Maya (Book #3)

Chapter 62

Maya POV: (back to normal from here)

Dominic hurtled down the road like we were in a race, taking the corners too sharply and going an outrageous speed even on residential roads. I held onto him tightly and tried to match his center of gravity, moving when he moved, and holding myself upright in my seat. It was hard not to crane my neck at the world around us, especially as we got closer to my old neighborhood.

 When we were approaching my street, I double-tapped his chest to indicate that he needed to slow down. He eased up on the accelerator and eventually rolled us to a stop across from the dilapidated building I had once called home. The chain-link fence was peeling off its poles and the grass in our front yard was severely dehydrated. A neighbor's beat-up Toyota Corolla sat beside our driveway as if they were here for a visit or, more likely, knew we weren't coming back to claim the spot. I supposed I wasn't surprised. Nobody was living here anymore; you could almost park your car inside the garage.

Dominic leaned us to the right and flicked the kickstand into place with his shoe, positioning us at an angle. I hopped off first, pulling my helmet off my head and letting my hair fall in unkempt waves on my shoulders. 

He unclipped his helmet and was about to pull off his helmet when I placed my hand on his chest.

He flipped his visor up and looked confused.

"What, My?" he asked,tilting his head to the side. 

"Do you mind if I go in alone? I know you don't mind being in there but if I find anything that could be evidence, I don't want you seeing it." My words began strong but trailed off into mumbling as understanding dawned in his eyes. Instead of protesting as I thought he would, he nodded his head and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm proud of you for doing this," he said, taking my helmet from me with his other hand. "You're very brave."

"Thank you," I said self-consciously, smiling at him in the glow of the streetlight.

"Do you want me to hold onto your picture while you go in?" he asked, holding a hand out.

"Good idea!" I said, reaching into my pocket. I dug through it like I was looking for a penny at the bottom of a massive purse and came up empty-handed. I checked my other pocket and felt the same. My face became white as a sheet as I realized my mistake.

 "I think it fell out at home," I said, with clear panic in my voice.

"Hey, it's okay!" Dominic reassured me in a soothing tone. "Text Mom with my phone and I'm sure she can send us a picture."

"Okay, okay," I stammered, accepting his phone from him, and writing up a long text. I sent it to her and waited a moment for an answer that didn't come.

"I'll try calling her or something," Dominic reasoned. "You go inside and see what you can find. If you don't find anything in 10 minutes, come back out and we'll head straight to the police station. Deal?" he asked, holding out his hand to me. I knew he was trying to cheer me up.

"Deal!" I replied, shaking his hand. I gave him a big hug, crinkling the leather and nearly knocking him off the bike before I ran up to my house. I paused at the threshold and waved my hand at him as I worked up the courage to go inside. I placed just the tips of my fingertips on the doorknob and pressed down gently, prolonging the inevitable. The door creaked open at my touch as I tried to control my breathing. Dominic would be right outside the whole time. I was safe. This house didn't have any power over me. My memories didn't either.

The door swung wide and scraped the wall as I peered into the cool darkness and took an unsure step inside. When I had come here last, the daylight had prevailed over the horrors of my past. But tonight, it was dark both outside and inside the house, and I suspected there was no protective veil between me and my nightmares. I breathed in and walked bravely forward, perfectly aware that Dominic was watching every step I took.

The breeze jerked the door shut behind me with a slam, making me jump and place a hand on the wall to steady myself. I sucked in a breath and continued moving while a tornado of emotions swirled inside of me, fear encompassing them all. Everything seemed off about tonight. A small voice inside of me was screaming that we shouldn't be here, but there was nothing dangerous in sight.

I peered towards the living room, seeing the outlines of furniture only by the moonlight pouring through the window. A musty scent drifted from the room, and I could see pillows and blankets askew beside the couch. I reassured myself that the boys must have searched between the cushions last time we visited and forgot to put everything back. They were prone to impatience, and it wouldn't be surprising if this place appeared thoroughly ransacked. 

I took another shaky step in the dark hallway, brushing my hand against the wall in an attempt to find the light switch. Just as my fingertips reached the panel, a white light flickered on in the front room ahead of me. I pushed them further and found the switch angled downward, in the off position. I didn't turn on that light.

My stomach dropped and I took timid steps towards the room, hoping I had triggered it with my motion somehow. Dread grew inside my chest as every little sound I made clamored inside of my head. My gentle tread on the carpet became loud and unavoidable thudding and I held my hand over my mouth to keep my breathing from ricocheting down the hall as well.

Phrases shuffled through my mind, pushing me to fight the fear that threatened to overwhelm me. Avoidance increases anxiety. My memories don't have power over me. Dominic told me I was brave. Alarms blared internally but I continued walking, using Dominic's confidence in me to persist.

When I entered the room, I froze, and my heart stopped. Sitting on our sofa with a gun held loosely in his hand was my uncle, smiling in my direction. He stood up to welcome me and my heart stuttered back to life as my limbs began to unfreeze.

"Hello, angel. I missed you," my uncle said charmingly, as if we were friends that had simply lost touch. He smiled wickedly and looked me in the eyes as he raised his gun in my direction. "Come on in, Maya. We need to talk."