I curse at Rosie’s obnoxious voicemail. It’s the same message I’ve heard for the last three hours. Anxiety claws at my chest. As frustrating as my situation is, I’m worried about hers. What if she went off the road in the snow? Worrying about her became my job eight years ago, and I’m quite successful at it, for better or worse.
I take a deep breath, focusing on what Icancontrol. As much as I want to run into the night to find the only family member I claim, I can’t. There’s no way of knowing where she is. The best I can do is wait, which is a hard pill to swallow.
I step out of the bathroom, not wanting Maya to be out of my sight for long. Or Bella, for that matter. The child is dangerous in her own way.
Streams of water pelt my face and body, hard and unrelenting. The world becomes a liquid blur as water seeps through my clothes.
I block my face from the never-ending stream and search for the culprit. It can only be two people. Oh look, it’s both.
I run for the little one first, scooping her in my arms as she lets out a delighted cackle. I aim her giant water gun at the bigger one.
Maya turns tail and runs, screaming as water soaks the back of her cream-colored sweats. She darts out of the hallway and straight toward the balcony, but I don’t let up, even when she corners herself against the glass railing.
I empty the gun on her to Bella’s delight.
“This is my new favorite Christmas tradition.” The little girl giggles as I set her down.
“Okay, okay!” Maya, now fully soaked, drops her gun to the ground. “I’m out.”
“Giving up already,Penny?” I taunt.
Her chest is rising and falling, matching the pace of mine as I tower over her. Droplets of water cling to the ends of her hair, and I want to reach out and catch them before they fall.
“I’m not a quitter,” she says, rising on her toes, trying to intimidate me. She lost that ability when she stopped growing freshman year and I shot up. Her talk is just that.
An icy breeze slips between us, and I shiver at the same time she does.
“It’s snowing!” Arabella shouts. She spins around, tongue out, while we both watch with an admiration that comes from adulthood, wondering where the delighted innocence went.
“I didn’t think you’d take me seriously with the water gun,” I say to Maya. “A little elementary, don’t you think?”
She bites her bottom lip, and my gaze snags on that spot a moment too long. “You caught me.”
“Try coming up with your own ideas next time.”
“Yeah, I think I will. Cookies!” she shouts.
“Huh?”
She ducks around me, and she and Arabella take off into the house, slamming the glass door closed and locking it with matching smiles of mirth.
Apparently, I failed to assess the danger of my current predicament.
Forfeit by hypothermia. She’s actually trying to kill me.
The two of them throw me a wave, then Maya shoos Arabella deeper into the penthouse. I watch them go. With each step, I think Maya is going to turn around and say “Just kidding.” But she completely disappears.
The snow has turned into falling chunks, and the sun has long since ceased to lend its warmth to the earth. I squeeze the water out of my clothes, biding my time.
It’s not that cold.
And I won’t be out here long.
I’ve got my tools. I grab them from the backpack I have yet to shed, and when I’m sure the two ladies inside are distracted, I get to work on the door.
The lock is the newest version on the market—the best of the best. This is going to take some time, but I can do it.
Thirty minutes later, I still haven’t managed to break in. I thought leaving Maya the first time might destroy me, but this is far more diabolical.
