Snake in the grass

Shannon-Leigh O’Brien, 18, London

Perched on my desk in class, I bobbed my head up when I heard my name.

‘We’ve found a placement in a reptile store for you, ’ smiled my teacher.

It was for two weeks’ work experience.

‘Yes!’ I squealed.

It was November 2018.

I was 14 years old, and desperately wanted to become a vet.

I lived with my dad John, then 45, and brothers James, then 11, and Jared, then 9.

I loved animals.

I suffered from depression, but my 7-year-old Jack Russell pooches Masie and Sally