The nickname almost made her smile, but it seemed her face wasn't quite ready to do that yet. Instead she just gave him another single nod.
“What would you like to do?” Rose asked, and the question only intensified that feeling of being adrift.
What did she want to do?
How was she supposed to know? No one had given her any options in years, and she wasn't sure she knew how to make decisions anymore.
Even if she could decide, how was she supposed to communicate it?
For some reason, the thought of speaking left her in a panic. Her voice was the last thing she’d had control over, and she’d clung to that. Refusing to scream, to cry, to beg or plead, for so long now that she wasn't actually sure she remembered how to talk.
“Are you mute by choice, or is it a physical issue?” Thunder asked gently, and a fresh wave of tears stung her eyes.
Giving a shake of her head, Maya hoped he understood she meant she was capable of speaking if she could get her mind to cooperate.
“Okay then, babydoll. You’ll speak when you're ready, and we can make do until then,” Thunder told her.
“How about we go to your room,” Cassandra suggested. “It’s quieter in there, and you can take a bath. We made sure it was stocked with all sorts of snacks, so you can eat something, and we can open a window for fresh air if you want, maybe do a manicure. Anything at all you want, we can make happen.”
“But we can start small,” Whitney added, understanding in her blue eyes that told Maya the younger woman got what it was like to be suddenly overwhelmed by choices.
“Off you go,” Thunder encouraged, giving her a small prod in the direction of the women. “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”
When he brushed past her, she almost reached out and grabbed his shirt, keeping him close by. Whether it made sense or not, he was the first person to show her kindness, and she suddenly felt attached to him.
Instead, she let him leave, and when the women turned and began to confidently walk through the halls, Maya drew in a deep breath and followed. If she was making a mistake, then she was making a mistake. In the end, she didn't really think she could make her situation worse by trusting them. If they were going to hurt her, nothing would stop them.
“So, these guys work for a company called Prey Security,” Rose told her as they wound their way through the corridors. “Have you heard of Prey?”
Maya vaguely recalled hearing of the security company, which was run by billionaire siblings, so she gave a nod. Everything she heard was another mark in the column for trusting these people and believing them, so why was it so difficult to commit to that?
Would she ever stop expecting something awful to happen at any second?
“Everything Thunder said earlier about what my brother did to them is true,” Rose continued. “He’s a sadistic psychopath, and I can't wait for him to suffer and die.”
There was so much rage in the other woman’s voice that it actually went a long way toward convincing her that they were all on the same side. If they truly hated Master, theywereall on the same side.
Maybe she really was safe.
Back in the room she’d fled earlier, Cassandra left the door open, and that small thing made her feel so much better. Made her feel less trapped.
“Bath or shower?” Indigo asked.
Being forced with a small choice rather than a big one really did help, and glancing into the bathroom, she lifted a hand and pointed at the bath. It would be nice to just lie in the hot water, soak without having to worry about doing anything else.
“Perfect, how about I go and run a bath, and you can go through the wardrobe, choose something to wear,” Cassandra suggested.
“We made sure it’s well stocked,” Rose added.
“Sweet or salty?” Whitney asked from over by the dresser that was still covered with an array of snacks.
That was an easy choice. Maya had always been a sweet tooth. Pointing to the chocolate bars, she softly padded across the room to the closet. When she opened it, she was surprised to see it full of a wide array of clothing choices. Almost too many. She’d become used to being naked, not okay with it per se, but certainly used to it, and the option of being able to choose her own clothes was so overwhelming it was depressing.
It felt like she would never be able to learn to be a normal person again.
Too much had happened, too many years had passed. She could never go back to the old version of herself, and she didn't know if the new version would ever be able to figure out how to navigate the world.
“Small things,” Whitney reminded her. “You don’t have to solve all your problems this second. All you have to do right now is choose something to wear, then sit in a bubble bath and eat chocolate.”
