Maya (Book #3)

Chapter 1

(A/N Read Book #1 The Victim and Book #2 The Survivor if you want to understand what's happening. If not, enjoy! Those of you who have been with me the whole time, thanks for coming on this journey! Let's finish strong.) 

You shouldn't have to try so hard to stay alive. When the sun lights the sky in the morning, you shouldn't have to take a shaky breath and force yourself to rise. When the moon and stars come out and the world goes dark, you shouldn't be praying for it to stay dark permanently.

I might live in a nice house with a loving family now, but life hasn't always been easy for me. I was raised with an abusive monster masquerading as my uncle. I was abused sexually, physically, and emotionally. I had to pretend what I was facing was normal, and after years of being abused, I started to believe it. 

I stared blankly at the wall, arms locked around my knees, and rocked back and forth in small, imperceptible movements. I tried to ignore my audience. Although Asher had gone home hours ago, the Anders surrounded me in my bedroom, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Is this a medical problem? Shouldn't we call a doctor?" Dominic shouted after I ignored all his attempts to move. He'd begged, yelled, and even nearly broke down himself. I wanted to say I felt remorse that he was in such pain, but in reality, I didn't feel a thing. 

"Mom, she can't be okay!" Brooks said, in a similarly panicked voice. He leaned down and snapped his fingers in front of me, but I stayed trapped in my mind. I wasn't on Earth, I wasn't in this bedroom, or in this house. I was far away, stuck inside my mind. 

"She's not okay mentally, but she's alright physically," Charlotte replied softly. Her voice was low, and she dimmed the lights as she spoke. She yanked a blanket from my bed and wrapped it around my shoulders gently, pressing the soft fabric to my bare arms. She pointed at Damon and instructed him to open the window behind him. He wrenched it open and the cool air struck me, making me shiver involuntarily. She wrapped the blanket tighter around me and asked him to close it partially. I breathed in the scent of the world outside as my mind continued to drift. 

Caleb sat beside me on the carpet and asked me if he could put his arm around me. I didn't answer.

"Honey, she's not with us right now," Charlotte said to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked at me like he didn't understand, and I'm sure he didn't. Because while I was experiencing everything he was, in a way I also wasn't.

My body was floating. Or at least that's what it felt like. I was floating away, out into the night sky, up by the moon and the stars. I was away from this house with all its fun memories. I was away from all of the houses. I was far and I was safe and I would never be hurt again. 

Charlotte sat in front of me and looked into my eyes, despite the blankness of my stare.

"What's wrong, Maya? We can help you, but we need to know what's wrong," she said in a voice like velvet. I wanted to answer but that meant I had to go back into my body. I didn't want to do that.

"Please?" she asked, lips pursing in concern. I could smell her floral perfume and I tried to hold onto that like a lifeline as I sank down from the sky and back into my body.

I managed to choke out the words that were haunting me.

"He's back."

And that's when I fainted.