Chapter 4The Christmas Eve Exchange

Even through the wall, I could hear the horror in her voice.

Hearing my name made my heart pound with fear.

The bedroom door slammed open.

Before I could sit up, Denise was at my bedside, hauling me up by my collar. "Stella! Did you eat the apples?!"

Her face was twisted, monstrous. She was on the edge of insanity.

I was shaking. I nodded frantically. "I ate them..."

"You ate all three?!" She choked me, shaking me violently.

I couldn't breathe. My vision started to go black.

"What are you doing?! Star did nothing wrong! You're choking her!" Dad rushed in, prying her hands off my neck.

Denise collapsed, wailing. "Her! Bella! My Bella!"

She scrambled out of the room and ran to Bella's bedroom.

Dad smoothed my collar and patted my back. "Stella, what happened?"

I shook my head, coughing too hard to speak.

From the other room, Denise screamed. "Bella!"

"Bella, don't scare Mommy!"

The grief in her voice froze us both. Dad dropped me and ran.

Bella had gone into shock.

The ambulance came. Denise cried until she nearly passed out. She rode in the ambulance. Dad and I followed in a taxi.

At the hospital, Bella was still in the ER.

When Denise saw me in the hallway, her eyes were filled with pure hatred. "Stella! You didn't eat the apples, did you?!"

She lunged at me like a wild animal.

I scrambled back, terrified. "Dad!"

Dad blocked her. "Calm down! What apples? What is wrong with you?"

Denise looked like she wanted to tear my throat out.

I was cowering in the corner, sobbing. "I'm sorry, Denise. I didn't know... Bella didn't have an apple, so I gave mine to her. She's sick... I wanted her to have the good food."

It wasn't the whole truth—I gave them to her because I was scared of Denise—but I couldn't say that in front of Dad.

Denise went rigid. Her face contorted into a mask of despair and fury. "You... it really was you. I gave those to you! You ungrateful wolf!"

Her eyes were bloodshot, practically bleeding. She stared at me, unblinking.

"You! You!"

"Stella!" She screamed my name like a curse.

Then, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.