Mazekien... The name echoed in the vast, oppressive darkness. A pinprick of light pierced the black void, the only anchor in an endless abyss. "Mazekien..." The voice came again, clearer now, a whisper brushing against her ear. Her breath hitched, and a suffocating presence closed in around her. Her limbs went cold, her body trembling as if submerged in ice. It was near. Too near.
Mazekien!!!
Mazekien shot out of bed, her body plagued with beads of sweat and the shirt she had slept with was practically stuck to her skin. Her breaths were erratic as her heart raced a million miles a minute.
It happened again. She thought, processing the dream she just had. It had been years since the last time she had such a dream, but ever since she had runaway, the night terrors became a common occurrence.
Every time it ended, she'd see the same glowing red eyes stare into her soul. Eyes that were cold and devoid of life, despite their bright glow.
"You're up early." Hunter said, leaning on the doorframe of his room. Maze was too preoccupied by her dream to have noticed him standing there, which made her wonder how long he had been watching her.
She tried to move her lips to speak, but her mouth was frozen open in shock. Even Her breathing had yet to calm. Tears began rolling down her face as a great pang of pain hit her chest. She hated that dream with every fiber of her being, because it reminded her of the one event she wanted to forget.
Though her gaze had been locked on Hunter, she still didn't notice him walk closer to her, only being snapped out of her frozen state by the warm embrace he gave her. His warm honey scent, calming down her erratic breathing as she slowly began to relax.
"It's okay Mazekien, the nightmare is over." His deep soothing voice slowing her rapid heartbeat until the fear she felt from the nightmare became a distant memory. Not even Bastien had this effect on her, which made her feel guilty for feeling that way. She dated him, but if she was honest with herself, she never really loved him the way she loved Hunter.
Everything about their relationship was wrong, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she only dated him for the status he gave her.
She pushed Hunter off, a guilty expression on her face. "I'm sorry," She said, unable to look Hunter in the eyes as she said it. She didn't even know if she was apologizing to him or to Bastien.
Hunter remained quiet, which was off as he would usually have a smart remark to alleviate the tension in the air. Maze lifted her head to look at him and noticed the pained look in his eyes.
"Hunter?" She asked as she looked for answers behind his expression.
He sighed before he turned to her, "Go take a shower and meet me in the living room." He said with a chilling seriousness. Something was off.
Maze gave him a silent "Okay," before he stood up to leave. When the door shut behind him, she stepped out of his bed and made her way to the bathroom which was connected to his room. She had gotten used to the small size of his apartment compared to her bedroom at home. It wasn't an easy adjustment, but she made it for his sake. Not having a large collection of make up had her on edge for the first few days, but even that became normal for her after a while.
She even got to like her natural look the more she looked in the mirror.
While looking at herself in the mirror she also noticed that her nipples were exposed by the sweat drenched shirt she wore and an embarrassed blush immediately came over her face.
Damnit, I hope Hunter didn't see! She thought, but the thought of Hunter seeing more of her, hatched butterflies in her stomach instead. A thought she had to snap herself out of to focus on taking her much-needed shower.
She entered the shower and rinsed herself with ice cold water that made her scream loud enough for Hunter to hear, and like clock-work Hunter knocked on the door seconds later.
"Are you okay in there!" He called, getting an immediate.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, I-I-I just slipped." She lied, her voice going up a few pitches. He heard his chuckle from the other side of the door and her blush of embarrassment deepened to a bright red.
He's laughing at me now, isn't he. She groaned at the thought, but went back to taking her shower, switching the water to hot.
She let the warmth trace down her naked figure. Her thoughts tracing back to the events that led her there. It became routine for her to let her mind wander back to the party as it became her own little exposure therapy session. The more she thought about it the less it hurt, but even then, it wasn't saying much. She'd still cry uncontrollably, but at least at that point she could do it without getting a headache. On top of that the warm water did wonders to mask her tears.
She was forever grateful to Mr. Fry as he was able to shield her from facing all the problems she wasn't ready for, for the past week. Part of her never wanted to leave.
Why should she? She had everything she needed in Mr. Fry's little apartment, especially the thing that she needed most from the home she ran away from. A safe space.
It was like a dream she never wanted to wake up from. And of course, the cherry on top of her dream cake was Mr. Hunter Fry. His kindness and affection seemed endless, and his humor was to die for, being an absolute stud was just a plus in the long list of things she admired about him. If she were honest with herself, which she never wanted to be, she'd say that the most attractive thing about him was that he never judged her, in a negative way that is.
Maze climbed out the shower and took a towel to dry her hair. When she walked out the bathroom she was shocked to see her school clothes lined up neatly on his bed, patiently waiting to be worn.
It must've been a mistake. She thought. Hunter knows I won't be going to school anytime soon, so he must've just recently cleaned them. She ignored her school clothes and went digging in Hunter's closet for one of his shirts, all of which were big enough to count as a short dress. For her underwear she wore a pair that was recently bought by him. She didn't know how he knew her size, but was grateful for it, nonetheless.
When she walked out Hunter was already seated, the scent of the delicious breakfast stealing her interest as she practically floated to sit next to him.
"Good morning, Hunter." She singed, giving him a half hug since her gaze was stuck on the beautiful French toast and sausage, with a stack of cinnamon sprinkled, maple syrup glazed pancakes on the coffee table. Maze reached for her food before getting a light smack on her hand.
"Slow your role hungry, you're practically salivating. We must pray for our meal first. You never know when it might be your last." Maze groaned at him as she couldn't wait a second longer. She put her hands together reluctantly and began a silent prayer of thanks.
"Lord, thank you for this wonderful meal you have blessed us with, thank you for waking us up and getting us ready for the day ahead. Lord, I ask that you give us strength and the will to push through no matter what we may face in our future. With this prayer I give thanks to you, Almighty God of Life, through the myst it is done." The second Hunter stopped praying Maze already had her face stuffed with pancakes.
"Couldn't you wait until I clapped twice!? The prayer doesn't go through unless I do." He said, annoyed by her impatience.
"Ish no -y fau -ou ma- su- -oo- foo-."
"Swallow before you speak Mazekien! Damn, it's like they never taught you manners at home!" Hunter heard a big gulp before Maze rested her head on his lap looking up at him.
"They did, but why should I care about what they teach. I'm here with you, aren't I? Mr. Fry." She sang out his name teasingly, poking the tip of his nose to get a reaction from him.
He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Maze could tell that there was something he was not telling her but couldn't figure out what. He kept his eyes closed in deep thought it seemed, while his fingers played with her damp hair.
"Is everything okay?" She asked. Hunter finally opened his hazel brown eyes and looked at her onyx orbs almost as if he was in a trance. He slowly descended his lips until he was a breath away from kissing her. His eyes searched hers as if they were looking for a solution, a final piece in his mysterious puzzle.
Maze's heart rate shot up rapidly at the sudden closeness. The butterflies in her tummy having a rave of the century in there. The heat in her cheeks increased with every second they stayed like that, until Hunter pulled away at the last second. He dragged his fingers through his dark brown hair almost as if he wanted to tear it out.
"Hu-Hunter?" Maze asked, her heart still beating violently in her chest.
"I'm sorry Mazekien." He groaned. Maze lifted herself off his lap to look at him properly, seeming greatly disturbed.
"It-It's okay, Hunter. I know it disturbs you, but I wouldn't mind if you kissed me." She couldn't look at him properly after saying that, the embarrassment alone could've killed her.
"It's Vander." Immediately Maze sobered up and turned to him with concern in her eyes. "He knows you've been staying with me for the past week, he wants you back at school." Mazekien felt a pang in her chest as she digested what he said.
"No," was her immediate answer. "I can't. You can't take me back there." Her voice broke down as tears threatened to escape. She thought she'd be ready for this day, as much as she dreaded its arrival, she thought she'd be ready for this day. The day when she'd be forced to wake up from her dream.
"Maze I---"
"NO!" She shouted, backing away from him on the couch. "Please Hunter. I don't want to go back. Not yet. I'm not ready." Hunter stood up and knelt to speak with her.
"I'm sorry, Mazekien. The world never waits until you're ready." He brushed his hand over her cheek, his touch warming her enough to stop shivering. She wrapped her arms around his neck in an embrace and refused to let go.
"My old life is over Hunter; I can't go back." She whispered.
"Vander said that if I don't bring you back, he'll fire me and report me harboring a minor to the authorities. I can barely afford this place and once I'm reported the only jobs I'd be able to accept, will be in the South." His voice was soft, and Maze could hear the pain behind it.
"Run away with me Hunter." Hunter pulled away from their hug to give her a look of both concern and confusion, hoping that she was joking. But that look in her eyes said otherwise.
"Maze we can't."
"You don't understand Hunter, when I ran here it was the most liberating thing I've done in my life. I no more had to worry about my parents, or keeping up the façade of perfection I gave everyone. I could finally be myself. So please," She cupped his face in her hands and looked at him with a fire burning behind her onyx eyes. Her fingers brushing against the stubble on his cheeks before pulling him in for a kiss.
She was pushed off a second later, her eyes wide with shock, but soon in pain when she realized what he had just done.
"I'm sorry Maze, I can't give up everything on the off chance we build a life together in the South, I can't do that to you." Tears began forming as she tried her hardest to hold them back. "If you go back to school now, you lose your position as Head Girl, but you'll still be a student. You'll still have a future." He sat next to her, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the floor to find the words.
"My ex-wife, I got her pregnant in our 3rd year in Varsity. We had to drop out to properly take care of the child, and by our Lord's grace I was able to find work in Rosemary High. I loved my son with every fiber of my being and would work both as a tutor and a teacher to make ends meet. Hearing his laugh fill up this apartment was motivation enough for me to get up every morning. Until one day, my wife decided to divorce. She felt as if she was wasting her potential by being a full-time mother and as hard as I could negotiate, she wasn't going to back down from her position." He squeezed his hands together, the memory bringing forth the hatred he felt that day.
"I offered to take full custody, but she denied me even that. I was confused, angry, betrayed, but at the same time I understood." His eyes softened and his grip loosened.
"I took away her dream from her, all because I couldn't pull out. She was my first, so I didn't know what the term meant until it was too late." He chuckled. "I killed her dream, her reason of living, so it only made sense for her to take away mine." Hunter turned to her; his eyes glassy with tears.
"I understand that you've lost everything Mazekien, but it's not over. You can still achieve your dreams without being the Head Girl, you're smart enough to do it." He paused to catch his breath as his voice became shaky. "And running away won't solve anything. The thing about your demons is that they're bound to catch up one day. I'd much rather see you stand up and face them than run away." Maze wiped the tears from her face and sighed out a weak, "Fine."
Hunter was about to get up before he felt a tug on his arm. "I'll continue being a student, but you have to promise me that you will stay as my teacher." Hunter smiled and leaned in to kiss her on the forehead.
"I'm never going to leave you." A brief flash of her brother saying the exact same words came to her, but she squeezed her eyes to push it out.
Maze got up and walked back to his bedroom. Coming face to face with the school clothes she ignored earlier. Lifting her blue blazer, she sighed to herself.
"It's time to wake up."