The Enemy Within

Another Turn

Maya couldn't shake off her annoyance over Mr Jason. She really wished she wouldn't see him again for the rest of his visit to the town but avoiding him might be difficult since she was a major worker in the farm.

"Hello Mrs Maya" Mr Jason appeared behind her startling her.

"Good day sir" Maya greeted avoiding his gaze.

"There's no need for that, you can still call me J. How are my friends?" He asked smiling.

"Your friends?" Maya questioned confused on what he meant.

"Yeah, Nathaniel and Natalie" he replied and Maya rolled her eyes. She wasn't interested in having any conversation with him.

"what are the odds that we would meet her especially"

"Especially after you lied that your name is J and you don't know Mr Jason" Maya cut him off.

"Technically my name is still J and about the Jason stuff, I'm sorry it wasn' intentional" He apologized.

"Yeah, of course. You do something fully aware of what you are doing then go on to say it wasn't intentional. Lying is always intentional" Maya shouted angered.

"wow! I'm sorry, I really didn't know it was that deep and you would care so much about it" Jason defended.

"You don't lie to people and tell them how to manage their emotions. Why do you have to lie in the first place? the whole world will be damn safe and easy if people just stayed honest and don't go about hurting other's feelings" Maya retorted and couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

Jason knew that this wasn't about him or the lie he told, he could fully understand that Maya was suffering from something else and he felt sorry that he triggered it.

"Hey Maya, I really sorry. I promise to be honest with you." He said tapping Maya on her back to pacify him, Maya wiped her tears and removed his hand from her back.

"Stay away from me!" she warned then left.

Jason spent days trying to get Maya to talk to him but she wasn't interested and kept on waiting for the day that he would leave. Nathaniel on the other hand was always excited to see him, they would chat and play in the farm till Jason pretends to be exhausted so Nathaniel can leave him alone. Maya didn't mind that Nathaniel liked him, she was happy to see him so cheerful but she didn't want Jason talking to her.

" I would be going back to the city tomorrow Ma Kate" Jason said to ma Kate in her office.

"Ah, my darling Jason. You have done so much for us. I don't know how to thank you enough. You're so kind" Ma Kate appreciated him

"I should be one thanking you and the town for all you did for me and my mom" Jason replied holding ma Kate hands.

"oh, your mother. Such a sweet sweet woman. May her beautiful soul rest in peace" ma Kate said.

"About Maya, are you just going to leave things like that with her?" Ma Kate enquired.

"Believe me, I tried but she's so bent on not forgiving me. I really don't know why she's overreacting" Jason defended.

Ma Kate laughed and asked him to sit down, she told him the story of everything Maya had suffered in the hands of her husband and best friend and that's the reason why she hated lies so much. Jason felt so sorry for her and disappointed in himself.

He promised Ma Kate to make up with her before leaving for the city and Ma Kate thanked him.

Maya was walking home with Nathaniel and Natalie after picking them from school and met Jason waiting by the entrance to her apartment.

Nathaniel rushed to him and Jason lifted him in an embrace while Maya walked past them and got into her apartment.

" I'm leaving tomorrow, I came to say goodbye" Jason said to Maya and she nodded.

"Maya, I'm really sorry. I had no excuses for lying to you like that. I felt very comfortable with you and I didn't want to ruin it" he pressed on.

"So you rather mess with someone else so you can stay feeling good?" Maya questioned and kissed her tongue.

"You all are just the same" she muttered.

"I'm nothing like your ex husband Maya" Jason retorted.

"What did you just say?" Maya asked him holding her gaze with him.

"Nothing. I'm sorry. I don't want to leave knowing you are mad at me" Jason said pleaded.

"You shouldn't care Mr Jason, we are not friends and it doesn't matter how I feel about you or what I think of you. It adds or removes nothing from you" Maya replied dismissing the conversation and Jason left unhappy that he couldn't fix things between them.

Maya had gone to the nearby store to get some groceries when she noticed a strange man following her, she found it awkward but shook off the feeling. He couldn't be following her, she was just being paranoid. She thought.

She got to her apartment and started making dinner, she looked out the window and saw the strange man again.

She bolted the window and doors and asked Nathaniel not to go out.

Maya and her kids were sleeping when she thought she heard a strange noise in her apartment.

Scared but determined to know what it was, she got up and found her entrance door open.

Just as she was about to get her phone to call for help. She felt a sharp pain on her back. Someone had hit her so hard that she passed out.

Maya regained consciousness after two hours and staggered to her room to find Natalie gone. Fear went down her spine and she started sweating profusely. Where is her daughter?

She dashed out of the house in search of her daughter asking anyone she found on the road, she was so confused on what to do next.

People started running towards the direction of her apartment screaming "Fire! Fire!"

She turned to look and her house was on fire. Maya froze seeing her house on fire and her son was inside.