"Deep breaths, darling. You'll be fine. I'll come back for you, I promise," said the deep, masculine voice as he turned away and left.
"Dad, no! Noooo!" Maya screamed and started crying. Everything became blurry.
Grrrrrrrr!
The sound of the alarm brought Maya back to reality.
"This is the third time I'm having this dream... but my father is dead. I don't even know what he looks like," Maya said to herself.
It was the first day of high school. Maya got out of bed to get ready. She turned on her speaker ~ "This Is Me" by Alan Walker and Keala Settle. She took off her nightgown, wrapped her dark brunette hair in a bun, and walked to the rhythm of the music. She was white, 5'10", with smooth, glowing skin. She walked into the bathroom to take a shower, syncing to the lyrics:
"I am brave, I am bruised, I am who I'm meant to be... this is me," and shut the door.
---
Meanwhile, her mum was in the kitchen making breakfast.
"Maya, breakfast is ready!" her mum called out. She set down the bacon and scrambled eggs on two plates.
Maya's mum was a picture of ageless beauty. In her late thirties but often mistaken for Maya's sister, she had light brunette hair, soft blue eyes, a paler skin tone, and was an inch taller than her daughter. She wore a brown polo and navy-blue jeans.
"She's got her music up loud again. Mayaaa!" Wendy called.
Maya came out of the bathroom, stared into the mirror with her light brown eyes, and smiled. She tied her hair into a ponytail and said to herself, "Okay, Rockstar. Go show 'em who you are."
"This is me!" she belted out as she walked into the kitchen. Her mum turned around.
"Seriously? A Monster Club top on your first day?" Wendy asked.
"I finally get to meet my kind, Mum. But I still want to stand out," Maya replied.
"Your kind?" Wendy raised an eyebrow.
"I mean my fellow classmates, Mum," Maya said in a mocking tone. Maya grabbed an apple from the kitchen counter.
"No breakfast?" her mum asked.
"No appetite," Maya replied.
"Nervous?"
"Yeah... I'll wait for you in the car," Maya said.
As soon as she shut the door, Wendy hurriedly picked up her phone and dialed a number.
"Hello… we need you," she said and hung up.
She grabbed her purse and jacket, stepped outside, and locked the door.
"Okay, Gummy Bear, let's go," she said as she got into the car.
"Mum, stop calling me that. I'm fifteen," Maya said, glancing around to see if anyone heard. Wendy turned on the radio.
"This is our jam, Maya!" she said, turning up the volume. She mouthed along to the song, occasionally glancing at Maya, hoping she'd join in. But Maya stared out the window, lost in her thoughts.
Wendy turned the radio off abruptly as she parked in front of Beverly Hills High School.
She turned to Maya.
"You'll be fine, Maya. What's our slogan?"
"Always keep your head up high," Maya replied.
"Love you, Gummy Bear," Wendy said.
Maya opened the car door and stepped outside. She was amazed by the number of students — all her age and the massive white building with BEVERLY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL written in bold blue letters.
She had been homeschooled ever since she was little. Her mum told her it was what her dad had always wanted. She honored his wishes until now. Wendy finally decided to let her experience the world. And there she was.
She walked through the hallway of Beverly Hills High School. A thousand blue lockers, students chatting and laughing, boys in uniform — clearly club members — girls taking selfies, and a group of shy-looking boys with glasses. She kept walking. Then the bell rang.
Confused, Maya froze as everyone rushed to their classes.
"Aren't you going to class?" a female voice asked.
"Well, I'm kind of lost. This school's pretty big," Maya replied.
"I can relate. I got lost on my first day too. I'm Sofia, by the way. And you are?"
"I'm Maya... I think I'm in Mr. Daniel's class. Math?"
"We're in the same class, then. Let's go," said Sofia.
They arrived to find the math teacher already in.
"How wonderful of you to join us, ladies. Have a seat, we're about to begin."
There were four rows. Sofia sat in hers. Maya was about to head to the back when someone said, "You can sit here." It was Jack.
"Oh! Thanks." She smiled, and he smiled back.
"Okay, class, settle down. Before we begin, we have a new student. Introduce yourself, Miss…?" The teacher gestured toward Maya.
"Maya. Maya Danvell," she replied.
"What school did you transfer from?"
"I was homeschooled."
Murmurs and chuckles followed.
"That's enough," Mr. Daniel said.
Maya bent her head. Jack leaned over and whispered, "Cool shirt. I'm Jack."
"Thanks," she replied, smiling.
"Our topic today is the Pythagorean Theorem. Who can tell me who founded this theory?"
Silence.
Maya raised her hand.
"The Pythagorean Theorem is named after the Greek mathematician Pythagoras. He's traditionally credited with its discovery, but the ancient Indian mathematician Baudhayan, who lived around 800 BCE, three centuries before Pythagoras had already described it in Vedic texts."
The class was stunned.
The teacher smiled. "I think my child will be homeschooled too."
A look of relief spread across Maya's face.
----
Wendy drove to her coffee shop, thriving for two years. She parked, stepped out, and entered. Cherry, one of the waitresses, greeted her.
"There's a lady who's been waiting for you."
Wendy's eyes widened.
----
Back in school, Mr. Daniel continued (inaudibly).
"Hey," Jack whispered.
Maya turned.
"How about you tutor me in math sometime?"
Maya smiled. "That sounds cool, but I'm not sure I can teach."
Jack looked at her seriously. "There's nothing you'd teach me that I wouldn't understand."
Maya blushed. Every 30 seconds, her eyes drifted to him. When he looked her way, she quickly looked away. She could barely concentrate in class, lost in Jack's oceanic green eyes and broad chest…
Grrrrrr! (The bell rings.)
"Don't forget to do your homework and... they're all gone," the teacher mumbled.
"Hey Maya, wait up," Jack called, catching up to her.
She stopped, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"You wanna have lunch together?" he asked. Seeing her hesitation, he quickly added, "I mean… in the cafeteria, of course."
"Oh. My mum packed me lunch, and the cafeteria might be overwhelming. I could freeze."
"I brought my lunch too," he said, patting his bag. "The beef here makes me sick," he whispered.
They walked outside and sat on a block near the dried-up fountain.
"So tell me… how long have you been in Beverly Hills?" Jack asked.
"My mum and I moved here two years ago. Still feels like yesterday. You?"
"I've been here forever. Like an ancient Greek."
"Ancient Greek?"
"Just another way of saying I was born here. My mum and dad passed years ago. It's just me and my brothers."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. My dad died when I was 3… I don't even know what he looked like."
Jack gently placed his hand on hers. "Are you okay?"
Maya felt her stomach flutter. "Yeah... All this talk is making me hungry."
Jack lifted his lunch bag, tagged LUNCH, and wiggled it in front of her.
"It's that bad, my older brother still labels my food like I'm six."
Maya laughed and blushed. She couldn't believe how quickly she had made a friend.
---
Wendy approached the odd woman seated at the far end of the coffee shop, a woman in her 20s, with short reddish-blonde wavy hair just below her neck. Her skin tone matched Wendy's, her height too, but she was much skinnier.
"How can I help you?" Wendy asked.
"That's no way to greet your mother, is it?" the woman replied.