It had been a few months since the Cullens had left and Maya was doing about as well as she could. Ever since Jasper and the rest had left an almost painful pull had settled over her chest and refused to leave. No matter what she did or tried it was still there. It was especially bad when she wasn't busy it would flare up and feel like something was physically tugging at her, trying to convince her to follow it and not stop until she found whatever it was leading her towards. She knew it was the bond trying to lead her to Jasper, but she respected his wish for time.
She had been angry at him for a time, asking herself how he could have possibly thought leaving was in any way a good idea. But one day as she cleaned up the mess of glass from the cup she had crushed in anger she had realized that while she may not agree with his reasons, had she been in his place she probably would have done the same thing. The broken pieces of the glass had dug into her hand and as she dug them out and watched the cuts bleed and then heel, images of what might have happened at the party flashed through her head.
While she may not believe that Jasper could ever lose his control so badly that he would actually hurt her, she could acknowledge that even the possibility of hurting her by accident must terrify him. A fear that was probably only made worse by his past. She knew he had come a long way towards accepting what he had done and not allowing it to drag him down but she knew he still thought of himself as a monster sometimes. Which was probably why he was so quick to believe that he could hurt her. So while she couldn't fully understand how he felt, she knew that had she been in his shoes, where she might accidentally hurt Jasper she was pretty sure that she would also run away as far as she could and not return unless she felt she wasn't a danger to him.
But Jasper would return, of that she was absolutely sure. No one in the world would be able to resist the pull of the mate bond forever. Which meant that all she had to do was find ways to distract herself until he mastered his fear and came back to her. However, some days that was easier than others. The pull she felt was always especially bad after each time she attempted to call or text Jasper and they went unanswered. Apparently, leaving for training included not talking to her. Probably because Maya was just so amazing that any sign of her would be far too distracting for him to focus. Or at least that was Maya's theory and she was going to stick to it for as long as she could because the alternatives were just too depressing.
So Maya stayed busy and did everything in her power to outrun the pull of the bond, not to mention the feelings that invaded her any time thoughts of Jasper's family entered her head. It had honestly hurt worse than she could have predicted when the family had left without even saying goodbye. It had reminded her too much of Renee and how the woman had seemingly just written her off as less important. At her worst she honestly believed that if she stopped for even a moment, then it all would catch up with her and she would break down like she had spent the first week doing. She had promised herself that she wouldn't do that again. Not only because she thought it ridiculous (Jasper was coming back after all) but also because she could see how it worried her father. Given that he already had Bella to worry about, she didn't want to add to his stress.
And so, after a week of almost constant crying as she adjusted to the strained bond and being abandoned by her friends, she had spent her free time shifting and running through the woods. She pushed herself as hard as she could, running until her legs trembled and she couldn't catch her breath. By the time she would manage to stumble home, she would be too tired to do anything besides crawl into bed and fall into a deep dreamless sleep of exhaustion.
Eventually though she had to find other ways to cope as Bella's catatonic state meant that she was needed at home more. Which led her to stress cleaning and baking. Or rather cooking. Needless to say, they would not be running out of ready-made meals anytime soon if their overflowing freezer was anything to go by. She was also doing better in school than ever before. In an attempt to distract herself from thoughts of the Cullens, she had thrown herself into her school work. She would stay up all night completing any and all projects she could so that hopefully by the next night she would be tired enough to find that dreamless rest she craved. Only to wake up and begin the cycle again.
It wasn't the healthiest routine but all in all, she thought that she was handling everything pretty well. Or at least better than Bella was. Yes, she missed them all terribly and did whatever she could to avoid thinking about it and the constant pull that made her want to claw at her chest until it went away, but she knew she would see them again. It helped that two weeks after they left Alice and Rose had begun sending her short texts to let her know that they were all fine and what they were up to. But as she was still mad at them for not saying goodbye, she only gave one-word replies.
The only reason why she was responding to them at all was because they were her only link to Jasper. They kept her updated on how he was doing and sent pictures. She knew they were bribes to forgive them, but she held onto her anger. Which in her mind was perfectly justified; no friend just up and leaves like they did without saying goodbye and then tries to chat with you like nothing happened. So she stewed in her anger and nursed her grudge, idly calculating how many chocolates and snacks they were going to have to buy her before she would forgive them.
Although in the rare moments where she didn't have enough to keep her mind and body occupied she could admit to herself that what she really was, was lonely. She had not realized just how isolated she had become until the Cullens left. All of a sudden, she had no one to chat with before school, or sit with at lunch, or crack jokes with in class. Yes the texts helped, especially since Jasper was still not answering her calls, but it wasn't the same as having them here to talk with face to face. So she stubbornly clung to her anger all the more, refusing to give into the sadness and loneliness.
She also began calling her family more, reaching out practically everyday instead of once a week. None of them were complaining about it, but she could tell they were starting to think something was up so she had to cut back. She was in no mood to explain Jasper and all that had happened with him that led to him leaving for a while.
Whenever everything really became too much though Maya did what she did best; find adventures in the world around her. She had begun to roam again, something she had not really done when she was with Jasper, the urge just never really striking. But now it was as if she was compelled to spend as much time away from the house as possible. Of course this urge could also have something to do with her sister.
Bella had been basically catatonic since the Cullens had left, not really doing anything but sitting in her chair by the window. Maya had tried her best to be there for her at first and get her to come back to herself but had given up when Bella had lashed out at her. She had been talking to her, trying to get her to react, which she finally had. By throwing a book at Maya's head and screaming at her to go away and leave her alone. After the fourth time Bella had done this, Maya had done as she asked and now only interacted with Bella when she brought up meals to her or practically dragged her into the bathroom to force her to shower.
Sometimes Maya worried about what this would do to their already practically non-existent relationship, but mostly she had just stopped caring so long as they managed to keep the peace in front of their dad. She was tired of Bella's insults and constant reminders that her life would be better if Maya wasn't in it.
But right now Maya was in the woods, in the form of a cat, thoughts of Bella forgotten as she examined a large canine print in the mud. It was obviously too big for a normal wolf but did not match that of a bear. Curiosity peaked; Maya began to follow the trail through the woods hoping to discover what animal had made these prints.
Shockingly they led past the edge of the woods and into the backyard of a small cottage on the reservation where they abruptly turned into bare human foot prints. Maya was surprised as she had thought herself the only shifter around. But deciding to double check before exposing herself, she climbed a tree, shifting to a smaller size and settled in to wait and see if these new shifters would appear.
Uncle Caius would be so proud of me for being cautious for once and studying my opponent before charging in Maya thought smugly as she settled down to wait.
She did not have to wait long as a group of three boys exited the house, stripping as they went and shifting into large wolves when they reached the trees. Blinking in shock, she felt excitement fill her at this new discovery.
When she was sure they were gone she approached the house, figuring that the woman she saw in the window would be her best bet for getting answers, while also not getting mauled. She had heard stories of the children of the moon from her uncle Caius; men who turned into wolves at the full moon but lost all control. So while she was pretty sure that these were not them and were more like her, she was not taking any chances with being outnumbered four to one.
Take that Alec, she silently crowed, I can totally be cautious and think things through! She was totally rubbing this in his face the next time they talked. Never again would he be able to compare her to her other brothers, Demetri and Felix, who as he claimed "thought with their fists instead of their heads".
Grinning at the thought she shifted as she approached, walking up to the back door, not caring about her nudity, and knocked.
"Its open" A voice from inside called and Maya let herself in. She walked into the nicely decorated little cottage, examining everything as she went. Finally, she came to a stop as she watched a woman mixing up something in the kitchen with her back to Maya.
"Why on earth did you knock? You boys never knock" She spoke, still not turning around.
"Well I was raised to always knock before entering a stranger's home" Maya commented lazily as the woman spun to face her in shock.
Maya was also shocked to see three big scars running down the woman's face. They did not make her any less beautiful, but they did suggest that she had an interesting and probably painful story. Not to mention they made Maya grateful that she decided to approach her and not any of the ones she knew were wolves. She liked her face exactly as it was thank you very much.
"Who are you?! And why are you naked?!"
"Ah, right sorry. Don't suppose I could borrow something?" Maya asked looking down at herself as she blushed.
The woman huffed and threw her the big shirt that was draped over a nearby chair, not taking her eyes off the strange naked girl in front of her.
As Maya was pulling it on, she began to ask questions again, "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
"I'm Maya. Maya Swan, the Police Chief's daughter. Well one of them. And I'm, believe it or not, a shifter. I was out in the woods when I found some odd tracks and followed them here. Then I waited to be sure that you guys really were shifters before approaching to talk."
"You're Charlie's daughter?"
"Yep. If you don't believe me, you can call and ask him. He will even be able to confirm that I am a shifter, though I change into a cat and you guys apparently turn into dogs. But whatever, a shifter's a shifter." Maya finished with a shrug.
"And what do you want with us?" the woman asked, relaxing a little now that she knew who the girl was.
"Not much. You guys are the only other shifters I've ever met and I wanted to chat. Also I've been pretty lonely and you look cool, so I guess also to hang out a bit."
The woman relaxed further as she finished, deciding this odd girl was not a threat and extended her hand for a shake, "I'm Emily."
"Nice to meet you, Emily." Maya said, accepting her hand. "So ... what can you tell me about men that turn into big slobbering mutts?"
Emily let out a laugh, leading her over to the table so she could tell the girl about the tribe legends while she finished baking.
By the time the boys returned the two girls were both in the kitchen, Maya having volunteered to help her, and were laughing and joking like old friends. Maya was once again enjoying having someone she could talk to and Emily was delighted to have a girl who knew the truth to confide in.
"Who's this" one man asked.
"And why is she wearing my shirt?" another questioned.
"Boys meet Maya, the police chief's daughter and fellow shifter. Maya, meet the pack; my fiancée Sam the alpha, Jared his second and Paul, the one who's shirt you are wearing." Emily introduced.
"Pleasure to meet you boys. And sorry about the shirt but as you know clothes don't really work with shifting"
"Wait so you can shift too?" Jared asked disbelieving.
"Yep, but unlike you boys I turn into a cat. And before you ask, yes, my dad knows I can shift, no he can't shift himself, I am adopted, and I have been shifting since I was five" Maya stated, ticking off her fingers as she did, wanting to get the boring questions out of the way.
"Since you were five?" Sam asked impressed.
"Yep. Unlike you guys I'm not triggered by vampires. I just shifted randomly."
"Wow that's cool" Jared said.
From there the group fell into a discussion about the differences between them, like how Maya could change her size or how the boys all bulked up before their first shift. She stayed for dinner at Emily's insistence since she had helped to make it and from then on Maya often found her way to that little cottage for a chat with Emily or a game with the boys.
While she loved her friends and family that were vampires dearly, she had to admit she also loved spending time with a group that fully understood what it meant to be a shifter. She had also discovered that they were fun to play tag with through the woods. Especially when they had gotten caught in one of her pranks. She loved setting them up, especially when it ended with her running through the woods with an angry wolf on her tail for her to avoid and outmaneuver. It was those times that she forgot all about the pain in her chest from missing Jasper and his family and simply let herself enjoy the thrill of the chase.