Chapter 2 - The Bitter Medicine
Elena stared at the terrifying note until the red crayon letters began to blur in her vision.
She quickly crumpled the paper and shoved it deep into her pocket just as the security camera on the ceiling whirred and rotated toward her.
Julian continued to stare at the floor, pretending that nothing had happened at all.
Elena realized with a sinking feeling that they were constantly being watched and monitored.
Later that evening, the heavy door unlocked, and Victoria stepped inside carrying a silver tray.
Resting on the velvet-lined tray was a small glass filled with a thick, glowing blue liquid.
Victoria instructed Elena to make sure Julian drank every single drop before he went to sleep.
She claimed it was a highly specialized, experimental vitamin meant to cure his incredibly rare blood condition.
But as soon as Victoria left and the door locked again, Julian began to hyperventilate.
He backed into the corner, begging Elena not to make him drink the horrible medicine.
He cried that the blue syrup made his bones burn and made him sleep for days at a time.
Elena looked at the boy's terrified face and made a dangerous, split-second decision.
She walked over to a massive potted fern near the window and poured the entire glass of blue syrup into the soil.
She washed the glass in the bathroom sink and told Julian to pretend to be deeply asleep.
The next morning, Elena woke up early and immediately checked the plant in the corner.
The massive fern was completely withered, its green leaves turned a sickening shade of black.
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Suddenly, the nursery door swung open without warning.
Richard Hawthorne stood in the doorway, staring directly at the dead plant with cold, calculating eyes.
