Hold Me Close.
that day.
Maya sat in the red leather chair in the corner of her bedroom, staring at the blank, white wall. Though her eyes were once bright and lively, they now were dead and gray. If it weren’t for her scarce blinking, one might think she had died with eyes wide open, frozen in her spot. Her already pale complexion was sickly in appearance now. It looked paper-thin and you could see her bones vividly, the only sign that she was in fact human. After a few minutes, she began to rock in the chair while she continued to stare blankly at the wall.
Her lips were dry, cracked, and lacked their normal pink shade. Her cheeks were no longer rosy and her usually golden hair looked like straw instead of silk. Her fragile hands moved to her arms, tracing the self-inflicted tracks that were always present. She stopped rocking and closed her eyes, while her breathing became slow and shallow. She dug her fingernails into her skin, creating little crescent moon marks all over her body. Each mark was deeper than the one before it, and closer to drawing blood. She opened her eyes and gave a ghost of a smile to no one. She once again began to rock, her eyes never leaving the wall.
Oliver walked through the hallway of her home, knowing exactly where he would find her. She was where she always was, in the corner staring at the wall in silence. He bit his lip as he stood outside of her room for a moment and took a deep breath, knowing today would be different. This was it. He could no longer watch the girl he loved destroy herself right in front of him. He knew she wouldn’t like it, but at this point, he didn’t care. He was doing it for her own good, and perhaps, his as well.
He took a few small steps onto the plush white carpet and watched her from afar. He knew that she was aware of him, but she was too preoccupied in her own world to acknowledge him. He stared at her face, forcing himself to keep his composure. She was a shadow of the Maya he knew. He remembered when he fell in love with the lively girl who lived down the street. Every minute they had spent together was heaven on earth. But right now, that girl was gone, leaving this placeholder behind.
“Maya?” His voice was hardly audible, but in the silence of the room it seemed in ring loud and clear. Maya tilted her head slightly yet continued to stare at the wall, uninterested. Oliver moved closer and sighed, biting his lip. His palms grew sweaty and his heart began to accelerate. He moved to stand right behind Maya’s rocking chair, hovering over her. He became choked up for a moment, his breath catching in his throat. He put his hand on her shoulder and grasped it tightly, trying to get at least an ounce of reaction.
He shook his head and backed away when Maya still remained in her spot. He moved up against a wall on the opposite side of the room, watching as two men in white now entered the room. They wore gloves and were marked with badges from the local institution, a place that Oliver himself knew well. The men moved to Maya and grabbed both of her arms, lifting her from her red, rocking chair. They guided her through the room and began to take her away. She gave Oli a ghostly look before they took her outside, the most emotion she had offered in months.
The men placed Maya into a van, securing her tightly before driving off. This was no secret and Maya knew exactly where she was being shipped off to. One of the men turned around and looked at Maya with somewhat of a pitiful face on. “Can you tell us your name, sweetheart?” She cringed at the pet name and nodded, before speaking quietly. “Maya Kaplan.” The man nodded and reached out his hand, before giving Maya’s knee a tight squeeze. “Don’t worry, Maya. We’re going to help you through this.” She wanted to fight. She wanted to scream and tell them she didn’t need or want their help, but she knew she was wrong. There was no point in fighting, because this was what she really wanted, deep down. And so did Oliver.
Her lips were dry, cracked, and lacked their normal pink shade. Her cheeks were no longer rosy and her usually golden hair looked like straw instead of silk. Her fragile hands moved to her arms, tracing the self-inflicted tracks that were always present. She stopped rocking and closed her eyes, while her breathing became slow and shallow. She dug her fingernails into her skin, creating little crescent moon marks all over her body. Each mark was deeper than the one before it, and closer to drawing blood. She opened her eyes and gave a ghost of a smile to no one. She once again began to rock, her eyes never leaving the wall.
Oliver walked through the hallway of her home, knowing exactly where he would find her. She was where she always was, in the corner staring at the wall in silence. He bit his lip as he stood outside of her room for a moment and took a deep breath, knowing today would be different. This was it. He could no longer watch the girl he loved destroy herself right in front of him. He knew she wouldn’t like it, but at this point, he didn’t care. He was doing it for her own good, and perhaps, his as well.
He took a few small steps onto the plush white carpet and watched her from afar. He knew that she was aware of him, but she was too preoccupied in her own world to acknowledge him. He stared at her face, forcing himself to keep his composure. She was a shadow of the Maya he knew. He remembered when he fell in love with the lively girl who lived down the street. Every minute they had spent together was heaven on earth. But right now, that girl was gone, leaving this placeholder behind.
“Maya?” His voice was hardly audible, but in the silence of the room it seemed in ring loud and clear. Maya tilted her head slightly yet continued to stare at the wall, uninterested. Oliver moved closer and sighed, biting his lip. His palms grew sweaty and his heart began to accelerate. He moved to stand right behind Maya’s rocking chair, hovering over her. He became choked up for a moment, his breath catching in his throat. He put his hand on her shoulder and grasped it tightly, trying to get at least an ounce of reaction.
He shook his head and backed away when Maya still remained in her spot. He moved up against a wall on the opposite side of the room, watching as two men in white now entered the room. They wore gloves and were marked with badges from the local institution, a place that Oliver himself knew well. The men moved to Maya and grabbed both of her arms, lifting her from her red, rocking chair. They guided her through the room and began to take her away. She gave Oli a ghostly look before they took her outside, the most emotion she had offered in months.
The men placed Maya into a van, securing her tightly before driving off. This was no secret and Maya knew exactly where she was being shipped off to. One of the men turned around and looked at Maya with somewhat of a pitiful face on. “Can you tell us your name, sweetheart?” She cringed at the pet name and nodded, before speaking quietly. “Maya Kaplan.” The man nodded and reached out his hand, before giving Maya’s knee a tight squeeze. “Don’t worry, Maya. We’re going to help you through this.” She wanted to fight. She wanted to scream and tell them she didn’t need or want their help, but she knew she was wrong. There was no point in fighting, because this was what she really wanted, deep down. And so did Oliver.
♠ ♠ ♠
1/3.