Edited 5/6/17

Chapter Eleven

[][][]

My fists pound the punching bag continuously. Sweat runs down my forehead, I don't wipe it. I feel my hands start bleeding, but I don't stop. The only sound is my panting, and the rhythmic beat of my fists.

I step away, allowing the punching bag to take a rest. Grabbing my drink bottle, I squirt the iced water over my head to cool me down. Not wasting a moment more, I begin my session with the bag again.

As I train in the early morning, eventually people begin entering the warehouse. They watch me as they walk past and I get annoyed with their stares.

I decide that I've had enough, and grab my towel, wiping away my sweat from my neck and forehead. Unstrapping my gloves I chuck them into my training bag along with my empty drink bottle.

I came to the gym at 4am, after being awoken from another nightmare. A nightmare still replaying the same images of my mother and father stating it was my fault for their death. To take my anger out on something I began hitting the bag, and that's where I have stayed until 7am.

With my bag slung over my shoulder I make my way towards my office. The guards standing out front greet me, but I ignore them. Getting inside, I walk over to my bathroom and have a shower. My spare clothes, left hanging in my wardrobe for after training use.

I put on my blue sports jumper, and baggy sweatpants. Getting my wig, I place it on my head clipping it into place. My glasses come next, the black rimmed glasses practically cover my entire face. I take one look in the mirror and smile inwardly at the masterpiece in front of me.

I had Tommy pick up my school bag this morning from my house, walking over to my desk and grabbing my phone to check the messages. I have three from Tommy, one from Sam, and two from Finn.

Tommy:

- Where is your bag?

- I can't find it!

- Who leaves their bag under their bed?

I laugh as I read over Tommy's texts.

Sam:

- I talked with Caleb about you, he says your only his biology classmate... Nothing else.

I don't know why, but that brought my mood down. 

Shaking my head I read the last two messages from Finn.

Finn:

- Where are you?

- Call me if you need me!

I reply to all the texts with yeps, and okays. Eventually Tommy bursts through my office door, carrying my school bag.

"Thank you." I say taking it from him, he nods.

"Well I'm going to school." I state gruffly, and begin leaving my office but a cautious hand wraps around my forearm disallowing me to go anywhere.

I look back at Tommy, he's staring at the ground intently. I'm worried he might burn a whole through it.

"What?" I ask, after he doesn't say what's on his mind quickly enough.

"What happened?" He asks tediously, not wanting to over step asking me about why I was at the gym so early. Tommy knows I have nightmares. He's the one who got me the sleeping pills.

I sigh and rub my hand on my temples for the now forming headache.

"I couldn't sleep is all." I lie, shaking my arm from his tight grip.

"Ava, please see the physiologist." He mutters quietly.

I frown, why is everyone ruining my mood this morning? Not that my mood was that great to begin with... but still!

"You know I won't Tommy." I say curtly, leaving the room and slamming the door shut purposefully. I hate how Tommy thinks I need to spill my life story out to make me feel better. I've looked into all this, I just have a different way of grieving for my parents death than others. It's nothing I need to talk to people about. What is thought in my mind will never be spoken aloud.

[][][]

"There you are!"

I look behind me to see Adam walking with his friends.

I sigh and stuff my lunch bag, back into my school bag. I get up from my seat hoping to avoid interacting with Adam. Unfortunately my wish was not granted, as Adam walks right up to me and snatches my school bag from me.

Adams nose is mostly cleared up, there is still a little swelling surrounding it, but other than that it looks normal.

He unzips my bag and gets out my lunch, handing it to the idiots behind him, they dig into it. Gross.

"You humiliated me the other week nerd." Adam admits, his friends nod and agree with him. I hold in my laughter at how ridiculous they all look.

"Twice actually." I murmur quietly, referring when I declined his request to join my gang.

A look of anger floods his face and he grabs my arms forcefully, almost hurting me. Almost. He and the idiots guide me to the abandoned gym I get beat up in every week.

Kicking me onto the ground, Adam and his friends stand around me all laughing at how pathetic I look.

Adam kicks me, using a lot of force. More than usual. His rejection into the gang must be where he is finding this new anger. I'm impressed, but I still find him pathetic.

The idiots chant and eventually they are all kicking me.

I fade, in and out of consciousness. Not feeling any pain, except disappointment of how I let them treat me. Why can't I stand up for myself?

The last things I remember is everyone stopping and someone leaning over me, checking if I'm alright. Then everything going black.

[][][]

The sound of a continuous beep annoyed the hell out of me and grudgingly I opened my eyes to be blown away with bright light. I squint, talking in white walls, white roof, white floor. Everything white.

I look down and notice the blue hospital rag I'm dressed in.

The room is empty, I can now hear birds chirping outside, and noises from the busy hospital sound outside my room.

The last thing I remember was Adam kicking me. I touch my stomach and find it bandaged up.

The door to the hospital room opens and Caleb steps inside?

Wait Caleb?

"You're awake." he says in relief, placing a cup of water in front of me. I look at him confusingly, wondering what he is doing here.

"What happened?" I ask, feeling a slight pang in the back of my head.

He sits down on the sofa, choosing his words carefully he replies.

"I found Adam beating you, you were unconscious so I drove you to the hospital, they bandaged everything for you. I didn't tell them how you got hurt though, I thought you better." He replies sipping his coffee.

I take in his words.

"Ava, they couldn't find you on the record."

On the inside I was screaming. 

Because I deleted myself from every data base. I cannot be in hospital, because I will be found by the police. The police with take Finn.

I suck in a breath and gulp down the water, Caleb watches me intently.

As soon as the water is gone I hand him the cup.

"Please get me some more." I say quickly.

He takes the cup, curiously watching me. "Okay?"

As soon as he is out the door, I hurl myself from the uncomfortable bed, pain shoots through my body but I ignore it and look out the window.

I cannot be in here, if the hospital records my name, and realises who I am. I'll be arrested and Finn will be taken from me!

Luckily I'm on the first floor, quickly I change into the clothes that had been placed neatly beside my bed, and open the window.

Making sure I have everything, I leap from the window and onto the green grass below.

No one spotted me, so I pull my hood over my head and begin walking for five minutes towards the direction of a cafe called "Hot Food for You".

Once inside the cafe, I take my hood off and sit down at the table farthest from the window. Getting out my phone, I decide whether I should ring someone or not.

If I ring Tommy, he will pick me up and ask how I got to the hospital and why.

If I call Sam, he will tell Tommy how and why I went to the hospital, after finding out the information from me.

Finn can't drive.

I sit debating the options when an old lady makes her way over to me.

"What would you like?" She asks, her red lip stick smile, adding a pleasurable feature to the old grey haired woman. I read her name tag.

Hello I am Ella Mathews.
I am the 'Hot Food for You.' manger.

I smile politely, and order a grilled cheese sandwich.

She writes it down and hustles away, back into the kitchen. I lean back in the chair, and begin taking off the bandage around my stomach. Careful not to gain attention from other customers inside the cafe.

After successfully peeling off the gauze, I put it in my jersey pocket in time for Ella to put my steaming grilled cheese on the table. I reply thank you, and start eating.

[][][]

My head is spinning, I lay on bed, my feet hurting, and my stomach sore.

After walking fifteen miles home, I flopped onto my bed and began inspecting the damage done to my stomach.

Finn isn't home thankfully, I didn't want to be bombarded with questions as to why I went to train so early this morning.

Unlike Tommy, Finn doesn't know I have sleeping problems, and I would like to keep it that way.

My stomach is cut and intensely bruised. The purple bruise surrounds my entire stomach and the small cuts here and there aren't huge. I don't understand why I needed a gauze for this.

I switch on my room TV, and curl into my bed. Using the switch next to my bed I shut the curtains, and begin watching a recent episode of Peaky Blinders.

The pain is subsequently ignored when I get snacks from my cupboard and decide to watch another episode.

"Ava?" Finn sounds from behind my door. I pause my current episode and reply to Finn. "Yeah?"

The door creaks open and Finn comes in. He's wearing black basketball shorts and a sleeveless grey hoodie. His sweat sticks to his body, and he stinks.

I put a hand over my nose to tease him and he rolls his eyes.

"I won't ask where you were this morning, because you are my older sister and I'm not your father. But I just wanted to say that I'm going to the warehouse tonight." He says, running a hand through his similar to mine, brown hair.

"Okay that's fine, I'm taking the night off so call me if you need me." I reply.

Finn grins before picking up the remote and unpausing my program.

"Will do" he states, walking out the door and shutting it behind him. I return back to Peaky Blinders, and regretfully watch five more episodes.

Realising my mistake, I get out from my bed and head downstairs, the wall clock reads 10:30pm. It's leftovers for dinner tonight, so I grab a can of coke and my now microwaved lasagna, and juggle my food back upstairs to my cave.

Making the same mistake I watch four more episodes and end up going to bed at 2:30 am.

Great.

[]

[]

[]

I hope you enjoyed the little hospital scene :) In this chapter I wanted to show how sometimes everything gets to much and like a normal human, Ava hides away in her room, binge watching her favourite show.

The next chapter will be full of action, but for now if you are enjoying this story please vote, comment and share to bid your support!! 

Mcjennels

Xx