28. Maya
twenty-eight
Maya
I snuck out of bed before Asher was even awake. He was worn out from the night before, and I took the opportunity to go back to the orphanage before he could stop me. I grabbed a long sleeve, a long skirt, and some boots, throwing them all on before sneaking downstairs.
Before I left the door, I looked to my left and saw that my coat was draped across the counter with light burn marks at the bottom. A deep-seated feeling of pain came over me as I saw the burn marks, and I grabbed my coat, threw it on, and headed out the door.
It wasn't even sunrise yet, and a small crowd still gathered around the now smoldering mess of the orphanage, using the light from the streetlights to see. Some were still awake from the night. A small crowd of men dug through the rubble, but otherwise, the town was still asleep.
"How's your leg, my dear?" Margaret rushes up to me and hugs me tightly. Stealing the air from my already abused lungs.
"I'm okay. Have they found Emmett and Emery yet?" As I say their names, I feel as if I'm going to begin crying all over again. Margaret looks at me, confused.
"Well, there's good news and bad news, lovely. They actually haven't found any bodies yet. Only Emmett and Emery are missing. They've been searching since they safely did so this morning, and nothing has come up. Hopefully, the kids just ran into the woods for safety, and they'll come back." Margaret places her hands on her hips and stares at the orphanage.
The relief that washed over me was a double-edged sword. I was relieved at the idea that the two children could be safe just out in the woods hiding. But then the thought of the two small children being cold and hungry brought back a new sense of fear in me.
I placed a hand on Margaret's shoulder before walking up to the rubble and stepping over it. I began lifting planks out of the way and moving as much as possible. My leg screamed in pain against the bandages as they rubbed against my boot, but I didn't care. The bottom of my skirt, as well as my boots and my hands, were black with soot and ash. Over an hour passed, and slowly, the team of people digging through the rubble dwindled to eventually only me. The sun was slowly rising, and people began filtering out of their houses to look at the wreckage in the light of day.
"My dear," the town doctor, Dr. Roberts, walked up to me. He was an elderly man in his late seventies who was very close friends with my grandmother. I always remembered him bringing snacks and having early morning coffee with my grandmother in the bakery. "It's almost 7 in the morning, my dear. You need to eat breakfast. It's not good for your body to work like this, especially after what you went through last night."
I stand up, and tears stream down my face. With each passing minute that I didn't find something of the two children, I grew increasingly frustrated.
Dr. Roberts hugged me closely and pulled out a small sandwich that was wrapped in pastel pink paper.
"I wrapped it in your favorite color, just like always." We walked down from the rubble to sit down on a nearby bench.
"You frightened me when you stumbled into my office last night. I'm glad to see you dressed for the weather this time." Dr. Roberts chuckles, pulls out his sandwich, and begins eating. "I can only imagine what your grandmother would say if she saw you in that state last night."
I can only stare at the rubble. I couldn't bring myself to have a 'normal' conversation.
"Eat the sandwich, Maya," Dr. Roberts commands me.
Tears begin to stream down my face, and I rip open the paper and begin taking bites. I've had this sandwich hundreds of times before, and every single time, it was just as flavorful as the last. However, this time, with each bite that I took, I couldn't taste anything. My body wouldn't allow me to enjoy the flavors while there was the risk of Emmett and Emery being lost out there. I was hungry and cold.
"Your grandmother would be proud of you, Maya," he takes another bite, chewing thoughtfully. His words catch my attention, and I look at him.
"I honestly don't know if she would be or not," I take another bite and chew slowly.
Dr. Roberts looks at me, shocked.
"She would absolutely be proud of you. You've done so much. You have become a valuable member of this town. Just look at what you've done. You did more last night than most of these grown-ass men. If she won't sing your praises, then trust that everyone else will."
"I feel like I don't even know my grandmother," tears slip down my cheek, but I continue to eat the sandwich. "Did you know I can't even remember my parents' faces?"
Dr. Roberts looks at me sadly for a moment.
"I'm not surprised, dear. When you first got here, you were very shaken up."
"Did you know my parents?" Part of me hoped he didn't, and the other part just wanted an answer, no matter what that meant.
"I didn't, my dear. I'm sorry, your grandmother never spoke of them. You have to imagine our surprise when Evelyn showed up with a child. That woman was a Spitfire. God forbid any of us ask questions about your origin. She was very protective of you." Dr. Roberts takes another bite and stares as people begin to gather again, just like last night.
"Where did she go?" The words slip from my mouth before I can even stop them.
"Maya, you already know the answer to that. Me telling you will not change the results," Dr. Roberts says, gently and comfortingly placing a hand on my shoulder.
"I know. I know it won't." I take another bite of the sandwich.
"I'm glad to see that you have some company staying with you. Is he a close friend?" Dr. Roberts changed the subject, and I didn't fight him.
"Yes," I answered truthfully. Everything inside me felt like I had known Asher for as long as I had ever existed. As if we had crossed paths in each and every lifetime before this. Whether that was a gift or a punishment, I didn't care. I needed him in a way I didn't fully understand.
"I'm glad you have someone. I'm sure you can imagine how painful it is to watch a child grow up without someone." Dr. Roberts looks back at the orphanage again.
"I understand," I answered numbly.
"Maya!" I heard my name screamed, and heavy footsteps raced towards me. I turned to my left and saw Asher running up. His face was flushed, and he was still in his pajamas from last night.
"There's the young man now," Dr. Roberts smiles.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Asher snaps at me.
"You were tired from last night. I didn't want you holding me back." My words were tired. I didn't want to hurt him or sound upset with him, but it was the truth. I knew that if I had woken him, he wouldn't let me go.
Asher stares at me momentarily, and he sighs to himself before sitting beside me.
"She's been okay, son," Dr. Robert says. "I just pulled her out of the rubble no more than five minutes ago to make her eat." Dr. Roberts laughs. "She's stubborn, as I'm sure you're aware."
Asher glances at the half-eaten sandwich in my hands, and a look of relief washes over him. I look down at my boots and realize that Asher doesn't have any shoes on.
"It was nice seeing you, doctor." I said to him, "The sandwich was amazing, as always." I stood up and offered a hand to Asher, who took it immediately. I waved to Dr. Roberts and began walking away when suddenly he called out to me.
"Maya."
I turn around, and Dr. Roberts is staring at me sadly, his hands in his pockets. "It will do you no good searching for your parents, you know that, right?" I stare at him, shocked. Asher immediately reaches a hand protectively up to my back.
"Why?" I ask from a distance.
"Please, Maya. For your own safety, be grateful for your life now, and don't dig up the past." Dr. Roberts begins walking away without another word, and after a second to compose myself, I begin walking Asher and me back to the bakery.
I spent the next hour being scolded by Asher for waking him up this morning.
"What if something happened to you?" He snapped. He was pacing around the bakery.
"Nothing happened. Everyone was out there with me," I sat behind the counter with my head on my hand and watched him stomp back and forth.
"And everyone was out there when Nicholas showed up the other night, too. Does that mean nothing?" His words sting me, and I sit there quietly as he continues to berate me. Suddenly, Asher turns and looks at me, and he sighs, frustrated.
"I'm sorry, Maya. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that." He walks up to me and crouches in front of the chair. "I was just worried."
"I'm sorry too," I fidget with my thumbs and don't look up at him.
"You just have to imagine my panic when I woke up and didn't find you with me," he grips my legs. "I imagined the worst."
I looked up at him, and my heart suddenly yearned to be close to him. I stared at his face; he had a delicate bruise on his cheek from where I had slapped him the night before, and I internally cringed. At that moment, I promised myself that I would never hit him like that again.
"I'm sorry it won't happen again," I promised. Asher hugs me close before letting me go and sliding my coat off me.
He holds the coat up and chuckles. The once perfectly white coat is now stained gray with soot, with burn marks on the base and the cuffs. The fur, once silky and taken from a black wolf, is now matted and crunchy.
"I'm sorry," I say again. The truth was that I adored that coat. More than words can express. It pained my heart that I only got to use it a couple of times.
"Don't be my dear. I will just get you another one. I'll get you a thousand more if that's what you desire. Asher grabs the coat and tosses it near the trashcan in the kitchen before picking me up and walking us upstairs.
"Where are we going? I have to open the shop." I lean into him, my body too tired to fight him.
"Are you sick?" He asked. He carried me up the stairs quickly, and there was a glint of mischief in his eyes that I couldn't quite place.
"I don't feel sick anymore," I say. "My leg is a little painful, but that's all." I lift my leg to show him, and he grimaces at the sight of the bandages.
"Beautiful," he says. He nudges the apartment door open with the toe of his boot and walks me over to the bed, setting me down and pulling out a large briefcase from underneath.
"Asher?"
"You've more than earned that tattoo, baby girl. Let's knock it out before the shop opens. Yeah?"