"All done." It is 8:30 am, and I just finished getting ready for school; I have been awake all night. Someone would think I was studying. I wish.
I had to declutter the mess in this room, who can live in this terrible situation? There was a pile of garbage close to the door and the stench made me feel nauseous. I am so glad I got rid of it.
Ding, another message popped up on my phone.
"Meet me at the library by 9 am sharp; I will be wearing a red sweatshirt. And don't be late Maya, I know you." It was from the same number; it seemed whoever was sending me the message knew me personally; why would I be late? I guess the person knows fake Sophie and not me then.
"Mrs. Patal," I called her as I knocked at the door of her room; she has been of help this week as she drives me to and from school. She was a terrible mom but at least I can see her trying.
"It's mom, Maya, mom." I could hear her grunting as she got up from her bed. But her footsteps were getting farther away from the door.
"I'm ready for school." I had no business going to school today, but after the text I received last night and Caleb asking to see me today, I have no choice. Also, I have to read for my upcoming test.
"Okay, what do you need my help for?" Mrs Patel slurred her words as she spoke; she was most likely drunk. It was a habit of hers; she drank almost every other day, if not daily.
"Driving"
"Take the bus, like you always do, Maya," Mrs Patal, or should I say Mom said.
"Take care of yourself" I stepped out of the house, heading straight to the bus station.
The bus ride was 20 minutes from the bus stop to school, it was a smooth one also. Unlike Mrs patal driving that felt like we were always being chased by an unseen force.
"Have a nice day," I greeted the bus driver as I stepped out, and paid for the ride.
"8:50 am," the time on my wristwatch said as I began making my way to the library.
Red sweatshirt, red sweatshirt. I looked around the entire library, and there he was. Caleb? I could tell that he was the one by just looking at him from the back; why did he send all those cryptic messages to me?
"Hey," I greeted him by tugging on his arm a little.
"Hey Maya, looking different," Caleb complimented my new look; or should I say my original look. I did as I was told by Grant. I was no longer pretending to be Sophie, as everyone thought, but rather leaning into my identity as Maya; of course, I wasn't going to slack academically like she did or live in filth either. I am going to be the most authentic version of myself; I am going to be Sophie without the blond wig and blue contact lenses. Besides, they were all fake.
"So why did you ask me to meet you here by 9 am? You could have just..." I got distracted as I looked towards the extreme edge of the library, a red sweatshirt again. A petite-looking girl was wearing a red sweatshirt. Why?
"9? I never asked you to meet me by 9 Maya." Celeb said as he leaned in and whispered to me. "or is this the real Maya"
"Never mind." I immediately began walking towards the new girl with the red sweatshirt; I could feel the anxiety and the feeling of ouneasinesssiness wash up all over me; there was a numbness I could feel at the tip of my hands.
"Hey, Maya," her tiny voice called out as she stared at me.
Hey," she finally turned, and I could see her face; it was Ava, the youngest blackwood. Ethan's baby sister, What is that hathe doing here?
"Let's go outside; I have something for you," she began, moving towards the exit of the loud area in the library; Ava was only fourteen years old; how could she manage to send me such cryptic messages?
"What is it? And how did you get here?" I asked as we both sat down on a bench outside the library complex.
"I did what you asked Maya; now you owe me 100 Canadian dollars." I couldn't get over the fact that she had come all the way here to speak to me.
"Oh really, and what did Maya, who is me, ask you to do?" I never asked anything of her except someone was going around acting like me. Is fake Sophie going about her say as me now?
"Here you go," she brought out what looked like a book, but I could hardly tell as it was raped in a lot of plastic bubble wrap and handed it over to me.
"I asked you to give this to me?"
"Yes"
"And when did I ask that from you?"
"Three months ago, you said I should hold the book for you. I should return it untouched on the 15th of March and if you are no more I should burn the book"
"Huh," I gasped at what the imposter had asked for from this little girl. So, her plan worked; what could Maya have written in this book for me? Now, is this something I would do? "Yes, Auty, and you gave me 400 Canadian dollars upfront; you said you'll give me the 100 when I return the book. And if I were to burn it, I should ask of it from Sophie." Finally, something to prove my case, but it was useless to some extent. The DNA that would be on this book is going to be mine since we have the same DNA, so I can't prove it was fake Sophie who gave her the book.
"Okay," I reached out to my bag and gave her a 100-dollar bill. "What else did I tell you?" Maybe I could get some useful information from her, but Ava was just a teenager who wanted to make money and nothing else. So I doubt she had anything to do with this.
"Well, you did also give me an instruction manual," She stretched into her bags and brought out a piece of paper.
"Was there anything else I gave you?" I needed to collect everything. I don't know what fake Sophie must have written and given to her, but I needed to ensure no one else saw or heard about it because everyone would believe that I did it.
"No, that's all"
I opened the paper.
"Send this text on the 14th March at 7:00 pm 'Come to the school's Auditorium. I have something for you'"
"Whatever I reply with send this text 'come and find out' and then switch off your phone and go to sleep"
The step-by-step rules that were perfectly executed by Ava, I must say.
"Did you tell anyone about this?" I wanted to confirm if my secret was safe with her, but I doubt she knew anything had changed between the Maya she met with three months ago and the Maya now.
"Nope, I should go back to school now. Take care Maya" Ava got up and began walking to the bus stop.
"Let me accompany you," I got up and began following her; I had Something to do in school today, but whatever was raped within this plastic bubble rapper, I wanted to find it out, and I wanted to find it out right now.
But I can't just open it in the middle of school; who knows, there could be life-changing evidence there. And I don't want to tamper with it.
"Bye," Ava waved at me as her bus drove into the distance.
I got on the next bus heading to my side of town. Which wasn't too far from here.
I wonder what is in this, I hope it is some information I can use against Maya. Oh, how she would regret ever writing this book.
"We are here, what are you thinking about Maya?" An old lady tapped me on my shoulder as the bus got to my stop.
"Thanks" I immediately got down and began finding my way home.
I couldn't even say hi to MrsPatell, neither did I take off my clothes. I got into my room, locked the door behind me, and immediately jumped on my bed. I didn't care about the seven layers of rapping it had as I ripped it all open; one after the other, I was determined to read the book's content.
"Hello Maya, or should I call you by your old name, Sophie?" the first sentence of the book read.