Meetings
Maya squinted her eyes due to the sudden increase of brightness through the doorway, she blinked multiple times, waiting for her eyes to adjust. She walked through and had closed the door behind her, knowing that the others are already inside.
The blonde turned around and was greeted by an amazing view, she didn't pay attention to it though, she was used to it and had lost interest after Riley had died. Green hills scattered the landscape, grass swayed with the wind, birds gracefully flew in the skies, white fluffy clouds passed by and tamed animals roamed around, frolicking.
Maya walked on the grey stoned bricked walkway, kicking a few pebbles along the way. She ignored her surroundings, she refused to gaze around because they reminded her way too much of Riley, when the brunette would run across the fields and the way she would talk about the animals she encountered even if they were predators when they visited here. The blonde felt like she was being mocked whenever she dared to look around, they taunted her about how she didn't save Riley, how she failed to protect the one person she vowed to protect and loved the most.
Running a hand through her hair, she automatically turned right at a split up path, the left sign pointing down to the 'Great Hall' and the right pointing down to the 'Magical Forest'. None of them had named the vast forest that, it was all Riley's doing, she had insisted that they name it the 'Magical Forest' and the name stuck thanks to the brunette. Maya tearfully smiled at the memory, remembering Riley's victory smile and dance after the name had stuck.
Maya slowed down when she had noticed that when she looked up she would see an arch designed with flowers, no letters just flowers engraved on the stone arch. Shaking her head, the blonde continued her previous pace and followed the ongoing walkway.
By the entrance of the forest, she was met by the others, they stood around chatting with each other and some sat on the chairs nearby. Her close friends looked up upon realising that Maya had arrived, they all noticed her tired form from where they were and gave her a reassuring smile. They all approached her, but Farkle was the first one to arrive in front of her and he accompanied her walk towards the certain entrance of the forest.
Farkle took a quick glance at Maya, a worried expression plastered on his face. "You sure you'll be alright going there alone?" he asked with concern.
Maya released an irritated sigh, they had stopped in front of the entrance. "I'm okay Farkle."she answered while glancing up at the apple tree by the walkway.
The boy cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder, the blonde tensed before calming down after reminding herself that it was just Farkle. "We'll be here when you need us." he assured her while also motioning to the their other friends that had just arrived. Maya smiled gratefully at the others then Zay had engaged the group hug which everyone happily followed.
Here she was, after the hug session her friends allowed her to enter the forest. Now, she stands in front of a well taken care gravestone surrounded by multiple types of flowers. Vines and weeds never seem to crawl up the gravestone as if they know not to touch something that was once precious. Maya brushed away a few leaves off the stone slab in front then brushed at the ground before sitting in front of the grave. The young woman sat crossed legged, her eyes scanning the grave in front of her before landing on the engraved letters.
RILEY GODDESS OF NATURE
Loved by many. May she roam peacefully.
Tears pricked at Maya's eyes, she let it all fall, this was the only placed where she would release all her emotions. She wiped her tear-stained cheek then rummaged through her jacket pockets, taking out a small sunflower and a small bouquet of Forget-Me-Nots then placing them down on the empty stone slab. Maya bit her lip as she leaned back, her arms behind her supporting her weight, she wracked up her brain for something to say but was too afraid she would just burst after getting just a few words in.
"Hey Riles..." The blonde started, "I'm sorry if I haven't been visiting for the past few weeks. There were some problems with the underworld so Josh and Shawn needed some help. I don't even know why they needed help from the goddess of art, plus pretending to do life sucks." Maya chuckled. Even if she was the goddess for arts, she was well trained in combat, although the problem in the underworld didn't require fighting to solve.
Maya ran her hand through her hair for the third time today, her other hand picking at the grass growing around, her eyes started to tear up yet again. "I-It's just so hard y'know?" The blonde began to tremble, "T-These past 4 y-years are so difficult to deal with ever since you..." She didn't want to finish the sentence.
"I j-just wish you were here with me, just ra-rambling beside me, making me laugh and you just being a g-goofball." Maya could feel her tears trailing down her face, she clenched her fist tighter. "F-fuck, I mean the other douchebag gods made stupid ass comments at you. It took Lucas, Zay and Josh to hold me back from attacking them right there." She attempted to hold back a sob but had failed to, she aggressively wiped at her tears, determined to make up for not visiting for a while. Maya gazed down. locking her eyes on her green-stained and dirt filled hands.
"I just don't understand Riles. Why? Why didn't you let me save you?"
"Because Peaches, my time was up that time."
Maya had never looked up so fast in her life, she even thought she heard her neck snap at the quick motion, but she didn't care though, there in front of her, floating, was a purple ethereal shape. The spirit -Maya assumes- lack any facial features but the blonde knows that voice anywhere. Maya gulps, pushing her voice to say something, anything.
"H-honey? Is t-that yo-u?" The blonde tries not to tear up at the sound of a tinkling bell that sounded like the spirit was chuckling or giggling.
"Yes Peaches, it's me. I've missed y- no no don't cry Peaches." 'Riley' comforted. "I'm here now Maya. I'm here." The purple spirit placed its arms around the blonde as if it was hugging her. Maya couldn't hold it in any longer, she allowed all the held up tears to fall. They stayed in a hugging position for quite a while with the blonde's sobbing the only thing they could hear.
The spirit pulled away from the embrace, and stared at Maya's red face for a while before bringing a hand up to wipe the tears away. The blonde could feel warmth radiating from the hand, it brushed against her face then pulled away again and Maya missed the warmth already.
"W-wha h-how-"
"Listen, Maya I don't have much time here, but don't EVER kill yourself over what happened, okay?"
"But-"
"No buts, we'll meet again soon Maya." With that, the spirit cupped both of the blonde's cheeks and the 'Riley' began to fade.
"Wait!" Maya began to desperately yell. "DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN RILEY!" The young woman started to stand and lean towards the fading spirit, she froze when the latter had fully disappeared. Maya's figure began to quiver as she dropped, kneeling on the ground. She sat down, and began to bring her legs up to her chest and sobbed on her arms.
"Riley," She sobbed, her body was shaking so much and what didn't help was the fact that her body began to grow cold from the lack of warmth that had radiated from the spirit. She sat there filled with grief and numbness and cried in front of the grave.
Maya exited out of the forest with red eyes and a tired expression, she was on the verge of collapsing yet she kept going on. Her friends rushed at her with worried and alarmed faces then bombarded her with multiple question or asking her if she's okay.
"Nothing happened, I just couldn't hold it." She answered, brushing off the questions for she didn't have the energy to answer the other questions if she told them that Riley's spirit had come to her. She walked to one of the chairs and sat down on it, she craved for some time by herself, but she knew that she shouldn't worry her friends. She placed her head on her heads, thinking back on what the hell happened back at the forest, Riley's spirit returning gave her a little bit of hope though, a little.
Farkle knew that the young blonde was acting weird and had kept giving Maya side glances when he knew that she won't notice. Whenever the blonde would visit Riley's grave she would straight up leave the place, she never stayed for long because the sight of nature reminder her of the happy times, this was the reason why she wasn't frequently visiting the 'Haven' anymore.
So this was a weird sight for Farkle and the others -if they noticed the odd behaviour- to see, Maya slumping on a chair, face buried within her hands.
"What's wrong Farkle?" Lucas had approached the slightly shorter boy, noticing that he had been staring at Maya with a look that always said that he was thinking and that says alot considering Farkle is the god of knowledge.
"Huh? Oh...nothing's wrong, just thinking again." He answered, shaking his head. Lucas wasn't convinced in the slightest, but he had let it go because 1. This was Farkle, he always thinks and 2. There is a good reason why he's thinking.
The taller of the two also noticed that Maya had been acting oddly ever since she left the forest, but he had never thought of it, he just figured that the blonde was exhausted, between the work and the repeating problems at the underworld, that had seemed the best bet. Right now, he's beginning to doubt that thought as he stares at Maya's slumping form.
Maya rode back home on the subway with Smackle, Farkle, Zay and Lucas towards their shared home, the house was huge to fit multiple people and they shared it because they figured that it was better than having a random human living with one of them. Better to be safe than sorry they say.
Smackle and Farkle were whispering in each others ear, they look like they were on a disagreement about something and they were secretly glancing at something on the middle of the train they were in. Maya ignored them, she assumed that they were talking about something she wouldn't even understand in one bit. Zay was too busy looking at his phone, laughing quietly to himself, possibly one of those memes again and Lucas, Lucas looked bored. He trained his gaze ahead, watching the outside view -if you could call subway tunnel walls a view- pass by.
They all waited for the train to arrive at their stop but it seemed like hours had passed ever sinced they boarded the train. Finally, the train slowed to a stop and the doors opened with a hiss, indicating that they were allowed to leave the vehicle.
As they were stepping on the platform, Lucas placed a comforting hand on Maya's shoulder, "Hey, you okay?" He asked, wanting to know if the blonde girl was okay like she had been insisting since this morning.
Maya spun around and began to walk backwards while glaring at Lucas for the question, "Yes Lucas, I'm fine." she snapped with a defending tone. The god of war placed his hands up in a surrender.
'How Ironic,' he thought, seeing the situation where the god of war surrendered.
The blonde girl continued to walk backwards, unaware that she was about to collide against someone who was on their phone.
"Maya look out!"
The blonde spun around to look out but it was too late, she already collided with the person. Maya stumbled at the force of the impact but the girl was falling backwards, it looked like everything was in slow motion but Maya had quick reflexes and had quickly grabbed the arm and pulled the girl towards her. Maya's blue eyes widened when her brain registered the face in front of her.
Meanwhile, the brown-haired girl blushed as she realised that they were in a dipping position. After clearing her throat, she began to release herself from their awkward hold -she had liked it though- and began to stand up. She felt her face warm up upon realising that the beautiful short blonde in front of her was looking at her in disbelief with wide piercing blue eyes.
The brunette gazed behind the blonde and her company of four people, a brown-haired girl who was sporting glasses, a boy with dark brown hair that was swept up, a taller boy with brown hair and green eyes and a dark skinned boy with curly hair had open jaws and wide eyes, their eyes saying the same emotion, disbelief.
"I..um..better go." She pointed at the exit of the subway, she started to turn towards it when she felt a warm hand grab at her wrist, warmth shot up on her arm as soon as they touched again. She turned her head towards the open jawed strangers and her warm brown eyes met piercing cold blue ones, it had taken the girl a moment to register what the blonde in front of her was saying.
"Can I at least know your name?"
The brunette looked at her in surprised, out of all the questions, she didn't expect one that asked for her name. The blonde held her questioning gaze on the brunette, so she switched her gaze towards the floor and answered the question.
"Uh...My name's Riley," she told them, if the strangers' eyes could widen even further, they just did. She continued.
"Riley Matthews."