Chapter 9: Shadows of the Past

The officer's words hung in the air, a sense of dread settling over us like a shroud. Maya's eyes locked onto his, her face pale. "Who's missing?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The officer hesitated, his eyes flicking to each of us before returning to Maya. "It's Alex," he said, his voice low. "He was reported missing by his parents about an hour ago. They said he was supposed to meet up with a friend on the beach, but he never showed up." I felt a jolt of surprise, my mind racing with memories of Alex. We had met him briefly on the beach earlier that day, and he had seemed like a nice guy. But now, the thought of him being missing was unsettling. Maya's eyes widened, a look of shock etched on her face. "Alex?" she repeated. "But...but we just met him." The officer nodded. "I know. But it seems that Alex and you, Maya, have a...history. And we think you might be able to help us find him." Maya's face paled further, and she seemed to shrink into herself. I could feel the weight of her secrets bearing down on her, and I wanted to reach out and offer her comfort. But before I could, Charlie spoke up. "What do you mean by 'history'?" he asked, his voice firm. The officer hesitated, his eyes flicking to Charlie before returning to Maya. "It seems that Maya and Alex were involved in a... incident a few years ago," he said, his voice low. "Something that the police were involved in, but it was never fully resolved." Maya's eyes dropped to the floor, and I could feel her tension. It was clear that she was hiding something, and I couldn't help but wonder what it was. Sabrina spoke up, her voice soft. "What kind of incident?" she asked. The officer sighed, his expression grim. "I'm not at liberty to discuss that here," he said. "But I need Maya to come with me and answer some questions. The rest of you are free to go, but I advise you to stay in the area. We may need to speak with you further." As the officer stood up and offered Maya his hand, she hesitated. For a moment, I thought she was going to refuse, but then she nodded and took his hand. I could feel her fear, her uncertainty, and I wanted to be there for her. "I'll go with her," I said, standing up. The officer nodded, his eyes flicking to me. "Okay. But the rest of you need to stay here. We'll be in touch if we need anything else." As we followed the officer out of the station, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. What secrets was Maya hiding? And what had really happened between her and Alex all those years ago? The darkness of the night seemed to press in around us, and I knew that our little group was on the brink of being torn apart by secrets and lies. As we walked to the back of the station, I could feel Maya's tension. She was hiding something, and I was determined to find out what it was. But for now, I just had to be there for her, to support her through whatever was coming our way. The officer led us to a small room with a table and chairs. Maya sat down, her eyes fixed on the floor. I sat down beside her, taking her hand in mine. "What's going on, Maya?" I asked, my voice soft. Maya's eyes flicked up to mine, a look of fear etched on her face. "I don't know," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I think it's about something that happened a long time ago. Something that I thought was buried." As she spoke, the door opened and a woman walked in. She was tall, with a stern expression. "Maya," she said, her voice firm. "I'm Detective James. I've been investigating Alex's disappearance. And I think it's time we talked about what really happened between you and him all those years ago."