Doreen lived with her mom and her mom’s boyfriend in a tin-and-wood wendy-house in someone’s yard. Sasha didn’t like visiting Doreen because the mom and her boyfriend drank, and when they were drunk they fought. Doreen was used to it and dealt with it by going off and playing soccer at the club or in the road, but it frightened Sasha.

She approached the wendy-house hesitantly. It looked as though no-one was home. Sasha knocked on the door, but there was no reply. She waited a minute and then knocked again, more loudly. There was still no response. Sasha pushed the door gently and it swung open to reveal a dark room. Dirty dishes were stacked next to a bucket by the door and filthy blankets were piled onto an old mattress that lay on the floor.

Sasha was about to back out of the room, certain that no-one was at home, when she saw a shadow of movement in the far corner. She wanted to run away but the thought that she needed to help Doreen gave her courage.

“Hello!” she shouted. To her surprise, as the shadow moved towards the light of the open door it materialised into Doreen’s figure. Sasha was so relieved she felt tears prick the back of her eyelids.

“Thank God you’re OK,” she said. “Where have you been? I’ve been so worried about you, you have no idea.”

Doreen just stared at Sasha as though she was a stranger. She was dressed in her soccer kit, although her feet were bare.

“Doreen,” Sasha said urgently. “It’s me.”

Doreen walked slowly towards Sasha without saying anything and Sasha realised that she’d seen this before. It was how the girls at school had been, and those kids at McDonald’s. But Doreen didn’t take drugs. Sasha knew that. Doreen was vehemently against alcohol and drugs, not only because of her soccer but also because of what they had done to her mom.

“Doreen, what’s happened?” Sasha asked. Doreen continued walking towards Sasha and then handed her a cylindrical container. She still hadn’t said a word. Sasha looked at the small tube that Doreen had given her. It was branded with sports logos and had a picture of a girl cycling and a boy playing soccer printed on it. It looked as though it was some sort of sports sweet, and promised ‘sustained release energy and added electrolytes’.

Sasha didn’t need to click the lid open to know that the sweets inside would be blue, or that there would be one missing. She took out her phone and called Simphiwe immediately.

“Be there tomorrow with the bike,” she said. “We’re going to find this guy and we’re going to make sure he pays for what he’s done.” Sasha took Doreen’s hand. It felt cold and lifeless and Sasha wanted to cry.

“I promise you we’ll find out what this drug is. We’ll get you back to normal, I swear to you.”

***

Tell us: What different ways can drugs affect people?