Maya

I am dreaming again.

I lay on the grass, the night sky twinkled above me. Stars bloomed into existence and were snuffed out in seconds. They gleam in all colours of the rainbow.

It's strange how I just accepted it.

I'm not sure if I'm lucid dreaming or not.

Someone was humming a sweet tune next to me.

I could've easily turned my head to look at them but the stars captivated my gaze.

The tune was familiar. I feel like I've overheard it before.

"I'm so tired of this," I said, folding my arms behind my head. "I'm not dreaming, am I? This is...something. I just don't know what it is."

The humming came to a stop, replaced by soft laughter. "It took you long enough, my child. You dream of him sometimes too. Why is that?"

I crack an eye open. "Who? Loki?"

"Is that his name," they mused. "It is strange."

"Strange is a doctor. Loki is a God."

"Your heart yearns for him, my child. Why do you torture yourself if you love him so much? Would it not be easier to fix what is broken?"

That's a good question.

Unfortunately, I do have an answer.

"He's no longer here. He didn't come back for me," I say gently. I have to power through as my throat feels suddenly tight. "I'm the one who ended it."

"But you love him."

It was a statement.

The stars momentarily blur. "Yes."

"He made you happy?"

"Yes."

"If you had a chance, would you not try again?"

It's not so easy. Time and space are our enemies. It's a chasm that I can no longer cross.

"Maybe," I said. "I don't know if he would agree though. I have my pride and he has his."

They laugh. "Humans are so strange."

"Who are you?" I asked, watching a star shoot across the sky.

I felt someone's hand slip into my right hand. I should be alarmed but I felt an unusual sense of calm. All my worries melted away like salt in water. I am at peace for a brief moment.

"I am your beginning, my blood is your blood, and our fates were always meant to be intertwined."

Their voice was feminine but clear. There was a slight timber in their words which echo inside my head, like I was a human-sized iron bell.

The night sky swirled again, forming the Milky Way. I was mesmerized by it.

"You're so fucking cryptic," I said, feeling their nails scrape across the back of my hand. "Just tell me one thing."

"Proceed, my child."

"Do you mean to harm me?" I ask, my heart fluttering in my chest. "Should I fear you?"

They chuckle, and the sound makes the grass around us ripple. A soft breeze brushed against my shoulders, it almost felt like a hug. I can feel the tendrils of my thoughts slip away, chipped away like fresh ice.

"No," they said. "I mean you absolutely no harm. You are of my own."

I close my eyes. "I wish I could believe that."

They start humming again, the tune is softer and sweeter, like a lullaby.

"Will you tell me your name?" I ask.

The humming stops and I feel the sensation of dread creep into my veins. I hold my breath, waiting for them to speak.

"Another one of my children needs you, Maya. It's time to wake up."

—

My eyes snap open as someone taps my shoulder.

I feel under the pillow for my gun when my eyes meet Annette's. She stands next to my bed, her small hand gripping her teddy bear. Her eyes are watery and her cheeks are flushed.

If she's come to me for help, she's way past distressed. She's terrified.

Her heartbeat is like a hummingbird.

I throw off my covers and turn on the lamp. "Annette?" I squint into the dimly lit room. "What's going on?"

She startles at my reaction. "I'm sorry. It's just..." She shuffles on her feet, glancing at her feet. "I...uh...had a bad dream?"

"You okay?" I ask.

Annette shakes her head, making strands of her blond hair come out of her braid. "No." She said. "It was really bad but I don't remember it. I...I just..." she trails off, tears welling up in her eyes. "I didn't want to bother you but it was—"

I get out, ignoring the cold floorboards against my bare feet as I make my way across the room to her.

Annette throws her arms around my waist, reaching up on her tiptoes to press her face against my chest. I cradle the back of my head, making shushing noises as she falls apart in my arms.

I can't even remember the last time I cried in my mom's arms. Maybe when I was 10? It's all so hazy.

She whimpers, trying to stifle her tears.

It's such a heartbreaking sound.

Annette is the type of person who prefers others leaning on her. Her independence is her greatest strength and weakness.

I pick her up and carry her to my bed. She tightens her hold around me as I throw the covers over us. "Why don't you spend the night here?" I say, rubbing her back. "Nobody has to know. It's our little secret."

I can feel her heartbeat calm down, beating with mine.

"I'm sorry," she sniffles. "Next time I'll just—"

"Nah. Don't be." I reach over to my nightstand to switch off the light. "Just get some sleep, kiddo. Nobody is going to hurt you."

"Promise?"

Now that was a dangerous thing to say. Promises were always meant to be broken. But Annette was a kid and kids will learn that important lesson one day.

This is not that day.

I intertwine my pinky fingers with hers. "Promise."

—

I chew on a granola bar as I make my way inside the store.

Drew is at the counter, a pen tucked behind his ear as he scans the paperwork in front of him. "Morning, Brown."

"Morning to you too, Mr Bencher." I grab my apron and tie it around my waist. "You're here early today."

He shrugs. "Meh. Couldn't sleep so I got out of the house before my ex-wife could find me."

"Is your ex that bad?"

Drew chuckled. "That woman puts the devil to shame."

The morning gets busy after that.
Several farm hands come in to pick up a few parts.

My phone buzzes in between, mostly texts from Annette and Carlos. They want to go to the market and get groceries for dinner. I think they want to make pasta. Both of them like to cook, happily volunteering to make lunch bags or cook dinner.

Annette made a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. It's sweet and I'm happy that they're taking responsibility for something but I shouldn't encourage it too much.

They're still kids after all and I can take care of them.

I'm starting to worry about Safia. Something isn't right. She comes home from school grumpier than usual, locking herself in her room till dinner.

I've tried to ask Carlos but he won't give me a straightforward answer.

Is she getting bullied? Or maybe she's finding it difficult to fit in?

Asking her outright would probably cause her to blow up on me. I wish I knew what to do. Her distance is making me uneasy.

I sighed and tied my hair up into a ponytail.

I'm in the back, taking inventory when Drew calls me up to the front.

He's talking with a customer, his face going a bit red as he argues over something in a hushed tone. Drew points to a person on the other side of the store. I nodded, fixing my hair and walked towards them.

Time to get to work.

"Good afternoon," I chirp, putting on my best customer service voice. "How can I—"

They turn around and I feel the words die on my tongue. Red curls are hidden underneath a black hoodie and bright green eyes meet mine, shining with mirth.

Oh, this bitch. It's hard to hide my grin.

Nat holds up a hand. "Didn't take you for working retail?"

I shrug, lowering my tone. "Didn't know you were into gardening."

She smirks and plucks a pack of seeds from the wall, holding them up. "Well, what type of girl doesn't like flowers."

—

Safia

Emma won't stop tapping her foot. It's driving Safia mad.

There are only 15 minutes left in English Lit. Her mind is bored and numb as she pretends to read over a passage.

Samuel is snickering next to her. It's just her luck that she has to be seated next to the biggest asshole in the whole school. A part of her wants to toss him out of the window.

It's been weeks of pure fucking torture and she is at her wits end. Constant teasing, metaphorical hair-pulling,  unyielding shoving, and relentless microaggressions have pushed her to a very dangerous edge.

It takes every ounce of her control to not strangle the little shit.

Emma and her share a majority of classes.

Carmen dropped them the moment Samuel tried to go after her. It seemed she valued her social reputation more than her friends.

Whatever. She was a poser anyway.

She feels someone nudge her side and her irritation shoots up.

It's easier to ignore idiots than talk to them.

"Hey, Saffron." Samuel tries to get her attention again. "C'mon, Saffron. You gonna ignore me? I thought we were better than that?"

We?

Safia glares at him from the corner of her eye. "What?" She hisses.

Emma catches her eye across the room and shakes her head. She ignored her obvious warning. "Just let it go," she mouths.

Safia rolls her eyes in response.

"Hey. I heard something the other day. Is it true?" He asks.

"Once again. What?" She grits out.

"You know...about your parents. They're dead, right?" He smirks. "I didn't know you were an orphan."

Family is such a complicated word for her. Maya is technically her family even though she doesn't know her very well. Carlos, Annette, and Rayan were her family too. Did family go as far as blood? Or was it more than that?

Safia wasn't sure anymore.

Her mom wasn't really a mother to her and the string of step-fathers were nothing more than a bunch of bastards that wanted to get into her pants. And lest she mention Raza—the sickest bastard of them all—she doesn't have any more parental figures.

So yeah, Sam is technically right. She is an orphan.

But what's wrong with that?

She sighs silently, wondering why anyone in this building considers this man to be a bully.

"They're journalists, dipshit. Now buzz off."

He reaches behind her seat and grabs a fist full of her hair, tugging it hard. She grits her teeth.

The teacher doesn't even notice. He has his back turned to the class.

Typical.

She could just twist his meaty little neck and it would be the end of it. She could stop this piece of shit's heart and nobody would give a damn.

Safia thought of Maya, her protective stance and her kind eyes.

Her hands curl into a fist.

"You're pretty rude, Saffron." He said. "I guess your hot sister didn't teach you any manners."

Her temper flared so hot that it could burn the whole classroom down.

"Safia." She hissed out.

His grin falters briefly. "What?"

She got up, shoving him away. Screw class, she was out of here. "It's Safia, turdface!" Safia got up, gathered her books and walked out of class.

Her teacher called after her but she ignored her.

She ended up sitting on the curbside, trying to breathe as she felt anger swirl inside of her. Safia never understood why she wasn't allowed to fight back, why she had to be the bigger person. Her mother would always excuse her shitty boyfriends, no matter how far they crossed the line with her.

Maya...she didn't know if Maya would say the same thing. A small voice in her head said that she wouldn't but it's hard to trust someone when you've had your hopes dashed too many times.

The school bell rang and kids came pouring out of the doors, eagerly chatting about their weekend plans. Safia couldn't relate. She wasn't sure what she was and wasn't allowed to do.

Carlos found her first. He sat next to her on the curb.

"You okay?" He asked.

"I'm so sick of that question."

"Bad day, huh?" He saw her clenched fists. "Yeah, me too."

"What pissed you off?"

He shrugged. "Just a bunch of jerks. You know, the usual."

She scoffed, stretching her legs out in front of her. "Want me to kick their asses? I need to hit something that isn't my pillow."

"Why don't you tell Maya?"

"What would she do? Besides, I can take care of myself."

"She cares," he said. "If you told her, she'd probably kill them for hurting you."

Safia scoffs. "Yeah right."

Carlos regarded her with an unknown look. "Believe what you will. My mama used to say—"

"Your mama isn't here."

Safia winced. Maybe that was a touch too cruel.

Carlos just looked at her and sighed, almost as if he were giving up. "We're here." He said. "She used to say that if you walked with your eyes closed, you'd end up dead."

Carlos was way too quiet for a kid his age. He preferred to observe and wait. Some might think of him as a rabbit or mouse, waiting in the brush. Safia knew better, this kid was a snake bidding his time so that he could strike.

He didn't need her help. He was probably two to three steps ahead, just waiting for the right moment.

The snow flutters softly in the air and the breeze was sharp. Safia pulled her hoodie over her hair, waiting for Maya to come and get them.

"Hey, Saffron!"

Safia groaned. "This fucking piece of—"

"Saffron?" Carlos turned around, narrowing his eyes at Samuel and his small gang of mentally challenged Neanderthals coming their way. "That's the jerk that's giving you trouble. What a poser."

Her lips quirked up. "People like that wouldn't last a moment on the streets," she said. "He thinks he's the biggest and meanest so that gives him the right to act like a fucking ass."

"You curse too much," Carlos remarked. "But you got a point."

Samual had his arm slung around one of his buddies. He was grinning but it made her skin crawl. She got up, slipping her backpack off her shoulder.

"You want me to help?" Carlos asked, picking up her backpack.

"Nah," she shrugged her shoulders. "Just keep Annette and Rayan out of this."

"Will do."

"The parking lot is that way," Safia said to Samuel, pointing towards the massive truck that took up two parking lots. "Or did you get lost on your way to the football field?"

"I'm here for you, Saffron."

"Safia, asshat." She gritted out. "If you wanna mess with me, you might as well get my name right."

Samuel couldn't take the hint. Or maybe he did. Hard to tell. He sauntered up to her, a smart-ass comment on the tip of his tongue.

"You know, you really hurt my feelings back there." He said. "You should apologize."

"Apologize?" Safia had to stifle her laughter. "Seriously? To you?"

"Yeah." He placed a hand on her shoulder, his fingers brushing against her neck. His hand was twice the size of hers. "I thought we'd be good friends. Or would you rather have your sister apologize to me? I'll be nice and not to stare at her ass—"

Safia knocked his hand off her shoulder.

A bully like him wouldn't stop until they met a bigger bully.

She reeled her fist back and punched Samuel square in the nose, feeling his bones crack as she made contact.

He staggered back against his goons, his nose bleeding. He was screaming and it sounded like a fucking symphony to her.

One of his buddies took a step forward, cracking his knuckles.

Gods, where did these guys come from? A 90's high school sitcom?

"You're going to pay for that, you fucking bitch." He growled. "I'm going to make your life hell."

Safia scoffed. "All that muscle and not a single brain cell in that head of yours." She bent her finger. "C'mon, pal. Let's get this over with."