Soulsisters

Chapter 5.

Today Lucy had training at the academy, she was desperate to get away from Angela, who was hovering. As Lucy gathered her things and prepared to leave, Angela kissed her forehead wishing her a good day. With heavy steps, Lucy made her way out of the door - leaving Angela alone again- with her thoughts about Lucy's future and how to help her.

Whilst Lucy was at the academy, Angela busied herself cleaning the apartment. She hummed to herself as she scrubbed the counters and vacuumed the floor, taking satisfaction in the orderliness surrounding her. When it came time to put the laundry away, she entered her sister's bedroom, expecting the usual messiness that drove her insane. However, something was amiss..

As soon as she stepped inside, a foul odour assaulted her senses, growing stronger as she approached the dresser. Curiosity getting the ebay of her, she opened the top drawer and gasped in horror. Inside were numerous plastic tupperware containers, each overflowing with mouldy food.

Angela sank to the floor, overwhelmed with emotion. Hot tears streamed down her face as she stared at the rotting evidence of Lucy's struggle. How could she have been so blind to her sister's struggle? The realisation that Lucy had been so desperate to avoid eating that she had hidden food until it had moulded hit her like a ton of bricks. It broke her heart to see sister in such a state, consumed by fear and shame. She reached out- touching one of the containers with trembling fingers, putting each one into a bin bag,  waves of nausea rushed over her as the bag got heavier and heavier, reminding her just how long this must've been going on. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths - willing herself to remain calm amidst the chaos.

Feeling desperate but determined, Angela decided to continue searching Lucy's room. She moved methodically from closet to dresser, opening drawers and rifling through papers until she found what she was looking for; a set of digital scales lying beneath clothing. Her blood ran cold as she remembered the fact that these had been all over weight loss adverts last year.

Next to the scales lay a small bottle of dangerous weight loss pills, along with half empty packets of cigarettes and a worn out baggy containing marijuana residue. Flipping through various note books in the drawer she stumbled across tons and tons of food diaries with extreme and detailed calorie counting. It became increasingly clear that Lucy had taken extreme measures to control her body image and suppress her appetite. She also had found Lucy's medication for her social anxiety- untouched. The discoveries left Angela reeling, she had never imagined the depths of despair her sister had sunk to in order to cope with what she saw in the mirror.

Shaken to the core, Angela picked her phone up- dialling an eating disorder rehabilitation centre. After explaining the situation she arranged for immediate admission for Lucy into their program. Meanwhile, she called Tim, her best friend - who had always been there for them in difficult times. Explaining the gravity of the situation, she asked him to come over straight away, knowing that Lucy might put up a fight when faced with the prospect of treatment. As she waited anxiously for Tim's arrival she couldn't shake the feeling of dread settling over her. This wasn't how she envisioned helping her beloved little sister - instead it felt like forcing her into something against her will. Nonetheless, she steeled herself for whatever challenges lay ahead, determined to do whatever it takes to save Lucy from herself.

By the time Tim had arrived, Angela had already packed Lucy's bags. She placed them by the front door. Seeing his concerned expression, she briefed him on everything she had found in Lucy's room and explained her plan. Together, they formulated a plan to approach Lucy delicately, yet firmly. As they waited for Lucy to return from the training academy the air was thick with anticipation and worry.