Mind Fires

Chapter 1

There were four elegant roses standing tall in the vase, representing each member of the family I was about to have. I sat down and took a sip of my tea, admiring the flowers. It was helping to soothe my nerves as we waited to hear the verdict.

I tried to relax and enjoy the final moments of silence before the children ran riot around the apartment. Well, that was if the judge ruled for them to stay with us.

The buzzing of my phone, rather like an earthquake, disturbed me from my thoughts as my sister's social worker called me. I gulped and listened to what she had to say, "Great news Tess! Well for you and Kyle, not so much for your sister..."

I knew I had to ask, although I don't think I was quite ready for what I was about to hear, "What happened?"

"Well, based on the two counts of neglect (one for each child), she would just get the boys taken away from her and no criminal action would need to be taken-"

I clenched my teeth, "What!? She locked her two young sons in the basement with no food or water and told my family they'd gone to live with their dad!"

"I understand your frustration, Miss James, but that's not really what I'm trying to tell you. We had to listen to the reasoning behind Liz's actions and... well... the judge has ruled she goes to a mental institution,"

I almost dropped my tea cup in astonishment. I knew my sister was a heavy drug user, but I didn't realise her mental health was that bad. "Because of the drugs?" I replied at last.

"No," the social worker sighed, "because of the... accusations she's making against her sons,"

"Accusations?" I repeated, slightly confused, "What do you mean?"

"Look, Tessa, I don't think it's right I discuss it over the phone when I'm in the car with the children. They're both asleep right now and we should be at your place in about half an hour," I ended the call, taken aback by her comments. The accusations must have been very serious for her to be put in a mental home.