By Moya Zhao

Isla happened to have lived in this manor for her entire life, having been born and raised within the beautiful, expensive home. She knew every corridor by heart, and was used to singing in a room with particularly good acoustics. However, on this particular day, she felt something was misplaced. Perhaps it was due to the pouring rain outside, or simply the fact that she hadn’t seen her mother all day, but she just felt strangely melancholic.

The girl walked through the long halls embarking on the journey to find her mother. They had been awfully distant since Isla turned sixteen, but today it was much worse. It was almost eerie.

So, Isla had come to the conclusion that this woman was not her true mother.

It was hard to pin-point what exactly brought her to this baffling inference, though it seemed to be caused by one specific thing Isla had been quite metally unstable for what seemed to be her entire life, and it led to a rather warped way of thinking. Either way, she was determined to find out what this woman had done to her mother.

“I’m a brave girl, I can do this!” The girl comforted herself, gaining the courage to knock on the woman’s door. She rocked onto her heels and then her toes as she awaited to meet with her mother, the feeling of anger only getting stronger and stronger. She had come for a reason, and she had also come prepared.

“Come in..” A voice almost automatically responded as Isla squirmed. She didn’t actually notice anything about it that was particularly different, but it still felt like it was.

Hearing the confirmation. Isla twisted open the doorknob, walking into the large office as she took a seat in front of this woman. She looked identical to Isla’s mother, but to Isla, there was also a sinister tone in her voice, a sort of danger dancing in her irises every time they held eye contact. The woman seemed exactly like her mother, and perhaps that was the reason Isla disliked her.

“Who are you?” Isla asked, cutting straight to the point without holding back.

“I’m your mother!” The woman responded, the sound of shock in her voice actually sounding genuine. However, it only made Isla all the more determined to go through with her scheme, her fingers fiddling with the small tube she shoved into her pocket that was now empty.

“Have you lost your mind, Isla? I’m your mother! How could you think of anything else?!” The woman nearly screamed, her movements becoming quite frantic. She was desperate to get Isla to calm down but nothing seemed to work.

“You’re the one who lost your mind! You’re not my mother!” Isla screamed back, her eyes wide in a fit of rage as she pointed towards her.

The aforementioned individual sighed, taking a sip of her tea as she attempted to relax. Things had gotten incredibly out of hand, so she might as well relax a bit. Meanwhile Isla smiled as she watched her “mother.” It was hard to put into words the feeling, though she mainly experienced utter relief, the feeling of euphoria doubling as she watched the woman fall backwards onto her seat, not moving a single inch.

Isla sat down once more as she placed her head onto her hand, looking fondly at the motionless body, a smile slowly spreading onto her face.