Left foot, right foot. Maya's last two hundred yards of sprint had ended and she was back on the steps of the yellow farmhouse. She stretched her calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and hips and then walked back into the house, careful not to slam the screen door. Most members of the Price family preferred to sleep late and there was a lot of grumbling when her early morning runs awoke her siblings or father.
The door on the north side of wraparound porch led into the kitchen of the yellow farmhouse. When Maya's mother Linda had run the kitchen, it always smelled like either country smoked sausage or waffles and was gloriously messy. Now that it was her stepmother's, kitchen, the aroma of Lysol disinfectant permeated the area and cereal boxes stood in two alphabetical lines on the island. (Judy had hinted at Allan Price that an island would make the kitchen much more modern. The old cedar kitchen table and chairs made the farmhouse much too "backwoods," she had said). Maya longed for the smell of pancakes as she wrinkled her nose at two rows of bran cereal.
"Filth. She is so filthy," Maya heard someone hiss, as if the voice were standing right behind her.
Maya whipped around suddenly, looking for a sign that someone had entered the kitchen. The voice had sounded like Judy's, but something was...off. The comment jolted her thoughts away from the tasteless bran cereal. Judy never had a negative opinion. Actually, Judy never had an opinion about anything.
"Judy?" she asked tentatively.
For about thirty seconds, Maya heard nothing and wondered if she had imagined Judy's comment. While it was not out of character for her obsessive compulsive stepmother to be worried about "filth," she seemed to be nowhere in sight. Walking the few steps to the laundry room, Maya peered around the corner, looking for the perfect bob haircut and the telltale too trendy outfits. There was no human presence in the tiny room that contained the washer and dryer, but the family's overweight black cat, Bob, was napping in the middle of a pile of clothes.
"Hey Bob-o," Maya greeted him, scratching behind his ears. Bob purred loudly and stretched.
"Good morning Maya," chirped a singsong voice, causing Maya to jump. Judy's petite figure had appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.
"Oh, uh, hey Judy. Were you just in the living room or something? I thought I heard you."
"No. I was upstairs, ironing your father's shirts. Did you need something?"
An almost painful looking smile was stretched over Judy's heart-shaped face and her eyes were opened a little too wide as she straightened the already straight rows of cereal boxes. She was dressed, from head to toe, in very trendy attire and her makeup was already perfectly applied, complete with her signature red lipstick. Stepdaughter and stepmother stared at each other, Judy never blinking. As she always did when she became part of one of these staring contests, Maya felt her insides begin to squirm.
"No, I just thought I heard you. That's all."
Judy nodded, still not blinking and still smiling. "Do you want some cereal?"
"No thanks. I ummm, I am going to wait and maybe have a peanut butter and banana sandwich instead."
"Okay. Just remember that this organic bran is really good for you. It will flush you right out."
YOU ARE READING
Identified: The Maya Price Story
Novela Juvenil**Identified is the first book in a four part YA fantasy series. It was first published in 2012. As part of my agreement with Amazon, I can only feature parts of the novel for free. I am posting the first ten chapters here on Wattpad, but the seri...
