Liquid Assets

Chapter 1 - Sinking Feeling

Rachel's eyes shot open as an awful rumbling noise filled her apartment. Looking up she saw the wet marks on her ceiling and let out a defeated angry groan. "I thought those idiots had already fixed this crap!" She mumbles as she scrambles out of bed and sluggishly crashes through her room door. Her feet are immediately seized by a chilling wave and Rachel looks down to see her apartment floor soaked with water. The fury radiating from her was almost enough to evaporate the water around her, but she simply trenched on through it and grabbed her apartment phone. Dialing the janitor number she is greeted by a jittering female voice. "Erm...H-hi Miss Rachel, how are you?"

"Why don't you come up to my new in door swimming pool where my apartment used to be and I can tell you face to face, and bring your dumb boytoy with you!" Rachel slams the phone down and begins her newly adopted routine of pulling out her water siphon pump. Turning in on and begrudgingly letting the chugging sound of the motor fill her damp room. Soon the majority of the water in the apartment had been sucked up and resting in buckets. Just as Rachel let out a sigh of relief, her moment of peace was interrupted by a sudden knock of the door. 

Realising it was the incompetent duo of Sasha and Sean, the apartment buildings new janitors, Rachel decided to take advantage of her position. Grabbing one of the buckets she dipped her hair in and let it become soaked and shimmering with the water. Shaking it around and messing up her hair more, she opened the door with a dreadfully long face. Two young faced janitors in one piece overalls were stood at the door, both shaking and holding toolboxes. "Erm...Miss Rachel, good morning.." The girl said, trying her best not to look Rachel in the eyes. Rachel, not saying anything, simply stands aside, revealing the soggy, moist insides of her apartment in all its dripping horror, much to the shock of the two quivering workers. "If I may, Little Miss Sasha..." Rachel leaned close to Sasha's face, glaring daggers at her, "What was it you said last week to me when the pipes above my apartment bust?"

"Erm...I don't know, I have short term memory..." Sasha was sweating bullets under the dreaded gaze of her disgruntled aggressor. "Oh really? Well I remember, you said 'Miss Rachel, it's all fixed now, it won't ever happen again'. Remember now?" The janitor continued to panic, but the stone cold silence was stopped by Sean, the other janitor, piping up. "Actually, yes I remember her saying that." His confession was immediately met by an elbow to his stomach by Sasha, and a furious grunt from Rachel. Sasha blurts out, "We promise we'll do it right this time, it was a freak water mains incident, there was nothing we could do!" 

Rachel just sighed and condescendingly gestured to her bathroom. "I don't want excuses, I want you both to get your stupid butts in that bathroom and I want you..." She lingers and the two janitors lean closer. "Fix. My. PLUMBING!" She screams, her angry explosion driving Sasha and Sean into the bathroom in a frantic dash of fear. As they ran in, Rachel noticed some unusual things. The clothing on Sasha looked baggier than usual, especially around the chest and rear end, and even Sean's belly area looked looser. As the pair entered the bathroom, Rachel also noticed the unusual looking tube hanging out of their toolbox.