Memories Are Made Of This
Disclaimer: If I owned The 4400...it would not be over. Don't even get me started.
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'Maia! Maia, come on, we're going to be late.'
Diana waits patiently at the door, schoolbag in one hand, coffee in the other.
Maia runs out of her room, one shoe buckle flapping merrily.
Diana bends down to fasten it, and when she straightens up, finds herself outside what appears to be a kindergarten classroom.
Maia takes her mom's hand excitedly, and the two venture into the cheerful classroom. Maia looks happily at her mom, and runs over to the coloring table - her favorite passtime.
Diana stands there awkwardly, trying to pretend she doesn't feel childishly unwanted. She mentally kicks herself, reminds herself that its okay to miss her, but she's 5 now and you should be proud of her for settling so well into school!
Diana makes her way over to the coloring table and kneels at Maia's level.
'Sweetie - I'm going to go now, okay?'
Maia smiles.
'Sure, mommy. I'll just be over here.'
Diana again furiously reminds herself to feel proud, not neglected, and stands up, fishing out her car keys.
Maia stands up, too.
'You mean you're actually leaving the school?'
Now she looks worried, and Diana can't help being a little relieved that she's still at least a little needed .
Maia's lower lip trembles, and a lone tear trails down her cheek.
'I thought...I thought maybe you would stay on the first day.'
Tears are racing down her cheeks, now, and as she begins to cry, Diana gathers her into a hug.
'Come on, baby. We talked about this. I'm going to go to work for a while and you're going to stay here and play with the kids, and have lunch with them. Then I'll come back and get you, okay?'
Maia nodds into Diana's shoulder.
'But what if you f f f forget to come back!'
Diana pulls back and cups Maia's face in her chin.
'You really think I'd forget you, Maia? Believe me, I'll be thinking about you all day.'
Maia nodds and sits back down at the coloring table.
'I'm going to color this one for you, mommy.'
Diana gives her a lingering kiss, and nodds.
'I look forward to it, sweetie..'
ooo
Maia stared into the refridgerator, and did a once over of the contents. Her plan had been to make breakfast, but now her morning was looking like cold cereal and then perhaps making a shopping list.
As she reached above the counter to get down a bowl, her mom came into the kitchen.
'Morning mommy.'
'Morning sweetie.'
Diana was absentmindedly towling her hair dry, staring distractadly into the kitchen.
'Hey, Maia? Do you know where that folder, is, you know, the brown one with all your drawings in? We started it when you made me that picture you first day of Kindergarten.'
Diana patted at her hair for a few secconds before she clicked that Maia was staring at her, unresponsive.
'Maia...?'
'What...what are you talking about.'
Maia put the bowl down on the table, confused.
'How do you... how do you know about that?'
Diana dropped the towel on the back of a chair.
'Don't you remember, Maia? That manilla folder, it had heaps of drawings and paintings in. I don't actually think I've seen it since we moved to this apartment.'
Maia shook her head, upset.
'I don't understand...you're kinda scaring me, mommy. There is no folder. Atleast...not here. My...my other mom - she used to keep one for me when I was little. She... she used to keep it on top of the f f fridge.'
Maia started to cry a little. Partly because she was sad, but also was scared by the way her mom was acting. How did she know about the folder?
Diana stepped towards her daughter.
'Maia, what...'
Suddenly it dawned on her, and a shadow flitted across her face. She crossed the room quickly and knelt down to wrap her arms around her tearful daughter, rubbing her back gently.
'Oh, Maia. I'm...I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking.'
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'What was I thinking?'
Diana paced the theory room, her heels clicking on the linoleum.
Marco held his hands up in a submissive gesture.
'Diana...honestly...I have no idea what's going on here.'
'Well could you try a little harder? These dreams are invading my conscious... this morning... it was like I had started to believe it was real!'
She turned to Tom.
'How 'bout you? Any theories? Cause anything you got is better than what I've got, which is nothing.'
Tom drummed his fingers thoughtfully against his coffee mug.
'Is it possible... is it possible that maybe these things, all happened to Maia? Before she was abducted?'
Diana stared at Tom, biting her lip.
'I guess it's possible. The thing that scares me, though, its how these...these images got in my head in the first place! Maia never spoke of any of them.'
Marco stood up.
'I guess we could take a look back through her records... but Diana, really...the only person who is going to know in this day and age, is Maia.'
Diana looked pained.
'I don't...I don't want to make her dredge up memories from back then. It will only upset her... I think I've done enough of that today. Besides...it's not like she's going to remember her birth, or things that happened when she was 3 or 4.'
'Yeah, but maybe her parents told her about it. If it was something traumatic, or important - which all these occurences seem to be - it's quite likely that she would remember.'
Tom nodded in agreement.
'I really think you need to talk to Maia.'
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Please review if you happen across it and give it a read - I' love to know what you think, and if you have any suggestions! The fourth chapter will be up soon.
