Chapter One

"Check the chicken in the oven!" Her mum brought her attention back to reality. Seated on the sofa with her head buried in her phone, her legs were crossed in her favorite position of a couch potato.

"Oh!" She stood up precipitously, she dropped her phone in seconds and headed to the kitchen. With her hair in a messy bun, she squinted her eyes and went to look at the oven and crouched. She tried to guess if the chicken was fully ready.

"Are you really ready?" With her arms folded; she asked herself as though the chicken would reply.

"Oh will you stop the shenanigans and set the dinner table?" Her mum said with a crooked nose.

"Oh, this isn't shenanigans. I was just making sure it was really ready, I don't want it half done at all!" Jasmine unwrapped her arms and did the x sign.

"Yeah, like it's one of your soon to be patients right?" Her mum smiled as she made reference to Jasmine being a psychologist even if she hadn't gotten a job yet, she could see how serious her daughter was.

"Yeah." She nodded and stood up. She did her little happy dance. Her mum gave her a small smile, with the plates in her hands. She decided to set the table.

With a stretch of her hands; Jasmine wore the mittens, a few seconds of discomfort on how to fully put on the mittens.

She settled by placing it on her teeth and putting it on fully.

"Ah, finally!" She conceded and sighed for relief.

She carefully opened the oven, she was well aware of the heat that would hug her tightly. She had on a brown tan top that hugged her cleavages, and a pair of lounge pants.

"Uh uh uh". She coughed when the heat clamored her, she used her hands to wave them off.

A golden brown chicken, its thighs were so thick and big; Jasmine drooled at the thought of having it in her tummy.

"The night isn't young, Jasmine." Her mum called out in a solemn tone, jasmine smiled as she knew what that meant, her mum was hungry.

"I am coming, mama." Jasmine took out the chicken and used her leg to close the oven.

She removed the mittens in seconds and switched off the oven.

Potatoes and chicken!!!

With her happy dance, she held the chicken in its tray like some golden prize. Jasmine loved homemade meals, especially the ones made by her mum. She enjoyed the aroma and how they took her to her happy place.

Her mum had her left hand on her cheek and watched her daughter, she wasn’t the five year old like she was years ago, she remembered her daughters feet and how she ran around the house.

"Okayyyyy, dinner is ready!!" With a dramatic expression, Jasmine placed the chicken near the potato broth.

"Finally, now we can have our dinner. Please sit and let's eat." Jasmine smiled and giggled, her mum never complained about how her daughter acted whenever she had dinner at her place, to her they were memories that kept updating itself.

"Yes, let's pray alright before you devour it all into pieces." Her mum who sat opposite her, the dinner table wasn't exactly a dinner table but whatever you call and name something that's what it would be, a mini table and two chairs, Jasmine and her mum called in their dinner table.

"Hey, you make the best meals, so you can't blame me!" Jasmine tried to be sweet and sugar coat her mum as she sniffed the chicken.

"Urg, let's just pray and you can devour the meal." Her mum added, Jasmine had one eye opened and the other closed.

"Heavenly father, thank you for this meal and thank you for our safety, even if we are sinners; you choose to give us life- Amen." Her mother said the shortest prayers that Jasmine has ever heard.

Her eyes dilated immediately, she removed her hands in seconds. A part of her liked how short it was but at the same thing, this wasn't what was agreed upon. Her gaze was fixed on her mum.

"Calm down!" Her mum said as she raised her shoulders up and took a spoon to share the food into portions.

"I can read you already," Her mom added.

Even if Jasmine hadn't said anything yet, her face said everything she should have heard.

"Okay???" She strained her eyes and bent her head slightly.

"You need to eat dinner on time so I can go to bed on time also." Her mum lied and sighed.

"You sure? Because this isn't like you at all and I- I know you mum." Jasmine added as she took a portion into her mouth.

Her mother laughed out loud.

"I think they are home"

"Darling, did you leave the television on?" Her mom asked as she dished her food and was about to cut the chicken.

"No, I don't think so." Jasmine replied as she also heard the strange voice.

"Okay!" Her mother replied, the alluring warm light from the reflection of the living room shined a sneak peak into their dining era, the fuse got burnt some nights ago, Jasmine hasn't had the time to fix it or call the repairman.

"Hands where I can see them!" She felt a hardened plastic feel behind her head, tears filled her eyes when she saw that her mum had held her hands immediately under the table.

The voice growled and shook her to her last organ, fear hugged her in ways she didn't expect. Her breath raced fast.

She lost her appetite in seconds, she forgot about the dishes that her hands were in, she gulped in fear.

A man in a ski mask and a gun behind her mum's head, she heard her heart break. She felt the blood rush through her veins.

"Now, where are your valuables? The money! And the laptop or phones."

"Just relax Jasmine." Her mum muttered when she felt Jasmine legs shake, she closed her eyes and opened them

"They are in the room, everything we own is there." Her mom spoke to the robbers instead.

The robber who held the gun to Jasmine's head left immediately to search for the valuables.

"I am alright!" Her mum whispered and held her daughter's hands tightly.

"Mum" Jasmine had fear in her eyes, she didn't want to believe this, all her life. It was just her and her mum; ever since her dad left them.

"Dear God, please help." Jasmine prayed internally.

"You better be quiet or I will blow her head off and you would watch." He sneered so loudly! He grit his teeth and held her mum by her throat.

"I will!" She screamed, her pulse rose up. She couldn't control how she breathed.

"Hey, let the girl come here, I can't start looking for shit, let her look for them." The robber who was inside got fed up when his search wasn't fruitful. He called out to his mate who signaled for Jasmine to stand up.

Jasmine stood up and lost her balance at the first try to walk.

"You want me to blow up your legs? Get the fuck up!" The robber got pissed at Jasmine's clumsiness, his eyes were full of rage.

She stood up immediately and went off to the room.

"They are useless, we came to the wrong house, they have nothing!," The robber with Jasmine hissed and spat. He was disappointed at how fruitless and empty they seemed.

"We wasted gas for the likes of these lowlife?" The robber who didn't loosen the grip he had on her mouth was getting intense.

"Fuxk it" He pulled the trigger and shot her.