Chapter One-Two-Six: Wholly Unnecessary

"Ma-"

The name of my daughter staggers on my lips when I see her in Victoria’s arms.

I don’t trust her; I don’t trust her not to hurt my child, so when a chilling thickness slithers down my back, I am forced to give into my instincts and stop approaching them at the pace I was using.

Instead, I take small steps like a hostage negotiator.

"What are you doing?"

I ask Victoria.

"I'm thinking of going swimming. I have always wanted to swim in the sea, but every time I try to get the boys to come with me, there is always some sort of interruption, so I thought, why not ask the girls to join me? Don't you want to swim with me, Mari?"

Victoria poses the question innocently to Marigold.

I applied sunscreen on her, so for the life of me, I don’t understand why she looks so oily when what I used on her offers a matte finish.

As if Marigold doesn’t understand the question, she looks between Victoria and me before burying her head where she feels safest on Victoria’s chest.

“Are you angry at Mumm