𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 ✔︎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

After five minutes of sitting on the sofa and fidgeting, Mum got restless. She stood up with an angry look on her face.

"What's wrong, Mum?" I asked, aghast.

She swore. Then she stamped her feet and pushed all the plates of nuts and sweets and biscuits off the coffee table.

"Mum!" I yelled. Tears pricked my eyes. "What happened?"

"I can't take this!" she cried. "My... my heart. It's too painful. It's been hurting so much recently. Now it's just too much to handle!"

Was it the white powder Sandra was trying to poison her with? It had to be. Now I realised why I heard that Mum had gotten violent. It was Sandra's fault.

"Mum, listen to me," I said. My voice was calm but inside, a storm was raging. "Mum, Sandra is trying to poison you. Little by little in each bite you have from her food. I saw some powder."

"What?" Mum gasped. "She would never! Even if she would... why?" Her breathing was uncontrollably fast and she clutched her heart in pain.

"Just don't eat her food. Please? For me. I'll make you some instead."

"I don't believe this. There's no proof."

"I'll prove it to you. I will eat some of Sandra's food to show you."

"No!" she shouted. "I won't risk it. None of us will have her food." I witnessed a teardrop fall from her left eye. "We will fire her. Yes. You will be my new carer, Zoe."

"Mum, they won't let me. The social services. I'm living in Nina's foster home now."

"Why aren't you there then? Why?" She clenched her fists with rage and pushed a large vase full of lovely deep red roses to the floor. The glass shattered and water spilt.

"Mum! Please! Just-"

Suddenly, the kitchen door opened. Sandra entered the living room with a snarl on her face, handing us the plates of chicken salad. My heart thudded in my chest. I was not going to eat her stupid food. At least, I was not going to let Mum eat it.

Mum sat down, a look of fury on her loving face. Mum had turned into a monster. And it was all due to the sore heart which was due to the poison Sandra was putting in her three dishes every day.

"I'm not hungry," Mum mumbled. She shot me a look. "And Zoe isn't either."

Sandra gasped. "Oh? But won't you try a bit?"

Mum stood up, clutching her heart in agony, groaning. "No." She dropped her plate. The glass broke and the chicken salad fell onto the wooden floor.

"I need a nap. Zoe needs one too." She went upstairs, her feet stomping hard.

I gulped. Being face to face with Sandra was not a pleasing experience.

"Oh I see," she whispered. "I see you have brainwashed her into thinking I'm poisoning her food."

I decided to go straight to the point. "Then what's the white powder on the window sill?"

"Baby powder!" she laughed until tears streamed down her cheeks. "It's baby powder, I tell you!" She said this in a hysterical way, almost as if she was scared.

"Doesn't smell like baby powder," I mutter, putting the plate of the salad down onto the coffee table.

Her laughing turned into a growl. "Listen, you," she snarled. "I don't know who you think I am, but my job is to look after your mother. That's why I've been trusted. Surely you don't understand this yet."

"Leave. I'll ask for a better carer. Mum doesn't deserve you."

"And who do you think you are?" She laughed again. "You think you can fire me, eh? Well no, you can't." She took her phone out of her pocket and tapped on the screen. "I'll call the police. I'll tell them you're the one who's trying to kill your mother. That you're the evil one."