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IF there was anything Maia needed, it was answers.
She wasn't getting any jobs she applied for; she was withering away in her apartment, and honestly, she was missing the comfort of someone with her. She didn't have the money for rent or electricity, and the best food she could afford at the moment was McDonalds, if she was lucky. Maia needed to know if this was to truly be her life, or was she actually meant for another universe. She could only find this out from one person.
Maia didn't think she'd ever return to the psychic her and Caroline visited so long ago, but she also never thought she could travel to alternate universes. Things work in mysterious ways sometimes.
She saw the flickering OPEN sign shine in the dark shade of the busy street. Maia slowly ascended the brick stairs to knock on Edna's door, knowing fully well the old woman could see her through her large window in the front. Maia waited for a long moment before Edna finally cracked open the door the tiniest bit, grumbling, "I remember you. You didn't pay."
Maia was about to let out a word, but then the door was slammed in her face. With a groan, she began pounding on the wood. "Please, I need your help!" She exclaimed, her hands sore from slapping themselves against a hard surface. "You're the only one who can give me answers!"
The door opened again, ever so slightly. "How so?"
•••
Maia spoke to her about everything. From her travels to her research to her purposes. The blonde was so sure she would never talk to this crazed psychic again, but found that speaking the truth in full helped her feel relief. She needed someone to understand, and that person needed to be someone as eccentric as Edna.
Once she was finished, Maia took a long minute to stare at her hands. She was happy to have everything out, to finally have someone who would listen. She carefully looked up at the frail woman, seeing her eyes blaze with a feeling she'd never seen before.
Edna placed her hand on top of the blonde's. "I understand."
Maia let out a large sigh. A hint of a smile formed on her face.
"Do you know what you must do now?"
She shook her head.
"My dear," Edna huffed, "you must go back."
Maia furrowed her brow. "What?"
"Your purpose – no, your destiny – is not with us." Edna explained, gesturing to her piles upon piles of vintage books she held. "I have read about your gift. You are able to do something scientists wished they could prove, for it is only a theory. Your ability is your key to know that you are meant in a different universe. Not with us. It may have taken twenty-two years of your life to realize this, but it's never too late to embrace destiny."
Maia sat back in the rickety chair. "But what about the repercussions? My family have rarely spoken to me since I moved away, but I don't think I can go through another 'kidnapping' without it looking suspicious."
"Do not think about that." The elder shook her head. "Think about your future. Your gift can allow you to change the fate of people this world loves. You belong with them."
"What do I do now though?"
Edna leaned into the table. "From what I've read, to travel to specific universes already visited, the traveler must return to the exact spot or object that took them to the alternate. You have to go back to the tree you touched in Washington."
Maia nodded, her fingers already itching to buy a plane ticket that would soon be resting in her hands.
"So," the younger woman smirked, "do I still have to pay?"
•••
Just three days later, Maia stood in line to board a flight to Washington. She look down at the ticket in her fingertips, knowing that she was just another step away to being with the people she cared about. She just wished she wasn't returning at a difficult time.
She didn't mind that Jon was dead. She had her time of grieving, but her only purpose was to be with people in that time. Maybe she was destined to love someone else or die in that universe, but her only hope was to see at least Ser Davos or Ed again.
Maia took her seat in the back of the plane and ended up sleeping for most of the flight. She carried no suitcase, only a small backpack that was placed to and from her shoulders. She wouldn't need a large bag of luggage for the real travel should would endure. The more she thought about it, maybe it would've been smart to stop off at a convenience store for tampons to bring, but she'd surely run out sooner or later. Maybe even Plan B, though it wasn't like she was planning on a pregnancy. She couldn't stop now; she would be losing time.
She had made sure she was traveling to Washington for the right weather. Luckily, the day she'd land, there was to be a hefty storm in the middle of the state at exactly two PM. Maybe she was just excited, but Maia's hands shook at the image of the storm that would soon send her backwards.
After a handful number of hours, Maia had arrived in Washington. The familiar look of the airport was refreshing, and almost thrilling at the same time. She checked the time on her phone: one PM. She needed to move.
Maia tried her best to quickly haul a taxi to cart her to her desired location. Once one stopped for her, she threw herself in and gave her specific directions. He looked at her strangely at first, almost as if he knew her face from the news, but he said nothing of it.
She sat back in the seat with a sigh. She looked at her phone: one thirty PM. Clouds were casually getting darker overhead.
They had been driving for a half an hour before the taxi finally stopped. Maia had been drifting on and off between sleep, but was surprised when the car halted in front of the dirt road that was so familiar to her. The driver turned to her, asking, "Are you sure this is the spot, ma'am?"
Maia nodded aggressively as the driver calculated her price. It was two PM, and rain drops were already cascading down onto the roof of the taxi. Maia's bones seemed to bounce at the sound of thunder echoing throughout the sky. She quickly handed the man money, telling him to keep the change as she strapped her backpack on and headed out in the rain.
She saw the tree in the distance, and with a smile, she began walking in its direction. "Ma'am!" The driver called, getting out of his car with confused eyes. "Where are you going? Are you going to be alright?"
Maia turned back, pushing the unknown man off with a wave of her hand. "Just go!"
The driver scoffed, returning back to the inside of his car and shaking raindrops from his hair. She watched him quickly drive away and back onto the main street, leaving her on the soggy, dirt road.
Maia started to run. She ran as fast as her legs could take her, hoping the tree in front of her wasn't a mirage. Lightening cracked above her head as rain melted off the think coat of makeup she applied on her face. She was smiling as she ran, feeling free for once in her life. She had absolutely nothing holding her back.
Finally, she was in front of the spiritual tree, eyes glowing at the sight of it. The beautiful trunk of nature aged slightly, but it was healthier than ever. A flash of lightening hit a branch of the tree, allowing it to crack and fall to the right of her.
It's time, she told herself. Maia reached her two hands out to the trunk of the magnificent tree as another snap of lightening hit the base of the tree, and almost instantly, she was out.
