Mind Games

Chapter 20 - Beverly

"Oh my God! Can you believe the nerve of those boys? They had the balls to want to go into my little girl's room!"

Amy smiled sagely at the dishevelled, livid woman in front of her.

"It's too late, Bev. That girl has already been corrupted. You tried to protect her all these years but look how ungrateful she turned out to be."

She made a sad face and leaned forward.

"I'm sorry to have to say this, Bev. But you need to cut your losses now. That girl is a liability in your life. She isn't going to graduate college, she isn't going to become a successful professional, she will get knocked up before she finishes school and spend the rest of her life as a waitress in an obscure town."

Beverly looked at her desperately.

"Imagine what you could achieve if you didn't have that kid hanging around your neck. You don't need her to achieve your dreams. You can do that yourself."

Amy leaned back after her little speech, watching the woman in front of her.

Beverly stared blankly out of the window. Thinking of all the ways in which her life went wrong.

Then she looked back at Amy and whispered, "You are right."

Beverly unlocked her daughter's room and placed the tray of food on her desk.

Her daughter sat on her bed in the gloom of late evening. She stared at her mother silently.

Beverly gave her daughter her best fake smile. "I'm sorry, Cassie." She said softly. "I made a mistake. I overreacted."

Cassie didn't respond. She stayed motionless, her knees pulled up to her chin.

Beverly reached over and touched her daughter's hair. "You are such a pretty child. I want to protect you. Honestly, that all I ever wanted to do."

Cassie flinched away from her mother. "What happened to you, mom?" She asked, sadly. "You have never been like this."

Tears filled Beverly's eyes and she reached out to her daughter again.

Cassie stiffened then relaxed as her mother embraced her. As she let her tears soak into Cassie's t-shirt, she dimly realised there was a phone ringing.

"Is that your phone, mom?" Cassie asked.

Beverly sniffled. "It doesn't matter."

She leaned back and touched her daughter's face softly. "You must be hungry. Here, I got you a sandwich and milk."

Cassie took the tray hesitantly.

Her mother gave her a watery smile. "Eat, Cassie."

Cassie smiled back, uncertainly.

As she took a big bite of her sandwich, Beverly heard her phone ringing again.

She glanced impatiently at the unknown number.

She grabbed her phone and answered abruptly, "Yes?"

"Mrs. Marsh, this is Ned. Don't hang up!"

Beverly frowned at the boy's voice. "What do you want?" She asked, harshly.

Noticing Cassie giving her a curious look, she gave her a forced smile and walked out of her room.

"I don't know what Amy has been telling you Mrs. Marsh but she is lying."

Beverly stopped abruptly and looked back at Cassie's room.

"Whatever it is that you are upset with Cassie about, she didn't do it. Amy wants to harm Cassie, Mrs. Marsh. She weaving a web of lies to manipulate you into harming her. Please listen to me. Cassie hasn't done anything wrong."

Beverly felt her mouth go dry as she kept staring at her daughter's room.

Ned was still saying something on the phone but she wasn't paying attention to him now.

Like a slow moving nightmare, she walked back to Cassie's room.

She opened the door to see her daughter finish the milk.

"Who was that, mom..." she began to ask, then a flash of pain hit her face and she dropped the empty glass, clutching her stomach.

Beverly felt her paralysis break as she rushed to her daughter, kicking away the now empty glass of poisoned milk.

As Cassie began to convulse, Beverly realised she had just destroyed the one best thing in her life. More precious than any high flying career. More precious than all the freedom in the world.

As froth spewed out of Cassie's mouth, Beverly gathered her in her arms and started to howl.

Amy watched/heard all of this as Ned frantically called out to Mrs. Marsh on the phone.

And somewhere in cyberspace, she laughed.

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You can also check out my first completed story 'What Hides Within' right here on Wattpad.