They Left Me to Burn, Now I Own the Last Water

thousand dollars. Then they drove m

out,

he just unlocked the doors of the Ta

d in the heat. Dead pumps. Broken windows. A s

ard read 1

the relief c

from the passenge

that smile since we were kids, the one she used right befor

id. "Where

e finally looked at me in the mi

art was pounding so

n. Zero Day, the news called it. By sunset, a gall

usand gallons burie

Doomsday June, they called me at the Water Authority, right b

bers we

s ri

pt, my family pumped my cis

said. My voice sh

p a fat envelope and fanned herself wit

as for us. Fo

laughed. "Oh, June. Y

lar of her white sundress

ket. Oval. Worn sm

loc

ive years old. The one that went

that

sunlight so it flashed in my eyes. "

aned c

y little key. And do you know who's be

red a

y that owns the last full reservoir in Arizona. Their granddaughter wa

ar went cold. Ev

Diane said quietly. "Ray brought

raped out of me.

ping the locket against her

across

re Diane twisted around and slapped

ng. I tas

out," Dia

anked my door open, grabbed my hair, an

The pavement was so hot i

Please. Just give m

he took a bottle of water from h

ted off

out on the groun

into the dust. G

," sh

r. My notebook. Three years of water readings an

bers," she said. "Nobody

it into

ll listen

back in t

med. "Mom, I'l

the window do

s the

the silver Tahoe shrank into the heat

not

ing metal. A hot wind tha

lled it against my chest. My

No phone. No shade except a dead g

because I alwa

oman my size has maybe six hours b

be

y feet. My

et Tessa walk into that family's house wearing my

t out of t

would take

en I heard

y. Gettin

urn

ghway straight toward me, kicking up a wal

drop of

hcroft

out of the windows