Damn, Those Shrooms Got Me Good

My name was Ruthie Winslet.

I had been kidnapped when I was three years old and spent the next 15 years growing up in a welfare home before I was finally found.

The Levine family spent three months confirming that I was their biological daughter. At long last, they sent a driver to pick me up from the welfare home.

After spending four months with them, my biggest thought was that I would have been better off never coming back.

Lorraine Neal was my birth mother.

The first thing she said when we met was, "You've grown so much."

The second thing she said was, "Thally is two years younger than you. As her older sister, you should give in to her."

Jacob Levine was my younger brother. He was 15 years old, precisely the age when one was most rebellious and unruly. On my very first day, he rummaged through my suitcase and said everything I wore was garbage.

Thalia Levine was the adopted daughter. On the day I came back, she linked her arm through mine and called my name fondly. Then, she secretly made my life difficult whenever she got the chance.

At first, I tried to be sensible.

But I soon noticed that Thalia's plate was always filled first, while the plate placed in front of me was always bare. The best dishes were always set on her side of the table.

On my first day home, the housekeeper, Emma Sanders, gave me disposable plates and cutlery. I lived in the room at the very end of the second floor. It didn't have a closet, but at least I had a bed of my own.

I naively thought they were treating me well until Thalia asked in feigned surprise why my room didn't have a walk-in closet, a small couch, or a TV.

That was when I realized that the room I was staying in was just a guest room.

Dwayne Shaw was my fiance. My family and his had arranged our engagement before I went missing.

But every time he came to visit, he only talked to Thalia. Then, before leaving, he would toss me a box of chocolates.

Yesterday was my birthday.

The whole family had dressed up in formalwear and gone to some charity gala. The house help had the evening off, too.

By the time I woke up, no one was home.

I starved until it was evening. There was nothing in the refrigerator except a few vegetables.

I didn't dare turn on the lights. At the welfare home, the director would smack us for wasting electricity.

But I was too hungry. So, I felt my way around in the dark. I washed and chopped the vegetables, then fumbled around trying to sauté them. When the smell of food finally filled the kitchen, I scooped everything onto a plate.

I wolfed it down, and for one brief moment, warmth spread through my stomach.

Then, my eyelids grew so heavy I could barely keep them open. I made my way back to my room groggily and fell asleep.

When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by an enraged frog, a demon, and a snake lady.

I sat on the bed clutching my blanket, and only one thought kept running through my mind.

Was I dead?

This had to be hell.