On the outside Amanda seemed like the perfect wife, happy, but as she sat across the table from her husband inside she felt quite the opposite. Her blonde hair sat on her shoulders, not a strand out of place and on her lips shone a smile. She had perfected this false smile years ago, being able to fool anybody with it and like every time her husband saw it he was fooled. Lit only by candlelight, that flickered gently, the two sat and ate dinner. Amanda watched her husband take a bite of lasagne she had prepared for most of the morning. They ate in silence as they did every night, he didn’t even attempt to cover up the scent of the perfume that lingered on him anymore. Her eyes followed his every move as if waiting for something, she too ate a piece of her dinner that lay on her plate. Fantastic as usual. She mused in her head.I will have to thank Angela for the recipe.She swallowed her food and went to cut another piece when her husband started choking, he dropped his knife and fork in panic, his wide eyes turned to his wife who carried on eating. After a few moments the man fell forward, his head narrowly missing his plate of food. In his panic had he not moved his chairs angle his face would be covered in food and Amanda let a small smirk creep on her lips at the thought. She ate her last mouthful she settled her knife and fork down before standing up, her eyes set upon her husband’s body watching his stillness before walking towards the phone. Dialing 911 she played her part of the scared and worried wife and she played it well. Hanging up the phone after asking for the emergency service her eyes lay upon her husband’s body once again. A smile crossed her lips as she knew it was not food that killed him, but that was her own little secret.

“You aren’t even listening to me. We are moving tomorrow and I need that truck.” A woman held the phone to her head, her other hand running threw her dark hair. “I understand but we’ve already put the deposit down.” She sighed changing the hands that the phone lay in. “No the afternoon is no good, we have an impossible amount of things to fit into one short day. It is not my fault you overbooked.” She listened to the man string excuses on the other side of the phone. “Ok, ok. Thank you, bye.”

“Bad news?” The woman’s daughter stepped through the living room door as her mum hung up. She inspected the room, boxes of varying size sat taped up ready to be moved.

“They are now saying they have no vans for tomorrow. They will see what they can do.” She sat on a box rubbing her forehead. “They said they would try to do what they could but I’m doubtful. Since your father left I’ve had terrible luck, I’m glad we’re getting out of here.”    

The daughter took a seat on the box next to her mother, her head resting on her shoulder. “Me too, I will never forgive him for what he’s done to us, especially Bradley, how can you leave your own child at such a young age. No excuses, explanations. Apart from the lawyer and divorce papers we haven’t heard a thing.” Erica stood up. “You should get some sleep mum, you look exhausted.”  Lori looked up to her daughter, for a 16 year old she was quite mature, she didn’t know if she had gotten lucky or if it was due to her divorce. She smiled nodding towards Erica.

“I will, there’s just a bit more I need to do.”  And with that Erica left the room and headed upstairs.

A crowd had developed outside Amanda’s home, she stood by the door as they wheeled off her husband’s body. She heard the whispers from the crowd, many concerned by what state Amanda would be left in, but she was not concerned, but the crowd did not know what she knew. Her head turned sharply as she heard a group of woman’s voices close by, she smiled to them as they came and stood by her. There was 3 other woman who stood in front of her. There was Jennet, in her late 40’s she was the oldest of the group and the so to call leader, her hair was a dull blonde and like everybody else’s it always fell into perfect place, her eyes were a grey colour but they didn’t shimmer with life. Next in the group was Angela, she was in her late 30’s yet she didn’t look like it. There were no stress lines or bags under her eyes. Her eyes shone when she spoke as did her deep red hair.  Paula was the last, her hair a deep brown that ended above her shoulders, she was the best dressed out of the group, her clothes the newest fashion lines and most expensive.

“You did the right thing.” Jennet spoke placing a hand on Amanda’s shoulder. “They will never know it was foul play.” The doors on the ambulance closed. “We should follow them, I will drive.” They began walking towards the house next to Amanda’s, like all the houses on the street they were rather large, the gardens were all perfectly mowed and each as beautiful as the last. As the women got in the car Jennet turned to face them. “We must keep up our appearances, especially as we have a new neighbour tomorrow.” Without another word she turned the ignition on and drove to the morgue.

 For appearances are not always as they seem and on Fellcrest Lane the secrets that accompany them are many and dark.