Limerence

07

Margo's dreams were haunted that night by visions of Cora Manning, who was Kiera's abusive mother. Kiera had always come to school with bruises on her legs, which she was forced to hide with long pants. They made Margo sick, just seeing how bloody and bruised she was on her arms, legs and even her chest.
Though Kiera never said it, Margo suspected that Cora Manning was also sexually abusing her daughter as well. During cheer practice, Margo accidentally saw up Kiera's shirt and saw bruises down there as well. So it was a no brainer when Margo proposed that they kill Kiera's mother.
Cora Manning had a hard time sleeping, so she took sleeping pills. She had taken them everyday for the last 5 years, or so Kiera had told Margo. She continued to up the dosage until she was taking around 5 each night. She also had a drinking problem, so Margo came up with the proposition.
Every Sunday night, Cora would drink an entire bottle of vodka. It was on nights like this where the beatings would either worsen or cease entirely. Either her mother was too drunk to do anything and would pass out, or she would go into a drunken rage and take it out on Kiera.
Kiera's mother had been sound asleep, so Kiera took the initiative and began rummaging through the bathroom cabinets. She tried not to be loud, because if she was then her mother would awaken and beat her more than she already had. Margo, of course, had been there as well for a sleepover.
Cora Manning had absolutely no shame when it came to her daughter. The entire town knew that she beat Kiera Manning, but nobody did a thing, because they wanted to "mind their business."
Margo stood guard by the door, and Kiera finally found the sleeping pills. The label said Lunesta. Kiera grinned. Even though she had only been 11 at the time, she knew that mixing sleeping pills with alcohol, and especially Lunesta, would most likely cause death.
Kiera poured out a handful of them, and Margo handed her a plastic bag that she had snagged from the kitchen a few hours prior. Kiera poured the sleeping pills into the bag, before grabbing the pill bottle and crushing the pills into a fine powder.
Afterwards, Margo tucked the bag of crushed pills into her pocket, and the girls left the bathroom to go to sleep.

The next night, Cora Manning had sat in her recliner, eating chips and watching the TV, laughing obnoxiously loud as the latest rerun of her favorite show came on. Kiera & Margo sat on the couch, desperately waiting for her to get her bottle of vodka. Margo slipped the bag of powder into Kiera's pocket.
Kiera's mom wasn't budging, so Kiera took the opportunity to offer to get her her bottle of vodka. Cora seemed shocked at her daughters question, but nodded her head and went back to watching the sitcom.
She poured in the sleeping pill powder first, which she had spent all night grinding up to ensure that it would dissolve in the vodka.
Cora Manning took the bottle from her daughter gleefully, before gulping it down like it was water. Just the sight of it made Margo feel sick to her stomach. Even a decade later, it still made her feel queasy.
Soon afterwards, she fell asleep in her recliner, smiling as she was lulled away into a dreamless sleep. A sleep that would last forever. Kiera's mother was dead in her recliner within a few hours, and Kiera had to make sure to cry for the operator when she called the police. After all, it had just been a terrible "accident."

Margo awoke screaming, sweat pouring down her face. Cora Manning had been alive again, rotting and decomposing, casting an accusatory glare in her direction, before she forced open Margo's mouth and killed her the same way that Kiera & Margo had killed her. But thankfully, it was just a dream.
She didn't know if Kiera had the dreams, or if she felt the pressing guilt in her chest every time she thought of what they had done, but Margo knew she sure as hell did. The coroner had labeled it as an accidental overdose, considering she had been taking the sleeping pills in excess for awhile, and the case was closed. But Margo & Kiera knew deep down, that they were the ones who had killed her, and it was eating Margo alive.