Witch Doctors Inc: SEASON TWO (Ongoing)

Part 1.10

The others are late to the meeting. It's just the two of us for a while - me on the sofa, trying not to mind a raincloud that's mistaken my hair for a wild plant, and Maya sitting in a patch of enchanted daisies. She hugs her knees to her chest. The bags under her eyes are unmistakeable in the daisy glow.

"You sure you're okay?" I ask, uneasily.

She already told me she was, but maybe this was one of those times when you're supposed to ask again to make sure.

Maya smiles gently. "I'm much better after taking the fresh air. The picnic was lovely. I just needed a break for while." She looks up from the daisies. "Thank you for coming, Lily."

"Why did you want all of us to come along?" I ask. "Not that I'm ungrateful," I add quickly. "I'm just curious."

"I suppose..."She leans back, closing her eyes. "It's nice to have company, you know?"

"But you're always surrounded by fans."

Maya's smile is tinged with sadness. "That's not the same, Lily."

"You don't like hanging out with your fans?" I'm confused.

"I love my fans. I wouldn't be where I am without them. But I have a responsibility to them too, to be that person they see on screen. The person they want me to be. Sometimes I feel like simply being me."

"What about your family?"

Maya hesitates. "They're...happy with my success. We're on good terms these days."

I raise an eyebrow. "These days?"

Maya's smile is delicately thin. "My parents approved of my interest in archaeology, but our approaches to it are different. I loved it, unearthing history. I wanted to know the story behind every ancient ruin. It didn't matter if I wasn't the best student in the class as long as I followed the tug of my imagination. I'd say that my parents and I weren't on the same page, but I don't think we even read from the same library."

I watch her with scrutiny, and something distant blooms in her eyes, beyond the pinkness.

"My parents wanted me to be the Rhodda Undeen of archaeology," she explains, referring to the architect behind Zilitron's crystal walls. "When they realised I wasn't going to earn a fortune or make my name from it, they were disappointed. When I started to focus on influencing, they were even less happy."

"But now that you've made a fortune, they're on board," I say drily.

Maya sighs. "I guess I wasn't quite the daughter they wanted. It took them a while to acknowledge my success, but all this...money, houses, fame...it's something they understand. Passion, not so much."

I nod. I know what it's like to be at odds with your family. If my mother hadn't died, it might have been different. But she did, and it wasn't.

Onyx trots in and goes straight for the cupcakes.

"You have to wait for Addy," I snap at him. "Don't be greedy."

Where is Adamantine? he enquires, ignoring my admonishment.

"She's taking a rose petal bath," Maya replies. "She'll be finished soon."

I narrow my eyes at Maya.

Onyx settles into his own patch of daisies and closes his eyes against the glow. I am glad the fool did not come, he says. He is not an appropriate match for Adamantine. I do not approve of her consorting with the unemployed.

I scowl at him. "He's a prince."

An unemployed prince.

"What's your job then, cat? Licking fleas?"