I awoke a few mornings later to my alarm clock blaring down my ear. I pounded my fist down in order to get it to stop, forgetting that Kyle was asleep. He wriggled slightly but he hadn't woken up. I crept into the bathroom and washed my face, staring at my reflection. My makeup from the previous day had smudged and I had disremembered to switch into pyjamas. I sighed deeply and got ready.
At about 8am, I reluctantly checked on the boys, peering through a crack in the doorway. They were both sound asleep, just two innocent young children. After taking a breath of relief, I shut the door and went downstairs to prepare breakfast.
Fifteen minutes later, just as I had finished frying the pancakes, Micah appeared in the doorway. I met his gaze then quickly looked away, almost as if I was frightened of a three year old boy. He stood there rubbing his eyes, a threadbare teddy with one eye dragging along the floor. "Hi Micah," I decided to act fake, as if nothing had happened the previous night. He slowly walked over to me. I inhaled, clenching tighter on the frying pan just in case I needed to use it.
But his action surprised me. He hugged me. My muscles relaxed, and I awkwardly patted his back. "I want my mommy," he said, timidly.
"Your mommy has gone away for a while," I replied after a long pause, "so you have to stay with Auntie Tessa and Uncle Kyle,"
Nathaniel appeared in the kitchen, so I pulled away from Micah. "Are you boys hungry?" I asked. They both nodded in sync.
I took my nephews to their school, receiving some strange looks when they appeared after months of being absent. I stayed in my car for a while, watching the boys safely enter the school. They stood out. It was odd; you could tell something was different about them. Instead of letting my mind wander, I settled on the fact their uniform was not the same.
My day was chilled and stress-free at work. Being surrounded all day by the bright colours and sweet scents of flowers did me good. The strange sense of fear I had suddenly developed at home was replaced with the aroma of beauty for a few hours. And I got paid for it, though only a small amount.
YOU ARE READING
Mind Fires
HorrorWhen Tessa James agrees to take on her young nephews after they are removed from their mother, she thinks it will be a simple task. But when the boys' behaviour becomes abnormal, the reasons become clear as to why their mother neglected them. Tessa...
