Chapter 2

Jazmyne shrieked. The sound pierced the quiet room.

She swung her leg back. She tried to shake Amari off. Amari locked her jaw. Her teeth sank deeper into the flesh. Warm blood filled her mouth. It tasted like metal.

Delma lunged forward. Her hands grabbed a fistful of Amari's tangled hair. She yanked backward. Her muscles strained.

Amari flew backward. Her spine slammed into the drywall. The impact knocked the air from her lungs. She slid down the wall. Her knees hit the floor.

Jazmyne clutched her bleeding leg. Her face twisted. She stomped toward Amari. She raised her foot. The pointed heel of her stiletto drove straight into Amari's stomach.

Amari folded in half. A wet groan scraped up her throat. She clutched her stomach. Her vision blurred.

Delma turned back to the bed. She noticed the crumpled crayon drawing resting on the white sheet. She snatched it up.

She held the paper in front of Amari's face. She ripped it straight down the middle.

Amari's eyes stretched wide. She pushed a trembling hand into the air. Her fingers grasped at nothing.

Delma sneered. She tore the halves into quarters. Then eighths. She threw the shredded pieces into the air. The bits of paper fluttered down. They landed on Amari's bruised cheeks.

The vibration from Delma kicking the bed frame finally dislodged a primary monitoring electrode from Evalyn's chest. The heart monitor beside the bed instantly spiked. The steady beep turned into a rapid, frantic alarm indicating a lost signal.

Under the blanket, Evalyn's index finger twitched. The joint bent a fraction of an inch.

Inside Evalyn's paralyzed body, rage slammed against her ribs. Her brain screamed. Her muscles remained locked.

Jazmyne grabbed the metal IV pole. She swung it down. The heavy base crashed into Amari's shoulder.

Amari's vision went black at the edges. The pain radiated down her arm. She kept her eyes locked on the oxygen tube connected to her mother's face.

Delma glared at the glaring red lights on the monitor. The alarm was deafening. Her jaw tightened.

"Forget the plug. The nurses will come running." Delma snapped. She looked down at Amari. "Let's deal with this little rat first."

Delma bent over. Her hands clamped around Amari's thin ankle. She pulled.

Amari's fingernails scraped against the linoleum. The sound was a high-pitched screech. She tried to find a grip. There was nothing.

Delma yanked the door open. She dragged Amari out into the hallway. Amari's body bumped across the floor.

Three people standing by the vending machine turned to look, their faces pale with shock. Jazmyne stepped out. She glared at them, her eyes wide and manic. "Mind your own business! This is a family matter!" she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. One man reached into his pocket for a phone, but his wife frantically grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Terrified of the wealthy, unhinged women, the people looked away. They quickly stepped back into their rooms and locked their doors.

Delma pulled Amari over the metal threshold of the doorway. Amari's forehead slammed into the metal track. Skin split. Hot blood dripped into her eye.

Amari twisted her neck. She looked back into the room. She looked at the bed.

Jazmyne grabbed the door handle. She slammed the door shut.

Inside the quiet room, the monitor kept blaring. A single, boiling tear slipped from the corner of Evalyn's closed eye. It rolled down her pale cheek and soaked into the pillow.