Love and War
Ava ran through the deserted streets, the man was close behind. He called for her to stop, that he only wanted to talk but Ava was no fool. She had seen the way he had looked at her, with murderous hate in his eyes and the way he touched her was terrifying. So she ran, but it was becoming harder and harder to breath and her legs were beginning to falter.
The man was faster than her and he soon caught hold of her wrist and yanked her to a stop. He pulled her to the ground, and held her down as she screamed and struggled. He ripped her shirt, and groped her. Ava closed her eyes and tried to pretend this wasn't happening.
Suddenly the pressure of his weight was gone, and as she opened her eyes, she saw the man brawling with a hooded figure. The hooded man punched the attacker in the head so hard, the man spun around immediately and scurried away clumsily.
The hooded man hurried to Ava's side.
"Are you okay?" He asked in a rough voice.
"Y-yes, I think I'm fine." She answered quickly. She got to her feet but her legs wobbled and she fell back to the ground.
"Here let me help you." He said as he offered his hand.
Ava took it and he lifted her to her feet and placed her arm over his shoulder. They stumbled back the way she had came from.
"Do you have a car nearby?" He asked her with concern.
"No I was walking home from work." She looked to the sky, which had been dusk when she left work but now it was way past twilight now. "I'm Ava by the way. Thank you for saving me." She added.
"Its nice to meet you, Ava." He said as he pulled his hood off.
Ava stared in awe at this man who was more handsome then any man she had ever seen.
"I'm Luke." He said as an alarm woke her up.
Ava woke in a cold sweat, her heart beating rapidly. She glanced at her alarm clock. "Shoot! I'm late for work!" Ava shouted. She stumbled to the mirror, her blonde hair had the annoying wave to it again. She hated her bright green eyes but thought they were her best feature. She thought she was too short for her age. She hurried to get her clothes on and she quickly put her hair up and went out the door. "I'll be home on my break to give you your medicine." She told her mother who sat lifelessly in a chair.
As Ava was walking to the diner she couldn't stop thinking about the man in her dream. There was something about him that she just couldn't put a finger on. Was it his looks or the way he had saved her? She didn't think so, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Soon Ava approached small brick building, known as the Roselyn Diner.
"Glad you could make it Ava." A voice shouted from the behind the register.
"S-sorry I'm late, I over slept." Ava confessed.
"Well you better hurry and get to work to make up for lost time." Her boss said smirking.
Ava apologized once more as she tied her apron on and got to work. Her morning was uneventful except for the child who accidentally spilled soda down the front of her shirt.
At lunch, Ava went home as usual to give her mother her medicine. She walked slowly down the street enjoying the fresh air, she felt strange as if someone was watching her she glanced across the street and saw a man in a black hood dissecting her with his eyes. She quickly glanced away and then back but he was nowhere to be seen.
Ava shrugged the man off as a figment of her imagination and continued on her way.
As her house came into view, she noticed how run-down it looked. The picket fence that was once white was now paint less except for the white spots that refused to wash away with the rain. The house had vines hanging from it and the grass was almost to her calves as she walked along the sidewalk. She silently vowed to fix these varies things soon.
Ava walked in the front door and saw that her mother was still in the same chair, she looked as lifeless as before. She was very still, but suddenly her mouth opened wide and she inhaled deeply and made a sound that filled the air with her pain and misery.
Ava ran to the kitchen and got her medicine and a glass of water with a straw. She came back and placed them in her mother's waiting hands. As her mother took the pills, Ava studied her. Her once rounded cheeks were now hollow and sickly pale. Her fair blonde hair had turned grey in a matter of years. Ava's mother was in late 30s when she had Ava. So she was now 59 year old, but she was almost sick and depressed. It was 6 years since Ava's dad passed away but it still hit mom as hard today as it did when it happened.
" How are you feeling, mom?" Ava asked. She said nothing as usual. "Well, mom I am going to go back to work. I will be home at 5:30. Bye I love you." Her mother was silent.
As Ava walked back to work, she saw the same man staring at her, but this time he was even closer to her. It was like he was following her, studying every move she made. Ava felt a strange feeling that she couldn't bare much longer. So she started to run. Finally she made it the diner, where she caught Helen, her boss, staring at her with a weird expression on her face.
"Ava, are you okay?" she asked very concerned.
"I think someone is following me." Ava replied.
Her boss quickly walked to the window. "Ava, I don't see anyone"
"I could of sworn that someone was right behind me."
"Maybe you should just take a break and breath for today." Helen said.
"Are you sure I don't want to slow things down with me not being there."
"You won't slow anything down. We only have four costumers, it's a slow day." Helen laughed and shooed her away.
Ava walked back home for the day. She watched all around her but she saw no sign of the mystery man and she quickly walked into her house.
"Mom, I'm home." Ava called out. Ava walked into the living room where her mother was. She went over to her mother sat staring at nothing. Ava got her some water but she continued to stare blankly.
"Mom?" Ava asked. She got down to her mother's level. Her green eyes looked slightly blue.
Ava knew something was wrong, she went to call 9-1-1.
"Hello?" Ava said frantically. "You have to hurry! There is something wrong with my mother. My address is 415 Edwards St." Ava said after they answered. As soon as the ambulance arrived, they placed her on the stretcher and raced her to the hospital.
Ava arrived minutes later. She waited outside in the lobby sobbing.
She heard a doctor yelling orders in the room they had taken her mother. She heard them yell that she was flat lining and she heard the shock of the defibrillator and then the doctor called the time of death.
Ava cried harder as the doctor came and conformed that her mother had passed away. The doctor told her to stay as long as she needed and was gone
An hour went by when a women walked beside her and sat down. She put her hand on Ava's shoulder, hoping to comfort her.
"Hey, my name is Lexi." She spoke softly. "How are you doing?"
"I-I am… Not good." Ava sobbed painfully.
"Well my shift ended a few minutes ago. Let me drive you home."
"Uh sure." Ava answered still sobbing. They arrived to Ava's house.
"If you need anything you can just call. Okay here is my number." Lexi said politely. Ava looked at the piece of paper.
"T-thank you. I will need a friend." Ava said with a weak smile.
Ava walked inside and went straight to her bedroom. She just sat on her bed and eventually cried herself to sleep.
The next day, Ava awoke to a phone call. It was her boss, Helen, checking up on her. She also said Ava could have a couple days off. After talking to Helen, Ava made some coffee for herself and cleaned the house.
As she was doing her laundry, she noticed a piece of paper hanging out of her pant pocket. It was the number that Lexi gave her. Ava picked up the phone and called before she could change her mind.
Lexi said she was working until four tonight but after that she would come get Ava.
Time went by as Ava continued to clean until about three-thirty, then she got ready to have a girls' night with Lexi. She brushed her wavy blonde hair and curled it. After she finished curling her hair she put eyeliner on around her green eyes. Then Ava put on some holey jeans and a dark navy blue sweat shirt.
Finally Lexi arrived in her blue BMW. She waited for Ava outside.
As Ava got into the car Lexi greeted her with a friendly hello.
"Where to?" Lexi asked.
"I really don't care, just as long as I can get my mind off of what happened yesterday."
"I know the perfect place for that." Lexi said.
"Good, lets get going then." Ava laughed poorly.
They listened to music the rest of the way there so Ava had time to study Lexi. It was the first time she had actually looked at Lexi. She had large violet eyes, hidden behind black glasses, with long, dark eyelashes framed around them. Her skin was pale and clear of any blemishes. Her hair was a natural black color that went to her waist and her bangs were just above her eyes. Her long, slender body was covered by a plain long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans. Her right sleeve was pushed up enough that you could see where small cursive writing went across. Ava squinted at the tattoo but couldn't make out what it said.
Ava and Lexi arrived at a bar called 'Ray's Pub' which was located across Chicago.
They walked into the pub. It looked like a biker bar, which made it odd that someone like Lexi would go here. Strangely Ava felt comfortable here, maybe it was the fact that Lexi was so fond of the place.
"So how did you find this place." Ava asked.
"Well I grew up around this part of town." Lexi replied.
The two went over to the bar.
"What would you like?" The bartender asked.
"I would like two beers please." Lexi answered. Ava took a drink of the beer.
"Yuk! This is the worst stuff I have ever tasted."
Lexi laughed. "You must not get out much."
"Umm no I don't. I had to take care of my mother and work all the time." Ava said.
"Wow, so you never had anytime to yourself?" Lexi asked?
"Nope, not since my dad died when I was 13 and I have been taking care of her ever since."
"How did he die, or is that to much?" Lexi's face serious now.
"Its fine. He died from a hit and run. The weird thing is it was like no one was around, but just me. I ran to find help but when I got back he had passed."
"I am sorry for bringing it up." Lexi said with the saddest look on her face.
"It's fine." Ava answered in return.
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Lexi wondered
"Nope, my mother had me in her late 30's so she decided not to have anymore children."
"Oh, so do you have anyone at all?" Lexi asked.
"No I am the only one left." Ava replied.
Ava didn't seem that upset anymore now that she got to talk about things with someone. She has never really had an actual conversation with someone since her father died. He was the only who really seemed to listen and her mother went into a deep depression after his death so she didn't talk much.
"Well then. Looks like your going to need a friend." Lexi laughed.
"Yeah, I guess your right." Ava smiled.
"So what's your story?" Ava asked. "If you don't mind me asking anyway."
"I don't mind, but what do you mean?"
"Do you have any family?" Ava questioned as she cautiously put the beer back up to her lips.
"Yes, I have a brother, or at least I had one. I don't know what happened to him. Our parents died and we got sent to a foster home, where we were separated when he got adopted by a family and I had to stay." Lexi said quietly, she stared at her beer as she spoke.
"Oh I'm sorry," Ava apologized. "Do you know where he is?" Ava couldn't help but ask.
"No, I tried looking at the foster home, but it was gone and no one told me where to find the files." Lexi looked crushed and she took drink of her beer.
"Oh," Ava felt bad for asking, and quickly changed the subject.
They sat there for a couple hours, sometimes talking, sometimes not, until Lexi had to leave so she could get enough sleep to go to work.
Lexi drove Ava home in silence until finally Ava had to ask.
"What does the tattoo say?" Ava blurted out.
Lexi glanced down at it. "It says 'Cody'." She said then added, "Cody is my brother's name and I liked it because it feels like he is always with me."
Lexi pulled in to Ava's driveway, and they said there goodbyes and promised to hang out again soon.