AT THE TOP of the tree, Poppy's teeth sank into the most disgusting apple she had ever tasted.

While the perfect golden skin suggested a perfectly juicy and delectable interior, the truth was exactly the opposite. The flesh was a molded black, and it tasted like throw-up. 

Poppy had to resist spitting the fruit out immediately. Instead of being insanitary, as she was so inclined, Poppy dutifully finished chewing and swallowed, wincing when bile coated her mouth. 

Poppy set the apple down on the branch and began her decent back to the bottom of the rainbow tree, leaves tickling her arms and cheeks.

With more urgency than which she had climbed the tree, Poppy slid down the bark as though her life depended on it. Really, she just wanted a glass of water to rinse out her mouth.

When her feet finally touched the ground, Poppy gave a sigh of relief. She couldn't believe she had just scaled the tallest tree she had ever seen for the taste of an apple that wasn't even worth it.

Maybe that was just a bad fruit, but Poppy wasn't confident in trying another apple any time soon.

She snuck back through the sliding glass door and closed it softly behind her, not allowing her steps to become normal until she was well away from the door.

Poppy's efforts were fruitless, of course, because Mom had a secret superpower for knowing exactly when Poppy did not wish to be caught.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Mom asked, her arms crossed. She was leaning in the doorway of the kitchen, a barely contained smile in her eyes.

"I was just looking," Poppy insisted, crossing her fingers Mom hadn't looked out the window. "A giant tree just sprouted up in the backyard all of a sudden. I was curious, so I went out to look. No big deal."

Mom pulled her mouth into a grim line. 

"Your idea of looking at something is very different than mine, young lady."

Poppy gulped, scared that Mom would punish her for her little stunt with the tree.

"I know you climbed it. And I know you did so without asking me first. Sweetie, I know you're getting older and you want to be independent, but you still need to make good choices. Climbing up a tree that looks like it could touch the clouds is not something that I would classify as a good choice."

"It didn't," Poppy muttered, her eyes on her shoes.

"What?"

"It didn't touch the clouds," Poppy clarified, still not brave enough to look Mom in the eye.

"You climbed to the top? Oh, dear Lord," Mom walked into the living room to compose herself, and Poppy slipped up to her room, knowing full well Mom would be able to find her easily if only Mom chose to look.

It turned out she didn't choose to look. Poppy was grateful for the silence that had followed such a noisy day, but she also didn't like the argument hanging between her and Mom. It didn't feel right.

"I'm sorry," Poppy announced, walking into Mom's room.

The bedroom was decently big with grey walls and greyscaped paintings. Poppy knew M>om could be an influencer without even trying, but she never said so.

Mom had been hesitant enough about allowing Poppy to download Instagram.

Mom looked up from the computer set up at her small desk. 

"I'm glad," was the only think she said in response.

Poppy stayed in the doorway, enduring the awkward silence for a few more minutes before running back to her room, her heart thumping against her rib cage for no reason.

The tree was right outside Poppy's window. Although curiosity ate away at her soul, Poppy never moved to her window. She was too busy scrolling through Charlie's profile.

It had been updated with new pictures, each one causing the jealousy in the pit of Poppy's stomach to brew. In one, Reece and Charlie were licking identical ice cream cones. In another, they were with two sixth graders tagged in the description that Poppy didn't know. In the third, Charlie posted a picture of her and Reece at the mall, arms laden with heavy shopping bags from all the trendiest stores.

The background was what made Poppy stop on the picture.

In the back, almost too blurred to tell, was Mom and Poppy, sitting in the food court.

Had Charlie seen her and decided to act like she didn't know Poppy? Was something else going on? Had Poppy done something to Charlie to make her mad at Poppy?

The phone was on the ground before Poppy even realized she had dropped it over the side of her bed. It wasn't like it really mattered, anyway.

She needed to stop obsessing over every little thing Charlie did.

Later, when Poppy picked up the phone to go to the living room, she didn't like the post.

THAT NIGHT, WHEN Poppy lay tossing around in her bed, she did not think about Charlie.

Instead, she thought about the tooth fairy. And the tree.

Poppy still had no idea how she had ended up with a (clearly) magical seed. Yes, she had scared the tooth fairy, and yes, she had planted the seed, but how on Earth hadn't the tooth fairy come and magicked the tree away yet?

It seemed like something the fairy that stole teeth would do.

Poppy opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, as if wishing it would open up in front of her eyes. She didn't want to miss anything.

Sometimes, in the dark of night, when she was in the middle of worrying, a deep fear overcame Poppy. It was like the cold, clawed hands of death came every so often to remind Poppy of her limited existence.

Poppy curled into a ball, her knees against her chest, and breathed through the whirlwind of thoughts going through her brain. 

Was the tooth fairy evil? Had the fairy left the seed on purpose?

Poppy didn't know the answers to her questions. All she knew was the feeling of sleep overtaking her, and the fear that something was going to change drastically.

But most of all, before she had fallen asleep, Poppy had wished Charlie was her friend again.

Word Count: 1053

Total Word Count: 9361

Hello! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Did you catch the wording of the last line?

Thanks for reading!

CJ