Read Online Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jessica Shirvington
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today, kiddo?’ I tried to keep my voice light, but I couldn’t look after her today.
Maddie slumped. ‘Mrs Jefferies is picking me up.’
I gave the top of her head a rub and kissed it. ‘You’ll be okay. You always have fun in the end.’
She squirmed. ‘Yeah, but I want to stay here with you.’
‘I’d love that too, but I have to go out today and do some stuff. We can hang out tomorrow after school if you like. Maybe go to the park?’
Maddie never missed a beat. ‘What stuff do you have to do today? Are you going to be home tonight?’
‘Not sure, kiddo. I might be staying out.’
She slid off the bed and trudged towards the door.
‘Love you, Maddie,’ I said lightly.
She couldn’t help but turn and give me a little smile. ‘Love you too , Binie.’ Then she leapt into my arms and gave me a Maddie specialty death squeeze before she was gone, her feet bounding loudly down the stairs.
I dropped my face into my hands and sighed.
‘What are you doing, Sabine?’ I whispered, but just as quickly I rubbed my hands up and down, as if I could scrub the thought from my mind.
I had to know.
After an awkward, arm-wrapped-in-plastic-bag shower, I reapplied plasters to last night’s handiwork, dressed in a black cotton skirt, longer than usual at just above my knee, and a fitted burgundy T-shirt with long sleeves. It took twice as long to get ready with my banged-up wrist, but I managed to work out most things – even my standard heavy-handed serve of eyeliner and mascara, which worked well with my new black shaggy cut.
I sat down on my bed to start grappling with my boots, but picked up my bag instead and found myself holding the plain white box of pills that would be my final test. I cringed when I remembered dropping my bag and how badly things could’ve gone when Ethan found the pills.
I couldn’t risk something like that happening again.
Without another thought I started popping the pills out of the packet and placing them on my bedside table. One by one, I used the base of my water glass to crush them, reminding myself not to crush too many, but just enough.
Digoxin was the perfect drug. I’d seen people come in to the drugstore after taking an incorrect dose. As a heart medication, mistakes resulted in an array of side effects, including yellowed vision, heart palpitations, nausea – it wasquite a long list. It was the ideal way to test an internal physical response to a toxin. Best of all, there was an antidote – Digibind – so if things went completely pear-shaped, something could be done about it.
‘A responsible risk,’ I murmured while I searched around my room. ‘Aha!’
I pulled the necklace out from a pile of junk on my dresser and started to twist the top off the silver butterfly pendant. Capri and I had both bought pendant necklaces at the city markets last year. Hers had a silver skull, but I’d preferred the butterfly, and we’d both liked that they had secret chambers. At the time, we’d joked that they’d come in handy when we were smuggling drugs.
Carefully I swept the powdered Digoxin onto a piece of paper and funnelled it into the bullet-shaped body of the butterfly before securing the head back in place.
If only Capri could see me now.
I cleaned away the evidence, taking the rest of the Digoxin and packing it, along with my slice-and-dice tools, into my backpack. I’d keep it with me and dump it at some stage during the day. I didn’t want stuff like this lying around, especially the pills, where Maddie could stumble across it. I slipped on the pendant, grabbed my backpack and headed down to the kitchen just as the front door closed.
‘Maddie?’ I asked Mom and Dad, who were sitting at the kitchen table riffling through paperwork.
Mom glanced up briefly, her glasses resting halfway down her nose, making her look older than she was. ‘Just left with Mrs Jefferies.’
I nodded, poured some water into the kettle and set about making toast. I also dosed
Maddie slumped. ‘Mrs Jefferies is picking me up.’
I gave the top of her head a rub and kissed it. ‘You’ll be okay. You always have fun in the end.’
She squirmed. ‘Yeah, but I want to stay here with you.’
‘I’d love that too, but I have to go out today and do some stuff. We can hang out tomorrow after school if you like. Maybe go to the park?’
Maddie never missed a beat. ‘What stuff do you have to do today? Are you going to be home tonight?’
‘Not sure, kiddo. I might be staying out.’
She slid off the bed and trudged towards the door.
‘Love you, Maddie,’ I said lightly.
She couldn’t help but turn and give me a little smile. ‘Love you too , Binie.’ Then she leapt into my arms and gave me a Maddie specialty death squeeze before she was gone, her feet bounding loudly down the stairs.
I dropped my face into my hands and sighed.
‘What are you doing, Sabine?’ I whispered, but just as quickly I rubbed my hands up and down, as if I could scrub the thought from my mind.
I had to know.
After an awkward, arm-wrapped-in-plastic-bag shower, I reapplied plasters to last night’s handiwork, dressed in a black cotton skirt, longer than usual at just above my knee, and a fitted burgundy T-shirt with long sleeves. It took twice as long to get ready with my banged-up wrist, but I managed to work out most things – even my standard heavy-handed serve of eyeliner and mascara, which worked well with my new black shaggy cut.
I sat down on my bed to start grappling with my boots, but picked up my bag instead and found myself holding the plain white box of pills that would be my final test. I cringed when I remembered dropping my bag and how badly things could’ve gone when Ethan found the pills.
I couldn’t risk something like that happening again.
Without another thought I started popping the pills out of the packet and placing them on my bedside table. One by one, I used the base of my water glass to crush them, reminding myself not to crush too many, but just enough.
Digoxin was the perfect drug. I’d seen people come in to the drugstore after taking an incorrect dose. As a heart medication, mistakes resulted in an array of side effects, including yellowed vision, heart palpitations, nausea – it wasquite a long list. It was the ideal way to test an internal physical response to a toxin. Best of all, there was an antidote – Digibind – so if things went completely pear-shaped, something could be done about it.
‘A responsible risk,’ I murmured while I searched around my room. ‘Aha!’
I pulled the necklace out from a pile of junk on my dresser and started to twist the top off the silver butterfly pendant. Capri and I had both bought pendant necklaces at the city markets last year. Hers had a silver skull, but I’d preferred the butterfly, and we’d both liked that they had secret chambers. At the time, we’d joked that they’d come in handy when we were smuggling drugs.
Carefully I swept the powdered Digoxin onto a piece of paper and funnelled it into the bullet-shaped body of the butterfly before securing the head back in place.
If only Capri could see me now.
I cleaned away the evidence, taking the rest of the Digoxin and packing it, along with my slice-and-dice tools, into my backpack. I’d keep it with me and dump it at some stage during the day. I didn’t want stuff like this lying around, especially the pills, where Maddie could stumble across it. I slipped on the pendant, grabbed my backpack and headed down to the kitchen just as the front door closed.
‘Maddie?’ I asked Mom and Dad, who were sitting at the kitchen table riffling through paperwork.
Mom glanced up briefly, her glasses resting halfway down her nose, making her look older than she was. ‘Just left with Mrs Jefferies.’
I nodded, poured some water into the kettle and set about making toast. I also dosed
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