A/N:WE'RE BACKTO THE ORIGINAL TIMELINE... THIS IS DURING PHEI AND ASHFORD MADAM ARE STILL IN OFFICE.
*****
Maya didn't resist when they dragged her out.
Not because she couldn't have turned the entire street into a painting of screaming statues with a single bored glance.
Not because Melissa's grip on her wrist felt anything more than politely insistent, or because Emily's soft "Maya, please, we really need to go" carried the weight of actual authority over a girl who casually collected forbidden truths the way other people collected limited-edition sneakers.
No. Maya went quietly because Melissa was worried.
And when Melissa worried, the worry grew fangs, claws, and the kind of maternal ferocity that only develops after a decade of shielding the boy you love from an entire ecosystem of people who wanted him erased.
