Maya's Choice

Elena sat across from the caseworker in the temporary social services office, her hands resting in her lap, knuckles white. The room was small and hummed with the sound of a window unit that couldn’t quite cut the humid Charleston heat. Maya sat beside her, still wrapped in the oversized denim jacket Liam had given her, looking small and fragile despite the fire in her eyes.

"We have a unique situation here, Maya," the caseworker said, her voice soft but authoritative. "Your father is in custody, and your grandmother is facing serious federal charges. Typically, we would look for the closest blood relative, but given the circumstances, the state needs to know where you feel safest."

"My father called me this morning," Maya whispered, her voice trembling. "From the detention center."

Elena’s heart skipped a beat. "He wasn't supposed to have contact, Maya."

"He was begging," Maya continued, looking at her knees. "He said he’d make it all up to me. He said Elena was the one who destroyed our family. He said if I chose him, he’d get a lighter sentence, and we could go back to the way things were before Isabel... before she died."

Elena felt a surge of nausea. Even from a jail cell, Julian was still trying to balance his books with his daughter’s life. He was still using the same hollow charm he’d used to drugh Elena, the same manipulation that had turned the Manor into a digital prison.

"And what did you tell him?" the caseworker asked.

Maya finally looked up. She didn't look at the caseworker; she looked at Elena. She looked at the woman who had spent years managing her schedule, her laundry, and her secrets. She looked at the woman who had dived into a freezing pool to save her from Seraphina’s rage.

"I told him that the only reason he wants me is so he doesn't have to be alone in a cell," Maya said, her voice gaining a sudden, crystalline clarity. "He doesn't want a daughter. He wants a character witness."

She reached out and took Elena’s hand, her grip surprisingly strong.

"I want to stay with Elena," Maya declared, turning back to the caseworker.

"Maya, you understand that Elena is not your biological mother," the worker reminded her gently. "The legal process for this will be lengthy."

"I don't care," Maya said. She leaned into Elena’s shoulder, the first time she had initiated physical contact since the glitch began. "She's the only one who didn't lie to me."