Chapter 2

The first victim of Julia’s transformation was her stepson.

She started neglecting him, to the point of paying him absolutely no attention as if he never existed. She would fly into a fit of rage over trivial matters and almost always the little boy would be at the receiving end. Soon things got so out of hand, that she banished her stepson, heartlessly abandoning him.

Thinking of this, the woman who held the book in her hands found herself thinking-

“My poor boy, Hir. I would’ve treated you better if I were Julia. How could she be so cruel to such a lovely son?”

She never seemed to enjoy the first part of the novel, where Hir must find a way to survive, grow and develop on his own outside the comforts of his home; however, she always seemed to catch herself re-reading it just to learn more about Hir as a character.

It could be said that she was attached to Hir’s character in the novel, this was mainly because she found him relatable, and pretty similar to her in so many ways.

But why was she getting over-emotional today? The woman mused to herself, her hands flipping the pages of the novel as she did so. I almost wanted to toss the book to the ground and set it ablaze for how Hir was treated!
Events from the past came running on her mind, slowly filling up her head with dark memories, trying to engulf her completely when suddenly—

BEEP-BEEP!

The oven timer went off repeatedly, snapping her out of her musings.

The book should consider itself lucky that she was shaken out of her thoughts, or it would’ve turned to ashes today!
“It’s done.” The rich and buttery aroma of the oven-fresh madeleines, with a hint of warm chocolate became more distinct as she neared.

It seems like it may have turned out better today.

She bent down to take a look at her work. They had risen very beautifully, seemed oh so soft and fluffy. They were golden brown in color, baked to perfection. And the cocoa powder that she sprinkled added a smooth and glossy tinge to the surface.

All that’s left is to coat one side with sweet, melted chocolate and her madeleines are complete.

She was about to open the oven, when a series of loud knocks shook my door.

Bam! Bam!

She straight away knew who it was from the incessant knocking. Who else, but the person who contributed to her birth! Her father. She tried to refrain from calling him that; but could not think of any substitute.

How did he find out where I am? She decided to ignore him. He continued banging on her door, and from the looks of it, he seemed pretty impatient. He must be here for money.

BANG! BANG!

The woman put the irritating noise behind her and continued on to free her madeleines from it’s swelteringly hot cell. The oven door feels a little heavier than usual today—

BOOM!

Black smoke poured out of the oven along with the deafening sound of an explosion. The kitchen was clouded with fumes which had emerged from the oven. The air was so polluted, the outline of the kitchen walls could no longer be seen. The fumes seemed to fill the woman’s lungs as she accidently took a deep breath. Her body couldn’t withstand the heat and smoke any longer and the world around her seemed to waver as she lost my balance and fell to the ground. The blackness of the smoke have covered her eyes as well.

I couldn’t see a thing… It was her last thought before losing consciousness

The woman struggled to regain awareness. Did an explosion take place…? It hurts—
Her vision seemed to have returned. Although a little blurry, she could make out where I was.

Pain was felt over her entire body, to the point where she couldn’t even lift a finger. She wanted to scream, but it seemed even the air that had once filled her lungs left her…

With every last ounce of strength, she turned her head towards the front door, searching for the person who came to visit her. The flames had reached the door, and a fallen, blackened body could be seen lying on the ground. It hurts … so much

The entire house was enveloped in flames and smoke, a single item had survived the fire and was in perfect condition, a book that was recently opened.

An excruciating headache made itself known as the woman struggled to open her eyes. It felt like she’d drank herself away with bottles of alcohol last night, without taking any painkillers to ease the approaching hangover. Her head felt as if it couldn’t handle being one piece anymore.

She used to think that death would be quick and painless, that it would end everything quickly, like a flower being carried away by the wind. It seemed though that pain clearly even carries on to the afterlife, since she have been feeling nothing but physical agony from when she opened her eyes.