Chapter 4 - The Deluge
Maya didn't stand up using her hands.
She used her core, pushing off her feet, her movement sudden and fluid.
Her hands locked around the thick handles of the white plastic bucket.
The gray, soapy water sloshed violently against the sides.
"What are you doing?!" Ryan shouted, stepping forward to block his mother.
Maya didn't answer.
She swung the bucket from her hips in a wide, sweeping arc.
A wall of filthy, ice-cold water exploded across the space.
It hit Ryan full in the chest, soaking his canvas jacket and drenching his face.
The rest swept over Linda, flattening her styled blonde hair against her skull.
Linda shrieked—a sharp, piercing sound that cracked against the high ceilings.
The heavy pink bathrobe absorbed the dirty water like a sponge, dragging her shoulders down.
"Ryan, get that phone!" Linda screamed, wiping soapy foam from her eyes with her soaked sleeve.
She pointed a shaking, coral-tipped finger at the kitchen counter where Maya’s black phone sat charging.
"Get it now!" Linda gasped, her voice shrill with sudden panic. "What are you two hiding from me?"
The kitchen counter was two feet away from Maya.
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Maya stepped over the puddle, her wet sneakers making a sharp suction sound against the floor.
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