― Approaching the white based manor, surrounded by roses was a woman in red walking up the paved road in her heeled boots. Looking around the girl noticed that not only the flowers were still alive but thriving, briefly touching them with her gloves she felt the texture of the roses noticing that they were the same even after her absence. She looked back at the car that brought her back to the manor before waving off the driver to drive away and leave her, the retreating black Mercedes left her vision as she looked around.

Grabbing her bags from the ground she carried them up to the door, slowly opening it she noticed the same features the manor had since her father and twin moved in years ago. She noticed how one of the maids was slowly coming into vision noticing the girl.

"Oh, my Ms. King, your back." She said with her low accent and small parting of her lips as Maya nodded, smiling lightly at the older woman.

"Yes. Do you happen to know where my brother is right now?" She noticed how the maid came over to help her with her bags which were knocked over or attempted to knock over one of her family vases.

Before the maid could react Maya caught it, putting it back up she turned to the maid.

"I can handle my bags, you seem tired and deserve to take the time off. If my father asks, just tell him I relieved you from your services for the rest of the day." Maya told the maid before taking her bags up the staircase, not letting the maid question the lady of the house anymore.

Walking the corner she finally reached the doorway of her room before opening it, seeing the decorations were the same, and the red sheets of her bed, matching the color of her boots, were still folded the same like she left them. And the overall room smelt the same; it smelt like roses, or rosewater like her in scenter was supposed to create the room's environment smell to be.

Glancing to the corner of her room she noticed the line of framed photos that aligned her walls, noticing not only her friends, but her brother as well. One particular photo of her best friends Cameron Mahkent and Stephanie Lance truly stood out to her, as it was a photo from their time in France last summer. The smiles radiating off the photo.

Her eyes glanced over to the clock slowly as she noticed the time and knew that Blue Valley high would soon get out. She walked away leaving her bags in her room as she grabbed her sunglasses, and purse before walking out with her keys in her hands heading to the manor's garage.

Getting into her 1961 candy red impala that was gifted to her for her birthday, after getting her driver license earlier in the year Maya finally settled in before leaving the open garage. Heading back down into town as she drove around looking at the scenery and elements of the town she left for a semester and finally returned after months to her home in Blue Valley.

Upon arrival near the backdoor she parked her car noticing students slowly getting out of school looking at the redhead who returned after being away, as Maya got out and slowly headed inside the door others were leaving out of, finally noticing the green and brown jacket that her friend wears as he was standing at his locker grabbing books before he left for the night.

"You know if you don't stop staring, it's going to get creepy." Cameron somehow noticed her before she could even speak, which in ways silenced Maya for a moment from making a witty response right away.

Placing a hand on her hip she finally spoke, "Is that how you welcome somebody back after being away for a few months? Have you really not valued our friendship so much, Mahkent?" She retorted, making him roll his eyes at his friend. "Because if it is I'll just head back to Star City, I won't return. Then you have to explain to Stephiane why I left our friend group." She continued as he just scoffed at her response.

"When did you get back Red?" Maya laughed in response, not minding the stares the pair got as others passed them in the hallway.

"This afternoon. Classes ended a few days ago so why wouldn't I return." She paused before continuing as she noticed the different atmosphere surrounding Blue Valley High, "So how much did I miss this time?"

Cameron sighed not knowing how to phrase what happened these past few months as Maya could tell by his features that he meant something bad happened. "How bad is it?" She asked him as he finally responded back to her.

"Pretty bad, but Steph probably could explain what happened better than me."

"True. But is it reputation crushing enough that we should all move to another school?" Maya wondered as Cameron looked at her processing her words.

"Depends on how you look at it. But possibly."

"Possibly?" Maya responded trying to wonder what had happened that the looks of some of the students meant, trying to analyze the words and knowing she should ask Stephanie before fully concluding what the true response to the matter was.

"I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow." Cameron said as the pair hugged before he left back the other way leaving Maya out in the open hallway. Noticing the time she knew she still had a bit of time from two forty five to three to find her particular blonde haired friend who played on the volleyball team.

On her way to the locker rooms, Maya noticed the letters painted 'slut' on a locker as she knew in some ways from the locker location that it was her brother's girlfriend Yolanda, or who she still assumed was her brother's girlfriend still but from the looks around her she pieced the situation or at least this one together. Something had happened and she knew she had to find out what.

Walking forward Maya noticed one of the volleyball players talking to her friend who told Stephanie to look behind her, as the Blonde girl finally noticed her best friend as she let out a sound.

"MAYA?" She yelled out before running up and hugging the red head, as her friend and her took this long embrace before pulling away. "When did you get back? How was your time in Star City?" Stephanie asked quickly, looking at her friend.

"Afternoon, and it was so long there is so much to tell you another time, possibly tomorrow afternoon when you get out of school we can go back to your Aunt's place and talk?" Maya asked as her friend nodded, "What exactly happened? Cameron told me it was bad, but said you'd know more of the way to explain it to me." Her eyes told Maya everything as the red head sighed.

"Cindy Burman happened. We should leave before Cindy Burman comes back with the other cheerleaders." Stephanie said before explaining to Maya, "She took over as Captain after the last one got hurt, she took your spot and kicked you off the team as co-captain. She now has Jenny in your place." When Stephanie said that Maya scoffed knowing her time as a cheerleader, the team she helped continue, was now gone from her grasp because of Cynthia Burman, the bitch who just made problems happen around Blue Valley. She had fake kindness and truly was jealous of those who challenged her like Stephanie and her. Or even...Yolanda.

Stephanie continued, "Cindy Burman sent semi-nude photos of Yolanda on the day of the student body election. And now..." Before Stephanie could finish the voice of Burman herself came forward geared towards Maya.

Her little laugh just got the nerves of the red head up, "Well look who it is, girls the traitor, Maya King."

Maya tried not to go hit Cindy like she felt deep in her bones at the moment, Stephanie tried pulling her friend away but Cindy's voice and her small comment made Maya finally snap in a response. "You know stealing my brother, and spreading nudes of another girl, is just pure bitch attitude but it seems like you've always been a bitch haven't you Cynthia?"

Her outburst or more so her statement made Cindy just glare at her, wanting to kill Maya almost, but something did stop her and it wasn't Jenny who kept trying to calm Cindy down, but it was something else from what the girl could tell.

"I'm not scared of you Burman, not like how everyone else seems to be. You act like you are some Queen Bee because everyone is afraid of you. I'm not...last time I checked you are not some god, and I could frankly kick your ass."

Maya walked out not allowing Cindy to glance or even have time to say anything else as she pulled her bestie with her. Finally leaving through the other doors, Maya sighed in anger, letting herself have a moment before opening her eyes looking at the blue ones her friend had.

"So when did this start happening?"

"A month and a half ago. I tried warning your brother against it. But then again I don't see him often enough and he's so full of himself these days." Stephaine told me as Maya scoffed in reaction.

"Of course he did. Henry has messed up big time, what was he thinking, that bitch... I might have not agreed with Yolanda and him because of how different they were but she was nice, and truly was never looking to harm anyone. But Cynthia Burman..." Maya finally snapped before calming down.

A few minutes passed by before Maya invited Stephanie to go to the diner like they did often as kids and even now. Once the two arrived they noticed Cameron in the back at a booth alone almost like he was waiting for them, already pre-planning his friend's arrival. Currently occupied in his sketchbook sketching yet another masterpiece in Maya and Stephanie's opinion as the two knew he had talent in art that not many had in their class.

"I knew you guys would be here, but what happened this time?" Cameron said, glancing up before closing his sketchbook as Maya and Stephanie sat across from him next to one another.

Maya just nodded, "I missed this when I was away, so what can I say...I wanted to come back to spend time with the two of you." She wasn't lying she did miss her friends especially with how often the trio did the small things that counted more to Maya than anything else. She cared about them, she had known them for years.

After getting their order as the waitress attempted to drop something from her tray, Maya caught it, capturing the looks from both of her friends who were shocked at it as well. Maya handed the waitress the item back before Cameron's voice turned her attention back to reality.

"When did you start being able to do that Red?" He asked shocked as Maya responded.

"Star City High, so many times did some of my friends there dropped things I started picking up reflexes." Maya made the excuse that her friends fully didn't buy so she responded. "Fine I learned it from someone at the school who tended to solve problems from troublesome students, some that make Burman look like she's just child's play."

Talking for another half an hour, Cameron decided to walk home once the trio left, leaving both Maya and Stephanie time to talk as they drove past the streets of Blue Valley. Maya took the time to think about the differences between Blue Valley and Star City knowing that the houses, even with their light blue and light grey splashes truly brought life and color into the people who lived in the town. Compared to the window filled buildings and the big city atmosphere that she lived in for the past few months.

Maya continued to laugh as Stephanie continued to mess around with her best friend as at one point she almost poked Maya on the face when driving, to end up with her scolding one of her eldest friends. Stephanie kept her arms stretched out as she sang along with the radio, as Maya made a few glances over to her friend who somehow always sounded better than the singer themselves, and faked high notes.

"You're going to strain your voice Steph if you continue." Scolding her friend Maya finally looked at Stephanie for a moment, shutting up the songbird from singing as she lightly rolled her eyes at her.

"Why do you think I'm faking..."

Maya interrupted her friend, "You are Steph. I know your voice doesn't sound that all over the place. You have a smooth voice, not a voice that has small pauses and all this..." Starting to drive again Maya turned her eyes back to the road leaving Stephanie to let out a sigh as the song went down on the tempo and the beat slowly faded out.

"Maybe I am, but it's sometimes fun to not always be so perfect." Stephanie didn't want to get back into this conversation, not now at least. "And besides I'm not a professional singer Maya." She scolded her friend yet again.

Once they arrived in Stephanie's neighborhood, the two teenagers turned noticing the brown locks, light pale skin, dark pink lipstick, and the dark grizzly bear eyes that made up Stephanie's god-mother Helena Bertinelli. Or almost like her aunt in many people's opinion, but she didn't speak much of what had happened to her parents, as it was a sore subject to the two of them.

From the look of Helena's appearance in her ripped city shirt and her athletic leggings it looked like she just got back from work when noticing the two teenagers in the red impala.

"Maya King came here." She said as she made Maya got out of her car before embracing her as Stephanie got out and grabbed her bag. "One of those followers of Cindy Burman on the Cheer team posted about your return on twitter."

"Twitter? What is this, the early 2010s?" Maya asked, making Stephanie let out a small snort in response.

She finally told her aunt the problem, "Maya ran into Cindy, tore into her after she tried to make Maya seem like the bad guy." Helena just shook her head to Stephanie's comment making Maya sigh again when remembering the events earlier in the day that took place.

"The need that a Burman girl has, has nobody noticed her parents? Or how all of it seems almost clicky? Or am I just wrong?" Helena exclaimed, making both Stephanie and Maya look at her, but then deep down nobody couldn't admit how weird Cindy's living situation and attitude was. But nobody questions it often enough, because Cindy somehow now runs Blue Valley High.

The conversation was silent for a few minutes as the three didn't want to talk about how the conversation went but it wasn't long before Helena spoke again.

"Maya, it is good to see you come back from Star City, you're always welcomed over." Helena embraced Maya one last time before Maya excused herself noticing how both her best friend and her aunt went back up to their house.

Back down the streets, Maya just stared as much as she could with her ability of driving down the roads of Blue Valley trying to get over what all happened during her past couple of months. Trying not to let the overwhelmed feeling of being home overpower her strength to keep her confidence from faltering. Especially with how her father could be and how she dreaded seeing him again after so long of being away.

Seeing Henry's car in the garage, Maya knew she could confront her brother once she got inside. But when she passed Henry's car, she slowly made her way into the kitchen noticing how their family maid was struggling when cooking a meal. As she dropped something she took a moment until noticing that Ms. King was standing beside her.

"Sra. King, lo tengo cubierto." She said as Maya gave a soft smile reassuring the maid that it was alright, and that situations like this happen, especially with how busy the maid has been that afternoon.

"No, no lo tienes cubierto. Déjame ayudarte." Responding to the maid, she looked at the miss standing in her red outfit that truly made up a part of Ms. King's identity. And how much has changed with her since leaving, and how much more confident she is in saying things back and truly showing her true self at home.

Helping her with a hand to clean up the mess, Maya didn't notice that another figure emerged from the hallway into the kitchen, as she only heard the faint sounds of footsteps approaching, as she hoped it wasn't her father, but rather her twin than anything.

"Gracias por ayudarme." The maid excused herself as Maya muttered a quick 'De Nada' before turning her attention to her brother.

"Henry." Maya said giving her brother a look not one of happiness like she would've done earlier if she hadn't heard what else he had done to Yolanda, and even started dating Cindy Burman of all people, who now made Blue Valley miserable.

"When did you get back?" He attempted to ask as Maya shook her head.

"This afternoon. But I heard you...Henry what have you been thinking, breaking up with Yolanda, spreading nudes, and now dating that Burman bitch." Maya said making Henry glare at her just as much, as the twins have had disagreements in the past but sometimes it would get bad, and right now it was tense like a blade was cutting the air between them. And it was sharp between the two twins.

Henry then let up, "It's...It's not what you think."

"Is it? Henry...Cindy isn't a good person, or at least to most people. She is out to get people like Yolanda, but also make everyone's life a living hell who isn't willing to bend over backwards to fit her standard. Especially people like Stephaine, which you knew since those two cats fight just as much as her and I." Maya exclaimed passionately as she was frustrated at everything.

"You never want to take into consideration that it isn't that simple Mya." Henry responded as Maya scoffed once more.

"Then explain it. And no more lies, I left for not even four months and so much has seemed to change."

Glancing over distracting herself from the conversation, Maya noticed the photo of her mother, twin and her all happy and still full of happiness, and truly something the family lacked since her death that one day when the two twins were in school. And how later they found out that she drowned of all things, which for so long scared Maya of the water, especially pools, as she never was one for pool parties.

If only justice could be served, and yet the story has truly just begun once more.