The Journal [A Sequel To Maya's Diary]

Chapter Twenty-eight

....This is me writing after so long a time. A lot has happened believe me. To start with, I now work fully for The Times Daily and it has given me enough distraction. Exactly what I need right now to move on.

There has been a little quiet lately, although I still pursue my quest in shutting down the Arch with my little articles I've been publishing recently. I've gotten lots of criticisms and queries even, but I refused to listen to any of them instead I wrote even more.

Edward now being locked up in the Alabama Police Station, has been serving his terms quite faithfully. I visit him but as rarely as possible. Being a single mom hasn't been so easy for me as I wrangle all the responsibilities solely.

I am dating Leone now, and he leaves the state occasionally for some ongoing investigation on murder.

Tess still sings and got married to Joe just a few years back. Tess despite all glamour, settled for a simple wedding with few friends and family invited.

"Mom?" A voice called from behind. A very familiar voice that I have grown to get used to over the years. It was Carly's, my daughter.

"Yes sweetheart?" I answered back. My cheeks squeezing to smile I fought so hard to keep still. Thin lines of wrinkles surrounding my lower eyelid. Stress was written all over me. "Finding trouble sleeping?" I asked when she stood and shot a look back at me saying nothing.

"Mom why aren't you asleep?" she asked instead.

"Mommy is working darling," I said while she staggered towards me as if in an effort to see what I was busy with. I quickly slid my journal under a book and covered it with a bunch of work papers that littered my table.

She squinted as though she tried making out what was written. When it proved too difficult she shook her head slightly and looked back at me.

"Mom I can't sleep," she started. "I keep having these dreams of some people in black coming after me."

I shifted forward and glared at her. She sure did take many qualities from me; those eyes and lips were definitely mine. Her tiny pink lips moved about as she spoke and when she was done, I grabbed her in my arms while soothing her coffee brown hair, "They are just dreams sweetheart. None of it is real, OK?"

"OK mommy. Would you at least stay beside me until I sleep off?"

"Of course darling," I replied quickly shutting down my desktop and retracting from my chair and following her quietly at the back. We walked into her room and I sang her to sleep. When I was sure she had slept off, I quietly tucked her in her blanket, and walked out switching off her light.

I went into my room and suddenly felt a slight headache. I got some tablets I left on the side of my desktop and peeled off the wrap, aiding the white tablet with so many gulps of water. My face scrunched into disgust and I drank another cup of water almost immediately.

I slowly walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I got the floss and guided the string in between my teeth and then brushed afterwards. The up and down movement of the brush removed the left over taco salad from that evening.

I removed my glasses and left it on my bedside table. I needed a good night rest and so I fell heavily on my bed sleeping almost immediately.

I was an hour gone asleep, when Carly's screaming woke me startling me to a jolt.

"What is it?" I asked when I ran into her room.

"The man spoke to me," she replied, shaking and crying.

"What man? What are you talking about?" I replied worried.
"The man in my dreams," she replied again shaky and I hugged her tightly yet again. "He said he wanted me dead!" she screamed again and I put her hair on my chest assuring her it was just a bad dream, but I was getting scared too.

The incessant bad dreams kept reoccurring. It was the same dream about a man standing in the dark, but today was different. He spoke to her. He has never spoken to her before and I got scared. I slept that way on her bed till morning and luckily she didn't wake up again until dawn.

The next morning I hurriedly prepared her for school while I myself got dressed. I poured my dark brown coffee into a mug and put it into the microwave to be heated up again while I held up the newspaper from the day before and glanced through. I've read it before though, but something kept me stuck on the front cover.

I took a long sip when the microwave made a short click sound and I took out my mug. I walked into the living room and sat crossing my legs and taking another sip. The caption read, "A new wave of change." the mayor had won the recent elections again and was brought back into power. He made lots of convincing statements on how he had big plans for the citizens and they fell for it again just as they had a couple of years ago.

"Mom I'm ready," Carly said as she walked into the living room.

I gulped all my drink at once and stood dusting off my suit trouser. We got into my car and drove her down to her school. She scooted off and ran just like every other child did. I watched her run off then smiled wearyingly and went to work.

"Good morning Mr. McGrath," I replied, walking in briskly into the Times Daily News Office.

"Morning Miss. Anderson, how you doing today? I was just coming to see you."

"I'm great. Seriously? Should I be excited or?" I managed to chuckle.

He smiled for a short time then returned back a blank gaze, "I'm not sure."

He dropped an unpublished article on my desk and I looked at it. It was the very one I submitted the day before to be published that day.

"What's going on? You never reject any of my articles. You said it yourself that I was your best staff," I replied.

"...and you are," he chipped in. "but this particular article can't be published. This is defaming and will reduce our audience by a whole lot."

"It's the truth."

"None of this is true. You are writing that the Mayor is in a secret cult. There is no such thing as that. I need you to write something instead about pop culture."

"I'm keenly inclined in politics."

"I know. Do something different today," he said and left. I sighed and dropped into my seat disappointed.

"Maya, someone's here to see you," Tom, my coworker told me.

"Who?" I asked wheeling my chair around, "Nurse Gretta?" I asked and offered her a seat beside mine.

"Hello my child. I have something I need to tell you that I've kept buried for so long. It's about your daughter."

"Carly? What about her?"

"No, the other one Eva. She's still alive and I know where she is."

Hello guys! Like I said I'm back and I'm sorry I took so many months off. Please forgive me and show some love. Let's kick off the suspense. I'll try to update as much as I can as I intend starting a new book.

Please keep your votes and comments coming in. I love y'all
Thanks
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