in the end ~ d. malfoy

Chapter Forty-Three

July 2016

IT STARTS LIKE ANY OTHER NORMAL DAY.

Maya sleeps straight through her seven-o-clock alarm — the weekend with her friends in San Diego having ended five hours before. She wakes up to the sound of Isabelle furiously honking the horn on her Miata, yelling from downstairs that she'll drag Maya out herself if she doesn't show up in the next five minutes.

The entire morning is a blur; Maya manages to throw together a decent-looking white off-shoulder top and denim shorts, grabbing her purse and fixing her unbrushed hair into a messy ponytail as she scrambles downstairs. Tessa is making pancakes for her and a sleepy-looking Mina, who's eating the cut-up strawberries clearly meant for garnishing. The sugary smell of maple syrup tempts her, but as her older sister fixes her with an annoyed glare, Maya's appetite ebbs away.

'Her highness has finally arrived!' Tessa proclaims, half-sarcastically, pointing dramatically with her spatula, 'Good God, what took you so long? That poor girl's been honking out there for half an hour!'

'I'm sorry!' Maya hisses, wobbling as she straps on her trusty heeled sandals (the only shoes that make her look 3 inches taller without absolutely decimating her feet), 'We got back at two a.m. . . . I wasn't exactly going to be bright and bushy-tailed at seven in the morning, '

'Please tell me you're not skipping breakfast, ' The older woman grumbles, as Maya shoots her an apologetic look, 'Last time, you almost fainted — '

'I'm not eight years old anymore, Tess, ' Maya groans; to pacify her, she fishes out a two-day-old KIND bar from her bag, 'I'll eat in the car, okay?'

'Just checking, ' Tessa scrutinizes her with an almost x-ray like expression, 'By the way, who was that guy you were with at King's Cross?'

'Oh, ' Maya recalls the sunlit few moments spent in Draco's compartment, butterflies breaking free from the confines of her chest, 'Just . . a friend, '

'Really?' A coy smile breaks out on her older sister's lips, 'The same friend whom Diana relentlessly teased you about the first time you brought her here?, '

A tint of red breaks out on Maya's cheekbones as she fidgets with the belt loops of her jeans, avoiding eye contact, 'Perhaps, '

'MAYA RAJESH, IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW — ' Isabelle's shrill voice thankfully saves her from embarrassment.

'You'll mutilate my body and feed the remains to Church, I know!!' Maya yells back, 'Give me a moment, will you, woman?!'

'Mama, what does mutilate mean?' Mina questions, as Maya ruffles her hair, muttering a 'Bye kiddo!' as Tessa scowls.

'Nothing you need to worry about, ' Tessa replies, quickly. She sighs as her younger sister attempts to run out the door unnoticed, 'Nine-o-clock curfew, young lady!'

Maya sighs, rolling her eyes, 'Really, Tess?'

'Really. ' Tessa clarifies, matter-of-factly, 'I don't want to take any risks, with all those demon attacks around the city lately'

'Fine, ' Maya groans, knowing she'll have to cut plans short with her friends when they grab drinks at the Hunter's Moon after work, 'Now can I go? I don't want to be turned into mincemeat before I graduate high school, '

'MAYA — '

'Go!' exclaims Tessa, practically shoving her out the door, 'Don't get into any trouble—'

The door slams just in time.

Maya bolts down the steps as fast as she can, avoiding eye contact with an extremely grumpy Isabelle Lightwood. She's wearing her signature dark cat-eye sunglasses, head resting against the steering wheel in exhaustion. Red lipstick haphazardly applied and hair looking like someone's been running their hands through it, something tells Maya that having to be her wake-up call isn't the reason why Isabelle's in such a bad mood.