Chapter 10: The respond of water

Sarah Codache

We were finally at home right now. Mom hurriedly went up to my room to arrange my things while she left me in the Kitchen. I was here, eating sandwiches. It's my favorite food, and I was craving it!  

The sandwich gave pleasure to my stomach. The layering of half-cooked egg with ham and cheese! Ugh! So delicious! 

The way it was prepared made me feel full at first glance, even if I haven't totally eaten it. I was biting every corner of this food when Sophia came with heavy footsteps. I can hear her rapid breathing while approaching in front of me, and only the table separated the both of us.

"You eat my food again?!" She scolded me. Her voice echoed alongside each corner of the Kitchen. It was too loud that my head lifted, and my body trembled in a second while looking at her mad eyes.

I froze because of the tension brought by her voice. Did she mean that she owns this sandwich?

She was angry because I ate her sandwich?

With dreadful actions, she went nearer to. She opened her left hand, raised it above her, and slapped me on my face. 

It was kind of hot. The sensation of feeling more pain ran deeply in my cheek's skin. I felt scared. My body was trembling as I glanced halfway through her body using the side sight of my eyes. I cannot handle looking at her, so I just remained at my position while covering my face. 

Was I wrong about what I did?

Why does she need to do this with me?

"Did you even know that I spent my allowance just to buy the ingredients needed for that sandwich?!" She added while her voice went louder. 

A few moments later, I heard familiar footsteps approaching us from my back. It was our mom.

I faced her immediately, seeking comfort. My mom's eyes were worried as she saw my face. Her eyebrows were slightly curved with a furrowed forehead. 

"Oh my god..." She said with wide eyes approaching my cheek through her hands. She checked the part of it being slapped before facing my sister. 

"What have you done with your sister?!" My mom gasped. 

My sister's eyes were in tears. She was trembling a bit while maintaining eye contact with mom. 

"She was the one who started it! She ate my sandwich!" My sister replied in an insisting high pitched voice. 

"Really, Sophia?" My mom's voice went calm but angry in tone. "Just for a sandwich?" She added in a soft, painful manner.

I glanced towards my sister, and I was terrified when she gazed at me with bitter eyebrows. She was biting her lips in anger. 

"Don't look at your sister like that-"

"It's because you aren't giving me a chance to speak my side yet!" My sister surprisingly shouted in front of my mom's face. She manifested a frustrated expression. She greeted her teeth but afterward, she gradually became calm when she noticed my mom's severe reaction.

"Do you think your reasons would be enough?" My mom coaxed. Her voice was gentle but mad.

I saw my sister's upper eyelid moved when she heard the words of mom. Her face looked frustrated. It was at rest but in a furious behavior. 

Her tears began to flow down.

She nodded several times. She glanced at me. "Okay," then our mother back. "I already knew you were never on my side." 

My sister turned around to leave, but my mother suddenly stopped her for a while.

"You are the eldest; please understand her." Pleaded mom with weak eyes. 

My sister did not respond verbally. Instead, she breathed deeply, wiped her tears, shook her head, and left. 

My mom breathed a sigh of dismay. She looked stressed.

Then she glanced at me. She moved closer to see if my cheek was turning back to its natural color without the hand marks brought by the slapping.

After she observed my cheek carefully, she left me assured. "Just stay here, okay? I'll get something."

-

Maybe an hour or more, my mom treat me outside. I was excited to go strolling around our neighborhood. But, my mood changed when we finally got out. The sky was beautiful as it was deadly. It was an arctic colored blue but grayish in some areas. 

As the clouds moved, my pupils became small as I stared at the little sunlight, focused. The sun's rays did not bother me. Later on, one part of the sun rays seemed facing in my way. It was sparkling. And among all the rays that showered my face, this single ray fluttered towards a different direction. 

It bothered me a lot. So I asked mom to come with me. I grabbed her hands, and out of nowhere, without giving her an idea, she still followed me.

"Where are we going, Sarah? You like something to buy?" She asked in bliss. 

I did not mind what she said. While we were walking along, she always kept telling me to slow down from time to time, while I kept on glancing at that single ray. 

Later on, I arrived at a place where the tip of the ray stopped. After looking at it, I put my attention on my surroundings.

My eyes widened, looking straightly at those people who were stuck inside a facility. They were shouting, asking for my help. The spirit of its environment was totally opposite to what was happening to them. The surroundings were crowded with people seeking at the catastrophe that occurred while others tried to help.

My mom, who was beside me, held my arms while watching the fire ranging throughout the building. 

Later on, an alarming sound of a truck in red came. People vanished from their places to give way. 

"Move move! The firefighters are here!" Shouted by a civilian man while giving directions to his fellow citizens. 

My eyes followed their actions as the firefighters ran fast towards the structure. Water from the fire truck intensely sprouted out the host to stop the fire from spreading.  

"I think we should go." My mom initiated it since the situation here was terrible.

We both turned our back while mom was guiding me with her hands on my two shoulders. 

But, we were a few steps away when the voice of a child spattered to my ears. I stilled. My mom was looking at me, questioning my sudden reaction. 

The child's voice was shouting for help. My eyes stilled, focused on hearing what was happening. 

The second time, I heard the child asking for help again. So I quickly turned back and was about to run towards the building when I immediately noticed that no children were whining about being rescued in the building. 

My mom approached me to asked what was happening, but my entire thoughts were not focused on her. 

My face was lifted, and my eyes widened as I felt strange about what was happening inside me. I can feel my eyes became smaller as it looked away from what was inside the building. 

Every room, every floor, every area, my eyes traveled to those spots instantly. Until it stopped at one place where a child was stuck up. She was sobbing, desperately asking for help. 

My mom whispered something in my ears, but I did not bother to listen to it. My eyes turned right where the firetruck was. And for once, my sight went more in-depth to the hosts, seeing the water with high intensity running towards its mouth.

I can feel my iris turning into a deep blue one as it waved. The water inside the host has surprisingly raised its intensity higher as I stared towards it. 

"Keep distance!" A firefighter shouted. They probably felt the sudden change of the water's current. 

I continued staring at the host until the water inside the fire truck became limited. My eyes became more stagnant in focusing on the dissemination of waters. 

A few firefighters noticed that the water production exceeded the limit despite the water stock's limitation in the firetruck.

One of them, who was holding the host, asked in confusion. "How many gallons does it have?" 

The one assigned at the upper truck shouted so that he could be heard. "750 gallons!"