C O M P L E T E - first draft.
7x featured story.
Undiscovered Gem, Romance Ambassadors, January 2025.
Ambys 2024 Favourite - Mystery & Thriller
***
I don't register what comes first--Mum's screams and curses, or the searing pain that perforates...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
---
September 2nd
C A R M E N
When I pry my puffy eyes open the next day, the world feels okay for about ten seconds. Delirium, upon waking up, can have that impact, I suppose. But it does not take long for the throbbing hurt of last night to return.
There is only one spare bedroom at Aunt Maddy's, which my parents took, so I slept on a pile of blankets and cushions on the lounge floor. My back twinges and aches, and I struggle to turn my head to one side without it cramping up. I can already feel how swollen my eyes are without glancing in a mirror, which I blame both on my hysteric sobs once the shock wore off and a lack of sleep. Everything throbs and hurts.
A clicking sound emerges from the door at the far side of the room. It swings open on its hinges and my mother's head pokes through the frame. "You're awake," she remarks matter-of-factly. No words of concern or questions about my mental state, just a strictly business remark. But that's just how Mum is.
"Yeah," I mutter in response as I pull the thin blanket Aunt Maddy gave me closer to my chest.
"That's good. Make yourself presentable and join us in the kitchen."
"I don't have any clothes with me. Just the skirt and top I wore last night."
"Your aunt will lend you something."
I crease my brows up. "But... she's at least three sizes bigger than me. I'm not going to—"
"It doesn't matter, Carmen," Mum interrupts me in an icy tone of voice. "Get up and sort yourself out." She slams the door closed with a loud bang, and I hear her heels click as she walks away.
A sigh passes my lips as I drop the blanket and stagger up onto shaky feet, careful not to put too much weight on my injured heel. My head pulses and a dizzy feeling washes over me for several moments, my vision disappearing into a black haze—a usual occurrence when I'm stressed. I steady myself against the side table in the lounge and wait for it to pass. Several seconds later, my vision returns and I can stand up without support and teeter toward the bathroom to freshen up.
I take a brisk shower and brush my teeth with a spare toothbrush in the bathroom. To aid my growing headache, I rummage through my aunt's medicine cupboard and knock back some paracetamol and ibuprofen. I plod to Aunt Maddy's bedroom and yank her wardrobe drawers open. There aren't many outfits that will fit me, but I find a floral print dress that I can take in with one of her belts, which will do.
Once dressed, I take in my appearance in the large mirror that hands on the wall. I'm a mess. My blonde hair sits on my head in a damp messy bun. My skin is breaking out in spots and blotches, and my eyes and red and bloodshot. I don't recognise the girl staring back at me—the once preppy, popular dancer with tonnes of friends and everything going for her. She's nothing but a shell of her former self.
