BACK TO REALITY 1
~MAYA'S POV~
The key stuck in the lock.
It always stuck. You had to jiggle it, pull it back a millimeter, and twist. I stood in the hallway of my building in Queens, wrestling with the brass knob until my palm hurt.
Behind me, Mrs. Gable's TV was blowing up a game show, vibrating through the thin floorboards. The hallway smelled like boiled cabbage and lemon Pledge.
It smelled like my real life.
"Come on," I muttered, too tired to be angry. "Just open."
The lock gave way with a pathetic click. I shouldered the door open and dropped my duffel bag inside. It hit the linoleum with a thud.
I kicked the door shut and leaned my forehead against the peeling paint. It was quiet. But not the serious, expensive quiet of the Aspen lodge.
This silence was different. It wa
