x
22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJygVchZyAC
The wind kicked up, throwing sand in Maya Henry's face. The sharp shards bit her skin, but she continued watching the furious surf. Overhead, the sky loomed ominously. Dark clouds obscured the hiding sun. The beads in Maya's braided hair clacked noisily in her ears, mixing with the roaring Atlantic waters.
Maya loved Myrtle Beach in all seasons. When she stood on the shore, all her senses became fully alert. With the hurricane approaching, she wanted to capture every aspect of the scene. Despite the wind and the sea spray, she remained rooted to her spot.
Earlier, Maya watched a team of workers remove the lifeguard stands and lifeboats from the beach. They took them away to storage on a flatbed truck. She remained the only moveable object in every direction. Soon, she would have to leave, too. Nevertheless, she stood her ground, although the wind nearly knocked her off her feet.
"Maya!" She didn't hear her name until Aunt Chloe stood beside her. "What are you doing out here?"
The girl turned toward her Aunt. The wind beat Chloe's skirt between her knees and threw wisps of hair around her face. Maya looked at her momentarily before turning her eyes back toward the angry water.
"There's a seek shelter order in place," Aunt Chloe shouted, tugging on Maya's arm. "We have to get inside."
"One minute more," Maya yelled back.
"Not on your life, girly girl."
Maya found herself in a tug-of-war between the rushing wind and her frantic Aunt. Reluctantly, she let her relative win. Bending their heads against turbulent Mother Nature, they plodded homeward.
Inside, the house looked eerily dim behind the hurricane shutters. Aunt Chloe lit a single lamp. Its strange orange glow filled only a tiny space. Maya quickly snapped on more lights. At the height of the hurricane, they would probably lose electricity. She wanted as much of it as possible before they were plunged into darkness.
Aunt Chloe would remain the only adult in the house for the storm's duration. Maya's father worked as an EMT, and her mother was a police officer. They were both on mandatory duty. Aunt Chloe—her mother's younger sister—lived with them, along with her three-year-old son, Dante.
"Can't we have at least one window open?" Maya asked, peering toward the wall.
"Are you crazy?" her Aunt asked, staring at her disdainfully.
"I just wanted to watch the storm," the fifteen-year-old girl stated.
"You are crazy," Aunt Chloe answered her own question.
"Maya is crazy, Maya is crazy," Dante sang, running a circle around his two family members. Aunt Chloe's hand shot out, halting him by the shoulder.
"Hush, will ya?" his mother cautioned briskly.
"Yeah, hush," Maya echoed, plugging her ears with her fingers.
Outside, the wind howled for the first time. The hurricane was upon them. Dante shouted in fright and buried his head beneath a couch cushion. The sturdy house rocked on its foundation. Maya craned her neck, still longing to see outside.
The four walls closed in on Maya. She enjoyed outdoor freedom regardless of the weather. Edging toward the stairway, she glanced at her Aunt and little cousin. Her feet pounded the treads as she rushed toward her bedroom. At the top, she nearly collided with K'von. Her thirteen-year-old brother wore a pair of Scooby Doo pajama bottoms and an orange muscle shirt.
"Is my pizza here yet?" K'von asked, pushing past Maya.
"And Aunt Chloe thought I was crazy," she muttered, watching her brother amble downstairs.
K'von had a learning disability. When he went to school, he attended special classes. However, he stayed home most of the time, playing video games in his room. Maya wondered at her parents for allowing him so much idle time.
Her Aunt didn't have much time for K'von either. Maya remained at the top of the stairs, listening to Aunt Chloe shout at her brother. She was irritated that he ordered a pizza during a hurricane.
"Ain't nobody delivering pizza, K'von," Aunt Chloe yelled, pushing her face close to her nephew. She crossed her arms and tapped her toe on the hardwood floor. "Not in a hurricane."
K'von poked out his lower lip and pouted. His brown eyes grew round and blank. Watching from the stairway, Maya shook her head. He made that expression whenever he didn't get his way. She always thought it was an act. In fact, she believed his entire countenance was put on for show.
Behind his dimwitted façade, Maya knew that her younger brother was as intelligent as she was. He could do algebra in his head, and he was currently reading Herman Melville's Moby Dick. He kept his library books under his bed so no one could find them. Someday, she planned on tattling on him. She would make her parents see he only pretended stupidity.
Defeated, K'von plodded toward the stairs. Maya ducked into her room and closed the door softly. She didn't want her brother to catch her spying. Facing the shuttered window, her shoulders sank. She tried to look outside and watch the hurricane roar around her. She closed her eyes and felt herself amid the whirling wind and the slanted rain. She raised her face and practically felt the slashing drops pierce her skin.
Finally, Maya turned to the blank canvas on its easel. She would recreate it if she couldn't become a part of the storm. Lifting a graphite artist's pencil, she etched the shoreline across the canvas's lower quarter. Above it, she drew the roaring surf. Swiftly, Maya created whitecapped waves undulating toward the sand. Dark and angry, the sky hovered above the crashing waves. Slashing wind and rain swirled across the surface of the drawing.
Maya stood back, criticizing her creation. She liked it, but something was missing. For a moment, she considered destroying it, starting over. She had plenty of time. The hurricane would remain above them for hours. House lights flickered, then held strong.
"What you up to?" a voice asked. The figure stood behind her, nodding. "Not bad."
"Whatchoo doing here?" Maya asked, turning toward the newcomer. She hadn't realized she had company.
The tall boy shrugged his shoulders. Hamilton Rigby lived across the street. Besides playing point guard for the high school basketball team, he was Maya's boyfriend.
"I ran over during a lull in the storm," he explained, wrapping his arms around her waist and planting a kiss on the back of her neck. I couldn't bear thinking of you here and me over there."
"Get out of that raincoat. You're dripping all over me." Maya stepped back, holding her arms up. "Go hang it up someplace."
When Hamilton didn't move, Maya opened the closet and pushed a hanger into his hands. She pointed toward her bathroom door and told him to hang the dripping coat in the shower. He obeyed quickly.
"Why are men always so stupid?" she muttered to herself. "We have to tell them how to do everything." She shook her head, causing her beaded braids to clack together.
Hamilton lumbered back and stood before Maya's drawing. Her talent astonished him. She created wonderfully detailed pictures even when they played with sidewalk chalk in grade school. The raging hurricane was one of her best.
"What do you think's missing?" he eventually asked. "It's really terrific."
"I don't know." Maya shrugged.
The wind howled, and the rain beat against the hurricane shutter. Maya looked toward it, wishing again that she could see outside. When the lights went out, she jumped in her skin. Hamilton wrapped his arms around her and held her. Minutes ticked past, and darkness closed around them.
"Maya?" Aunt Chloe called up the stairs. She advanced a few risers and called again. "Maya? Come downstairs and sit with us. I don't want you up there alone." A flashlight beamed into her room.
"I'm okay," Maya responded, poking her head into the hallway. Her Aunt stood tentatively at the top of the stairs.
"No, you ain't." her Aunt snapped back. "I want you downstairs."
Maya glanced at Hamilton and shrugged. Together, they stepped out of her bedroom. Aunt Chloe raised her eyebrows but didn't question her boyfriend's appearance. They plodded downstairs and stood awkwardly in the living room. K'von continued to mutter about his missing pizza.
Beneath the hurricane winds, the automatic generator whirled life. Light flooded the room. Aunt Chloe sighed with relief. Maya and Hamilton sat side by side on the couch. Dante sat on the floor with his coloring books.
Everyone jumped in the skin when the door cracked open. Tamicha Henry stepped in wearing a black police slicker. Her partner, Mark Whitfield, hovered behind her.
"All okay, Chloe?" Maya's mother asked, stepping further into the room.
"Other than an unexpected guest, we're all right," Tamicha's sister answered. She indicated Hamilton sitting beside Maya.
Tamicha cast her eyes over her daughter's boyfriend and shrugged.
"I expected as much," she answered nonchalantly. "I only dropped in for a minute. Powerlines are down everywhere, and we're getting 911 calls like crazy. Have you seen Walt?"
"Not yet," Chloe answered briskly. "I expect he'll get around to us sooner or later."
"Walter's busy too," Tamicha snapped, her eyes flaring at her sister. "We're not standing around playing tiddly-winks, you know."
"Yeah, whatever." Aunt Chloe shrugged. "Babysitting isn't a hilariously good time either."
"You should have thought about that before you got pregnant, sis," Tamicha countered hotly. You're just lucky Walter let you move in here."
"Don't start something I'm going to finish, Tam." Chloe stepped menacingly close to her sister.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Maya shouted, leaping to her feet. She slapped her hands against her ears. "It's bad enough the elements are at war outside. Don't battle in here, too."
"I gotta get back to work," Tamicha stated, striding toward the door. Mark followed her out, carefully closing the egress behind him.
"Do you have to do that, Aunt Chloe?" Maya bellowed irritably. "Mom's right. You're lucky you can live here. I've had enough of you two bickering all the time. Come on, Ham." She marched upstairs, her lanky boyfriend shadowing her.
"My pizza shoulda gotten here by now," K'von muttered dolefully.
Maya pressed her hand against Hamilton's chest and said he should remain upstairs. She rushed back down, her feet thumping on the risers.
"There ain't no pizza, you idiot!" Maya shouted, standing squarely in front of K'von. "Ain't no Door Dash; ain't no Uber Eats, ain't no Grubhub. Ain't no deliveries. The only thing delivering is that hurricane out there. Get it?"
Her brother stared at her blankly; Dante stared at both of them. Aunt Chloe tapped her foot on the hardwood floor. Maya caught Hamilton peering down at her from the corner of her eye. Frustration boiled up inside her.
"You ain't stupid, K'von. Quit acting like it." Spinning on her heels, Maya marched upstairs and past Hamilton. She didn't realize she slammed the door in his face until it cracked open. "Sorry, Ham, I didn't mean it."
"Okay." Hamilton shrugged and plopped on the bed. They both studied the drawing on its easel.
"It's missing something," Maya stated.
"It looks fine to me," Hamilton remarked.
"Yeah." Maya sighed. "It's missing something."
The girl studied the picture critically. She turned her head sideways, then nearly upside down. She stepped back and stared long and hard. Finally, she approached and picked up her graphite pencil. Swiftly, Maya drew in a girl standing amid the hurricane. The wind lifted her black beaded hair, dancing wildly above her head.
ns 15.158.61.50da2
