A Family Podcast (english)

Chapter 12

Thea

Finally, Taylor parked the car, and I cautiously got out. Almost there.

Taylor was walking towards the front door when Aden came running around the corner with a bucket. He collided with Taylor, who instinctively reached out to grab Aden and prevent him from falling. Unfortunately, that didn't apply to the bucket, which flew right at me. Quickly, I turned my model away as the thick liquid from the bucket spilled all over me.

With my eyes closed, I felt the substance running down my face. I grimaced at the greasy sensation and the smell. The goo dripped from my hair and ran down my neck and back.

I could practically sense Taylor and Aden staring at me in silence. It wasn't until I opened my mouth to ask what the hell had just splashed on my face that Taylor seemed to snap out of his stupor, at least.

"Mouth shut" he interrupted me immediately, and I felt his hands on my face.

"Taylor, my model!" I cried out desperately. "Is my model okay?"

"What? I have no idea... You're all blue. Aden, what is this stuff?" He sounded disgusted, and I had the feeling that instead of wiping it away, he was just smearing it around on my face.

"Uh... I think it's paint and glue and stuff. I don't know, we just poured everything in" Aden mumbled, and Taylor made an indistinct grumbling sound.

"My project... Taylor, it's burning" I said, still holding the model at arm's length, and my eyes began to burn terribly.

"Damn it, Thea, the model is still intact" Taylor replied irritably, finally taking it from me. "Now come on, that stuff shouldn't get into your eyes." He pressed a cloth to my face and pulled me along behind him. I stumbled several times on the stairs, but he simply lifted me up by the arms and placed me in the shower.

Suppressing the urge to open my eyes, I clung to Taylor's sweater instead. When Taylor held the cold stream of water to my face, I squealed in surprise. Within seconds, I was completely drenched, which was terribly uncomfortable given the already freezing temperatures outside.

"Almost there" Taylor muttered, and I slowly opened my eyes. Taylor turned off the water, and I watched as the blue-tinted water disappeared down the drain.

"Is it gone?" I asked, and Taylor puffed out his cheeks without answering.

"Damn it, what were you even trying to do with that stuff?" he snapped at Aden, his frustration evident.

Aden fidgeted on his feet. "Nothing. We just wanted to... We just wanted to paint the tree outside" he mumbled finally.

"You wanted to paint the tree outside" Taylor looked at Aden incredulously. "Why the hell would you want to paint the tree?"

"It was supposed to be a magic waterfall" he explained meekly. "We were playing Indians."

Taylor opened his mouth as if he was going to say something but seemed to change his mind and shook his head silently.

"Is the paint gone?" I asked again because Taylor hadn't answered earlier, and I had a feeling that it couldn't mean anything good.

Once again, Taylor opened his mouth, only to close it without saying anything.

I studied my brothers for a moment before jumping up and running to the mirror. I almost slipped on the wet tiles but managed to catch myself just in time.

My gaze fell on the mirror, and I gasped.

"Taylor" I groaned. "Today is-"

"your unlucky day. Yeah, I think you're right" he finished my sentence just as the door downstairs opened, and something shattered.