by T. G. Ayer
She scanned Nik’s face. Why is he helping me? What were his motives? But he was helping her to get out of Amber’s house. Away from the horror of Byron's remains in the pool house, if papery blackened bits counted as remains.
"Thank you," she said to Nik, meeting his eyes straight on. "For helping me."
He shrugged, scanning the garden, his shoulders stiff, muscles tense. "Don’t thank me yet. We still have to get the hell out of here."
They turned and walked past the pool, entering the dark throbbing mass of bodies inside the front room. The music pounded and darkness embraced the writhing bodies filling the room, hiding those who lounged at the edge of the dance floor. Despite its comforting veil, fear bubbled in Maya's veins. What if Amber or one of her minions saw them?
But they made it outside without incident, shutting the monstrous door behind them, leaving behind the music and the mayhem. At the car, Maya sighed and leaned against the vehicle, relieved to see Joss still passed out in the back seat. So Amber hadn't known where she was after all.
She’d played Maya from the start. Anger rose within Maya's gut and her fists clenched. But there was no point being furious with Amber now. Not that she was likely to run on back inside and punch out the girl's lights in revenge. Better to leave now.
Maya was about to get into the driver’s seat when Nik put a hand on her arm and stopped her. "I’ll drive. You’re in no shape to get behind the wheel, anyway."
She glared at him, taking in the strain around his eyes, the hard set to his chin, as if he’d seen something that pissed him off and he was just reigning in the anger. Maya scowled. She didn’t really care what he was thinking. Right now, she wasn’t in the mood to be babied.
She shrugged his hand off. "I’m not drunk!"
"Maybe you're not drunk but you are in shock." Nik's face remained clear, his expression firm. "I don’t mind. I’ll drop you at home and take a walk back to my place."
A sudden weariness overtook Maya. Why bother fighting when all he was doing was helping? She sighed, scrambled over the gearshift and buckled up, keeping an eye on the doors to Amber’s house. They remained shut, but she imagined Amber and her accomplices would come pouring out at any moment, to prevent them from getting away.
Such a drama-queen thought. But after the evening she’d just had, Maya suspected it was a real possibility.
She watched Nik, her arms leaden, her heart still throbbing and hurting, as he backed the car out of the space and drove through the gates. "Not that I don’t appreciate it or anything, but why are you helping me? We barely know each other." Maya had noticed Nik the day he arrived at Couldrey Hunt High. And maybe it had been her imagination but she felt certain he’d noticed her too, considering it had taken him mere days to enroll at her dad's martial arts studio.
"You needed help. And it was clear nobody else there would bother to help you. Everyone is too concerned with what Amber can do for their social status." A hint of anger showed through in his voice, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel.
His words rang true but there was something beneath them. What wasn't he telling her? Then a memory slipped into place. Still fresh and horrific but enough to beg questions.
"You weren't surprised were you?" Maya asked, her narrowed gaze trained on Nik, but all she got was a cute Nik frown for her efforts. "When you stood at the bathroom doorway…you weren't surprised to see him burning."
Her voice lowered to almost a whisper. "Nik? What just happened? What happened to Byron?"
She stared out the window, wrapping her arms around her icy body. It wasn’t a cold night but ice settled on her skin, seeping into her flesh and bones, seeping slowly into her heart. The darkness made a mirror out of the window and she saw a frightened, injured girl staring back at her.
"Can I please get hysterical now?"
Nik chuckled.
"What was it? Some sort of spontaneous combustion thing?" Maya asked, desperate to know why Byron had attacked her, both physically and emotionally. Though she’d tried to defend herself, she’d been helpless. Then he’d disappeared in a burst of flame.
"It’s worse than that," came Nik’s dry response.
"You're crazy. What could possibly be worse than spontaneous combustion?" she asked, shaking her head.
"Nope, not crazy. I just know what I saw."
"Which was?" Her question held more than a hint of a challenge. As if she dared him to make up some ridiculously unbelievable story.
"It was you. You killed him."
Chapter 6
A thick silence followed as Maya stared at Nik incredulously.
"Now I know you’re crazy. What the hell do you think I am? Some kind of fire-wielding magician or something?" Maya laughed, the sound high-pitched and almost painful.
And suddenly she didn’t want to stop laughing. But something told her if she started she probably wouldn’t be able to stop. So she clamped her mouth shut and gnawed at the inside of her cheek.
"Something like that." Not the response she'd expected. Or wanted. He was supposed to say she was being silly.
"This is not funny, you know," Maya said.
Anger slowly built up inside her. Sure, he’d saved her sorry hide but did he really think she’d accept his ridiculous explanation? That she can burn things up at the drop of her hand?
"I’m not joking. You need to speak to your parents about it." Nik held her gaze, his eyes dark, foreboding, and insistent.
"Are you insane?"
Telling her parents would mean she’d have to admit she’d gone to the party. They thought she was at Joss's watching old movies and eating marshmallows like they used to do eons ago.
Nik’s eyes narrowed as he studied her face. "I take it your parents have no idea where you are right now."
"Really? You really think my parents would've given me a free pass to go to this kind of party? No freakin’ way. Besides, it isn't any of your business. We don’t even know each other." Maya crossed her arms and stared out of the window again, avoiding his all-knowing eyes.
"It's my business because I'm going to take you home after we drop off Joss."
"Look, I appreciate your help but-"
"Hey, what’s going on?" Joss groaned as she sat up in the back seat. She stared from Maya to Nik and back again. "Maya, what's Nik doing driving your car? And what am I doing here?"
"You were wasted. I put you in the car to sleep it off," Maya bit back, still annoyed Joss hadn't had the sense to control her alcohol.
"But I barely had anything to drink." Joss frowned, and Maya knew she was searching her memory trying to recall the drinks she’d consumed. Then Joss nodded, blue eyes still unfocused. "Yup, some kind of juice, then the drink Amber gave me. I wanted your first big party to be fun. Really. I didn’t drink enough to be so drunk I’d pass out."
"Who made the drinks?" asked Nik softly.
Joss's eyes filled with tears of horror as the magnitude of what had happened sank in. "Amber."
"So Amber drugged Joss so she could get to me?" Maya asked Nik. "What did she want with me?"
"What are you two talking about? What happened to you?" Joss leaned forward shaking Maya’s shoulder.
"Amber found me at the car and stopped me from leaving. She threatened you. And forced me to go with Byron." Maya kept her voice expressionless. She still felt dead inside thinking about what could have happened.
"She what? What happened, Maya? Please tell me he didn't-"
"No, he didn’t do anything to me. Just punched me up a bit. And Nik saved me." Maya looked at Nik who seemed to understand she didn’t want Joss to know about Byron's fiery exit.
"I’m so sorry, Maya. So sorry." Joss sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "If I hadn’t convinced you to go this wouldn’t have happened."
"It’s nobody’s fault, Joss. You couldn't know what Amber was up to." Maya spoke the words but knew deep down she did lay some of the blame at Joss's feet.
And of course, some of it lay at her ow
n. Hadn't she been the one so excited about the party she’d hardly slept, had changed her clothing at least fifteen times? No, not only Joss's fault.
"We’ll drop you off first, then Nik will take me home."
Joss nodded. "Okay, but weren't you supposed to stay with me tonight?"
"I think Maya needs to go home and at least put some ice on her cheek." Nik examined Joss in the rear view mirror.
"What happened?" she asked and gasped as Maya turned toward her to show off Byron's handiwork. "Ohmygod. Did Byron do that? Wait until I get my hands on that loser."
Maya turned in her seat. "And what will you do? Punch him? Put a hit on him? Drive-by shooting maybe? Oh wait, maybe burn him at the stake?" Fury surged through her veins. "You go home and get some rest. God knows what they put in your drink. I’m going home. I think I may need to see a doctor too."
“Where else do you hurt?” Nik asked, frowning.
Maya ran her hand gently along her ribs. “Here, somewhere.”
Before Nik responded Joss asked sharply "What's wrong with your ribs?"
"Byron punched me in my abdomen and chest. I think he may have broken one of my ribs."
"You have any trouble breathing?" Nik asked.
"I can breathe fine most of the time. Just every now and then I struggle to take a deep breath."
"Breathe deeply in and out. Slowly. If you can’t breathe properly you may have a punctured lung and we'd have to take you straight to the hospital."
Maya did as she was told. Thankfully, it seemed her lungs were intact. For now.
A few minutes later, they dropped off Joss, waiting until she got safely inside her house. The silence in the car hung heavy between Nik and Maya. And deep in that silence, she wondered again why he was helping her.
Even though Maya had spent plenty of time sneaking peeks at Nik and nurturing her little crush, the truth was they hardly knew each other in the first place. It took only a few more minutes to get Maya home. A few more minutes of deep silence. A few more minutes of wondering if she was making a big mistake by going home.
Nik got out of the car and waited for her to come around. Maya took the keys, locked the car, and stood staring at him as she clutched her handbag to her ruined top. He stared back. Said nothing. She wanted to say thank you, wanted him to stay and comfort her again. She was beginning to miss the warmth of his arm around her, supporting her.
Then he turned and walked off.
"Tell them," Nik called out over his shoulder as he disappeared down the street toward his house.
Maya braced herself and walked to the entrance. She froze before the door, her hand refusing to slip the key into the lock. Panic surged through her.
How could she tell her Mom and Dad the whole story and live through seeing the disappointment in their eyes? She wondered if she should avoid talking about this evening at all.
But the decision was taken out of her hands when the door to her house opened as she was about to unlock it.
She swallowed hard and stared straight into her father’s eyes.
"Maya?" Dev Rao eyed his daughter, a worried frown marring his forehead. "Is Joss okay?"
"Yeah Dad, Joss's fine," Maya said, suddenly exhausted as adrenaline fled her body. She walked into the darkened house and stood in the foyer. Her muscles tightened and instinct told her to head for her room. Just leave it and go to bed. Maybe it's better left for the morning. Maybe she would see things differently in the bright light of a new day.
"Are you okay, honey?"
"Yes. I’m fine. I just wanted to come home. That’s all."
Maya moved to the staircase hoping to make a quick getaway. Big mistake. A shaft of light from the street lamp at the curb shone into the foyer. And onto her bruised cheek.
"Maya."
Her dad’s golden brown eyes looked darker than usual, his voice loud and stern. When he got like this there was no getting away. Maya sighed and turned to him, knowing he’d be reaching for the light-switch.
The hall-light blazed. Maya’s dad took her chin in his hand, his fingers stiff and yet gentle. He turned her face to study the imprint of Byron's fist. She swallowed hard. No getting out of it now.
"Dad, I need to talk to you and Mom. Now." Maya’s voice broke on the last word. All the stress and fear of the day threatened to overwhelm her. Threatened to turn her into a bawling mess.
Maya’s dad threw her a worried glance, ran a hand into his pitch-black hair, then took the stairs with leaden feet, still sneaking glances back at her and frowning as he went. She made it to the sitting room on legs threatening to give way any second, muscles tight and sore. She kicked off her heels and curled up against the silky cushions to wait. She squeezed her quivering hands, hoping they would stop shaking.
Footsteps and voices floated to her from the stairs. Maya heard them talking, her mom questioning her dad, tone filled with worry.
"Honey, are you all right? What’s wrong?" Maya’s mom looked back and forth between father and daughter. Her face revealed the strain of her worry, pale and drawn. She fiddled with the buttons of her silk pajamas as if she needed to keep her hands busy.
Maya's dad switched on the sitting room light. She kept her eyes down as her mom gasped at the sight of the bruise. It was worse than the sparring injury she’d received. Mostly because Byron had intended to hurt her. Her mom walked to Maya. Her steps were slow and careful, as she sat beside her injured daughter, as if afraid to jar her. She reached out and tucked stray strands of hair behind Maya's ear, inspecting the damaged skin.
"Who did this? What happened? You'd better start talking, young lady, or I swear I will-" She drew in a breath and twisted her lips in frustration.
On a surreal level Maya felt grateful, despite the severity of the situation her mom remained under control and willing to listen. In reality, exhaustion weighed Maya's body down. She needed to get this confrontation over with.
"I wasn't at Joss’s," she confessed and waited for the backlash. But both her parents were silent, and waiting. Her father still stood a few feet away, a couch between himself and Maya, as if he needed the protection. "I lied about going to Joss's. We both went to Amber Alden’s party."
Chapter 7
“Maya.” Disapproval etched her mother's voice as she spoke the name. But the disappointment in her voice hit hardest.
There would be ramifications for her lies, but for now, her parents had to know exactly what happened. If they thought her crazy, they were free to admit her to the nearest house of crazies.
"Something strange happened to Joss at the party. When I got there she looked totally drunk."
* * *
Maya's mom stiffened, and frowned at her. It probably only occurred to her then the party had been one of the un-chaperoned kind. But although her expression hardened, she still said nothing.
"I took her to the car. I was about to bring her home when Amber spotted me. Something was so strange about Amber. She seemed cold, so . . . vicious. She forced me to go with Byron, one of the guys from school. And she threatened me with Joss. It was the way she looked at me. I knew she meant to arrange for someone to hurt Joss, maybe rape her even while she remained unconscious or something, if I didn't do what she said."
Both Maya’s parents stared at her in shocked silence. Her dad drew in a ragged breath, then wiped his face, as if the action could wipe the worry off his features. "So she forced you into a situation because Joss was irresponsible enough to get drunk?" asked her father, his eyes dark with anger.
"No, that’s just the thing. Joss didn’t drink. Okay, she’d had one alcoholic drink. Same as me. Not enough to knock her out. One drink. Nik thinks Amber spiked them."
"Why would she do that? And what was Nik doing there?" asked her mom before her face froze with shock. “Did you say you were drinking? How could you do that? First, you lie and go to this party and then you drink alcohol? What were you think-”
“Lee, let’s leave that alone for now. Maya has more to tell us,
don’t you, Maya?” Her dad spoke, his eyes unreadable, his fingers gripping the back of the couch. “So, what was Nik doing there?”
"He was invited. He's actually much higher on the popularity scale than I am. And he saved my life. Byron did this to me," Maya said. She pointed at her face. "Would've done way more but something happened."
"What happened?" Leela gripped her daughter's arms, looking very likely to shake her if Maya didn’t talk fast.
"Byron got really abusive. He punched me and I think he broke one of my ribs too." She fingered the spot. "It got so bad I started to panic. Then he came at me. Sorry Dad, but I didn’t do anything you taught me. I just hid my face and warded him off with my palms."
Maya laughed and shook her head, the sound hollow and bitter as it echoed through the silent room.
"That’s when he burst into flames and disappeared."
"What!" Both her parents asked simultaneously.
"Nik thinks I did it."
Her parents exchanged a strange glance. Fingers of worry trailed up and down Maya's spine. "What?" Maya asked, panic welling up within her. They were supposed to say it wasn't possible, not stare at each other like they’d both been caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. "What are you not telling me?"
"Maya, we need to talk," said her dad.
"What more do we need to talk about. I've told you everything," Maya said.
"Okay, Maya." Her dad came around and sat on the couch, and Maya leaned back. Always a bad sign when Dad looks all serious.. "You're not a normal kid."
"Tell me something I don’t know," she mumbled. Maya looked up, feeling slightly guilty in case he’d heard her. Her mom had, and she shook her head, disapproval in her eyes, but neither reacted.
Bad sign.
"It’s really hard to tell you this, but you understand the concept of reincarnation, so we can start there."