Page 16 of Even If the Sky is Falling
She didn’t say anything. She had a lot more to hate him for than just the sauce. But they were stuck together. No matter how irritating he was, Tarek was the only one here.
He pushed himself off the lounge chair he was leaning on. “C’mon. I want to show you something.” He started walking down the aisle of the antique market, and she had no choice but to follow him in case another mannequin started walking, or a clown smiled at her.
He took her deeper into the antique hall. It was a part of the market Maya had never been in before, where no natural light could reach them, and sounds were swallowed by the old furniture and textiles. As they walked, a familiar scent hit Maya’s nose. She turned on her phone light and pointed it to the right—and yep—it was a booth filled to the brim with old paperback books.Lovely.She made a mental note to come back here and explore at some point in the future.
If there was a future.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she hurried to catch up with Tarek. He finally stopped between a glassware booth and furniture booth.
“Here,” he said. “Listen to that.”
She frowned. “What am I listening to?”
He turned off the flashlight. “Just listen.”
It was dark. All Maya could hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut.
She hoped her family was together. Dad wasn’t working tonight, but her sister, Aisha, might be out with friends. Were they worrying about Maya? Maybe they thought she was alone in her car—with nothing but the thin metal roof to protect her.
Maybe they thought she was already dead. Maya choked back a sob.
“Are you okay, Maya?” Tarek’s voice was closer. Close enough that she could feel his body warmth. She wanted to reach out and touch him...to feel another human here with her.
“I don’t hear anything,” she whispered.
“Exactly.” He flicked his flashlight back on. “Nothing at all.” The smile on his face was enormous...and almost incandescent. He’d always had that huge smile. She’d always been mesmerized by it. “The roof on this part of the market is metal. If something was hitting it, we’d hear it here. I think everything is fine out there. We’ll hear the three tones soon, I’m sure of it.”
They were in the middle of the mountains, though. There could be something falling from the sky in Atlanta, or Chattanooga, or any other highly populated area. It would be worse for humanity than if something was falling here.
“We have warmth, food and shelter,” Tarek continued. “We can ride this out together. You, me and Percy.”
At that, Maya felt a solid weight rub up against her leg. Percy was back, and he seemed to love Maya’s leg a lot right now. She smiled. This cat was her first positive.
“Speak of the devil,” Tarek said. He looked at Maya. “You used to have a cat. Do you know how to feed one? I’ve been assigned the task, but I’ve never done it before.”
Maya snorted. Cats, books and spices were her three favorite things in the world. “Of course, I do.”
Percy’s food and his litter box were in a security office at one end of the antique hall, and he was thrilled with the trout pâté Maya selected for him. Her cat, Tatcha, liked fish best, too.
She was never going to see her sweet Tatcha again. Maya squeezed her eyes shut.
Positives: Cat. Alive. Not Alone.
“Hey,” Tarek asked. “You okay, Maya?”
“No.” She checked her phone... Maybe if it was working, she could get Mom to send a picture of Tatcha.
“Still no service?” Tarek asked.
She shook her head, putting her phone back in her bag. “It’s probably a mixed blessing. I’d be hearing from my parents every ten minutes. You know what it’s like.”
Tarek shook his head. “You live with them?”
Maya nodded. “Just moved home a few months ago after...a breakup.”
“Ah,” he said. “I can’t imagine living with my parents now. We don’t really have much of a relationship anymore.”
“You’re not close?” Maya asked. The Mizras had been so much like her own family. Tight. He shook his head. Tarek’s expression was closed off. He didn’t want to talk about his family.
