Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:40:56 -0800 (PST) From: Esther Lee Subject: Two Different Worlds 4 Thank you to all the people who have sent me emails, they really do make me want to keep on writing while I'm studying for exams. I'm sorry for the late update on the story but I will try harder to write in my free time. Once again, I really appreciate all the emails; thank you for reading! ? Maya I woke up feeling like crap; my body was sore from the beating I had a few days ago but a cool hand hovered over my forehead taking my temperature. I assumed it was Missy checking up on me since the time she called. "Missy," I croaked, "Bring me some water." I heard footsteps padding away from my room, the sink turning on, and the footsteps returning. The bed groaned as she shifted her weight against my bed. "Here," a different person said. Suddenly, I was completely tense and alert and opened my eyes to see Kim sitting by my side, handing me the same glass of water I thought I told Missy to do. "Kim!" I jumped. I tried to sit up fast and at least lean against my headboard but a sharp pain stabbed my ribs. I clutched my side and groaned while Kim helped me lay back down. "Idiot. Who the hell moves like that when they're injured this bad," she said haughtily. "Sorry," I gasped. Her intense stare turned soft and sympathetic, her expression heartbreaking. Her hazel eyes yearned for a truth in which I knew the answers. I knew what she was going to ask in that moment later. "What happened, Maya?" she said softly. I searched for possible excuses in my mind and when I opened my mouth to speak, the chain of words that I planned to fool her with was lost. I looked away, my mind went blank and I sat there helplessly searching for words to say. "I - I fell down the stairs," I stuttered. Cautiously, I raised my eyes and saw Kim with a very unsatisfied look, along with her looking at me like an idiot. I flushed and quickly looked away again. Suddenly, Kim leaned forward and grabbed each side of my head with her hands and forced me to lock eyes with her. I stared into her eyes and found sincerity; like I could confess everything to her and she would still stay by my side. "Maya," she whispered. I caught the perfume drifting from the base of her neck; my heart pounded harder, as if it only beat to her scent. Her sweet breath was intoxicating, I started to lose focus but her eyes chained me to her. "Tell me the truth." All I wanted to do at that moment was to kiss her. I wanted to take control of her and make everything of hers become mine. There was a feeling inside me that told me I had to have her, that I should bind her to me and never let her go. All of a sudden the front door opened and we both looked to the direction of the sound. I tensed up at any possible danger but Missy walked into the room a second later bringing some groceries with her. Thankfully, Kim let go of the discussion. "So she's alive," Missy joked. I laughed. "I feel better than ever too." A slow smile spread on her face. "Hey Kim you know how to cook?" "A little bit, why?" she asked confused. Missy turned on her innocent look. "Do you mind cooking for this person here, please?" "Oh sure. Do you want anything in particular, Maya?" I smiled. "Anything you make is fine." Kim smiled back and turned to go to the kitchen. As soon as she was out of the room, Missy quickly went to close the door and sat herself on the bed. Her expression was no longer joking, but dead serious. "What the hell happened? Julian and his friends came to us at school today with cuts and bruises and threatened us." I sighed and slowly started to explain, "I came back from practice and his friends jumped me in the parking lot. We got into a little fight until Julian came and talked to me about Grace and Kathryn." I recalled the memory and I gritted my teeth in pure anger. "He said that if I didn't stay away from Kim, he'll tell Kathryn where I'm at; he's practically working for her now. Then, security was coming so they left." "Is that why he's approaching you so much?" "Probably," I said. There was a brief silence between us. "I never thought that things would be this serious." "Neither did I, not until Julian told me." "Do you think he'll tell her anyways?" she said seriously. I rubbed the bridge of my nose in frustration and sighed. "I have no idea." "What about Grace?" My heart suddenly jolted when I heard her name. After all these years, there really is no way that I can just forget about her. "He just?talked about how she's doing," I said, struggling all the while. "We both know he would say more than that, Maya," she said in disbelief. "Grace is?" I paused, "?she's fine; more than fine I guess." Missy let go of that topic but continued to press me with more questions. "And what about Kim? Are you going to avoid her now?" I stayed silent on that question. My eyes fell upon the open window on the side, sunlight spilling through the clear glass. The dust particles were visible due to the clear path cut by the sun. All the dusts were floating in the air as if distilled in time. A sudden gust of wind broke through them and they continued to float towards the ground. "I don't plan on it. I don't want to give him that satisfaction," I said grimly. Missy just stared at me for a while. "What if he really hurts Kim?" "Then," I paused, "I'll have to move away again." Missy dropped her gaze and sighed. "Don't expect me to follow you everywhere, Maya. I want to find one place to stay and build a life too." I silently nodded. "I know." Kim The feeling of cooking for Maya made me nervous but I silently told myself to just make something simple but delicious. I rummaged through the groceries Missy bought and found enough ingredients to make an easy porridge. It took quite a while but it turned out pretty good. Hopefully, Maya will like everything. I set everything on a tray and carefully made my way to Maya's room again. The food was pretty heavy and I swore when I saw that the door was closed. I stood in front of the door trying to balance everything on one hand to turn the knob but heard that they were talking. The quiet voices managed to leak through the crevices of the door. "You have to stay away from her, Maya; unless you want her to get hurt," Missy said insistently. "I told you I don't want to see his smug face when he sees that," Maya growled. "This isn't about your pride, Maya! This is for what's best for us and what's best for her too," Missy urged. "I know, but I just?" she said softly. There was a distant silence in the room. I stood frozen in front of the door taking in their words. Who were they talking about? Who did they have to stay away from? "Whatever. It's getting late and I have to go. Just think about what you're doing, okay?" I heard footsteps padding toward the door and I suddenly panicked, thinking that I might be in some trouble for eavesdropping on their conversation. The door flung open to reveal Missy with a troubled look but she looked at me in sheer surprise. "Umm, hi," I said, not knowing what to say at that moment. "You heard," she simply stated. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to. I just?" Instead of her being mad, she gave a sad smile. "You better give the food to her before it gets cold. I'll be outside if you want a ride." "No, it's okay. I'll catch the bus home," I replied. She stared at me, as if astonished by my words. "Okay then, take care of her for me." Missy slipped past me and went out the door, leaving me alone in the apartment with Maya. It took me a while to notice that Maya saw what happened between me and Missy and I immediately flushed. She looked at me with a confident smile when I started walking toward her. She chuckled. "You look cute when you're nervous." I smiled at the easy atmosphere and made my way to the side of her bed. I cautiously lowered the tray by her side and sat down next to it too. I watched her struggle to freely move her arm to get at the food, so I brought the tray closer to me so that I could feed her. She looked at me completely surprised when I brought a spoonful of the food close to her mouth. "What?" I asked. "What are you doing?" she said cautiously. I rolled my eyes and smiled a little. "I'm feeding you since your arm is hurt, Maya." I pushed the spoon closer to her mouth but despite my efforts, her lips remained tightly locked. Only a few seconds later did she crack open her mouth little by little to engulf the contents of the spoon. Maya suddenly turned away in efforts to hide the pink crawling up her throat to spread across her cheeks. "Hey, what's wrong," suddenly worried. She turned back and faced me, her expression shy. "N-No, it's just?I guess I'm just not used to that kind of stuff." I started to flush a little too because of her sudden cute reaction and the desire to hug her grew strong within me but I refrained from doing so. Instead, I just smiled and fed her another spoonful. She wasn't as hesitant but she was still uncomfortable. I managed to feed her everything and handed her a bottle of water. "Thanks, Kim. It was delicious," she complimented with a smile. My spirits brightened instantly with her comment and I went to go clean the dishes. When I was done, I remembered Maya's and Missy's conversation; it brought up the long forgotten questions lingering in my head longing to be answered. I slowly made my way back to Maya's room and plopped myself down next to her, careful not to hurt her. I stared into her eyes but was really thinking about a good way to bring about the strange conversation I heard. I didn't realize how long I was looking at her until she broke a smile across her lips and motioned me to come to her, her arms wide open like a warm, safe haven where I can retreat to. I carefully laid down beside her and basked in the feeling of protectiveness and hospitality she offered me. The same questions still poked my mind but not as much now; all I could think about was the fact that she was with me, her arms wrapped around me and I was with her, prepared to support her as much as protect her.