Lily turned on her heel and started running toward the bright wooden staircase.
Elena's eyes went wide with sudden panic as her peaceful cover collapsed completely.
She knew Sarah was right down the hallway inside the main floor office room.
If the police were called, her years of secret petty theft would be exposed today.
Elena quickly reached out her arm toward the bright red emergency unit on the wall.
She pulled the safety pin free from the metal valve handle with one hard jerk.
She pointed the heavy black nozzle toward the center of the wooden hallway floor.
A massive blast of white fine powder erupted into the tight space between them.
The thick white cloud billowed outward quickly, filling the air with dust and shadows.
Lily stopped short and coughed as the non-toxic white powder blanketed the smooth carpet.
The powdery dust covered her bright rainbow dress and coated her brown shoes completely.
She rubbed her tearing eyes while stepping backward into the thick white haze.
Lily: Why did you do that?
Elena stepped aggressively through the swirling cloud of dust with a stern harsh face.
She looked scary in the hazy white light filling the narrow second-floor corridor.
Elena: Listen to me very carefully right now.
Elena: Say one word and you will regret it deeply.
Lily: Get away from me!
Elena: Keep your mouth shut or things will get much worse for you.
Lily squeezed her eyes shut tightly and began sobbing out of pure shock.
Her tears tracked thin clear lines through the fine white powder on her cheeks.
She backed away until her heel hit the base of the master bedroom doorway.
Elena took another step forward, still clutching the heavy steel cylinder in her hands.
The heavy footsteps rushed down the upper wooden hallway from the home office door.
Sarah burst around the corner, holding a stack of legal folders under her arm.
She froze in complete horror as she saw the cloud of white dust everywhere.
Sarah: One word about what?
Sarah: What happened to her?