The next day was just as normal, except this time when hazel eyes met with brown one`s it lacked the sharp glare it had yesterday and was now replaced with a curiosity of some kind mixed with surprise. Maura smiled and made a small nod before proceeding to the building.
" how did you do it?" Maura was feeling uncomfortable under the boy`s gaze, he was one of her classmate but they never interacted with each other before and for him to drag his chair to her table while they waited for the teacher to arrive was making Maura nervous. He stayed silent for a few seconds, just staring at Maura before he finally talked quietly.
"Excuse me?" Maura asked politely, this was an unusual way to start a conversation. The boy sighed before talking
"How did you get Jane to walk you to class?" he explained, Maura's heart skipped a beat when she heard the name.
"Jane?" she asked still not fallowing what he was talking about.
"Yes! You know… dark hair, brown eyes, always hanging around the school but never actually coming to class? That Jane. Sooo, how did you do it?" the boy asked again. Images of the girl kept flashing in front of Maura's eyes her name is Jane too. NO! it`s not her Maura its not her, it's just a coincident. But she looks just like her! Maura shook her head slightly as if chasing the thoughts away and focusing on the boy
"I …uh, asked politely?" Maura said in uncertain voice, the boy burst into laughter until he noticed Maura's clueless face
"You`re not kidding?" the boy said in shocked tone. Maura shook her head, the boy`s eyes widened for a second. " oh boy" the boy raised his hand scratching his head as if trying to find a nice way to say something when he was interrupted by the teacher coming into class . The boy stood and walked back to his table dragging his chair with him "I'm Barry by the way" he whispered before sitting in his chair
"Maura" she whispered back and he nodded before turning his sight to the teacher.
The lunch break came fast specially that Maura wasn't really paying any attention to any of the teachers. Standing in the lunch line at the cafeteria, all Maura could think about is what Barry was going to say. Maura barley touched her lunch, she grabbed the small carton of milk and left. she kept wondering around the school, she wasn't sure if she was hoping to find 'Jane' or simply because she wanted to be in a quiet place for a few moments.
Reaching a part of school that was almost abandon by students, Maura stood and raised her head to the sky when she caught a glance of dark curls on one of the buildings roof. Without thinking, Maura took a deep breath,walked to the building and taking the stairs to the roof.
"Found you!" Maura exclaimed happily when she finally reached the roof to find the girl lying of the roof`s ground. The girl almost jumbled out of her skin, quickly getting up and looking for the source of the voice.
The girl kept looking at Maura with a shocked expiration, Maura walked around the roof looking at the view
"Wow, I can see why you`re here, now whenever I want to find you I'll just look for the highest building around" Maura said joking with a soft giggle. Jane's expiration didn't change and blinked a few times as if still not really believing what was happening.
Maura turned to try and start a conversation with this girl who seemed so familiar and yet so strange when her eyes fell on something moving next to Jane's legs. A small kitten with her fur a mixer of black white and orange came to view as she kept brushing agents Jane's legs. "ohhh, she`s so cute! Is she yours?" Maura said happily, Maura lowered herself to the little creature`s level. The girl was still frozen when Maura opened her milk carton and drank half of if before gently cutting it from the middle, making it a small bowl for the little kitten. Both Maura and Jane watched as the kitten started drinking the milk.
"Coat color in cats is a sex-linked trait, a physical characteristic related to gender." Maura raised her head to look at Jane before continuing "Female animals have two X chromosomes, males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome .The genetic coding for displaying black or orange color is found on the X chromosome. The coding for white is a completely separate gene."
"Since females have two X chromosomes, they are able to "display" two colors (orange and black, or variations thereof) and white; creating the 3-color calico mix. Since males have only one X chromosome, they can only be orange OR black. It is more complicated than simply having the color genes but that is the basis for coat color in calico cats" Maura said with a smile, talking in science was much easier for her than to make small chats. Jane's eyes widened
" just like Google" a raspy mumble came , Jane was saying to herself more than to Maura but Maura caught it and froze for a second , no one ever said that about her talking except for one person . Jane cleared her throat and turned away as if looking at the view "it's not mine, she just shows up whenever I'm here" Jane huffed as she crossed her arms in protest. Maura giggled softly, Jane looked with the corner of her eye and saw Maura kissing to fingers and placing it on the creature, Jane's breath hitched in her throat. just like that time Jane thought but the bell`s annoying sound brought her back to reality.
Maura stood straight and Jane quickly turned her head away from Maura. "I should be going now, I'll see you later" Maura said causally with a warm smile before walking away, leaving behind a very confused Jane and a happy small kitten drinking the milk.
Everything went smoothly till the end of the day. Maura was heading out, she was already late, and she spent an extra time asking the teacher about an error in the book that she didn't notice that almost everyone that was in school left. Quickly taking out her bag from the locker, Maura started walking fast in the now emptied hall.
Two large hands, grabbed her from behind making her gasp. Maura bit the hand that was placed on her mouth making her assailant dropping her cursing under his breath. Maura could feel her heart beating in her throat, this can't be happening again was all she thought. Breathing seemed impassible as she ran to the door only to be grabbed at the last second before reaching it. Maura kicked and screamed under the large hand that covered most of her face, it was no use.
Maura was thrown into a white van with two men grading her, which was ridicules considering that she had zip ties on her hands and that one man was more than double her size. The men said nothing the whole way, Maura closed her eyes trying to memorize each turn they took, to listen to any voice that might tell her where she was. The van finally came to a stop and the two men left the van, leaving the door wide open for Maura. Maura stayed in the van for a few minutes trying to understand what game they were playing on her. Finally giving up, Maura walked out of the van slowly to find herself in a large space with one man standing a few meters away from her with a soft smile. Anger started boiling inside of her, what the hell he was thinking! Doing this to her, bringing her here?
"It's nice to see you Maura" he said gently, Maura bit her lip
"What do you want?" Maura said with disgust and venom in her voice, the man walked toward her but Maura took a step back as if telling him to stop and he did
"I just wanted to see my baby girl" the man said with a sad smile, Maura let out a snort
"You`re baby girl?" she repeated in a mocking tone before bursting into a hysterical laughter with tears running freely down her face. The man took a few more steps closer to Maura; the only thing between them now is less than a few feet
"Alex didn't tell you that I was out did he? I suppose he tried to withhold any information regarding me from you. The less you know the safer you are" the man said quietly as Maura started whipping her tears with the back of her still zip tied hands.
"Doyle" came a mumble for Maura. the man caught it and waited for Maura to speak again when he was taken off guard with Maura smacking he`s face with both fists. "Why did I have to carry that stupid name? Do you have any idea what I've been through because of that?" Maura started shouting from the top of her lungs, a fresh wave of tears running down her face "all the grown-ups looked at me with contempt, I couldn't make any friends! Then I met Jane, Frankie and their mom and I was happy for once but then you had to send me that stupid note book and take it away from me. I hate you do you hear me? I hate you, I wish you were dead!" Maura shouted before placing her hands on her face to wipe the tears with her shoulders shaking with a unspoken sob.
Doyle wasn't surprised at Maura's out burst and placed another kind smile on his face "Maura, how old are you now?" he said gently
"six-teen" Maura said between hiccups. Doyle nodded sadly
"I see, sixteen already. it must have been very hard for you , I suppose after putting my own daughter though so much, I don't have the right to be a parent and apologize from you" Doyle's voice was a mixture of sadness, grief and regret . Maura finally stopped wiping her tears
"Its fine already, just tell me what do you want" Maura said with a pouted face and a small smile found its way to Doyle's face
"I wanted to give you something..." he started
"I don't want anything from you" Maura cut him off. Doyle sighed; he knew that she was going to say this
"It's not from me, it's from your mother" Maura's head shout up to look at Doyle with shocked, pleading eyes. Doyle took out a small object from his pocket "I should have given this to you a long time ago, I'm sorry I kept it from you. I just wanted to hear her voice" Doyle said as he offered Maura a small recorder. Maura`s eyes shifted from Doyle to the recorder and from the recorder back to him before she took the recorder slowly as if it was made of glass and might shatter any moment .
"Take these off" Maura said, still not taking her eyes off the recorder, scared that it would disappear. Doyle took out a small pocket knife and cut the zipped ties off Maura's wrists. "I want to leave" Maura said with a small voice
"I understand, I'll have the boys take you back..." Doyle started
"No, I just want to get out of here" Doyle nodded.
Maura walked out slowly, still holding the recorder gently in her hand, with her eyes fixed on it. It was from her mother! It's the first thing she has of her mother. Should she listen to it now? Should she wait?
After walking for what felt like forever under the cloudy sky, Maura reached the school. She didn't even flinch under the strong thunder. She took a seat on a step in front of the school door. Soon the rain started falling but that didn't change anything. Maura was keeping the recorder close to her heart as if protecting it from everything, her eyes looking but not seeing anything at all.
She stopped feeling the rain drops on her skin, did her skin numbed already? Maura watched as the rain kept dropping around her but not on her
"Ok?" Maura raised her head toward the deep voice to find Jane standing on another step with an umbrella now above Maura. Maura blinked but didn't say anything and turned her head again to look forward. Maura felt Jane taking a step down and setting down awkwardly on the same step as Maura. Jane was keeping a few feet between them with her arm keeping the umbrella more on Maura than on her. Jane's whole body tensed when Maura placed her head on Jane's shoulder as if she had done it a thousand times before. Jane tried to breathe and stay calm, and to relax her body so that Maura wouldn't feel how tense and scared she was.
After staying like this for more than fifteen minutes, Jane slowly turned her head to see Maura's closed eyes. "we should get out of the rain before catching a cold or a feve.." at that second, Maura's head slid off Jane's shoulder and started falling to the ground when Jane quickly let go of the umbrella and grabbed Maura from her clothes , stopping her from hitting the ground at the last second . "Ok, ok" Jane said trying to calm her self. Jane pulled Maura upwards slowly placing an arm around her waist to keep her from falling again. "Uhhh, Maura?"
"Hmmm?" came a weak respond
"Do you think you can get up?" Jane asked in a gentle voice. Maura opened her eyes slightly and nodded weakly. "Ok, come on" Jane was about to get up with Maura when she noticed the small recorder and reached for it, shoving it into her pocket before getting up with Maura.
"That's not my way home" Maura protested as they both started walking, with Maura leaning most of her weight on Jane.
"I know" Jane mumbled between gritted teethes. How the hell was she supposes to know the way to Maura's house? And how the hell was she supposes to know what to do with Maura. Ma would know Jane thought as she led both of them back to her house.
"Frankie! Go get ma" Jane instructed once she got into the house with Maura. Frankie kept looking at his sister without moving "now Frankie!" Jane shouted
"Ma isn't here" Frankie shrugged "she said that she was going to buy something from the supermarket" Frankie went back to watching the TV; Jane cursed under her breath before walking toward the stairs.
"Maura we`re going to take the stairs ok?" Maura nodded and Jane started the journey to the second floor. Maura was so out of it that she registered what was happening , Jane placed her gently on her bed and pulled a blanket on her , Maura's face looked so flushed , so ill that Jane could only hope that her mother came home soon . Jane closed the door as quietly as possible to not disturb Maura
"what`s with girl" Jane turned to find Frankie leaning on the wall next to her room
"Jeez, what are you trying to do give me a heart attack?" Jane said in an angry yet lowered voice
"So, what's with the girl? Is she sick or something?" Jane rolled her eyes at her brother
"No Frankie, I drugged her and brought her home with me because I really want to. yeah she`s sick!" Jane shot back. Frankie was not satisfied with his sister`s answer, Jane never brought anyone home with her before , not since what happened at least and bringing her up to her own room? Something must have happened.
Jane ignored her brother`s look and went down stairs. Jane tried to watch the TV but her mind kept drifting to Maura, why did she brought her? Why help her in the first place? Jane turned the TV off and got up bringing her lap top. She typed 'how to treat a cold'
Jane huffed after half an hour and read out loud to no one "if you have a cold eat leek soup" she opened another tap "the best thing for a cold is leak soup". Jane shot up from her chair "damn it! This says leek soup that says leek soup, why would anyone eat that stuff? It's the nastiest food in the world" Jane said walking away angrily toward the fridge and opened it.
Frankie came to the kitchen when he smelled something being cooked; he got in to find Jane stirring a soup with a mask to keep the smell out of her nose. Frankie came and stood next to Jane without saying anything with a sarcastic grin. It didn't take long for Jane to burst out angry, she grabbed Frankie from his collar "what? you got something you wanna say?" Jane shouted
"Ummm, what else are you making for dinner?" Frankie asked in quit voice, not caring for his sister`s out burst
"Nothing! We`ll order out!" Jane shouted again before letting go of Frankie and purring the soup into a bowl and placing it in tray along with a spoon and a napkin. "Hey, I need you to do something for me" Jane said in a small voice
"And what might that be" Frankie said in a mocking tone. Jane ignored his tone and continued, not daring to raise her eyes from tray
"I need you to take this... stuff upstairs to Maura"
"na-auh" Frankie said, trying to keep from laughing on his sister.
"Fine! I`ll do it myself!" Jane said angrily before carrying the tray and walking away angry. Jane stopped in front of a toy that way in her way, kicking it harshly before continuing her way
"Hey Jane? Try not to smash the hole house on your way up!" Frankie called after her before she disappeared into the house.
