"Are you aware that Maya has not been in school for three days and had had no contact with any of her friends since Friday?" Asked Cory, walking into Topangas on Wednesday.
"Um, Cory. Maya has run away."
"She did what?" Asked Riley, standing up.
"She's okay. I've had contact with her. She'll be in school tomorrow or Friday."
"Why are you not freaking out?"
"You may not understand this but I am trying to do what is best for my child."
"Letting your child run away is not what is best for her."
"As I said, you may not understand it."
"Then explain it to me."
"I can't." She turned around and went back to work.
After a stressful day and night, they were relived to see her walk into history on Friday. Not so relived so her sullen face and distant attitude. She spoke nothing, during history. Then it was lunch. Maya sat down next to her friends.
"Hi, Maya." Maya gave a small smile in return.
"Do you want my milk?" Asked Lucas.
"Yes, please." She said, quietly. He placed it in front of her.
"Thanks." She said, putting the straw in the carton and sipping it.
"You surviving on liquids?"
"Basically."
"You still sick?"
"Always. Breakfast for lunch?" She asked, referring to their lunches.
"Ya, you want some?" Asked Riley.
"No thanks. Just surprised that they did that in a school." Maya slowly dropped from the conversation about french toast but listened until the bell rang.
That night, Shawn offered to drive her to the Matthews and she accepted the offer. He knocked on the door at six o'clock. When there was no answer, he remembered the hidden key, which Katy had forced Maya to put back.
Meanwhile, Marcus stopped her as she walked to the door, and slammed her against the wall.
"Tell a soul," his grip on her tightened, "and bye bye, mama." She nodded and he smashed his lips against hers, moving his body against hers, again, making Maya nearly throw up as his hands slipped into her pants. The door swung opened, revealing the sight to Shawn.
"Let go of her!" He yelled. Marcus looked at Shawn. Marcus was a fairly smart man even through his drunken mind and he knew that hitting him would not hurt him nearly as much as hitting Maya so he turned back and punched Maya, causing Shawn to run and punch him. This time, he kicked Maya.
"Stop hitting her, hit me." He grabbed onto Maya and pushed her to the ground, kissing her again, resulting in a punch it the ear from Shawn. Maya was full on crying now. Marcus ignored his stinging ear and slipped his hands up her shirt. A kick to the stomach and he grabbed on hard, smashing his lip into hers again. She turned her head.
"You're making it worse, Shawn." She cried out before Marcus's lips found her mouth, again.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain to her arm. It stung and burned as blood poured out of the Cut made from Marcus's old pocket knife. Shawn was kicking and punching hard but Marcus was like a rock and each time he tried, he got Maya worse. That's when another man walked in. Maya caught a glimpse of Sam and started sobbing as Marcus continued to rape her and Shawn tried to get Marcus off of her. He had Cory on speed dile and and pressed the button as he fought Marcus. The second that Cory picked up, Sam tackled Shawn to the ground, pinning him down and sending his phone flying out of his hands as his head hit the ground. He ignored the ringing in his ears and looked over to Maya who's shirt was now being pealed off of her bony bruised body, leaving her in a cotton bra as she cried.
"Maya!" He yelled. "Let her go, you bastard." Sam punched him right across the face.
"Let her go!" Another punch. At this point, Cory, who was hearing this through the phone, was in full panic mode. He ran outside, calling the police, and jumped in his car, Riley jumping in after him. He didn't have time to argue for her to leave.
Meanwhile, Shawn's blurry vision focused back on Maya, who's pants were bing unzipped as she tried to struggle free, only failing.
"Hurt me! Leave her alone!" He yelled turning his head away. He felt a force push it back. He closed his eyes tight. Punch. He kept them shut. Punch.
"Watch her!" Yelled Sam. He squeezed them tight. Punch.
"Ah." He said, opening his eyes out of reflex to see a sight that he never wanted to ever see again. On top of that, Maya's face was bloody. It happened to her often but she usually wasn't beaten so bad during it, only at other times. She couldn't stop herself from crying as the man taunted her. He pushed hard against Sam but to no avail. He was being crushed under the man and couldn't imagine what Maya was feeling as he closed his eyes again, only to be punched, again.
"You'll be okay, Maya. Be strong." He said to the crying child, earning him another punch as the door swung open.
