The Short Demon King

Chapter 32

I stayed silent the rest of the day, doing everything in my power to not be eaten up by guilt. We finished lunch, attended more classes... but I wasn't really aware of much that was going on. I kept a close eye on Maya, sure, but I kept accidentally bumping into other people, and doors, and even the walls a few times.

Maya seemed super worried about me, but whenever she tried to ask, I made sure to find some excuse to leave for a minute. After a few times, she realized I really wasn't in the mood to talk about it and stopped trying.

When we got home, she didn't even bother saying goodbye before going into her room. She knew I needed some space and was tired of trying to get me to talk to her.

While wallowing in misery on the couch by myself, I could just make out Maya's muffled voice talking on the phone. Assuming she'd called Kevin, I listened in on her conversation. But even with my advanced hearing, I couldn't understand the person on the other side of the phone.

"I don't know why... he just seemed to get really depressed after that," Maya whispered.

She paused briefly before answering, "You're right, we do have no way of knowing exactly what he's thinking if he doesn't tell us. But I still feel bad... I'm the one who brought him to school with me. Should I keep trying to ask him? I know it at least has something to do with going back home... and we haven't even been able to help him find a way back yet, and you're still struggling to get a job, and I've barely done anything useful. What should I even do?"

A long period of silence followed. I sat up briefly and stared down that dark hallway, debating whether or not to go down there and explain myself.

It was unfair for me to treat Maya so coldly when she really did nothing wrong. With a sigh, I got off the couch and dragged myself through the hallway.

Right when I was about to turn towards Maya's bedroom door, I noticed a small picture frame resting atop a tiny table at the end of the hall. Completely distracted, I crept closer to it until I could see the framed image. I stopped mid step when I realized what I'd just come across.

A small Maya smiling wider than I'd ever seen stood beside her brother, who while pretending to look annoyed, still seemed genuinely happy. The two of them were surrounded on either side by who I could only assume were their parents. Actually, Kevin looked nearly identical to his father; they even had the same smile.

I didn't know how to feel as I gazed at the once happy family standing outside a small park. A family that was now as broken and torn as my own. At least Kevin and Maya still had each other, whereas I had no one.

Excuses, that all-too-familiar voice huffed. You have no one because you abandoned everyone. You only have yourself to blame for all this.

I clenched my fists, about to snap back at the annoying nagging voice, but stopped as I heard calm breathing beside me. Maya stood to my right, gazing as sadly into the portrait as I was.

"I always thought we'd be able to stay that happy... though I was pretty naive back then," she whispered softly.

I flinched slightly, having been completely caught off guard. But I didn't even know what to say in response. I'd barely known what I would say when I walked over here to begin with. I had no plan.

Thankfully, Maya filled the silence on her own. After a small sigh, she said, "It's hard to not feel alone even with Kevin here. I'm sure you feel something similar." She turned her head towards me before continuing, "And I did want to thank you for coming to school with me to help keep those two off my back. I know it's not really helping you much, and that you have all those demons waiting for you back home... so thank you. Even just for listening to me trail on like this."