Chapter 23 Ready to Stir Things Up
The truth was Rachel had never actually been sick.
Back when Evelyn first met her, they talked a little about Rachel’s background.
Before she “got sick,” Rachel worked at a mercury plant.
They made stuff like thermometers and mirrors lined with mercury.
At first, the job was totally normal. Everyone followed safety rules, and nothing seemed off.
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But then something awful happened. A young woman who worked there drank mercury by accident. The poisoning was so bad it killed her.
The factory paid her family a huge settlement. After that, they laid down the law–strict safety rules and constant warnings about how dangerous mercury was.
From that point on, Rachel became super careful. She paid close attention to what she touched and how she moved.
Still, one day she made a mistake. She drank from a cup of water that somehow had two drops of mercury in it.
That night, she spiked a high fever. She was stuck in bed for three whole days.
When the fever passed, two strange blisters appeared on her hand.
She couldn’t figure out why.
Her first thought? The mercury. She became totally convinced she’d been poisoned.
She thought she’d survived because it wasn’t a lot, but the mercury was still in her system, slowly hurting her.
And the mind can be a powerful thing.
Once Rachel fully believed she had mercury poisoning, her body started reacting like she did.
The blisters popped. Then they got infected. The damage spread.
No matter how many doctors she saw, no one could explain it. Each time they failed, Rachel became more certain. She was sure the mercury was just hiding somewhere in her body, avoiding the tests. It wasn’t a physical illness. It was all in her head.
She needed help for her mind, not her body.
Evelyn said it was some special medicine used by the military, meant for treating gunshot wounds and similar injuries. Bullets and grenades both have metal shells and when those get stuck in the body, this medicine supposedly helps the wounds heal.
That was what made Rachel think it might work on mercury too.
She believed it so strongly that her body actually started getting better.
Turns out, that “top–secret military cure? Just basic painkillers and regular saline.
The truth was, Rachel healed because of her own mindset.
Marvin was in total disbelief.
He’d rather believe there really was some powerful military medicine.
Rachel’s recovery just didn’t make sense otherwise.
Evelyn didn’t blame him. She got it.
“Anyway, she’s doing better now. Just make sure she gets some sunlight, changes into clean clothes, and keeps things sanitary. She’ll be completely fine soon”
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Chapter 23 Ready to Stir Things Up.
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what’s your plan for the future?”
She paused before going on. “But now that your mom’s health is no longer
a probl
They had already sold off everything they had in their hometown to pay the medical bills.
They couldn’t find work in the city, and there was nothing left for them in the small town either.
What happened before didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered no
was staying afloat.
Marvin gritted his teeth. “I’ll collect junk and sell it. Or maybe sell my blood. I just want to make sure my mom has a better life.
Neither of those was a great idea.
Evelyn gave a small shake of her head, then pointed him toward something more realistic. “I asked around. The training grounds at our school need someone to do general chores. You could take the job. You’ll have a place to sleep in the storage room. Plus, you can eat at the cafeteria.”
Even though it was just a tempjob, it was still a solid opportunity. Marvin didn’t hesitate–he accepted it gratefully and thanked Evelyn over and over.
By the time Evelyn stepped out of the rundown building, the sun was already starting to dip below the horizon.
She figured that “guest” had probably shown up at the Schmidts‘ place by now.
So, she said goodbye and headed home.
On the way, she grabbed a bagel from a street vendor to keep herself going.
She needed the energy if she was going to keep up this mental chess game.
When she got close to the gate of the Schmidts‘ house, she spotted a short, hunched–over figure in the distance.
Even if that person had turned to ash, Evelyn would’ve known exactly who it was.
It was Yvonne’s mother, Irene.
Irene had lived her whole life in a rural village. She carried all the worst traditions from back in the day–thought boys were better than girls, looked down on anyone she didn’t like, and treated Evelyn like dirt.
Whenever Evelyn visited the countryside, she got stuck with the worst bed, the worst food, and zero kindness.
And Irene’s mouth was sharp as a knife–always yelling, always tearing her down.
And now, here she was.
Irene had already spotted Evelyn too.
Her small, beady eyes were filled with annoyance, her face twisted in the fading light.
Then came her high–pitched, scratchy voice. “What, did your legs stop working? Took you long enough! You really left me standing outside all this time? How awful!”
Evelyn didn’t even blink. She let the old woman rant while she calmly walked up to the gate.
She reached into her pocket for the house key.
But before she could unlock it, Irene snatched the key from her, her grimy fingernails scratching the back of Evelyn’s hand as she shoved her out of the way.
Still mumbling to herself as she worked the lock, Irene hissed, “Useless girl. No wonder no one wants you. Even if someone does marry you, he’ll probably beat you to death. Anyone who ends up with you must’ve been cursed.”
She barged into the house like she owned the place.
Her back was so bent from years of hard labor that it stuck out like a crooked hill. From behind, it looked like she had a big Jump growing there.
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Chapter 23 Ready to Stir Things Up
She was the kind of person you pitied and hated all at once.
In her past life. Evelyn had been scared of her. Now, looking back, she just felt like she’d been naive.
She gave a small shake of her head before stepping inside after her.
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Irene settled on the couch in the living room, scanning the place with narrowed eyes. Then she asked in that grating voice, “Where’s your mom and dad? Where’s Alice?”
They’re not home, Evelyn replied honestly.
The answer clearly annoyed her.
Yvonne had already called ahead and gone on and on about how Evelyn had been acting lately–rude, arrogant, out of line.
So Irene showed up ready to stir things up.
She hadn’t even been in the house for two minutes and was already looking for a fight.
Her eyes darted around, every glance stabbing at Evelyn. “You think I didn’t know that? Of course, they’re not home! What, you think I’m blind? Or are you treating me like some senile old hag?”
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Evelyn stayed cool. “Grandma, don’t jinx yourself like that. What if it really happens?“”
That one sentence almost made Irene choke.
What the hell did this girl just say?
Has she grown some guts now? Does she really think she can talk back?
“You damn brat! Are you hoping I go blind and lose my mind? Someone like you will never get married! You’ll probably die before I do! And maybe you’ll come back as a rat in your next life!”
Irene had no filter. Whatever cruel, awful thing she thought of, she said it without skipping a beat.
But Evelyn didn’t even flinch. She just looked her straight in the eye and said, “So what you’re telling me is… you’d rather your children or grandchildren die before you?”
“Wh–what did you just say?!” Irene jumped up, stunned. With that hunched back of hers, it looked like a big lump of flesh was bouncing up and down.
Evelyn tilted her head slightly and added, calmly. “And if I do come back as a rat, there might be a curse on the family. That means no one in the family’s getting lucky either.”
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