Disclaimer: last time I checked I still didn't own the rights to Cars. A copy of the DVD on the other hand ...
Save Me Chapter 5
It was suspiciously quiet in the motel when Sally got up the following morning. Lightning was still asleep when she checked on him, as was Aiyana. Maya's room was completely empty. There was always the possibility that she was at the café, but when Sally got into the parking lot outside the motel, the orange Lamborghini was gone. She frowned and crossed the road to the café. Perhaps Maya hadn't sorted everything out in Phoenix the day before, or perhaps she had simply gone out exploring the local area. There wasn't really any way to know for sure.
She went across to the café to get breakfast for herself and Aiyana as usual, greeting various friends as she did so. In fact everything was just the way it normally was … it didn't feel right.
"I don't know, Doc. Something about this isn't right," Sally leaned on the back of Doc's office chair, watching as he worked through a huge pile of filing.
How Doc's filing got to be so massive when the town was so quiet was something of a mystery.
"Tell me again what you heard," Doc paused in front of an open drawer.
"It was like something hit the wall between her room and mine."
"You didn't hear any voices?"
"No. And I didn't hear the door either. It took me ages to get back to sleep."
Doc hummed thoughtfully. "Did you see her this morning?"
"She opened the door when I took her breakfast to her."
"How was she behaving?"
"Apologetic. She was sorry for disturbing me in the night."
"Anything else?"
"Claimed she'd had a nightmare and fallen out of bed."
Doc put a file in the drawer, a frown on his face.
"No sign of Maya?"
"None. And her car was gone before breakfast," Sally shook her head, thinking over the events of the early morning. There was something else bothering her. "She seemed kind of wary when she opened her door, then relieved when she saw it was me."
Doc looked up at Sally, a thick file in his hands.
"What impression did you get of the family when you worked with them?"
"They were always friendly. Maya was a little abrupt sometimes, but it was a stressful job, so I always put it down to that."
"And the girls?"
"Aiyana was much younger than Seraphine."
"How much younger?"
"Fifteen years, maybe. Seraphine was in college when I met them, and pretty much independent."
"You said you were asked to babysit a few times. Did you ever meet their father?"
Sally shook her head. "Either he worked long shifts, or he wasn't on the scene. What are you thinking?"
"Sounds like Aiyana was unplanned."
"No," Sally shook her head again. "Maya always loved her girls."
Doc raised an eyebrow.
"No, Doc. It can't possibly be that. I need to get back to the motel. I promised Aiyana she could help me out for a bit. She's been cooped up in her room for far too long."
"Could you bring her over here in a bit? I want to check on her arm."
It was Sally's turn to frown. She was certain there was a greater motive behind Doc's request.
Sally found herself watching Aiyana out of the corner of her eye as the girl worked. It was dull, repetitive work, but the girl seemed to enjoy it. She was limping slightly, though didn't appear to be in any pain, and insisted it was from falling out of bed in the night.
The remainder of the morning passed quickly. Sally took the opportunity to interrupt Aiyana when the girl paused in her work.
"Are you hungry?"
Aiyana nodded.
"Why don't we head over to Flo's for a bit then? We just have to swing by Doc's first. He wants to check on your arm."
Aiyana returned the unsorted papers to the drawer in Sally's desk and followed Sally across the road, keeping close on her heels.
Outside Doc's clinic, the yellow Lotus was dusty and still looked battered. It had been moved to the far end of the car park, and the hood was propped open, with a figure leaning over the engine.
"Afternoon, Doc," Sally greeted him.
Doc straightened up and smiled at Aiyana's longing expression. The girl clearly missed her freedom.
"I'll have her fixed up in now time. Now then, let me get cleaned up and we'll see how soon you can drive again."
The check-up took no time at all, though waiting for the x-ray results took a little longer. Doc and Sally chatted easily, both watching Aiyana discreetly as the girl made no attempt to join in.
"Good news," Doc said, studying the x-ray images. "Your ankle is just twisted. It should be fine a few days if you rest it. Your arm is starting to heal, but it'll be a few weeks yet. I'm afraid you'll have to be patient, Aiyana."
The girl nodded, disappointment covering some other emotion.
"What is it?" Sally pulled Aiyana into a hug.
Aiyana fiddled with the end of her cast for a moment before she replied.
"You won't send me back, will you?"
"Your mother is your legal guardian. If she wants to take you home, there's only so long I can delay her."
"I feel safe with you," Aiyana whispered.
Sally caught Doc's eye. There was definitely more going on than the girl was letting on.
"What makes you say that?" Sally asked softly.
Aiyana shook her head and refused to say anything else.
When Sally took Aiyana to Flo's, the girl wouldn't even say what she wanted to eat. Sally thought she'd ordered something that would tempt her friend to eat, but Aiyana only pushed the food around the plate, and upon returning to the motel, she retreated back into her room without saying a word.
When Doc dropped by later to fetch Lightning for evening practise, Aiyana was still locked in her room.
"She won't respond to me," Sally sighed.
"We may have pushed her too much. I think we should leave it a few days. Sheriff might be able to help us."
"Her words earlier bother me, Doc. Why should she feel safe with us, but not with her family? I don't like it. I don't want to think you're right about Maya."
It was two days before Sally heard the scrunch of gravel beneath wheels, and screech of brakes applied too quickly at a high speed. When she looked out at the car park, the orange Lamborghini was back. Her thoughts strayed to Aiyana; the girl hadn't left her room since her check-up with Doc, and the meals Sally left outside the door were barely touched.
Sally was on high alert for the rest of the day, and almost refused to go to Flo's with Lightning that evening. Once there, she was careful to take a seat where she could see the Cone. It took her a long time to get to sleep that night, but there were no noises from Aiyana's room, and the door was still locked.
A/N: Chapter 6 is well under way, though needs a little re-working from the initial writing of it. I'm back to work in a few days, so no promises on when it'll be uploaded, but I'll try not to make it 10 years again! Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. You guys (and girls) are awesome! Pretty sure most of you have worked out what's going on by now, but I hope I can still offer a few twists.