Episode 14: How far a parent will go

"Get out!" Zoe shouted.

"Fine! But let me see Maya." Django said.

"Like Hell I will!" She said. "You're not going anywhere near her!"

"I have a right! She's my flesh and blood!"

"You don't have flesh and blood!"

"Well then...she has my bones!"

"I'm not letting you hurt her like you hurt me."

"How many times do we have go over this?! I was jumped that night!"

"That's not it!" She said. "You were always gambling and chasing after other women."

She slammed the door and locked it.

"You can't keep her from me forever!" He shouted. "She's my daughter too!"

A couple days later Emilio and Maya were walking back from school.

"So Maya what was your grade on the test?" Emilio asked.

"D+." She said.

"Better than mine."

"Stupid woman!" They heard a man scream. It came from Maya's house. They saw a man dressed in leather dragging Zoe by the arm into the house.

"I'm sorry Bryan! I'm sorry!" Zoe cried.

"Get in there and get me a beer!" He ordered.

Zoe rushed inside unaware of the two children watching. Maya froze in her tracks, she started to shake while her body lost it's color. The man called Bryan looked at Maya and smiled.

"Well if isn't my little girl Maya." He said. He took her by the arm and glared at Emilio. "Scram kid!"

He walked inside the house taking Maya with him. The door closed and locked. Emilio spun his belt and using his powers, he climbed up the wall and spied on them through the window. Maya sat there unable to move. Bryan came over drinking a beer with Zoe cowering behind him.

"What took you so long?" He asked.

"I came as fast as I could." She said stuttering.

"Get me another!"

"I think one is enough."

"Shut up!" He said slapping her to the ground. She got up and went in the other room to get a beer. Bryan took another sip and walked over to Maya. "Did you miss me?" He asked.

Maya could hardly speak, she was so scared. Bryan stood her up and started to look at her in a strange way. A way that made Maya tremble. He started to run his hands through herhair, as he did this he put his hand up the back of her shirt. Emilio stuck his hand through the window, grabbed a bucket, and flung it at Bryan's head, knocking him out. Maya ran to the window.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said.

"Who is this guy?"

"My Mom's ex boyfriend." She said. "Emilio I can't stay here! You gotta help me."

"Alright calm down!" He said. "Should we tell the police?"

"No! They're no help!"

"But my grandpa's the chief."

"Trust me the police has never been any help to my family."

'Okay um...maybe you can stay with a friend of mine."

"Who?"

"You'll love him."

(Knock-knock! )

Django answered the door.

"Hey Uncle Django." Emilio said. "My friend Maya needs a place to stay, can you help us?"

Django looked at Maya and smiled.

"Sure."

"Wait! I don't this guy." Maya said.

"Don't worry it's just for a little while. You trust me don't you?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll come visit you every night until further notice."

He left after that while Django went to set up the guest room.

"So? How's your mother?" He asked.

"Fine...hey how do you know my mother?"

"We used to date."

"Were you close?"

"Yes we were, very close."

She brushed her hair out of her face revealing her eye.

"How did that happen?" He asked.

"A fire was started and it burnt part if my face when I was a baby."

"Really?" He said. "You got a father?"

"There was one, he left before I was born." She said. "I don't think he knew about me."

"He didn't." Django mumbled. "And he's sorry he wasn't there."

He left so she could change into her pajamas. He came back later to find her in bed reading.

"So what's it like to be born dead?" She asked.

"Hard to explain." He said.

"Are you immortal?"

"Kind of. We can be turned into dust."

"Weird."

"Why did you run away?" Her asked. She looked at him nervously.

"To get away."

"From who? Your mother?"

"No! Bryan."

"Who's he?"

"Her ex boyfriend who hits her."

"Hits her? What else does he do?"

"He yells and drinks."

"Does he ever hit you?"

"Sometimes...other times he'll touch me."

"Touch you? In what way?"

She didn't say anything she just shook and started to cry a little bit. That was all he needed to see before realizing what was happening to his child.

"Maya I promise I'm going to make sure that man never hurts you or your mother again."

She pulled the blanket over herself and fell asleep. Django carefully closed the door.

"Daddy promises." He said.

Django went to Zoe's house the next day.

"Zoe! We need talk." He said.

"Not now! Maya's gone." She said. "I have to find her!"

"Don't worry. She's with me."

"What? You took her?!"

"No! She ran away!"

"Where is she?"

"Not telling until we talk."

"I could have arrested for kidnapping."

"She's my daughter! And she ran away and willingly wanted to stay." He said.

"Fine we'll talk."

"Good. I know about Bryan." He said. "Maya told me everything. Why are you dating this creep? He abuses you and molested Maya."

"I don't want to be with him but he just won't leave us alone."

"Call the police!"

"So I can be arrested too?"

"Well I'm not going to let my daughter be abused. Where is he?"

"What are you going to do? You're not going to hurt him are you?"

"To protect Maya? I'll kill him if I have to."

He burst into her house. Bryan gaped at the skeleton man in front of him. He stood up and faced him.

"Who are you?"

"Get out!" He said. "Get out of this house! Stay away from Zoe and Maya! Don't ever come near them again."

He pulled out a gun and shot at him. In response Django grabbed his arm and broke it. Bryan cried out in pain, he laid on the floor screaming until the throbbing stopped. He got up and ran away. After that the two of them drove to Django's house where Maya was waiting. As they were leaving Django handed Zoe a small box.

"Gifts I made in prison." He whispered.

Zoe drove home and opened the box. Inside was a black ring with a ruby and a purple and black rattle. Zoe sighed as she looked at the gifts. She put them back in the box and sat Maya down.

"Honey we need to talk about your father."