(Cody P.O.V)
It's been a week since Zack reported Maya missing with the police and we still haven't heard anything. I know he's been trying to keep his life fairly stable for his sons but when he called to give us an update last night, I could hear that he wasn't dealing with it as well as we'd thought. There was a slight tremble in his voice and his sentences were short and straight to the point when he usually spoke in long twisting sentences that you had to repeat in your head before understanding what he said.
After not finding any traces of Maya in Massachusetts, they police told us yesterday that they were expanding the search to other states nearby. Bailey and I had spent the last week not talking about anything other than Maya and trying to think of where she could have gone, without much luck, I might add. Tonight, Zack was coming to spend the evening with us and Kimberlee was currently up in her room, excitedly laying out her toys to show her cousin. I envied her obliviousness in the whole situation.
"Codykins, you're going to burn the sauce in a minute." Bailey's voice snapped me back to reality and I quickly took the spaghetti sauce I was making off the heat.
"Sorry, I was thinking."
"I could tell. Just don't burn down the house, okay?" She said, pulling a stack of plates out of the cupboard.
"I won't at least not while you and the kids are inside."
"Very funny." She laughed at me and disappeared into the dining room to set the table.
"MOMMY!" Kimberlee's cry echoed through the house and I turned to find Bailey rushing up the stairs to find out what had happened. I was going to follow her when I heard Bailey's laugh. Moments later, Bailey returned to the kitchen, still laughing.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"She got her teddy stuck behind the bed."
"And that required her to shriek like she was hurt?"
"Apparently." We both laughed for a bit until we were interrupted by the doorbell.
"I'll get it." Bailey said, heading towards the door but she was beaten by Kimberlee who had run down the stairs quick as a flash.
"Hi Uncle Zack. Hi Reed." She said excitedly, pulling the door open.
"Hey Peanut. Where's your mom and dad?" I heard Zack ask.
"I'm here. Kimmie, what's the rule about running down the stairs?" Bailey chastised her.
"Sorry mommy." I could hear the pout in her voice and Zack laughed.
"Alright. Reed, why don't you go say hi to your uncle and then you and Kimmie can go and play until dinner?"
"Okay, Aunty Bailey." I heard running feet and suddenly Reed and Kimberlee appeared.
"Hi Uncle Cody!"
"Hey Reedo. How's it going?"
"Mommy's not home yet."
"I know buddy. But she will come back."
"That's what daddy says."
"That's because your daddy loves your mommy very much." I smiled at the young boy and he grinned before Kimberlee dragged him out of the kitchen up the stairs. Just as they left, Zack appeared, carrying Jaeden.
"Hey little bro. Smells good in here." He put Jaeden down in his carrier.
"Nice to see you to." I said, hugging him. Bailey appeared and went back to work setting the table.
"Want some help Bails?" Zack asked.
"Um, you can grab a bottle of wine from the cellar. Just pick on, I don't really care which."
"Cool. Watch Jaeden for me bro?"
"Of course." Zack went down to the cellar and I could faintly hear him checking the wine bottles.
"Notice anything different?" Bailey asked, reappearing in the kitchen after she'd put out the knives and forks.
"Huh?" I looked at her funny.
"Your brother. Did you notice that he seems happier?"
"Yeah I did. It's great, isn't it?"
"What's great?" Zack asked, appearing from the cellar.
"The food. This recipe doesn't usually turn out like this." I quickly lied to cover up what we had been talking about.
"Huh." He shrugged it off and handed the wine bottle to Bailey.
"Dinner's just about to be served, can you get the kids down from upstairs, Bails?" I asked.
"Sure." Not long after, we were sitting around the table laughing as Kimberlee relayed the story of when she and Bailey had gone to the park the other day and found a duck on the car after their walk.
(Maya P.O.V)
After a particularly hard day of fitful bursts of sleep, I finally decided to leave my motel room. Not to go home but I needed to do something to stop the horrible images flashing through my head. So, I ran a brush through my unruly hair and threw on my one set of clothes that I had. When I'd left, all I'd taken was my toiletries, a pair of pajamas and some food. Jumping into my car, I pulled out of the motel parking lot and turned onto the road heading further into Richmond. It seemed like ages until I found what I was looking for but eventually, I pulled into a park and climbed out, making my way over to the small club I'd spotted. The music was already thumping so loud that the images in my head were starting to distort but I knew I'd need more than just loud music to get rid of them completely. Heading over to the bar, I ordered a shot of Vodka.
After about an hour, it was hard to tell the difference between each person on the dance floor but there were still flashes of those images in my head. I thumped my hand down on the bar, demanding another shot. The bartender eyed me wearily but I just glared and he slid the glass across to me.
(Bailey P.O.V)
It was so nice to see Zack happy again, even if it was only a charade. He laughed and joked with Kimberlee and Reed as we ate and joined in the conversation with Cody and I. After we ate, we set up a movie for the kids down in the theatre and we sat in the living room, just talking.
"So, anything interesting happen in the last few days?" Cody asked his brother.
"Mom filled Reed up with about a ton of sugar when she looked after the boys the other day. She made cookies with Reed and each one as a different color and there was a hell of a lot of sugar in that recipe. It was way too sweet for my taste."
"Yeah, she's done that to us with Kimmie a few times. She took her to the beach the other day and I swear there was more sand than anything else when she came home." I said with a laugh.
"Mental note: don't let mom take the boys to the beach." Zack said.
"I wish we'd known before we agreed to the beach trip. We're still washing sand down the drain." Cody groaned.
"Well make sure she doesn't have too much sugar before she visits mom next. If she made colorful cookies with Reed, who knows what she'll do with Kimmie."
"Duly noted." Cody laughed.
"What's the latest on Maya?" I asked.
"Well, they were looking through New Jersey and Pennsylvania a few days ago and apparently they're going all the way down to Virginia."
"That far?"
"Clearly. When they said they were looking through the nearby states, I though they mean, like, Connecticut or New York type thing but then they started going further south. But if they bring her home, I'm not going to complain."
"Hold on to hope, Zack. She'll come home. She loves you and the boys too much to stay away." I said.
"I'm starting to not believe that. I don't get it. It was such a stupid argument."
"Yes but in her head, it was so much bigger. And she's still dealing with the stuff about her sister. That's got to be hard on anyone." Cody reasoned.
"I know. I just wish she'd let me in rather than shut me out. I keep thinking, maybe if I'd been more supportive she might not have left. Maybe if I'd done something different."
"Zack, with everything going on in her head, it would have only been a matter of time before she did this. And it's better that she's done it now, at the beginning of everything than further down the track and she could have done something really stupid." I told him.
"I guess. I just wish it never had to happen. When I first met her, she was a normal girl. When I married her, she was a normal woman. But one stupid, thoughtless sentence on Valentine's Day ruined the woman I love."
"She's not ruined. She's just broken. Obviously she kept those feelings shut away tightly for so long. And who wouldn't have shut those emotions away? Her parents blamed her for what happened. Who does that to their child?" Cody said.
"Apparently her parents."
"Daddy, the movie finished." Kimberlee came up the stairs then, followed closely by Reed.
"Well, I think Uncle Zack wants to take your cousins home now. So how about you two go pack up any toys you had out while we finish here?" Cody said to her she nodded and grabbed her cousin's hand, dragging him up to her room.
"Kicking me out, huh?" Zack said with a laugh, pushing himself up off the couch.
"No. I just think you need to get the boys home to bed."
"Yeah, I probably do. Reed's got daycare in the morning anyway." We went into the kitchen where Jaeden was still sleeping in his little carrier.
"They're all so innocent. None of them have any idea what's going on." I mussed, looking down at my nephew.
"It's for the best though. They couldn't handle knowing everything." Zack said, taking Jaeden from me. Picking up the diaper bag, Zack went to the front door to put on his shoes and wait for Reed. It wasn't long before to pairs of running feet came down the stairs.
"Kimberlee Nicole, I've already told you off once tonight about running down the stairs." I said sternly. She pouted and looked at her feet.
"Sorry mommy."
"And Reed, you've been here enough that you know the rules too, young man." Zack scolded his son.
"Sorry daddy." Both children looked so cute with their little pout that it was hard to remain stern with them but letting it slip wouldn't be good parenting.
"Alright, we'll see you again soon. And don't forget to keep us updated, even with the littlest things." I told my brother in law.
"Of course. Thanks for the food little bro." I heard Cody grimace behind me.
"You've gotta stop that, man." He complained.
"Can't help it. Anyway, see you later Peanut. You be good for your mom and dad and help look after your brother and sister."
"Yes Uncle Zack. Bye Reed." Kimberlee waved from where she was currently clinging to my leg. I have no idea why she was doing it but I wasn't going to stop her.
"See ya Reedo. Behave for your daddy. He needs your help a lot right now, okay? You make sure he's looking after you." Cody bent down to hug the small boy.
"Bye Uncle Cody." We stood in the doorway and watched as they got into their car and drove away, closing the door behind them.
(Maya P.O.V)
By the time I left the club, my head was pounding and I could hardly see straight. The only thing my alcohol clouded brain could think was that I shouldn't drive so I headed in the opposite direction to my car, towards the motel. I didn't get very far before I ended up stumbling against a post and had to hang on for a moment until the world stopped spinning.
"Are you okay miss?" An unfamiliar voice asked.
"Yeah, I'm just going home." I slurred, pushing away from the post and walking further. The random guy just shrugged and walked off, leaving me to slowly make my way back to the motel. Inwardly I cursed myself for choosing a club so far away.
(Flashback)
"How could you let her out of your sight Maya? She's fifteen!" Louise Bennett shouted at her daughter.
"It wasn't intentional, mom. And I remember being allowed to walk around the city with her when I was fifteen."
"That's different, young lady. You had her with you." Her father, Jonathon, said.
"I was still fifteen. And why are you guys blaming me for this? Aren't you supposed to be comforting me because I'm your daughter?" Maya asked, tears starting to fall as she looked into her parents' unforgiving eyes.
"You're no daughter of mine." Her mother hissed, rushing out of the room and Maya heard a door slam somewhere in the apartment.
"You're leaving this house. It's your fault Phoebe's gone and having you around will only be a reminder that we no longer have our little girl."
"You're kicking me out?"
"No, I'm sending you to the S.S Tipton. It's a school aboard a boat. I've heard it has a great education and it'll keep you out of the country."
"What?"
"You leave in two days." With that her father left the room and Maya finally let her knees give way below her and she fell to the ground, sobbing. She knew it was her fault that Phoebe had been murdered. When she'd gone to look for her sister, she'd heard sounds coming from the alleyway where the police had found her. But in her haste to find Phoebe, she'd ignored it, thinking that the sounds weren't relevant. Further down the road, she'd had the urge to go back and check but she chose to ignore the feeling, instead looking along the safe roads.
(Maya P.O.V)
I eventually found myself in a park somewhere and sat down on a park bench, not feeling like I could walk much further. It was a bad idea though. As soon as I wasn't concentrating on staying upright, the images of Phoebe began to flash through my mind again. I listened to the sounds I'd heard as I went past that horrible alleyway. Thinking back, I could distinctly tell that it was my sister crying. I smacked my hand against my head, not wanting to admit what I already knew.
"No, no, no." I sobbed, the images and sounds in my head so vivid it was like I was back there. I heard Phoebe yell out. But I ignored it, determined to believe that it wasn't real. I pushed myself forward, running away from the alley. Something inside tried to pull me back but I couldn't do it. I couldn't go back and save her.
"I killed my sister." I whispered to myself, still whacking my head. After a moment, I stopped. The feeling gone as if someone had pulled it out of me. I lay down on the seat and curled up into a ball, still crying and I slowly fell asleep, but not before I finally let myself admit the truth, "I could have saved her."
Preview: Maya is admitted to the hospital after a Good Samaritan finds her in the park. She is identified and a message is sent to Zack, who must decide what to do now.
A/N: A very tough chapter to write but I hope you like it.