Chapter five

Not long after Maya’s classmates had left her house, the Andersons’ black car pulled up quietly into the driveway. The mansion's lights showed off its glossy, beautiful surface as the driver opened the door. Maya stepped out slowly and quietly, holding on to her small backpack, her eyes searching instinctively for one familiar face, Jake’s face. She hoped that the moment she stepped out of the car, he would come and hug her, but he was nowhere to be found. But he wasn’t there. She turned to ask her parents where Jake was and why he didn’t come to see her after a long while. They told her Jake was asleep, but he was happy to see her.

The house, once so alive, now felt hollow and dead. As she walked through the tall glass door and climbed up the stairs, she realized that the usual laughter of maids and the hum of music were all gone. Only silence greeted her, a very thick, cold, and strange silence.

She looked around, confused. Why does everything feel so different all of a sudden? Did something happen in her absence? she thought. But she forced a smile and continued to climb the stairs to her room, convincing herself it was just her imagination.

That night, as the moonlight slipped through her blue curtains, Maya tiptoed from her room through the hall with a little gift box in her hands, a surprise for Jake. She knocked softly on his door. “Jake? It’s me,” she said with excitement in her voice. But there was no answer.

She knocked again. “Come on, Jake. Open up! I have something for you.” She waited for a while, and still nothing. Then she turned the door handle, and his door was locked. She frowned, whispering, “Since when does Jake lock his door?”Her heart sank. Something was definitely wrong. Feeling Puzzled and hurt, she turned away and walked to her parents’ room. When she entered, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson looked up abruptly, their faces marked with exhaustion and something else she couldn’t quite name.

“Mom? Dad?” she said softly, trying to hold back her tears. “Why is everyone acting so weird towards me? Why won’t Jake talk to me, and since when did Jake start locking his door ?”

They both exchanged glances, the kind that holds too many words and secrets.

“We’re all just… tired, sweetheart,” her mother said gently. “It’s been a long week.”

“But Jake… ”Her father interrupted her, forcing a smile. “He’s just stressed. Don’t worry too much about him.”

Maya didn’t believe them, but she nodded quietly and left. Mrs. Anderson walked her back to her room, tucking her in like she always did when Maya was little. She kissed her forehead and whispered, “Get some rest, darling. You have school tomorrow.”Then she shut the door softly behind her. But sleep never came. Maya lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling, her heart heavy. The house's silence pressed down on her so much that she couldn’t hold back her tears. Why won’t anyone tell me what’s happening in the house? Why does everyone stare at me and treat me like a stranger?

The more she thought about what was happening, the harder she cried. Her silent sobs echoed softly through her room. The moon watched her quietly from the window as she whispered into her pillow, “I just want things to return to how they were. Maybe tomorrow I’ll wake up and realize that all this is a dream .”

And with her cheeks still wet with tears, she drifted off to sleep, praying that morning would bring back the warmth that once lived in the Anderson home.

The next morning arrived like any other, but to Maya, everything felt really different.

Usually, Jake was the first person to knock on her door, teasing her to hurry up or she would miss school. He would help her tie her shoelaces, carry her bag, and walk beside her, like he always did. But this morning, the hallway outside her room stayed silent, no sign of her beloved brother and best friend.

Maya dressed independently, her small hands trying to find her way with the laces that Jake usually tied with a smile. When she walked downstairs, she saw him, sitting at the breakfast table, eyes glued to his food, pretending not to see her.

“Good morning, Jake,” she said softly, looking in his direction, expecting an answer or at least a smile from him. But he didn’t say anything to him

After breakfast, when the driver came to announce that the cars were ready, Jake stood up and said, “I’ll go in the white one. Give Maya a different car.”

Maya froze momentarily, her backpack hanging loosely from one side of her shoulder. A Different car? He had never done that before. What at all warranted this sudden change in behavior towards her? Maya looked at her parents, who said nothing about the situation; their silence spoke louder than words, and at that point, Maya knew something was wrong.

The ride to school felt endlessly long and tiresome. The driver tried to tell her to ignore Jake and that he would come around later, but Maya just stared out the window, imagining what life was going to be like in school now.