Chapter 6: Don't hurt me please...

As the creatures closed in, Ava shut her eyes tightly and wrapped her hands around her body, taking shelter from their harm.

“You are so pretty, too bad he won't be able to see your pretty face ever again.” 

The sudden words from only God Know got Ava shaking uncontrollably. As much as she badly wants to see the speaker, she just couldn't dare.

But wait! Who are they talking about? Who won't be able to see her pretty face? Just Who is he?

As the curiosity became too much for her to handle, she parted her lips but before she could say a word, a cold substance landed on her cheek shortly followed by a growl, “Open your eyes, Ava!” 

“I don't want to.” Ava shook her head as tears slowly ran down her features. “Please don't hurt me, I promise I won't tell anyone about you guys or anything I heard today, just let me go please, and...” 

Her next words were stopped by a sudden grip on her throat, which resulted in her coughing badly. Left with no choice but to do what they wanted her to, Ava snapped her eyes open only to get in contact with a pair of red eyes.

“Please don't hurt me!” she managed to squeeze out a few words but the grip on her neck became more intense instead.

Screaming, her eyes snapped open and she was all drenched in cold sweat... again! Her hands flew to her chest when she felt her breathing seize for three seconds. 

Another immense pain struck her hard as she struggled to breathe and she ended up collapsing on the bed. Perhaps, the temperature of the air conditioner was the cause of it.

She had always been prone to colds and got sick easily and this time wasn't any different. She had passed out in school three days ago after forcing herself to write a test despite her not feeling too well. 

But her sickness wasn't what she was concerned about right now. As the sickness played a part in her life so was the dream that she couldn't stop having. That was her biggest issue at the moment. 

The fact that she kept having the dream was something she couldn't fathom about. Nonetheless, the dream she had just now was different from the repeated one she had in the class.

As her mind wandered back to the dream, different thoughts flooded within her immediately. 

“Just who was he? How was the person they were talking about? Damn! I need to meet with Otto because this is getting me freaked out” 

“What the hell?!” A hiss left her lips as she tried to get out of bed. Her entire body felt paralyzed.

Shortly, her room door was pushed ajar and Asha entered. Seeing that her little sister was struggling to get out of bed despite her health, a yell left her mouth.

“Ava what the fuck are you doing?” she quickly placed the tray of food on a stool and rushed to her, “Get back in bed now!” 

Retreating to her bed as her sister had ordered, a mutter left her mouth. “But I'm fine and I need to get ready for school” 

“You are not going to school today. The doctor has instructed you to not stress for a few days. So, no schooling until next week and that is final.” Asha uttered firmly and tucked her under the red duvet before reducing the temperature of the air conditioner.

Surrendering totally to her sister's words, Ava uttered no more words but stayed still on the bed doing nothing but staring at the ceiling.

Asha noticed her sister's disturbed countenance and sat on a provided space on the bed. Reaching out to her sister's face, she pushed away a few strands of hair to get a clear view.

“Are you ok? Is there something you want to share with me?” she asked, boring her emerald eyes into Ava's.

The sudden question from her sister snapped Ava right from her trance. 

“There is no way I can tell her about my dream because she might think I'm all stressed out and discuss with the doctor to keep me in the hospital instead” 

“Ava?” Asha's voice breaks her from her thoughts once again. 

“I'm fine Asha, you don't need to worry about me.” she lets out a brief smile before averting her gaze to the window side.

Almost immediately, a loud knock was heard on her room door and Otto's voice followed right after. “I'm coming inside Ava. If you're not putting any clothes on, just say it.” 

Ava chuckled briefly before replying, “Just come in Otto.” She then rested her head against the headboard as she watched Otto walk in graciously.

Standing up from where she was seated, Asha uttered in a low voice, “All right, I will leave you two to chat.” She then turned to Otto who seemed to be nervous whenever they met. 

“Make sure to treat my sister like a princess Otto. She's fragile like glass.” with that she finally walked out of the room and shut the door.

A few minutes after Otto settled on a chair close to her, he reached for her face and when he observed it was a bit hot, a frown appeared on his forehead.

“This won't do.” He shook his head sideways and removed the duvet on her body, exposing it to the cold atmosphere which caused instant goosebumps on her skin.

Scrunching her face, Ava half yelled as she rubbed her arms. “What are you doing? Do you want to die?” She tried to grab the duvet from him but he shifted back making it impossible for her.

“You have been indoors for too long Ava and apart from your condition, I can tell you are homesick. So, get up and put on good clothes so we can go outside to talk properly.” Otto tried to explain but Ava simply looked at him without moving an inch.

Seeing that she was still there made him realize how stubborn she is. As he sighed thinking of what to say to get her out of bed, an idea came suddenly.

“You said that you wanted to talk about your dream, didn't you? I will listen to everything you have to say just go and get dressed and leave the rest to me.” he managed to stage her out of her bed.

As Ava accepted defeat, she sluggishly walked to her wardrobe and took out a few clothes before entering the bathroom to get changed.

•••

“Did you see the face of the person who held you by the neck?” Otto asked as he took a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

As a sigh escaped her lips, Ava shook her head sideways before drinking a reasonable amount of the hot coffee in her hands. 

Otto had brought them to a coffee shop to discuss the dream but it wasn't helping at all. Not like she had a problem with the coffee shop but the whole conversation wasn't going as planned from her perspective.

She was thinking of it to be something serious and mysterious to worry about. But there was nothing she could do since she couldn't remember too much about it.

“If only there's someone out there that knows about dreams and can help me with it, I'd be grateful. Although it was something I should worry about, I just can't help it. My dad had once told us this; always be conscious of the little details, they matter the most'' 

Shortly, the ringtone of Otto brought her back to reality. “I need to take this, excuse me,” he said and quickly excused himself. 

Shortly, he returned after wearing a different expression on his face. As he walked in, Ava noticed his countenance changed to something she couldn't fathom. 

It was mixed with worries, sadness, regret, and others that she couldn't help but ask as curiosity got the best of her.

“Are you ok? Is everything alright?” 

“Yeah,” he answered quickly and itched the back of his head before adding in a calmer voice. “Something came up at home and I need to go now. I will see you in school next week.” he patted her on the shoulder before rushing out.

As a few minutes passed, Ava also retired and decided to go back home. 

The evening wind blew against her pale skin as she walked slowly into the alley. Goosebumps were visible on her skin and she didn't hesitate to rub them to keep herself warm.

She had forgotten her jacket in the coffee shop and was only left with a T-shirt. As she continued to walk through the Valley, a figure of a man appeared from behind her as it followed every step she took.

Fastening her footsteps to get away from the anonymous man, Ava suddenly stumbled over a medium-sized stone and fell right on her face.

“Don't hurt me please...” she whimpered.