The alarm wasn’t supposed to go off yet…although, truly, there was something quite grounding about the familiar sound that usually stirs me from sleep. At this point, however, I didn’t need it. I was wide awake, and I couldn’t help but pay attention to timing more than ever. The adrenaline from what I’d just done, the empty eyes I tried my best to avoid, the wetness of the blood on my hands, in my mouth, dripping off my face and onto my blouse…it all kept reminding me of the fact that I still had more than enough to do before I would be awakened by another alarm.


As I searched inside for something that would throw my ass into high gear, I became aware of one solitary fact.


I was innocent. I swear. 


All I’d wanted to do was get my scrambled brain in order, to make sense of the chaos it had become. She was the one who made it so difficult to do so, with all that sneaking around she was doing! It seemed as though she’d weaseled her way into every aspect of my life, always throwing a healthy dose of side-eye, furrowed brows, and pursed lips my way when no one could see, telling me everything I needed to know. We were never that great of friends in the beginning, mostly hanging out due to the acquaintances we had, keeping up the façade so we weren’t left out of the elite group of women we’d finally been accepted into. Doris had endlessly vouched for her soon after I’d been invited in, saying her best friend was nothing but marvelous. But, soon after what I’d done, she’d begun to be sickeningly sweet to me, paying attention to my every opinion like it was The Written Word, complimenting every single thing I owned, wore, said...you name it. Yet, I still found myself feeling the deepest sense of exposure as she’d say and do all the right things, like there was some sort of ulterior motive behind it all. I ended up paying a pretty penny or two for a private investigator to dig into her past, which, come to find out, was littered with some incredibly questionable acts that I’d only dreamed of committing. Although, somehow, she hadn’t been found guilty for a single one. I was aware that she could see in my eyes how similar we were. She knew far too much, and she was going to do whatever it took to ensure she had what was mine...what I’d sacrificed so much of my life for. All I’d wanted was to finally impress someone, hell, anyone, with what I’d been working so hard on perfecting all year long. No one was supposed to know how I got here, but she was just so damn nosy! What was it? Anger? Envy?


I suppose now I’ll never really know, though if I had to bet on a theory, I’d say it’s because of the fact that I’d thought of it first. I was so far distanced from the pool of suspects that it filled me with glee every time that fact brightened the world within my mind. With her long history of frequenting suspect lists, barely getting away by the skin of her teeth, I wouldn’t be surprised. But when I found her hiding in the laundry room next to the kitchen, I knew there was at least one thing that had led her there. Her obsession had drawn her in like a moth to a flame. She had the same, desperate, hungry look in her eyes I was certain I’d had when I’d found the answers I needed to make this year the best one yet. There was something about these competitions. It drove us all into a frenzy we had no idea we were capable of. It was as if we all felt this undying need to prove ourselves to the other moms that we were absolutely, precisely as we loved to portray ourselves: polite and proper...happy and perfect…pleasant and wonderful...all those positive things our own mothers had strictly raised us to be (or else). There was no denying we each had our demons we fought so hard to keep hidden from the public eye. I mean, seriously. What normal person would be this desperate for something so trivial?


And yet…seconds after the alarm went off, I realized something that would finally get my feet moving. The one person who suspected what I’d done was dead, and there was only one path left to take. You’d think I’d call the police, but when you’re like me, that option is off the table. Plus, the intoxicating smell of my nearly-finished dish mixed with the sharp, biting scent of fresh blood was taking my focus completely hostage, and there was no going back now. I wasn’t as prepared as last time, but I certainly knew what had to be done. The only one who could possibly know the route I'd taken to get here was gone, and my recipe was safe. I’d only killed once before, but the darkness she related to when she looked into my eyes said everything I refused to admit to myself. Caroline should have had some sort of idea what I’d do when I found her. She’d never be able to form another idea again now that her recipe-stealing ass was gone. That thin mouth of hers was a personality in itself, and her jealousy had been palpable the second I’d mentioned I had been working on something special for the festival. How dare she spy on me…ME! 


She should have been in her own damn house, making her own damn entry for the contest. Instead, here she was, lying on my kitchen floor, blood pooling underneath her, and there was still so much work to do. When the alarm had gone off, I could barely remember what I’d set it for. Except, wait, didn’t I set it for AM instead of PM? Hell, had I even set it at all? Being so unprepared for what happened had my mind reeling with questions that I’d likely never remember or know the answer to. My phone sat there, drenched and vibrating the crimson lake slightly as I listened to the funky, ironic, wake-me-up tune I’d set for myself, and there was no way I was touching that thing until my beautiful casserole was done, setting to cool…then I’d get rid of the body and the phone, damn it all. Just because I’d gotten my hands on the prize-winning broccoli casserole recipe didn’t mean Caroline had any right to it, too. I was the one who got their hands dirty in the first place, and now she’d forced my hand into something I wasn’t quite ready for. As I went to pick up the knife I’d used to give her a number of brand new, rather unnecessary belly buttons, I smiled to myself, feeling that newfound calmness I’d been missing all my life. I reveled in the child-like delight I felt as I embraced the peace I’d been searching for, brought on by finally giving in to those desires I kept hidden deep inside. Who knew such a busy, distracted mind could, at long last, be so still, so at ease? 


A separate alarm went off on the stove, stopping me mere centimeters shy of picking up the murder weapon. My cooking timer! Of course! My, yes, MY, broccoli casserole was finally complete, and I could begin the thrilling tasks I had before me after placing it on the counter. Caroline was gone. My casserole was perfect. All I had to do was get rid of one more body. Just one more body. Easy-peasy. That rotten, recipe-stealing bitch would never be able to say it was hers now, all thanks to me.