Chapter 4- Maya left home

*Mia's POV*

"She's gone. She left home"I said and mom's eyes widened in shock.

"What do you mean by that?" Mom asked.

"Maya left home, she dropped a note" I said and showed the note to mom.

She read it and moved back in shock. The paper fell from her hands.

"No, this can't be happening! Maya, Maya" she screamed, then stood up from the bed and ran to our room. She looked round and saw that Maya was really gone.

Then like someone being pursued by a lion, she ran out of the room and out of the house.

"Mom, mom" I called and ran after her.

"Maya darling, where are you?" Mom screamed as she ran through the road.

Her screams alerted the villagers and they all gathered to know what happened.

"What's happening?" An old woman asked. She's the eldest in the village.

"Maya's missing, I can't find Maya, she's gone" Mom replied crying.

"What? Where's she? What happened?" The old woman asked.

"Can't start explaining. I need to find my daughter first" mom said turning around to see if she would catch sight of Maya. She acted like she was running mad and I hoped she wasn't really going mad.

But then, I couldn't help but wonder. If Mom had came after me when I left the house, if she had looked for me like she was looking for Maya, would I have been raped?

"I'm the cause of everything" I blamed myself.

I shouldn't have reacted that way. I shouldn't have gotten jealous over Maya's new dress. This is all my fault!

The whole villagers helped in looking for Maya but she was nowhere to be found.

Mom fell to the ground crying when the last search was conducted. She's really helpless.

"Maya, my pretty daughter, where are you?" She screamed.

"Come back. Your mother is looking for you" she said.

"Mom, Maya will come back, please get a hold of yourself" I said.

"Your daughter will come back" some women said trying to comfort mom. They helped her back to the house. After they looked after mom for a while, the women went back their various home leaving I and mom alone. I was left to console mom alone.

*Maya's POV*

FEW HOURS AGO

When I ran out of the house after saying harsh words to Mia, I bumped into Nicholas. His eyes were swollen, he looked like he's been crying.

"Nicholas" I called.

"Maya" he replied.

"Help me beg your sister for forgiveness" he said.

"Don't tell me it's true" I said.

"Don't tell you actually raped my sister. She didn't seduce you?" I asked.

"No, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have lost control of myself. She was clearly against it, against me but I forcefully had my way with her. I was too obsessed with her" He explained.

"Obsessed with her?" I asked.

"I'm in love with Mia. I've loved her since the very first day I saw her" he confessed.

I slapped him hard on the cheek.

"I thought you loved me" I said shamelessly.

"I don't. Mia is the one I love" he said.

Another slap!

"What does she have that I don't have?" I asked.

"She's gentle, she's very caring, she's pretty, she's nice and a lot more. What more? I'm only following my heart, my heart fell for her" he said rubbing his cheeks where I had slapped him.

"Then you had the guts to rape my sister?" I screamed. I was really angry.

"I didn't mean for that to happen. I didn't know what came over me, I didn't know what I was thinking" he replied.

"So what are you going to do now?" I asked.

"Own up to what I did. Ask her to be my wife" he replied.

"Your wife? Then what about me?" I screamed.

"I love you Nicholas" I said.

"But I don't love you" he replied briefly.

Another slap landed on his cheek.

"Stop slapping me" he screamed.

Another slap.

"Maya" he screamed louder than before.

"That's for raping my sister. I don't want to ever see you again, near me or near my sister" I warned, then turned and walked away from in tears. I met mom on the way and hugged her while I cried in her arms like a baby.

*****

Now, I stood at a junction far from home without knowing where next to go. I don't even have any money on me.

I couldn't bear staying back at home. I don't think I could bear seeing my sister's face everyday, if I did I'm going to hate her and I didn't want that to happen. I also couldn't bear to see Nicholas after he has rejected me, it's going to cause me so much pain. So I decided to leave home, to protect my sanity.

I bent down besides my bag, buried my head in my palms and cried. I looked up when a car stopped in front of me. It was a black limousine with tinted glasses.

I stood up and straightened myself. The car window got wind down and a man in his early forties popped his head out of the window.

"Hello dear" he said.

I was too nervous to reply. He clearly wasn't the only one in the car but I couldn't see the others.

"You're exactly just what I'm looking for. Would you like to join us?" He asked.

"Join you?" I asked alarmed.

"I don't understand. I don't even know you" I said.

"Do you want to live in a world where you'll have so much power, money and authority to do whatever you like without anybody stopping you? Do you want to live in a world where you can have anybody you want to have without problems? Do you want to live in a world where people fear and respect you?" The man asked.

I was speechless.

Who was he?

And what kind of world is that?

Wait, did he just say I can have anybody I want in that world?

That means I can get Nicholas back?

"Curious, aren't you?" The man asked.

"I can give you that world. Just say yes and come with me" he cajoled.

I stood fix on a spot, different thoughts running through my mind. His offer wasn't a bad one. I have nowhere to go anyway, so what do I stand to lose?

But then, I don't know him. I looked at him with doubts on my face.

"Trust me" he said when he saw the doubts on my face.

Then my daring and adventurous spirit took over. I was suddenly eager to explore the world he's talking about.

"I'll go with you" I said.

"Good" he said and smiled broadly.

Then he said something to the men in the car, one of them came out of the car and carried my bags into boot of a black Jeep behind the limousine.

Why didn't I notice it before??

Then the guy that carried my bag escorted me to the Jeep, opened the car door for me and I entered. They were three men in the car already before I entered.

I took a deep breath as the car drove off after the limousine and sat back in my chair and prepared myself for whatever the future holds for me.