by Willow Rose
What am I doing here? I'll never be anything like them.
She found a couch and sat down while the chattering and loud music continued around her. There was a group of girls that Maya had often seen hang around Alex in school that stood close to where she sat. They kept turning their heads to stare at her. Someone said something, and the rest laughed. The way they looked at her made her feel uncomfortable.
I should never have come.
An hour passed and still, Alex hadn't come out of the kitchen. Maya was on her phone, going through her Facebook feed or texting Christina, who constantly asked how she was doing, if the party was fun. Maya told her it was okay, mostly because she had been so excited for Maya, she didn't want to spoil it. And the party was okay. She had more fun at home, but it wasn't terrible either.
At some point, she got up from the couch. A couple of girls were dancing, and she walked past them toward the bathroom. As she arrived at the door, there was a line, so she waited. Standing close to the kitchen, she could hear the boys talking.
"Why are you with that girl?" someone asked. "There’s something seriously wrong with her."
"I heard she has a mental disability," another guy said.
"You mean she's cuckoo?" a third voice said.
His remark made the others laugh.
"Come on, man," the first voice said. "You can have any girl at the school. Anyone. Literally. You can do so much better. Why are you hanging out with that one?"
Maya's heart dropped when listening to them. That one? Was that how they saw her? Like some mental retard? Just because she had suffered memory loss?
Maya felt like she was about to cry and left the line to the bathroom, then rushed back into the living room with the intention of leaving. But she never made it as far as the door. Instead, she ran right into the flock of girls from earlier. They shaped a half circle around her, making it hard to get around them.
"Hi there, Maya," a girl named Lene said. "Say, you don't look so good. Are you all right?"
Maya nodded and pushed back tears.
"I'm fine."
"You're not leaving already, are you?" she asked. "The party is just getting started."
Maya nodded. "I think…I need to…"
"No. Not when we're just getting to know each other. Why don't you stick around a little longer? Get the party going?"
"I can't…I have to go," Maya said.
"But certainly not without having a drink first," Lene continued. "Right, girls?"
"No, you can't leave without at least having a drink," another girl from Maya's class named Anina said.
"What would people say?" Lene said.
Maya stared at her. Lene stretched out her hand where she was holding a plastic cup.
"Here."
Maya stared at the cup, then at the flock around her. All eyes were fixed on her, anticipating her reaction. Maya knew why they were doing this. Because they knew she didn't drink. They knew she would say no and then they could mock her for being such a dork.
But not this time. No, Maya was sick of playing nice. She was sick of being the dull one. She grabbed the cup and started to drink, guzzling it down. All the girls’ eyes were on her; some were laughing and, as soon as the liquid hit her tongue, she realized why.
Maya almost choked, then began to spit on the carpet below her. The girls recoiled so they wouldn’t get hit.
"What the heck is that?" she yelled, startled.
All the girls broke into laughter, some turning their heads away. Lene grabbed the cup out of Maya's hand. Triumphantly, she leaned close to Maya and said:
"That was my urine."
"What?"
"That'll teach you to stay away from Alex."
As she said the words, she swung the cup toward Maya and the rest of the urine was thrown all over Maya's dress.
Maya let out a loud shriek. The cup landed on the carpet, and Lene stepped on it as she and her gang left Maya, giggling and pointing their fingers at her. Maya stayed behind, staring after them, biting hard on her own lip to not start crying. Then she turned around and ran outside. She didn't care that she had no way of getting home. She'd walk if she had to, even if it meant freezing to death. She hurried out and slammed the door behind her, then let out all the tears while beginning to walk home in the snow.
Seconds later, she heard the door slam once again.
"Maya!"
It was Alex. She heard him call, but Maya was so angry she didn't stop. She kept walking up the driveway, and Alex came up behind her.
"Maya, please stop."
She turned around to face him. "Was it all a part of your plan, huh? You never wanted to be with me, did you? Was that why you wanted to bring me here, huh? So they could humiliate me? Was it all part of your plan?"
Alex looked surprised.
"No! Maya. How could you think such a thing? As soon as I heard what they had done, I yelled at them. I got so mad, Maya, you won't believe it. Then I came out here to find you." He paused, then grabbed her hand in his. "Maya. I am so, so sorry. I had no idea they would do this to you. You must believe me."
Maya swallowed, then pressed back more tears, but it was too hard, and she had to let them go. Alex came close to her and put his coat over her. He lifted her chin up and made her look into his eyes.
"I swear, Maya. I didn't know."
"All those nasty things they said…why did they say them?"
"They're morons," Alex said. "All of them. And they're jealous. I mean, look at you. You're gorgeous; you way out-dressed everyone there. And you did that for me. We don't need them, Maya. I, for one, am never going to hang out with them again. Any of them. I want to be with you, Maya. I don't care what they say."
"Really?" Maya said with a loud sniffle.
"Yes. You're the best thing that has happened to me…since…well, since ever."
He put his arm around her shoulder. "Come. Let's go back to my place. I don't live far from here. We can walk there. You can take a shower at my house. I’m sure my mom has some clothes you can borrow. Come on, Maya. Let's get out of here."
Chapter Fifty-One
The knock intensified and I rushed toward the door. Kenneth barked and growled.
"I’m coming; I’m coming, geez," I complained and opened the door.
Outside stood three men I had never seen before. They wore long dark coats like they had just stepped out of The Matrix movies. No sunglasses, though. I could see their eyes and faces, but that didn't make me feel any better. Their faces looked like they were taken out of a movie too. Stern, icy cold eyes, and I could almost see the muscles underneath those heavy black coats.
"Mrs. Frost?" the middle guy asked.
My eyes grew wide. "Y-yes?"
"We need to talk to you."
"O-okay?"
He pulled out a picture on his phone and showed it to me. It was a picture of Skye and, as I saw it, my heart dropped.
"We're looking for this girl."
I looked at the picture while contemplating what to do. I had never been good at lying; people could usually see right through me. That was why I never played poker. I had to come up with a face that was believable.
"I…I’ve never seen her before, I’m afraid. Is she lost?" I asked. I could hear how my voice became shrill and cursed myself for being so incredibly see-through.
"We have reason to believe that she’s here," he said and put the phone away.
"Probable cause," the guy next to him said.
"Eye-witness testimony," the third man said.
"Really?" I said, playing along. "Well, I only have a son that age, so…"
"We never told you how old she was," the one in the middle said.
"Well…well…I…I guessed it from the picture. I am a mother you know, heh-heh. We know that stuff."
Stop talking, you moron, please!
"We need you to give us the girl," the middle man said.
"What girl? I don't have any girl."
"As I said, we h
ave reason to believe you do," he said, his voice growing increasingly more serious.
"But I don't," I continued. "Why would I have an extra kid? I have enough kids of my own, heh."
"We don't think this is amusing," the middle man said.
"I can tell," I said.
"Give us the girl," the man to the right said.
I shook my head and wrinkled my forehead. "I told you, I don't have her here. Now, would you please leave? I’m trying to have a nice evening with my boyfriend."
"We'll leave as soon as you give us the girl."
"Well, that's gonna be pretty hard since I don't have her."
"We have reason to believe you do," the middle man repeated.
"We're not really getting anywhere here, are we?" I said. "You have to start paying attention to what I say. I. Don't. Have. Her. Now, if you'll please leave so I can get back to my boyfriend. We were having a great time until you guys came along. He told me we should move in together. I’ll have you know that I am very excited, and I am not letting you ruin that."
"As soon as you hand us the girl," the middle man said.
I stared at them, then sighed and put my hands on my hips. "Say…who were you again? Because I don't think I can recall you identifying yourselves."
"Our identity doesn't matter."
"Well, you're not the police; I know that much."
"We could be the police," the guy to my left said.
"You can't just decide to be the police. Is this guy for real?" I asked.
"We just need the girl," the middle man said. He sounded like a robot, and I was beginning to wonder if he was one.
"Please, just leave, will you?"
"Not without the girl."
"She's not here. And I’ve run out of time and patience with you people. Go somewhere else and harass someone else," I said and started to close the door when the man in the middle reached out and grabbed the door in his hand. He pushed it open with almost no effort, and I was pushed back inside the hallway. When he let go of the door, I noticed his hand had left finger marks in the wood where he had grabbed it.
These guys were no joke.
"The girl," the middle man said and stepped closer.
"No," I said feeling very intimidated by this guy's size. Especially having him so close to me. "Go away."
The man then reached out his gloved hand and grabbed me by the throat. I could hardly breathe as he lifted me off the ground, just as Morten came out into the hallway.
"What the heck is going on here?"
Morten was still in his uniform, so as soon as the man saw him, he let go of me, and I fell to the floor, coughing and gasping for air.
"Who are you people?" Morten asked, looking at their faces. "I haven't seen you around here before."
The man didn't reply. He looked down at me, giving me a look to let me know this wasn't over yet before he turned around and walked out to his friends. Morten followed them into the driveway, but they were already gone as he got out there.
Morten closed the door and locked it, then knelt next to me. "Are you okay?"
I sniffled and sat up. I felt my throat. It was sore. "I think so."
"That guy left a bruise on your neck. I can't believe it. I should have arrested them while I had the chance."
I nodded. "Yeah, well, I have a feeling you might get a second chance to do just that."
I rose to my feet, and Morten helped me get back into the kitchen. "Who were they, Emma? What did they want?"
I sat in a chair and sighed, then looked up at him. "Skye. They wanted Skye. And I have a feeling they're willing to go very far to get her."
Chapter Fifty-Two
Maya was still crying when they reached Alex's house. She couldn't help herself. Never had she been so humiliated in her entire life.
"Here," Alex said and showed her upstairs. "This is my room."
Maya followed him inside and was surprised to see that his room was filled with Anime posters and Death Note knickknacks. Death Note was also Maya's favorite Anime, but she had never met anyone else who loved it as much as she did. That made her smile.
"What?" he asked, surprised.
She shook her head. "Nothing."
"But I made you smile. That is, at least, something."
She nodded. "It sure is."
He chuckled, still with his eyes lingering on her face.
"What?" she asked.
Now it was his turn to shake his head. "Nothing. You just have a beautiful smile; that's all."
"I do not," she said.
"Why do you do that?" he asked.
"Do what?"
"Every time I give you a compliment or say something nice, you act like I don't mean it. You really don't know how pretty you are, do you? Or how amazing you are?"
That made Maya quiet. She looked into his eyes while biting her lip. She didn't want to tell him the truth, but the truth was that she was so scared to believe in compliments or believe in boys since she had tried believing them before and been so crudely disappointed. It made her think that there was always an ulterior motive when someone said something nice to her. She always looked for a hidden agenda, for ways they might hurt her. She had learned not to trust anyone.
"Let me find you a towel and some clean clothes," he said and moved into the hallway.
Maya stood for a few seconds and could smell the urine so terribly she couldn't believe a guy like Alex still wanted to be with her. She had never been more disgusting and yet he had just told her she was pretty?
"Here you go," he said and handed her the stuff. "I found some old jeans and a shirt. It might be a little big since you're smaller than my mom, but it was the best I could do."
"I’m sure it'll be fine," she said.
"The shower is in here," he said and grabbed her hand. He pulled her toward the door and down the hallway, then opened a door and turned on the lights.
Maya chuckled as she walked inside. "What's going on here?"
Alex sighed deeply. "I am sorry. My mom is a little paranoid lately." He grabbed the chair on top of the toilet and removed it. Then he walked to the shower and unplugged the drain and removed the plastic bag that was tied around the faucet.
"There you go," he said. "Now, you can shower."
"Why does she do that?" Maya asked.
"What, the chair and plugging of drains and faucets? Well, my mom seems to believe something can come out of it and kill us all while we sleep. I don't really know. Guess we can't all have cool moms like yours, huh?"
Maya chuckled. "She's not always cool. By far not. She's been freaking out about our drains lately too. She thought she saw something in our bathroom downstairs the other day and had a plumber come out and everything. She completely freaked out. The plumber said it might just be frogs or something, but she's still not convinced he's right. She can get crazy. Not to mention my brother, who is so scared of going to the bathroom that he'll hold it in for so long he almost hurts himself."
Maya gasped lightly when realizing she had just shared something about her odd family, even though she had promised herself never to let Alex know about that side of her. She felt completely naked. Revealed. Would he think she was weird? Would he judge her? Would he think she was crazy like his friends had told her she was?
"That's right; your little brother is at the same school as mine. Victor, right?" Alex asked.
Maya nodded, relieved and a little surprised. "Your brother goes to Fishy Pines as well?"
He nodded. "Yes. I think actually our brothers have become friends lately. Daniel. He had a play date at your house earlier today."
"Wow. I didn't know Daniel was your brother. It really is a small island," Maya said.
"I know," Alex said with a chuckle. "Yet it is strange that the two of us have never hung out together."
"Well, you were one of the popular kids and I…well, I wasn't," Maya said, looking away.
Alex walked closer, grabbed her chin, and lifted her face. He looked into her ey
es and moved a lock of hair from her forehead. She could feel his warmth with him so close to her.
"I’m glad we’re hanging out now," he said. "I enjoy being with you. I really like you, Maya. I…"
Her heart started to pound hard. Everything about this situation was so strange, so wrong, and yet so right. Her nostrils were filled with the smell of urine. She couldn't believe Alex would even want to be close to her in this instant. At the same time, this was both the worst and the best moment of her life.
"I…like…"
She never got to finish her sentence before Alex placed his lips on top of hers. Finally—surrounded by the harsh stench of urine—they shared their first real kiss. It wasn't exactly how Maya had pictured it would happen, but it still felt good. No, more than that, it felt amazing.
Maya didn't even notice that, behind her, the shower head had already started dripping.
Chapter Fifty-Three
"I knew you should never have taken that girl in and hidden her here. Look what that brought you."
Morten was pacing in my kitchen. I had poured myself another glass of wine and sat with it between my hands, still trying to breathe properly. My throat was hurting like crazy and, to be honest, I was still terrified. My legs were shaking.
"Why do you keep doing this to yourself?"
I exhaled. "Not now, Morten. I…"
"You've got to get her out of here. Before she gets you in serious trouble. It might already be too late. That girl belongs somewhere, and you have no right to keep her. I’ve told you this over and over again. You can't just keep a child."
"Hey. I was helping her, okay? Those guys weren't from some orphanage or social services. They were bad news. You saw them. You really think they wanted what’s best for Skye? Because I hardly think so."
He groaned. He was annoying me so much right now. I wasn't exactly in the mood to play the blame game here. I needed time and peace to think. I needed to figure out what to do next.
"She doesn’t belong to you. She's not yours to save," Morten said. "Not if it means you’ll get hurt in the process. You can't save the entire world, Emma. You just can't. If my job has taught me anything, it's that."