Free Breaking the Circle by S. M. Hall

firmly, ‘You go. Tell them what you know. I’ll try and find Gerard. All right?’
    Leona nodded.
    ‘Come on, love,’ one of the paramedics said. ‘We have to get her to hospital fast.’
    * * *
    A crowd had gathered outside, emergencies being a regular source of entertainment on the estate.
    ‘What’s wrong with ‘er?’ a sharp voice asked, as they loaded Serena into the ambulance.
    ‘Get lost,’ Maya snapped.
    ‘She’s a goner, innit?’ the boy said.
    ‘No,’ Maya said. ‘She’ll be fine.’
    As soon as the ambulance drove away, siren blaring, Maya started running, racing up the road to the boarded-up houses, running furiously, fire in her eyes and heart. If she got her hands on
Gerard, she’d punch the truth out of him.
    A black BMW was parked in front of the house. Gerard was in the passenger seat, slumped forward with his head in his hands.
    Maya banged on the window, yelling, ‘What did you give her? What did you give her?’
    Gerard looked up. His eyes were bewildered, his face was tense; he actually looked scared. Then he turned to the driver, a big, thick-set man, and said something. The engine started. Maya
hammered on the window but it was no use, the car accelerated and sped off down the road. ‘OM 6’ was all she could distinguish from the number plate.
    * * *
    Drained and anxious, Maya arrived home. Helen was in the kitchen cooking dinner.
    ‘I wondered when you were going to turn up,’ she said.
    ‘Did you get my message?’
    ‘Yes, but you missed Simon. He called round to see how we were. He had some news about Pam. She’s fine, nothing to worry about, her mission’s going well but she’s going
to be out of touch for a few days.’
    ‘Where is she?’
    Helen dished up a steaming shepherd’s pie as she spoke. ‘He didn’t say.’
    ‘I hate it when I don’t know where she is. It never used to be like this. Mum always trusted me.’
    ‘I know,’ Helen said, putting dinner plates on the table. ‘And she still does trust you, but you know what her thoughts are. She feels more protective after what happened in
the summer. It all worked out fine, but it could have gone either way.’
    Maya sat down at the table. She hadn’t thought about eating all day. The dinner smelt delicious but she was on edge, worrying about Serena. Maya had gone back to her flat after Gerard had
driven away. Serena’s mother had arrived on the scene and looked to Maya for explanation. There was no way to soften the news – her daughter had overdosed.
    In a state of shock, Serena’s mum had reacted as if Maya were responsible, hurling questions at her that she couldn’t answer.
    ‘So, how was your day?’ Helen asked.
    Maya blinked and almost choked on a piece of broccoli. Helen, sitting opposite her, was eager for news, anxious to know that her granddaughter was settling back into her old life after the
trauma of the summer.
    Maya’s mind flashed over the day’s events. A battered friend, a drugs drop, a life-threatening emergency. She looked up at Helen’s expectant face, her soft grey eyes shining,
silver-streaked hair framing her face. She smiled and forked up a piece of pie.
    ‘Fun,’ she said.
    ‘And the party? Did it go OK?’
    ‘Yes, it was great. They’d gone to so much trouble.’
    Throughout the rest of the meal, Maya tried to keep her tone light while she chatted to her gran. It would have been a relief to explain what had happened to Serena and share the worry about her
friends, but any mention of drugs would send Helen into a mad panic, particularly with Pam away.
    All the time she ate, Maya was waiting for a call or a text from Leona. It was hard to get the picture of Serena’s wasted face out of her head.
    Please be all right, she said over and over again to herself. Please, Serena, you have to recover .
    If only she could talk to Pam she’d feel better, but Pam was out of reach and that must mean her mission was delicate and dangerous.
    ‘Have you got any homework