Maya
The last thing I wanted to do was an interview but maybe the studio had set something up with the new changes. “Where are we going?” I asked as we walked inside an empty building.
“To the rooftop where you filmed a few scenes.” We headed up a few set of stairs. “It’s perfect for your character to be interviewed up there. Always flying from building to building. The crew is set up.”
When we reached the top, it seemed unusually quiet.
“This doesn’t look like things are ready?” The roof was stark, lacking any decorative elements. It looked more like the rooftop when I had filmed some establishing shots before my stunt double took over doing the badass stuff. Only there wasn’t a crew and equipment all over the ground and overhead. There were no people at all. “Where are the journalists?”
“Around the corner is the set.”
Walking forward, we rounded a brick wall and finally I saw other people… They looked nothing like journalists and there wasn’t any furniture to sit on. No cameras either. “What’s going on here?”
“You’re going to prove that you can’t fly.” My assistant stepped away from me to the side of the building while one of the three men on the rooftop walked behind me. “Or maybe you can.” She was looking over the side. “Let’s hope you can.” She laughed. “It might be disappointing to some but everyone will get to see your true character online.”
My assistant was making no sense and I realized that there was no way this was a studio thing. She had to be the one behind sending me the notes…and the poor birds.
“You’ve been hurting birds and sending them to me. How could you do something so cruel?” I was thinking of the helpless creatures and probably should’ve been more worried about myself.
“Not me. I’m not the only one behind this—”
“Don’t blame me. This was all your idea. I agreed she shouldn’t fly but it was your fucked up idea to torment her with birds.” It sounded like she didn’t have the full support of the men partially surrounding me.
“Move her over here.” My assistant instructed.
“I’m not touching her and I’m surely not pushing her.” One of the men said off to the side of me.
Where were my protectors? Why didn’t I insist that Hawkman come with me? I had been so stupid to tell him I was okay. He shouldn’t have listened to me. It wasn’t his fault. I had no one to blame but my stupid self.
“Maya’s going to fly all by herself. Aren’t you, Maya?”
Fuck! She was absolutely out of her mind if she thought I was going to attempt to fly off the roof. I wasn’t crazy. I knew I couldn’t fly. They would have to pick me up and throw me off. I was standing my ground. How could she want me dead over a movie? A movie that was being changed…
“If you’d been around lately, you’d know that—”
“You’ve cut me off since that man came around.” That wasn’t completely true and it wasn’t intentional. I just didn’t need her services as much. “You do what you want to do. You’re not authentic. You’re not true to your craft. If I had you’re role, I would’ve made them do it right. You’re a fraud.” She laughed in a disturbing tone. “Or maybe you’re not. Come jump.”
She nodded her head and I turned to see another big man approaching me.
“Wait! I’ve been filming new scenes.” I moved back and to the side, giving me a view of all three men. “The studio has pulled the movie from special screenings until my character is seen jumping. No more flying.”
“Yeah, right. Good try.”
“Maybe she’s telling the truth.” The bird killer spoke up.
“Whatever.” She didn’t sound convinced and started to walk toward me. “Come on, Maya.” She didn’t come any closer. In fact, she seemed to be caught on something and began to teeter. “Damn it, Maya! Move your ass! Cameras up!”
“Maya, stay still! Don’t move!” I turned to see Logan and Hawkman with guns drawn and did as they said watching the men around me cave.
“We’re not going to hurt her.”
“We were just here to film.”
“Don’t try to say you had no part! You killed the birds!” My assistant pointed a finger but she had already said too much. I knew she was the ring leader.
“She’s behind all of this.” He wasn’t going down, taking the blame.
Things from that moment seemed to move in slow motion. The guys all held up their arms and slowly got down on the ground, ready to be detained as armed studio security flooded the roof. It was my assistant who refused to come down or couldn’t and seemed to get more rattled as security moved to her.
“She was wrong. She didn’t deserve that role…” She kept on speaking out against me and I was so shocked.
When I met her we hit it off so well and I really trusted her. I was concerned about her safety and wanted to keep her in the dark so she wouldn’t get upset. She was right I was wrong; so wrong about her character. She was a disturbed person. And I watched her come completely undone, raising her voice higher and higher. I wasn’t even sure what her words were and then all at once they stopped and were replaced by a blood curdling scream. She had yanked herself loose and tried to move out of the reach of Hawkman who appeared to be trying to talk her into coming with him. But it was no use, he couldn’t reach her before she tumbled over the edge of the building, disappearing from our view.
“No!” My voice echoed across the rooftop. No matter what my assistant had done to me or how she wanted to harm me, I didn’t want her to die. She was obviously a sick individual and needed help.
I felt responsible…
“If only I let her know what was going on…” I couldn’t catch my breath.
“She would’ve known that everything was changed…” My chest hurt.
“I tried to tell her but she wouldn’t listen…” My throat burned and tears streamed down my face as thoughts of her lying on the ground where she wanted me to end up.
“She wanted me to jump off the building… I’m supposed to be in her place…” My body trembled and my head shook from side to side trying to get that sick vision out of my head.
“Hush, baby. She wasn’t in her right mind.” Logan had moved quickly to my side and had taken me into his muscular arms. Soothing me with his comforting words, “you’re safe…that’s what matters,” I clung to him and broke down with trembling sobs that wouldn’t stop.
I wanted to crumble to the ground right there on the rooftop. My legs felt so heavy and yet I wanted to be anywhere but there.
“Please take me home.” My fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt.
“Please I just want to be with you.” I couldn’t get him close enough.
“Please don’t leave me.” I couldn’t manage losing him.
“I’m never letting you go.” He disengaged my fingers from a tight grip on his shirt, tipped my face up and looked down at me with his blue eyes. “I love you, Maya.”
Those were the best words ever and I said them back, “I love you too.”