YOU'RE ON FIRE!

Aleema Ali, 18, from Bradford, thought having headlice was the worst of her troubles, that was until the events that happened next scarred her for life...

- ANAIS SEELY

Itching my long, black hair, walking through the front steps, I was finally home.

Returning from boarding school on 22 December 2016, I was excited to spent time with my family over the Christmas period.

My mum Tihra, 42, dad, Zulfiqar, 47, eldest sister, Bushra, 23, and younger sister, Anayah, eight, were beaming at the sight of me.

At just 12, it was lovely to be back with them all again.

Only, there was a secret I had been hiding from them all ever since I'd got back.

Embarrassed to tell them the truth, I tried my best to keep it myself, but the itching had gotten the better of me.

'We need to go to the shops...

I've got headlice,' I admitted.

'Oh, Aleema,' my mum moaned, pulling my hair at the root to take a look for herself.

My hair had been taken over by the pesky little lice! Quickly dashing to the supermarket, we grabbed a few boxes of medical headlice treatment, as well a fine-tooth comb, before coming home to douse my hair in the stuff-I couldn't wait to get rid of them.

'Leave the treatment on the for 30 minutes,' I said, reading the instructions.

So, after covering every inch of my hair in the liquid, all we had to do was wait.

This gave my mum the opportunity to cook us some food in the kitchen, before returning to start the tedious task of combing my hair.

Grabbing the packaging, I walked into the kitchen, with my mum following behind me.

As I moved past the gas cooker to put the rubbish in the bin, my mum's face was full of absolute terror.

'AHHHH!' she screamed at the top of her voice.

'Why are you screaming?' I cried, confused.

Only, I caught my reflection in the kitchen window.

With the bright orange glow of what looked like fire emerging from my back, I assumed something had caught alight behind me.

'Aleema... you're on fire!' my mum gasped in shock.

I couldn't feel a thing.