Loving Maya

Another Encounter

Mason's POV

She doesn't look okay. As she nervously chews on her lips, her eyes seems to sink deeper and deeper into her thoughts.

"Maya?"

She doesn't reply. This is the second time I'm calling her.

"Maya?" I turn to her for a second.

"Hmm?" She archs her eyebrows, her mind returning to the car, the road, to me.

"Are you okay?"

She takes a few minutes before replying. I wait patiently, hoping she hasn't sunk into her thoughts again.

"Mary was there?"

"What?"

"Mary- she was in the kitchen."

"We were just... How was she... Didn't they break up?"

"I think they're trying to fix thi..." She doesn't even finish the sentence. Her chest rises and falls heavily. "Being with her, alone, knowing that you were too far to reach us in time..."

Another deep breath. A new look of fear.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should've never left you in there. Should I pull over?"

"No, no," she violently shakes her head, "it's already so late."

I can handle being around Mary. I don't ever have to fear her. With Maya, it's the opposite. I never found out what happened when they had kidnapped her. What she might have done when I wasn't there, when I couldn't protect her.

The last time, all of their interactions, led to a point so horrendous, it was nearly fatal.

"I can move out of that place."

"No." She shakes her head.

"You can't; don't do that. I can handle Mary, well, I need to learn to. She seems so harmless now I almost feel bad being this afraid of her. She's changed, right?"

She looks up at me, hopeful. I don't know if she hopes Mary hasn't changed so that she can ease her guilt or that she has changed, so her fears may be eased.

"She has." That's the truth I can offer her.

"I mean, of course. We called the doctor, Chris helped, Justin even spoke to her friend. There's no way this is a lie. She's not going to do anything dangerous." She nods to herself.

It puts her in an uncomfortable position. Her morality is aligned with not judging people based on their mental health conditions but with Mary, it comes so quickly. She can't help it but she doesn't want to do it.

"You know, I'm still shocked about what Shelly did." She sighs. "Is it wrong that a part of me... Isn't surprised?"

I'll admit, I'm a bit shocked.

"Why?"

"I spent our entire lives trying to ignore all her negative traits. She was my best friend, I didn't want to see her in a bad light but I guess a part of me just always knew. I didn't expect something this bad but..."

To be honest, I've been very worried about her. She saw Maya and I. If she's bright, she would've already started sniffing in Maya's direction. Where Maya is, I am. I really thought that by now, The Man would've let me know that he's onto me.

Perhaps she still holds a sense of loyalty to Maya. I mean, the way she seems to see it, she's not trying to hurt her but is protecting her.

"Let's not talk about any of that this week." She gives me a triumphant smile. "It took a lot for us to be able to be on this road right now."

"True," I nod with a bittersweet smile.