There was a beat. Then—
“Mom? Is Maya there?” Harper asked, urgency slipping through despite herself. “Is she okay? I can’t get a hold of her. Her phone’s off. I’ve been calling all day.”
Alice answered calmly, almost amused. “Calm down. Yes, Maya is here. And she’s perfectly fine.”
Across the table, Maya stiffened.
Her heart sank as realization hit.
She slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone. The screen was black. She pressed the button.
The moment it powered on, the room erupted—notification chimes, vibrations, one after another, echoing far louder than she expected.
Maya froze.
“I— I’m sorry,” she blurted out, flustered, fumbling to silence it as the sounds continued their relentless chorus.
When she finally managed to mute it, she glanced down at the screen—an
