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Maya POV
"Maya." I looked up from my book when I heard a knock on my bedroom door and Mike's voice on the other side. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah sure." I reached for a glass of water on my bedside table. I had already done my best to cover up the smell of vomit since the last time I purged. One could never be careful enough. And a split second later the door opened and Mike came into the room.
"Can you come with me downstairs and into the office?"
I raised an eyebrow, why this all of a sudden? But not to cause trouble I laid my book to the side and followed Mike. But not until I had noticed the distressed frown in Mike's forehead. Whatever this was about it wasn't good.
"Coming." I stood up and threw the book on my bed. "God. Why the rush all of a sudden?"
Maybe Jody had told Mike about that surgery. Damn it! I knew I'd forgotten something.
It was in the back of my mind what was really going on, but I tried to push it away and deny it all the time down the hallway, down the stairs and into the office. Then when I saw who was standing next to May-Li. Insecurely looking up at me I knew there was no turning back.
"Archie?"
Nobody had to say anything for me to understand whatever this was about. Then for a moment I couldn't say a word.
"Archie. You can leave. Maya, sit down."
Archie left. But he was looking at me the whole time. I guess I tried to glare- I wanted to be angry at him for telling what he had promised me to keep secret.
But I could feel my glare just fading off and turn into something callous. Like I couldn't even care. Maybe I didn't anyway. I did as I was told and sat down in the couch waiting for whatever.
"Maya…" May- Li started. "Archie just came to talk to us about…" Mike and May-Li both seemed insecure and searching for the right words. "…Maybe you already know what he wanted to tell us about. Something you had asked him to keep a secret."
For what felt like a million years I only looked from Mike to May-Li, to Mike, back to May-Li, then back to Mike while nobody said a word. I would have preferred them looking angry and shouting at me over this disappointed look and silence while they waited for my answer.
"Yeah I guess."
Right then and there, I didn't even know why. But it was like all of the fighting and secret keeping in me just ran off. It wasn't like I just started talking and told them everything at once. But when they started asking questions I knew I couldn't have lied more if I tried.
"How often do you make yourself throw up?"
"Once or twice a day."
I only had to count for a second to come to an answer. And it wasn't until I said it out loud that I realized that it had gotten out of hand.
"When did this start?"
I would have wanted to lie. Tell them that all of this was a lie. Something Archie had read or watched TV about and then wanted to try whatever if he told someone, someone he knew was doing it.
"About nine months ago."
Mike checked something in the computer. Probably to find something where all of this might have started. I knew of course. But while I saw May-Li pointing something and whispered something to Mike I couldn't hear I just knew they had found what they were looking for.
"About that time you had a meeting with your dad…" Mike started and frowned even deeper while he looked at me. "…Did that have something to do with why it started?"
Flashback
"Oh well. There you are."
I was led by guards in prison into an empty room and to sit down on one chair on one side of a table. On the other side of the table- wearing those ugly, thin sweatpants and T shirt- clothes that could impossibly be used to hurt someone. And with hands cuffed behind his back and that evil smirk that made shivers go through my spine at me.
There were guards in the room, by the door and on each side of the table. My dad could impossibly get a chance to hurt me. Still only seeing my dad like that, both looking at each other in silence made me want to run. Run far.
"I almost thought you wouldn't come."
I just knew I didn't want to. I had spent so much time making up my mind what I wanted to tell my dad whenever I got the chance to meet him. Now I was here I just wanted to run away.
"You know those scars…" Dad looked up towards the guards and then nodded to my face. "…I caused them. I'm so proud. She wasn't much to see for the world before that either. But of course- she was only five. How old are you now by the way? One kind of loses track of days and years in a place like that."
"Thirteen."
"And still ugly." Dad laughed evilly still looking towards the guards by the table. I looked up at them too. Maybe they could say something, do something to keep him away from me. Both physically and mentally. "Oh. These two? They're not supposed to do anything unless I try to hurt you." Dad's low, snorting voice made me want to throw up. "And I can't do that." He tugged his hands towards the hand cuffs behind his back. "But what is it they say? Words could never hurt me? Haha. They were wrong. I can hurt you now. I hate you. And you are lousy, and worthless, and fat and ugly and stupid and everything that comes with you. And I hate you. I hate you. I hate you."
I knew dad was only saying every bad word he could think of to get to me. Still I couldn't help but hear every single one of them.
"Fat, fat, fat."
Now why did he got caught up on that one?
"Now. That seem to be the worst thing each and every girl can hear in today's society. Even if they so are walking skeletons they say I look fat in this or I look fat in that. Your mother did that all the time. Nick do I look fat in this dress? Nick do I look fat in that shirt? Bla bla bla. She was fat though. And you look exactly like her. She was fat and ugly and so are you. Now do something about that before the next time I see you. Now. It's been eight years since last time can we make it eighteen for next? Set a new record? Wow. You're so quiet. The word fat really seemed to get to you girl? Is that because you know you're fat, fat, fat."
"I think I'd like to go now." I interrupted and stood up and trying not to look at my dad I turned to one of the guards who nodded and pulled up a key that was hanging in his pocket. Then followed me when I walked towards the door and tried to shut out the sound of my dad's voice.
"But you only just came here you fatty loser."
End of flashback
"Yes."
Random fact
If you have noticed the title of the last chapter and this chapter. You might recognize it. It's based on a quote that says "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer". I don't even know where that idea came from but I thought it suited and then I had titles for two chapters so "shrugs" I hope it works.
