"Mom?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
But as she turned, she saw nothing but the dark, deserted clock tower. The voice seemed to come from all around her, bouncing off the walls.
"Mom, is that you?" Maya called out, her voice shaking. She took a step forward, but Damon caught her arm, his eyes scanning the shadows.
"Maya, wait," he warned. *"It could be a trap."
But Maya shook him off, her eyes fixed on the darkness. "Mom?" she whispered again, her heart aching with longing.
Suddenly, the voice spoke again, its tone urgent. "Maya, run."
Maya's eyes locked onto the dark shadow in a corner and she felt an inexplicable pull towards it. She took a step forward, but before she could take another, Damon's grip on her arm tightened.
"No, Maya!" he hissed, pulling her away from the shadow. "It's a trap!"
Maya struggled against his grip, but Damon's hold was unyielding. He yanked her towards the stairs, and they thundered down the steps together, the darkness swallowing them whole.
As they descended, the voice grew fainter, but Maya could have sworn she heard a whispered "Goodbye" echoing through the tower.
They burst through the clock tower's entrance, gasping for air as they emerged into the night. Damon didn't stop running until they reached the safety of the shadows, his chest heaving with exertion.
"What were you thinking?" he demanded, his eyes blazing with concern. "That could have been Lucy's trap, or worse."
Maya's eyes flashed with defiance, but she knew Damon was right. She had been drawn to the shadow like a moth to flame.
"I thought I saw..."she began, her voice trailing off.
Damon's expression softened, and he pulled her into a tight hug. "We'll figure it out, together. But next time, let's not take chances, okay?"
As they stood there, Maya realized she still had questions about the voice and the shadow. "Damon?"
"Yeah?"
"What if it's not a trap? What if it's really my mom?"*
Damon's grip on her tightened, and he said "it wasn't,I knew your mom"