Breaking the Circle Read online

  Then came the familiar sense of panic – separated from her family, she was running, searching, shouting out their names. She tossed and turned as the images flickered and faded. There were no faces, just shadows, until the shadows were consumed by flames – fierce, flaring flames lighting up the night sky. It was a recurring dream – flames silhouetting a church roof, flames licking at a locked door and inside the flames people screaming.

  The dream ended as it always did with Maya shouting out in her sleep, but this time, just before she woke she saw something new – a girl, a small girl, thin with straggly blonde hair. She grabbed Maya’s hands and pulled her away from the fire, muttering words in a language Maya couldn’t understand. The girl’s hands were hard and firm on her back, and then she was falling. The last thing she saw were the girl’s eyes, lit by the fire – they gleamed with a golden light.

  When she awoke, Maya’s face was wet with tears, her breath hot as she sat up in bed, clasping and unclasping her hands.

  Helen, who’d come running at the sound of Maya’s cries, switched on the light. ‘Maya! What’s wrong?’

  ‘A dream, the same one I always have. It was horrible – I was holding my mum’s hand but, she let go. I couldn’t find her and then people were screaming – they couldn’t escape and the fire was getting bigger.’

  Helen took Maya in her arms and hugged her. ‘Oh, my love, you’re safe now.’

  Maya shuddered, burying her head for a moment in Helen’s shoulder. ‘I’m sorry, sorry to make so much fuss. Sorry I woke you.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter one bit. I’m glad I heard you.’ She kissed the top of Maya’s head. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

  ‘No. It’s gone. I’m fine now. I’ll go back to sleep.’

  Helen nodded and stood up. Maya lay back on her pillow and briefly closed her eyes but just as Helen was about to leave she spoke.

  ‘I saw something new. There was a girl. She saved me – pulled me away from the fire. She was shouting. I couldn’t understand her, but I think she was telling me to move, and when I didn’t, she dragged me away. And I saw her face, I’m sure I did but now. . .’ Maya rubbed at her eyes. ‘I can’t remember, I can’t see her – she’s gone.’

  ‘She pushed you into the ditch?’

  Deep furrows etched Maya’s face. ‘I think so, I was falling and then I woke up.’

  Helen smiled and squeezed her hand. ‘And that was where you were found – in the ditch.’

  ‘Yep, Maya, the bog child. Pam said I was so dirty, they didn’t know if I was a boy or girl.’

  ‘Well, whoever that girl was, if she did save you from the fire, I will thank her forever.’

  Maya squinted up at Helen and smiled. ‘Me too,’ she said, turning onto her side. ‘I’m OK now, Gran. Go back to bed. Sorry, I was such a baby.’

  Helen shook her head. ‘Give yourself a break. You can’t be superwoman all the time.’

  For the rest of the night, Maya fell into a deep sleep. When she woke, her dreams were forgotten. It was Saturday and uppermost in her mind was the party her best friends Leona and Evie were giving to welcome her back to school.

  A few weeks before the summer holidays began there had been threats to kidnap Maya and she’d had to quit London to hide in the countryside at Helen’s cottage. What should have been a nice long relaxing holiday before GCSEs kicked in properly had turned out to be a harrowing, dangerous adventure, and she hadn’t been able to return to London or see her friends until the new term began.

  To make up for all the fun times she’d missed, there was to be a big party at Leona’s house, so Maya’s morning was spent getting ready and deciding what to wear. After several phone calls to Leona, she discarded a dress bought for her by Pam, deciding it was gorgeous but too posh, and instead she chose a red silk top and new jeans – casual with a touch of glamour was the look she was aiming for. The cut on her foot was a nuisance, but there were some new high-heeled sandals she just had to wear.

  It was these sandals she was cursing as she hobbled through Parklands Estate towards Leona’s house – and that blasted dog for chasing her. Holding onto a gate, she lifted her leg and was busy inspecting her foot to see if the cut had reopened when she was startled by a sudden whirring of wheels and loud shout. She reared up as a bicycle raced towards her, mounted the pavement, then wheeled away.

  ‘Hey, watch it!’ she yelled.

  The cyclist pedalled off, then turned and came back. It was one of the crop-haired boys who’d asked her for money the previous day. He skidded to a halt in front of her.

  ‘You’re the girl Gerard robbed yesterday, ain’t ya?’

  Maya shrugged.

  ‘’E’s looking for you.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘’E reckons you took your stuff back, and took something else that belongs to ‘im.’

  ‘Rubbish! He’s a liar,’ Maya shot back.

  The boy laughed. ‘’E’s after you and ‘e’ll get you.’ Then, turning the handlebars of his bike, he scooted off, shouting over his shoulder. ‘’Is dog’ll eat your ‘ead.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Maya called after him. ‘Thanks for nothing.’

  Suddenly the estate seemed like enemy territory. In the distance a dog barked and Maya doubly cursed her elegant sandals as she tottered and tripped towards Leona’s house. If Gerard appeared with Gunner, she had no chance of running.

  With relief she reached Leona’s gate and closed it firmly behind her. Music spilled out of open windows as she knocked on the door and then Leona was there, welcoming her with a friendly squeal.

  ‘Hey, babes! Brilliant, you’re early. Come on in!’

  She was grinning widely as she ushered Maya through to the living room.

  ‘Wow! I can’t believe you’ve done all this for me!’ Maya exclaimed, looking round the room festooned with balloons, streamers and ‘Welcome Back’ signs.

  ‘You’re my mate. It was a lousy summer without you.’

  ‘It wasn’t exactly wonderful for me,’ Maya said, with a wry smile.

  ‘I know.’ Leona gave her a pat on the back, then climbed onto a chair to tie up an escaping balloon. ‘It must have been horrible wondering what was happening to your mum.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Maya agreed. ‘It was.’

  ‘You were amazing,’ Leona said, jumping back down from the chair.

  ‘I didn’t really stop to think. It happened so fast.’ She scrunched up her face. ‘What I told you is secret. Don’t go spreading it around, will you?’

  ‘No, course not, but if it was me, I’d want it all over the papers.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have minded – front page headlines, celebrity.’ Raising her hands, Maya went into action hero pose and commented in exaggerated newsreader style. ‘FIFTEEN YEAR OLD SCHOOLGIRL THWARTS TERRORISTS. MOTHER SNATCHED FROM THE JAWS OF HELL BY. . .’ her voice softened, ‘drop-dead gorgeous, super-intelligent daughter.’

  ‘Go, girl!’ Leona laughed.

  Maya lowered her hands and made a disappointed face. ‘Sadly not to be. Pam has to keep a low profile.’ She picked up a red balloon and started to blow. ‘Did I tell you she wanted me to change schools?’ she continued between puffs.

  Leona looked horrified. ‘No! You didn’t tell me that!’

  ‘She wanted me to go to a boarding school. Said it would be easier to protect me if any trouble kicked off again.’

  ‘Well, I’m glad you didn’t.’

  ‘Me too,’ Maya said as she finished blowing up the balloon. She tied it and batted it to her friend. ‘Couldn’t leave my old mates, could I?’

  Leona batted the balloon back. ‘Nah, me and Evie couldn’t survive Maths without you. Who’d do our homework? And you’d be a walking disaster without us – you’d turn into a right nerd.’ She turned to look at herself in the mirror, adjusting a string of giant white beads. ‘Like your top by the way, and your sandals. ’

  ‘Thanks. You look great, as always.’

  Leona gathered up her hair and let it fa
ll again. ‘Up or down?’

  Maya laughed. ‘Definitely down, it looks sexier.’

  ‘Thank the lord for hair extensions,’ Leona said, posing.

  Maya went up behind her and pulled faces in the mirror. Turning round, Leona gave her a hug.

  ‘I’m so glad you didn’t get hurt or nothing. And don’t you think about going to another school – you, me and Evie, we’re the Fearsome Threesome, always.’

  Maya laughed. ‘Fill me in on who’s coming tonight.’

  ‘All the usual suspects from school, plus Jimbo and Danny from year twelve, Petra from next door, my cousin Serena.’

  ‘Oh right, so that’s all the guys spoken for, then.’

  Leona nodded. ‘Yep, nothing compares to Serena. She’s bringing her new boyfriend. He’s cool, he’s been hanging around with us all summer – you’ve missed loads.’

  ‘Thanks, that makes me feel a whole lot better,’ Maya said.

  Leona laughed. ‘Come on, let’s organise some drink.’

  They went into the kitchen where plates of food covered in cling film sat on the work tops. Leona opened a cupboard and took out a jug, pulled a big pack of ice from the freezer and fished two rolling pins out of a drawer.

  As they banged away at the ice, Leona asked, ‘So, where’s your mum gone now?’

  Maya whacked the cluster of cubes with a hefty blow. ‘She wouldn’t tell me.’

  ‘Sometimes I wish my mum would disappear,’ Leona said. ‘She’s always on at me.’

  ‘Your mum’s lovely.’

  ‘Hey, did I tell you I’ve got a Saturday job?’ Leona asked. ‘I’m starting next week. It was Serena’s, but she’s working full time now – chucked school and she’s working in Topshop.’

  ‘Maybe I should get a job,’ Maya said.

  ‘You don’t need it. You’ve got money.’

  ‘I’m not rich,’ Maya protested.

  ‘No, you live on the estate like the rest of us, yeah?’ Leona answered.

  Maya didn’t take offence. She knew Leona envied her elegant two storey apartment on its quiet leafy street, but Leona also knew there were times when Maya would have swapped with her to have a family life with a mum and dad at home and two older brothers who adored her.

  ‘I think these are small enough now,’ Maya said, inspecting the plastic bag of broken ice.

  She limped over to get the jug.

  ‘What’s wrong with your leg?’ Leona asked.

  ‘Cut it, last night. I was mugged.’

  ‘What?’ Leona gasped, open-mouthed. ‘Why didn’t you tell me? I called you three times this morning and you never mentioned it.’

  ‘I was going to, but I don’t know, it was weird . . . strange. I met this girl and well, I got my stuff back and. . .’

  There was a sudden movement behind her and Maya turned to see Leona’s mum Sadie enter the kitchen.

  ‘How’s my beautiful Maya? Welcome back! We thought we‘d lost you forever!’ Sadie said, as she enfolded Maya in a big bear hug. ‘Good to see you. Now you enjoy the party, huh? I cooked your favourite bean patties.’

  Breathing in Sadie’s familiar scent of lavender soap and spices, Maya put her arms round Sadie’s ample middle and hugged her back. ‘Thanks Sadie!’

  Kissing Maya’s forehead, Sadie broke away and gestured to the food and drink. ‘Don’t you be too busy dancin’ and canoodlin’ that you forget to eat. And watch if anybody’s smugglin’ in alcohol. Don’t want nobody passing out on my bathroom floor.’ She rearranged a couple of cupcakes, then span round towards the door, skirt swaying, long scarf floating behind her. ‘Any problems, I’m four doors away. You have a good time, now.’

  ‘We will,’ Maya and Leona answered.

  They heard voices in the hallway. ‘Some guests have arrived,’ Sadie shouted, on her way out.

  ‘Go on. Tell me,’ Leona said. ‘Quick before everybody comes in. What happened?’

  Maya poured some ice into the jug. ‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.’

  * * *

  Some of the first guests to make an appearance were Evie and her friend Zac.

  ‘I told you I’d bring him,’ Evie said, ushering Zac in and smiling smugly as if she’d turned up with precious treasure.

  Zac gave a general, ‘Hi,’ to everybody then stepped towards Maya and held out a long thin arm to solemnly shake her hand. ‘Hi! I’m Zac,’ he said, smiling broadly.

  Mm! That smile could melt chocolate, Maya thought.

  And she liked him instantly – perfect teeth, smooth, nutty skin and eyes that sparkled with a hint of mischief. She wasn’t sure about the wild Afro hair and the attempt at a goatee, but he was certainly better than average.

  ‘Maya, right?’ he asked, holding onto her hand. ‘Evie tells me you run.’

  Maya smiled. ‘Not all the time. Sometimes I stand still.’

  Zac threw his head back, light glinting on his cheekbones and laughed. ‘Not a great openin’ line.’

  ‘It’s OK. Evie’s always teasing me about running, and how much I miss out on by not going shopping instead.’

  ‘Dead right,’ Evie said. ‘You can get all the exercise you want walking up and down Oxford Street.’

  ‘Oh yeah, lifting all those carrier bags,’ Maya said, seizing Evie’s arm. ‘Feel these muscles.’

  ‘Maya!’ Evie shrieked.

  ‘You are friends?’ Zac asked, in mock seriousness.

  ‘Been together since junior school,’ Evie said, thumping Maya’s arm. ‘She’s a bit of a freak, but can be a good laugh, if you get her in the right mood.’

  With a pat on first Maya’s then Zac’s shoulders, Evie moved away. ‘I’ll find Leona. Leave you two nerds to get to know each other.’

  They watched Evie sashay into the kitchen, where a growing number of people were chatting loudly.

  ‘Evie talks about you a lot,’ Zac said. ‘She admires you.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yeah, says you’re focused. Know what you want.’

  Maya raised her eyebrows. ‘Maybe. Well, yeah, I suppose I do.’

  ‘And what would that be?’

  ‘To pass my exams, go to uni, work for the government – like my mum.’

  ‘Top security agent.’

  ‘Somebody’s been talking.’

  ‘Only a little bit. Just enough to get me interested.’

  ‘Well, I hope I live up to expectations.’

  Zac smiled. ‘More than.’

  They laughed, their eyes meeting.

  I like him, Maya thought. He’s not afraid to say what he thinks.

  A lot of boys she knew were so guarded, so worried about saying the wrong thing, or then there was the opposite type, who thought everything they said was world news. But Zac seemed easy with himself, and had a sense of humour, was good-looking – and that smile was dynamite. She also liked the fact that he was taller than she was.

  They moved into a corner and sat down, Zac stretching out his long legs in front of him. Conversation flowed easily and they found they had lots in common – they liked the same music, sports, food and TV programmes, and could have carried on talking non-stop if Leona hadn’t reappeared and dragged them up to dance.

  ‘I’ve got a bad foot, remember?’ Maya moaned, but really she was pleased to dance with Zac. And he turned out to be an all right dancer – not one of those guys who hardly moved and just sort of twitched when they were supposed to be dancing, or one of those stupid macho types who thought dancing was just another way to show off. He moved naturally, elegantly.

  When a song with a slower beat started to play, Zac moved forward and put his arms round her and she was only too pleased to rest her head on his shoulder. For a moment she closed her eyes. The rhythm was slow and sensuous and for the first time in ages she felt relaxed. The feeling didn’t last long. A hand touched her arm, she opened her eyes and over Zac’s shoulder saw Leona leading her cousin Serena into the room.

  Whenever Serena walked into a room it
was an event. She was stunningly beautiful and everything about her was perfect – her hair, her clothes, the way she walked. Maya had seen her only a few times over the past couple of years and had to admit she’d grown even more gorgeous.

  She was so busy admiring Serena, looking at her cool hairstyle and make-up, that it took a moment to see she was holding somebody’s hand. When her eyes flicked away from Serena’s shimmering dress to the slim, dark-haired guy by her side, she gasped. His face was tilted away from her, a strand of long, black, silky hair hung over one eye, giving him a shadowy look – just as the hood had done last night. She only had a moment to recover before Serena introduced him. ‘This is Gerard.’

  Maya tensed as Gerard glanced at her. She saw his eyes narrow, a flicker of recognition, and then he smiled. ‘So, this is where all the good-lookin’ girls have been hidin’,’ he said.

  ‘Smooth talker, ain’t he?’ Serena said, gripping his arm.

  ‘Yeah, real smooth,’ Maya answered, the words sliding slowly out of her mouth, her tongue curling upwards as she stared him fully in the face.

  The Gerard that looked back at her was transformed. This guy who was Serena’s boyfriend smiled in a friendly, open manner. His brown eyes fringed with dark lashes gleamed with good humour. Instead of the dark hoodie, he was wearing a white sports shirt, his black hair carefully combed so that it curled over the back of the collar, just one silky strand framing his finely-sculpted cheekbones. Maya remembered his skin as sallow, but in the soft light of the living room, it took on a bronze sheen. The whole image added up to a cool, stylish guy, with an air of ease and confidence – someone you’d definitely want to be seen with.

  ‘So, do you . . . er . . . wanna dance?’ Gerard asked, nodding towards Maya. And, before she could collect her thoughts, he had hold of her arm.

  ‘Hey, are you leavin’ me?’ Serena protested.