Author's Note:
Uh, hey everyone! Glad you're back for some more MC:OM! Thanks for reading, and hit it, Crisper!
Crisper: Okay! (hits it)
"Aiden!" Maya screamed, rushing up to Aiden who was being manhandled by the zombie. Instinct and fury taking over, she gave the mob a good whop to the face, distracting it enough so that she could get Aiden from under it. She screamed, running off. Agitated, the zombie gave a scream just as Aiden scurried from his spot. The monster gave chase while Aiden and Maya ran for their lives.
"I told you it wasn't Gill!" Maya panted as they dodged trees and twigs. Aiden continued in the rush, too tired to give riposte or even scream. They glanced over their shoulders time again to see that they had lost the assailant. Aiden instantly ground to a stop, Maya only running a few more paces before slamming into another mob, the both of them toppling to the ground. Maya instantly sprung into action, attempting to throw the nasty villain a barrage of punches before both of her fists were grasped and barricaded by strong hands. She fought for a few seconds before her eyes landed on her assailant's bearded face.
"Gill?!" She shouted in surprise before Gill pushed her off of himself. Maya laughed out loud before sitting up on the ground as Aiden trudged up to them, panting heavily. "Aiden, look who-"
"I know who it is, Maya." Aiden interrupted, his voice laced with hostility as he locked eyes with Gill. Maya instantly went quiet at this sign. 'Here it comes', she thought, scowling at the two boys. She was fed up with their fighting.
"Does anyone remember how to get home form here?" Aiden asked, his voice quiet and hoarse. Gill nodded.
'Oh, so now you're cooperating', Maya sneered inwardly, imagining how horrible the following day would be. She only then noticed that Gill had stood and was pulling her onto her feet. Only just realizing this, her feet slipped and she fell right on her butt.
"Get up, Maya. I know you're tired but we can't stay here." Gill told her, grabbing her arm again.
"I'm not tired." Maya said. "I'm just surprised you two idiots aren't butting heads right now." Gill and Aiden, instantly pricked by her harsh words, glared at her almost simultaneously.
"Shut up, Maya." Aiden sneered.
((Le timeskip, brought to you by Stalwarts! Warts that stall!))
"Did you get any food, Aiden?" Gill asked after placing a newly crafted furnace in their little cave-home. Aiden immediately stiffened.
"No." He replied, instantly looking at the glowing furnace. Gill sighed, turning over the coals in the furnace before placing some iron-ores in it. After stoking the flame for a few seconds, he instantly dropped the stick, gasping in pain as he covered his right eye. Maya's eyes widened in unsettlement and she sat up from lying on the stone.
"Gill, what's wrong?" She asked.
"It's my eye." He choked out, holding it for a few seconds before the pain subsided, leaving the wound feeling warm. He chuckled a bit, glancing at Aiden who had his back turned. "You must've hit me pretty hard, huh?"
"How could you joke at a time like this?" Aiden asked, hiding his desperation with his firm, angry tone.
"Well, uh, something about laughter's good for you. You know, like, what good is moping around going to do for us?" He asked. Aiden rolled his eyes and sat in a corner, staring at the stony walls.
"I'm not going to pretend we haven't been through crap, I'll tell you that," Maya spoke up, "But... I think Gill's right."
"Oh! So now you're agreeing with him?! For what?! Because I hurt your little feelings?" Aiden asked in a mocking tone, sneering at her as he spoke.
"Whatever, Aiden." She said, rolling her eyes at him and looking away.
"That's it. I'm going outside." Aiden scoffed, standing up and shoving his way past Gill and up the stairs.
"I wouldn't do that if-"
"Shut up and leave me alone, Gill!" Aiden yelled, almost screaming, and stormed up the stairs. Gill sighed, putting the stick back into the fire and turning the coals over again.
"It's kind of hard to be funny when he's crushing you every chance he gets, huh?" Maya asked thoughtfully, running her fingers across the cool stone.
"I know. Such a jerk." He replied, Aiden's constant opposition more than just getting to him. He pulled out some iron and arranged them on the crafting grid. "I know it's crazy what's going on, but... he can at least try to get better about it. I mean, sure, we've... we've been through some things, but... we could at least try." He thought aloud, no longer remembering that Maya was in the room. 'We can try to be like Jesse' he thought.
"Try what?" Maya asked. Gill immediately went silent, turning his attention away from her and the warm furnace.
"I-It's complicated, Maya."
"... of course it is." She turned her head away from him and he sighed tiredly.
Eventually, Aiden returned. Maya watched him climb down the dirty staircase Gill had built. His eyelids sagged as his arms did, and he was a zombie encased in living flesh. His face seemed pale, but Maya knew much better than to pry about it. He instantly went to sleep, followed by Gill within a few minutes. She remained, the fire snapping off at her as if fussing about her problems. She watched the two sleep for a few minutes before quietly standing. She tiptoed around their sprawled out bodies and up the stairs to get some fresh air.
As dangerous as it was to be out so late at night, Maya didn't care. She knew that staying still and quiet would keep the hostile killers at bay if just for ten minutes. Ten minutes was all she needed.
She glanced up at the sky, seeing the stars staring back at her with pinpricks of orbs. The moon kept her company only until its silence pushed her away. The only person Maya had for herself now was... herself.
She sighed, laying on the grass while trying to keep her low profile.
'No one understands me', she thought dismally, frowning as she stared into the spackled oblivion. She thought back to Aiden's harsh words. She could still feel his anger, though the moment itself was long gone. 'They really do think I'm stupid', she thought to herself, scowling in anger.
What she really wanted in the boys was... value. That was something they almost never gave her. Probably the only time she was shown worth was when she was playing, ugh... the girl on the shoulder. Well... it wasn't so bad while it lasted, and, hey! When it she was doing really well she got complimented around the house. It wasn't exactly that the practice was facilitated by the boys. She kind of learned to do it on her own, when she first stopped getting their attention. Lukas was never really a fan of it, but Aiden and Gill seemed to like it.
As said, it was only good when it lasted.
She was just their girl, their little toy to play around with while they were in the public eye as the Ocelots. She'd play right along, too. But when no one was looking, when fans weren't lurking around, she was almost nothing. Her opinions didn't matter. She was just supposed to look cute and be funny.
'Where can I get some respect around here?!' She shouted mentally and desperately. She thought she had given up on that futile race a long time ago, but on nights like these where the pain was so real, she couldn't help but wish again.
She wanted them to know that she had a mind, not just a body. She wanted to show them that her input was worth heeding to, not that her voice was as pretty as a song. She wanted them to see her as a solution, not someone as pretty as a picture and sexy to boot.
'I wanna be like Olivia', she thought mindlessly (though mindlessly? what an oxymoron!). Suddenly she realized that she was staring at the sky, and she instantly sat up. Did she really just think that?! Of course she did. Truth be told, all of the Ocelots had Jesse-related problems. Just one of the joys of being close enough to share the household flu.
As cliche as it might sound, Olivia was actually on Maya's list of people to hate, and it's been made known why the diva would have beef with a Redstone-nerd.
Olivia was in a few ways just like her. She was a girl, of course. She had two friends, both of which were men. She was part of a self-established organization... of sorts, if I may add. The Ocelots had a name to keep up, a fan-base to keep happy. Jesse and his no-names were just that. They literally had no name!
So what was it about Olivia that was so truly fascinating to them?
Was it her clothes? Was there some kind of magic behind that so ten-months ago beanie, the knitted vest over plain white shirt?
Maya couldn't help but look at her own clothes, shooting that possibility down. It wasn't logical that nerdy-clothes were better than her up-to-the-second outfit, which was really just a cute shirt with blue-jeans. She sighed hopelessly, looking at the sky as she mused further.
If it wasn't her clothes, then what was it? What made them like her so much? Maybe it was all just an act? No. There was just something about her that made it all seem so real. She couldn't help but... want some of it. But how could she get it? Anyone who knew Maya only knew about her through building. They wouldn't care to get to know the real her. They'd only see her as what Gill, Aiden and even Lukas always did: A pretty, fun accomplice with boobs.
Olivia, on the other hand, was treated with respect. Maybe not respect from every guy that passed her, but then again neither did Maya. Olivia wasn't noticed, so who would respect her? Maya, on the other hand, was noticed, but still not treated like a mindful being with a soul.
If Olivia had something to say, Jesse, Axel, even that pig Reuben would be all ears, waiting to hear what she said. Sure, Olivia wasn't always agreed with and that wasn't what Maya wanted for herself either. She didn't want to be agreed with. She wanted to be considered, like Olivia always seemed to be. She wanted to be appreciated, like Olivia truly was.
What did Olivia do to earn that?
No. A better question came, rushing at her like a bullet-train, roaring and intimidating. Blinding and fast.
What did Maya do to lose that?
She never thought of it that way.
She brought a soft hand to her stinging eyes and brushed away a few tears before they could reach her lids. For a while she had despised Olivia because she could never figure out why this girl was so cherished by her friends. But now that she had gained new perspective on that, who was really to blame for the constant misfortune?
She stifled her sobs, only rendering them as silent squeaks for mercy. It only made sense that this was on her. Maybe somewhere she had tripped up, and they were only paying her what she was due. Maybe fate just had it coming for her? Was that it?
Maybe she was just going to have to learn to go with it. She'd just have to live as the 'girl on their arms'. At least then she'd have a picture of happiness.
'But I don't want that', Maya thought to herself, remembering how happy Olivia looked when she was valued for her intelligence. There was no way she was going to be anyone's punk on this. But what if there was no other choice than the sucker's choice?
'That's just it, Maya', she thought to herself, 'There is no other choice'.
((Le timeskip!))
The sun rose high over Maya's face, blinding her vision for a few seconds before gently warming her face. She sat up and pulled the warm blanket off of her before judging her near surroundings. Her wooden bedroom was in mint condition as usual, a picture of herself with Lukas, Aiden and Gill in it.
She walked up to the picture, picking it up and running a hand over it.
"Oh, you're finally awake." Came a voice behind her. She turned around to see Lukas standing at her doorframe.
"Oh, uh, hey, Lukas!" She greeted. He usually didn't come to her room to visit her. "So, what are we going to do today?" She asked, her voice on the verge of cracking. He chuckled a bit.
"I don't know. It's not like we have another building competition to win, so... we're free the whole day." He said. Maya stared into Lukas's eyes for a few seconds. There was so much peace, warmth, happiness in them.
He was okay.
She broke into tears, rushing up to him and hugging him with all her might. At this point, I, the author, start tearing up, ready to cry myself. With a sigh, I continue. She buried her face in his chest, not caring that he wasn't hugging her back. She just wanted to hold him, feel him, know that he was there. He was okay.
He was okay in that world.
POV Switch
"Uh, why is she hugging me?" Gill asked nervously as Maya subconsciously wrapped her arms around him, crying softly in her sleep. Aiden shrugged, the rising sun warming his face as he did. "I just tapped her and she started hugging me. This is... weird." Gill repeated, trying to sit up, only to have Maya cling to him like he was about to melt away. Her fingernails, kempt as they were, started to dig into his neck. "Ow! Uh, Maya! Wake up!" Gill shouted before Aiden grabbed her frame, shaking her gently and snickering to himself. Who could help it? This was one strange way to wake up.
Maya stirred in Gill's lap and her grip loosened. Afterwords, soft crying was heard. The boys' eyes widened in confusion and they both chanced each other a surprised look before Maya lifted her head off of Gill's chest, her makeup smudged across her reddened face.
"Uh... are you okay?" Aiden asked, hoping he wasn't coming off as offensive. Maya slowly turned face him, her crying stopping for a few moments.
"We... we need to find him."
"Find... who...?" Gill asked, not noticing Aiden's face paling.
"Lukas."
Author's Note:
So... there you have it! So far Aiden has a beef with Jesse, Gill has a beef with Jesse's group in general and Maya has some real issues with Olivia and herself! Doppelganger, no? Anyways, I hope you like where this is going with Lukas. And, speaking of that, yes, I did cry when I was typing up Maya's dream. I had a flashback like that when I was sorely missing a friend of mine.
Crisper: I guess I should've warned you about the feels, huh?
Me: Yeah.
Crisper: *hugs me*
Me: Thanks, bro.
