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Maya's Thunder | Shook Chapter 19 Part 3
It is the day they head for Maine...
For once, Dyan was the first to wake up in the house. She could hardly sleep, thinking about going to Maine. She’d ask Mr. and Mrs. Blue to leave early, so she wouldn’t have to go through the pain of saying goodbye to everyone. Her eyes went glassy at that last thought.
The only thing was that it was EARLY-early in the morning. The sky was dim blue and the sun hadn't come up yet. Dyan had to tip-toe in the dark, because if she turned on the light, Royal, True and Maya would be broken from their sleep.
She snuck into the bathroom, the only open door in the hall. Got dressed in the clothes she’d come there with. It wasn’t as stylish as her newer stuff, but at least she had a long-sleeved shirt and thick socks. She'd need this in Maine.
As she was stuffing her clothes in a black trash bag, she picked up the hardcover version of ‘Shook’. She didn’t like the thought of it bumping along with her clothes in the backseat of a car in a trash bag, so she put it in her trusty bookbag.
She went to the kitchen to eat a bowl of cereal when she heard a door open from upstairs. Someone had woken up! Dyan hoped it was Maya, so she could talk to her a bit before she went to Maine, but the sigh she heard was deeper in pitch than Maya’s voice.
“It sure will be an empty home without my team,” said Mr. Blue, then he galloped down the stairs.
Dyan ducked her head so she wouldn’t be seen, but in order to get to the kitchen, you had to pass the dining room.
“Oh! Dyan, you’re awake.” said Mr. Blue. He was fully dressed in a plaid shirt and tan pants with a belt. He wore brown boots that clomped like horse hooves as he walked to the kitchen.
Dyan glanced at him and quickly turned back to her cereal.
“I’m off to get my truck. I’ll drop you off at the airport on the drive to Maine. Somebody’ll be waiting for you at the airport in Augusta.”
Dyan’s chest chilled at the news. There really was no turning back now. Not that there ever was before, but having someone waiting for her at an airport made things feel way more certified and real.
Mr. Blue left, and one by one everybody woke up and stumbled around the house, silently lugging suitcases around. Something was different about them, something Dyan couldn’t quite figure out.
Mrs. Blue stood in the center of the living room. “Eat breakfast before you put on your uniforms! And don’t touch Bear! We don’t need any stains or dog hair on your brand new clothes!”
True came downstairs and took in the scene, from Dyan sitting near the fireplace with her trash bag, to the children at the table eating, to the children already in their uniforms sitting on the couches in front of the TV.
She looked up at Mrs. Blue. “Where are we going?”
“We are going nowhere,” said Mrs. Blue, who was looking back down at her. “Your siblings are getting ready to go to boarding school, and Dyan is headed for her new foster home.”
“Oh,” True looked at Dyan with a sad glance, her lower lip poked out. Dyan quickly looked away.
Soon Mr. Blue’s truck could be heard outside. The engine was letting out a deep stutter, as Mr. Blue waited for everyone to pile in. He didn’t say a thing, even as Mrs. Blue opened the door.
“Let's go!” Mr. Blue yelled while he stared at the road ahead. Usually, he smiled with nearly every sentence that came out of his mouth, but he hadn’t smiled once in two days.
Everyone began lining up to get out the door, Maya was walking beside Royal as they passed Dyan to the front hall.
“He can’t drive in here! This is a neighborhood! Trucks can’t drive on neighborhood streets!” Maya whispered to Royal.
Royal gripped the strap to her crossbody bag.“Well, he’s only gonna be here with the truck until we leave, so maybe it doesn’t-” “Sometime this week!” Mr. Blue yelled again, Ending their conversation.
Dyan was very grateful Mrs. Blue had bought her a puffy pink coat. It was so cold Dyan’s nose felt crisp and chilly, and the kids’ breaths turned to fog clouds as they talked. Mrs. Blue stood at the front door, giving each of her children a hug as they passed through it to the truck awaiting them.
As Dyan looked on, she realized what was off about them, what had been off with them the whole morning: Their hair colors had dimmed down. Instead of Royal’s hair being the color of the ocean, it was more like the color of old and ragged jeans. Wild Yonder's hair looked closer to gray than blue, and Maya’s normally vivid blue hair was a lighter, faded shade of blue, like the sky on a winter day.
While Mrs. Blue blinked back tears (or attempted to), she gave each of the children a hug as they left.
“Goodbye Mom. I’ll see you next year.” said Royal, who’s eyes also looked glassy.
“Make the most of it, honey. I’ll think about you everyday from home,” Mrs. Blue told her.
Mrs. Blue opened her arms to embrace Maya, but she sidestepped her, and walked straight ahead. Mrs. Blue’s lip trembled.
“I still and will always love you,” she says to Maya.
Maya paused at the front step. After a moment she continued walking, sniffling and sliding her arm across her face.
Dyan thought about side-stepping Mrs. Blue’s hug as well to look tough like Maya, but she wasn’t tough like Maya, and needed all the love she could get to endure this trip to Maine.
Dyan hugged Mrs. Blue tight and longer than most, sniffling to avoid crying.
“I’ll miss you dearly, honey. Don’t forget to enjoy life, no matter where you are,” Mrs. Blue said to Dyan, who simply nodded and adjusted the trash bag she was holding over her shoulder, which had contained all the new clothes she’d gotten from the Blue family.
The rest of her stuff was still in her trusty yet raggedy bookbag, including the special copy of Shook that she had kept for just herself.
She then leaped up the colossal truck steps,
Find out what happens next in the next part!
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