around the Impressionist rooms. Astrid is high as the acid keeps coming on. She feels like she could have painted everything herself. They go to the museum café to get something to drink, and everything looks and feels funny and out of sync. In the bathroom, Astrid catches a glimpse of herself. She looks very red-faced, her eyes black as a magpie's and hair tangled. She looks feral and it scares her.

Next, they go to the Contemporary wing, to which Astrid has never gone. When she came with her mother, she never could quite understand when her mother explained a Rothko. Now she stands...