Living In Her Shadow

Austyn whipped out his phone. ‘I’ll call an ambulance.’ Kira jogged back to check on the woman. Gwen’s face was sheet white, but she was still breathing. ‘I think she just fainted.’ Kira stood up. ‘Should we carry her upstairs?’ Gwen woke up three and a half hours later on a sofa. She heard lowered voices. She sat up, turned around, and saw the square face of SpongeBob SquarePants on TV. Two kids sat on the carpet in front, staring up at the screen intently. Gwen touched the wool blanket over her and recalled what happened before she blacked out. She was talking to Kira. Jason—no, Austyn—had refused to say a word to her and treated her like air. She hadn’t had breakfast and lunch that day. Low blood sugar and a rush of anger made her pass out. Gwen let out a low moan, her back hurting as she tried to move. The kids turned around at the noise. The boy observed her quietly. The girl clambered to her feet and ran into the kitchen. ‘Mummy, the woman who looks like you just woke up!’ Kira s