A/N: Yes, I know. I disappeared again but I'm still updating this story as frequently as I can. I had trouble writing the 44th chapter but I've finished it now and I think I know where I'm going with this story now. So if I am correct then there are only seven chapters left after this one. I hope you are continuing to enjoy this story and even though its author is in a bit of a fix continue to find it amusing and all that. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, only the plot.

Maya POV

Cara Marie Blake. I typed the name into Google and started sifting through the different results. There were Facebook profiles and names of different people in different professions and just an entire world of things that had the same name mentioned. I was about to give up when I clicked on a news article. It was dated back four years ago.

Young Boy Found Motherless On Streets To Go To Foster Care

Jordan Persius Blake, six, was found sleeping on a park bench by police on Wednesday. The young boy refused to talk to the officers but was still taken down to the county sheriff's office. After being given a pad of paper and a pen he answered the policeman's questions. His mother, Cara Blake, went missing a little over a year ago and has not been found by police since. The young boy appears to have been living on the streets since the alleged disappearance of his mother. "There are no records known of this boy to have been reported," Sheriff Richards tells us. "No birth certificate, nothing. Police are working to find his mother but chances are slim and we've been given a deadline of one month before we have to permanently enter him into the foster system." What little police know of Blake does not help their case and they would like to ask anyone who might know anything to call their hotline number to report any tips at:"

I stopped reading the article and sat back in the chair. I was in the library at school during Study Hall trying to find anything I could about Jordan's could be considered a start. I scrolled down the page to see a picture of Jordan's mom. It was definitely the same person from my dream. In the picture she was young. Maybe around seventeen. She had a bright smile and long brown hair that went past her shoulders. Her eyes were a hazel the same as Jordan's. The picture was obviously taken from a school yearbook. This meant something. I knew I could use it to find her somehow I just had to think.

Max POV

My mother's smiling face kept staring at me throughout the day. It was only in my head but it still had me on edge. Iggy had left for a day of errands as usual and Fang was in the kitchen cooking lunch. I went back to Maya's room and opened the drawer with my photos in it. The same face from Maya's mom's picture was clear as day in my photos. I knew it was her so what was it that was plaguing my mind? I was trying to see something. Maybe I was trying to convince myself that it wasn't the same person, that they were different. I studied both photos of her closely. My gaze kept falling back to the photo of her and I. I looked closely and saw something. The photo was taken just a few months before my dad died. I noticed that her pallor was paler in this photo than in the one where I'm an infant. She has crow's feet around her eyes. Her hair looks thinner. It is a subtle change but still huge at the same time. I can understand a small bit of aging from having a child and taking care of her but not this much. Something else was going on to make her look this much older. Something I didn't know about. Was she stressed? I couldn't tell. I sat back against the bed and thought until my brain hurt and Fang called me out for lunch.

Maya POV

The picture. I used my mouse and highlighted the picture of Cara on the news article's screen. I dragged the arrow to the url, dropped the photo's url into the box, and hit enter. The first entry in the search engine was the website for East Wood High School. I copied down the address and gathered my things as the bell rang to signify the end of the day. The address for the school wasn't too far away. I decided to tell Jordan what I had found and head there to see if they still had the directory from the year he was born. From there I could figure out something. I could call her number and see if it was still the same. I could do something. Anything. All I knew was that if my dream was right I would be devastated not only for Cara but for Jordan too. If I was right I would do everything in my power to get him out of that house. To keep him away from Anne.

Jordan sat at the kitchen table when I walked in the door. He turned when I walked in. His eyes were looking intently at me trying to decide if I had found out anything or not. My gaze met his own.

"I found something." Was all I said.

"What? What is it? Is it big?" He nearly jumped out of his chair.

"Calm down, it's not big but I found out what High School she went to and I think I can get a directory there. When were you born? 2003? 2004?"

"2003. I turn 11 in January." I nodded.

"Okay, well I'm going to head over there now and see what I can find. Can you keep Anne occupied for a little while?"

"Sure, but she hasn't been coming out of her room a whole lot these past couple days so I'm not sure I'll have to." I shrugged.

"Well, it's better to be prepared." I slipped my phone in my pocket, threw my backpack in my room, and headed to my car.

The school was plain and square. I wouldn't have even noticed it if it wasn't my destination. The building was a big block painted a tannish orangey color with tons of windows lining its walls. It had to be at least three stories high. Small hedges lined the exterior of the building's front side. I walked into the main entrance and turned right into the office. A round lady sat at the front desk typing away at her computer. She smiled at me as I walked in.

"Hello, deary. How may I help you?" She said in a sweet Irish accent.

"Hi," I cleared my throat. "I'm trying to find someone who went to this school and I was wondering if maybe I could look at the school's directory from the year 2003?" Her smile wavered.

"Oh, um… That's quite a peculiar request. I'll see what I can do." She got up from her chair and walked into a room with walls of file cabinets. A few minutes passed and she returned to the desk with a file in her hands. She handed it to me and stared me straight in the eye.

"Now, this person's family might have opted out of being in the directory so there is no guarantee that who you want is in there." She said before letting go.

"Okay, thank you." I headed over to the seating area and flipped to the B's. Ballinger, Bauer, Blake. I stopped and looked for Cara. There was an Angela and right underneath her was Cara Blake. I saved the information to my phone and closed the book. "I found her." I said to the lady as I handed the directory back to her. "Thank you, so much." She smiled warmly at me.

"No problem, dear. Glad I could help."

In the driver's seat of Max's car I opened my contact list to Cara's number and hit call. The tone rang in my ears until there was a slight pause and then a "Hello?" It was a man's voice.

"Hello? Is Cara Blake there?" I asked. A hesitation.

"No." Another pause. "But this is her father."

"Mr. Blake? I'm sorry to bother you but is there any way you could give me to get in touch with Cara?" There was a cough on his end of the line.

"No. Cara hasn't talked to us since she was eighteen. May I ask what this is about?"

"It's slightly complicated but is it possible for you to meet me somewhere soon so I can explain?" He paused on the other end for so long that I almost thought he had hung up.

"How about tomorrow at the Denny's on Main?"

"That would be perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow." He said.

"See you tomorrow." I said and hung up. I had just talked to Jordan's grandpa. I started the car and began the trek back home.

Max POV

I gave Fang a half-assed excuse for why I was leaving for a little bit before I headed out to solve my issue. The drive to Maya's mom's house was silent. I didn't bother turning on the radio or anything. My head was too focused on what I was doing. Maya's mom opened the door after I knocked and looked a little surprised to see me.

"Maya? Hello. What are you doing here? It's not Friday." I smiled.

"I know. I just wanted to come over." I walked into the open door and hung my coat on the rack before heading into the living room.

"I see. Well, I'm happy to see you." Ms. Martinez said behind me as she followed me to the living room. "Are you hungry? Should I make you anything?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks for offering, though." I walked over to the pictures on the mantelpiece. I picked up the picture of Maya's dad. I stood quiet for a moment. "What was he like?" I finally said and turned around to look at Maya's mom. She smiled sadly.

"He was great. No matter what you think of him for leaving us, he was a great man. A kind man. A gentle man. I could always count on him. He was excited when he found out about you. He would rub my stomach at night and sing songs to it because he wanted you to recognize your daddy's voice when you came out." She stopped and smiled to herself. Her eyes had a faraway look to them now. She was staring into space. "But slowly that faded away and he stopped rubbing my belly and singing to you. And he stopped smiling down at my stomach when he looked at it. And he stopped smiling altogether. It was a month after you were born. He went to get milk and never came back. I haven't seen him since." I could see the tears growing in her eyes. I walked over and hugged her. She smiled and wiped away the tears.

"That picture in your office. The one with all the people in it. Who is that lady standing next to you?" I asked slowly. She paused a second and stared at me.

"That's my sister. Your aunt, Veronica. It was taken at a family barbecue just a little while before I met your dad. Why?" I swallowed.

"No reason really." I tried to sound nonchalant. "She just didn't look familiar. Why don't we ever see her anymore?" She frowned and tears started to build in her eyes again.

"She died when you were five. I don't expect you to remember her. You were too young and you didn't see her often." When Maya was five. That would have been just after she gave me to foster care.

"How did she die?" I asked a little too hastily and bit back my words.

"She was battling cancer. She had a small daughter around your age that she gave to foster care right before she died. She had lost her husband just that year before. I have a note she gave me to give to her daughter if I ever saw her again but I don't know how I would know if I saw her." Ms. Martinez got a spacey look again as she traveled deeper into her own mind.

"Oh, well I'd better be going. Fang and Iggy are probably waiting up for me. I love you." I said quickly and speeded out of the room before she could say anything. Ms. Martinez looked like she wanted to protest. I grabbed my coat and was in Maya's car driving by the time it took her to get up. Tears streamed down my face as I coasted through the sheets of rain that had started pouring out of the sky. I finally knew. After all these years of wondering I finally knew why she gave me up. She didn't want me to know that she was dying. She didn't want me to lose both parents right after one another. My mom loved me. She loved me so much and I hadn't known. I sniffled and choked on my tears as all the thoughts of my mom over the years flooded my brain. All the anger I had felt towards her left my body and was replaced with sorrow and longing. Longing to hug her again and hear her voice. I pulled into a parking space at Maya's apartment building and leaned my head against the steering wheel allowing myself to cry for a few more minutes.

After the tears had ebbed I lifted my head and wiped the dampness from my face. I sniffled and waited to catch my breath before getting out of the car and heading up to the apartment. Fang was the first to greet me at the door. He came close and stared intently at my face. He didn't say anything and just pulled me close to him so I could bury my face in his chest and sob. I had tried to hide all traces of tears from my eyes but he knew me too well. I held onto him as if my life depended on it and he held me while I cried and drenched his shirt.

"Shhhh, Max." He said and stroked my hair. "Max, what is it? Why are you crying?" He asked as he felt my sobs slow down. I waited for the last of my tears to fall before pulling away from the safety of his chest.

"I went to Maya's mom's house." I started and sniffled a few times. "I just wanted answers and I couldn't stand not knowing so I went over there and… and…" I could feel the tears coming back but I shoved them down hard.

"And what?" Fang gently pushed some hair away from my face.

"My mom didn't abandon me. She did want me. She just didn't want me hurt. She was dying and she didn't want me to have to lose both of my parents in the same year. All those years I spent thinking she had left me and I just can't stop feeling ashamed of myself. I…" I choked back a sob and Fang cupped my neck to pull me back into his chest.

"It's alright. You didn't know. I'm sure your mom understands. She loves you no matter what. Okay?" I nod slowly and wipe my eyes with my shirt sleeves. The ache of guilt still pulls at the bottom of my stomach but I continue to let Fang stroke my hair and whisper comforting words into my ear. I almost believe him.

A/N: So how was that for a chapter? Huh? Are you satisfied? Sorry for all the dialogue in the middle there. I'm still working on that. So I have some exciting news that I want to share with all of you. About a month ago I received a private message from a lady praising me for my work on Beneath the Dirt; Under the Ink. In the message she invited me to be a part of a fanfiction type site that she and a few of her friends started called "Inkitt". Only a select few authors are chosen to post their stories on the site and I was one of them so I'm planning on importing my stories over to that site soon and I would love it if you guys would check my profile and stuff out over there. Don't worry, I will still be posting stuff on here but I just wanted to share with you my other account for story-telling. :) Thank you all for being so dedicated to my story and I hope it continues to be a source of entertainment for you guys.

"For the man who knows nothing but love, hate is a foreign concept." ~TAGGWRITC (Kiara)

~TAGGWRITC (Kiara)