I know, I know. Another story? But I wanted to work with the new characters and here we are. Maya is portrayed by Chloe East (with some… changes) Well, here we go.
"Stop it." My social worker scolded behind me. "Maya stop. They won't get to the door any faster only because you're being annoying pressing the bell again and again."
Sarah barely had the time to finish, and I just continued pressing the doorbell again and again, while making sure my long, dark hair laid in front of the whole left side of my face.
If the bald man who just came smiling and opening the door could see that part of my face I might just as well take my bags and leave for the next care home.
"You're very eager to come in aren't you?" The man smiled forcedly. "Good morning and come in." He stepped away from the door, I threw my backpack over my shoulder and waited for Sarah the social worker to take my other bags. "You can just leave the bags here and come into the office.
I took a harder grip around the shoulder strap of my backpack. But threw it down to put it in between my feet when Mike gestured to the sofa for Sarah and me to sit down.
"Sarah told me on the phone that you… you… you…"
"Look like a freaking beast? Or monster or whatever word you want to use."
"You don't look like a monster. Now, we didn't mention that to the children as…" I shook my head a bit so the hair hung even thicker in front of my face and could hear Sarah sigh next to me.
"What?"
"You're going to have to look at him sooner or later Maya. You might as well."
Now it was my turn to sigh. But knowing she was right. And knowing I had to do this every time like this. I looked down and pulled my hair back. Then pulled it to hang over my left shoulder and made sure Mike could see the back of my hand too as I pulled it down.
The whole left side of my face, my left shoulder and arm all the down to my fingers was covered in scars from my dad throwing a bucket of boiling water over me when I was five. Now that, did have a big part in why I was in care and why I was moved around like every other day.
"Now… like I said…" Mike was trying to get back to what he was talking about before. "Sarah told me and May-Li, my other care worker knows too. But we didn't tell the children as we think it's important they get their very own impression of you when they meet you."
"So what are you gonna do when they see me, aren't ready and someone goes AH A MONSTER"
"They're not like that here." Mike gave a short and nervous chuckle. "They're good kids. Now, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? Anything you'd think I should know?"
"I don't know…"
I had answered this question about a billion times. But I could never really figure what to say first.
"Why don't you start with your name?"
Idiot!
"My name is Maya-Nicole Connally-Henderson." I breathed in and suppressed a sigh. "But I usually go by Maya Henderson as my dad's name is Nicholas Connnally and I don't want anything more to do with him…"
I was interrupted when the door to the office suddenly opened and a little boy with dark skin and a T shirt with the print of a zebra came in. He froze when he saw Mike was busy, and well… I might just try my theory. With that I casually shook my hair out of the face and made sure the boy would only be able to see the side of my face where there were scars. I could see him only from the corner of my eye but he had frozen and his eyes had grown wide.
"ROAR."
"AAAH." When I roared the boy screamed. I raised an eyebrow and sent a glare to Mike when the boy shouted first wordlessly and then more. "A MONSTER. A MONSTER, A MONSTER, A MONSTER." The boy turned and ran out of the office down the hallway.
"Told you." I sighed, crossed my arms over my chest and slumped back towards the back of the sofa. "There's always that someone."
"I really didn't think anyone here would say something like that." Mike sighed. "Archie come back here…" The boy, obviously named Archie came back into the room, now in the company of an Asian adult. "Archie this is Maya." I turned my head so he would be able to see my face instead of just the scars. "The new girl…"
The new girl
The new girl
The new girl
How many times hadn't I heard those words? Every time at a new freaking care home? Every time at a new family foster home, because those with loads of children would ever be the ones to foster me. But I always had to return to an orphanage only days later for one reason or another.
"But why does she…" Archie reached up and whispered something in May-Li's ear just so loud everyone in the room could hear it. "Why does her face look like that?"
"Well." I didn't have the time to ask or anything- and none of the others knew the whole story anyway. But before I had the time to say anything Mike interrupted. "Why don't we go meet the others? Sarah, you had some other kid to yeah… I'll take it from here and we'll call if anything turns up and… Do you want to carry your backpack? Okay, come on now… Here is the living room." Mike led me through the hallway and into some sort of lounge with sofas and a pool table. And loads of small things- everywhere
"You'll be sharing with Candi-Rose…" Mike gestured to a girl with black hair, fashionable clothes and way too much makeup. "And that's Chloe, Sasha and Dexter, Joseph and Finn, Archie you've already met. And Ryan." Mike gestured to people around the room as if I would be able to remember any of them.
"OMG." That girl- Candi-Rose or whatever, stupid name anyway. "I LOVE your hair." I backed away slightly but that didn't keep her to come over and grip a tress of my hair. "You need to let me put it up for you. Maybe we could do it now, I can teach you some makeup too if you want. So we can get to know each other…"
"Slow down Candi-Rose. Give Maya some space. And I'm sure you'll get time to get to know each other. Now… of course you can go with Candi-Rose's… idea. But we could start with unpacking. Or what do you want to do?" Mike turned back to me, and I looked around the room and to what felt like a million people watching me. "Maybe we should take your bags and show you to your room. You guys just go back to what you were doing."
Mike lead me back to the hallway, took my two bags and then lead me upstairs and to a room that seemed to be in red and pink- not very surprising since I had met Candi-Rose though.
I just simply dropped my backpack on my floor and with my back against Mike- well. I guess it was time to start the lying once and for all over again. And with that I made my voice sound as whiny as possible.
"Actually…" I don't feel too well. "I laid a hand on my stomach and grimaced as if I was feeling nauseas. "I had some sausages before I left and I don't think it agreed with my stomach…" Mike frowned and reached out to lay a hand on my forehead.
"You don't feel warm…" Mike seemed to hesitate about what to say or do. "Do you want to… is there anything I could do… or would you like to be just left alone and go lie down." I nodded. "Alone and yeah…" he dropped the bags at the floor and gestured to the bed to the left. "That is yours. Should I get you a bucket or anything?"
"Can you just…" I turned to him, sounding more annoyed and angry than I had planned. "I just need to be alone. Okay?" Mike nodded. "And I…"
"Come and get me if anything happens?" I nodded and Mike left, I laid down on my back and stared into the ceiling. I knew very well the not feeling well and sausage part and everything were nothing but lies. I felt fine.
But I guess it was time to just start everything over again.
"Oh and by the way." I whispered to myself. "The answer to Archie's question is 'because my dad tried to kill me.' That's why."
Random fact
When Maya is asked to tell who she is she basically doesn't know where to start- I have the exact same problem so that's where that comes from.