Room 221 || Lucaya

Stars and Clouds

*Trigger warning. Read with caution.*

MAYA'S POV:

Slowly, my eyelids flutter open as my foot stumbles over the last stair step before my entire body is forcefully slammed against a door.

"Who the hell are you?!" I shout at the top of my lungs. The hairs on the back of my neck stand tall as my voice screeches to its highest possible pitch, causing my throat to swell and scratch.

Fight, Maya. Fight.

A cold, firm hand is shoved over my mouth while the other jams into my ribs like a knife.

"Dammit..." An unknown voice pinned against the door mumbles.

The voice booms loudly into my ears, although in reality, it was only a faint whisper. The words were subtle, yet I recognized the tone within an instant.

Memories flood back into my mind within an instant.

That voice belongs to Charlie Gardner.

Charlie and Maya were two rebel high school sweethearts who fell in love. They say it was love at first sight, but I can tell you different. The relationship was nothing but toxic; the lovers only brought out the dark side of the other. Never once would they be caught pushing each other in the ocean at the beach, rather vandalizing the gift shops down at the pier. Never once would they be caught laughing too loud in the library together, rather in the janitor's closet making out. Most importantly, they were never caught making sure the other was okay—that's because it never happened. If Maya would cry because she was sexually harassed at school, Charlie would yell at her because her shorts were too short. Maya, in turn, picked up on this behavior. The poor blonde was never known to embody a rebel child with a reckless attitude, but that's what Charlie brought out of her. Little Maya was too scared of the boy to do otherwise.

The relationship, as everyone seemed to predict, got too toxic for Mays's own good. The daily sexual harassment Maya received came less from boys at school, and more from her boyfriend. Words quickly transformed into actions, and before she knew it, Maya was in too deep to leave.

Just like I am now.

Tears stream down my face as I realize that no one is coming to get me. One tear, in particular, held on tight. Stayed on my face for a long time.

Maybe it was hope.

The door opened, and the tear burst.

"Stop! Get the hell off of me!" I screech at the top of my lungs. Charlie shoves me into the room with great force, causing my body to slam against the floor.

My body was stopped by the floor.

But the force didn't stop there.

One by one, all of my organs slam against my rib cage. My throat quickly swells up to the point where my vision turns black. The throbbing inside my chest increases, and I gasp for the musty air surrounding me.

The heaving begins.

1, 2, 3. Inhale. 4, 5, 6. Breathe.

"This will be quick. Easy. As long as you shut your damn mouth and be the old Maya. You know, the one I could actually put up with," Charlie, leaning over to the ground, whispers in my ear through gritted teeth.