Four

• Ava's POV •

"What?" I asked.

Grandma ignored my sudden surprise and spoke up, "It is said to be formed in the Underworld." I refrained myself from groaning out loud when I heard her say that. "And stolen from there."

I looked at her this time, instead of the black gemstone. "Who stole it?"

The thought of somebody stealing something from the Underworld, more or less a human, was crazy.

"Nobody knows." She sounded very much genuine saying that. As if Underworld even existed. "Many believe it was formed by the dark Furies who went against Hades. They formed this stone for Persephone."

I scrunched up my nose at that. It always intrigued me, the stories grandma believed in. But I could still never make myself believe in them.

"Right." I nodded slowly. "And who are the Furies?"

A small smile tugged on her lips as she pulled the shawl closer against her. There was always this warm aura around her, something that made me feel at ease. More than any other family member of mine.

"The dark souls of those people who died but wanted freedom from the Underworld. Since they were evil, they were condemned to live in there. And never escape."

I blinked before looking back at the black stone. It was still completely black. No signs of those grey swirls I had seen before.

Maybe

I

had

just

been

imagining

things.

"Why would they give this to Persephone?" I clearly knew how this whole thing wasn't even real. But it was never boring to hear such stories from my grandma.

"If you touch it, dark spirits from the Underworld follow you. Everywhere." She replied. "They wanted to take revenge from Persephone. The closest thing to Hades."

That made sense.

"So like, the guy who gave you this did not touch it? Even a bit?" I asked. She just shook her head.

I wasn't surprised. Grandma loved mythology. Myths and legends were her favourite things to talk about. She took them very seriously. Mom always said how it was just because of her old age. Her mind was just...dazed.

However, I knew it wasn't just a stupid trance that she was under. The exciting glint in her eyes whenever she talked about this stuff, I saw it every time. And it made her seem more real.

Not

like

a

mess

of

perfection.

My eyes trailed over towards the gem. Something inside me was itching to just have a feel of it against my fingertips. Just touch it once.

And my wish was granted when Will came barreling out from the basement door, not looking in his way, and slammed into me. Making me tumble forwards with my hands outreaching the thing in front of me. Somehow, I pulled on the velvet cloth. The gem slipped out from the shelf.

Things happened fast after that. I caught the black stone, lost my balance. And fell down with a thud.

"Oops." I heard his voice. "I'm sorry?"

When I looked up, grandma was glaring at Will. Before her eyes came back towards me. And the stone in my hands.

Now that I actually realized that I was holding it, I traced my fingers over it. It was remarkably cold for some reason. But very much smooth.

"What's that?" Will asked.

I sat up and looked back at grandma. Grandma opened her mouth, probably to let out her frustration, when the landline rang.

All three of us looked at it for a whole silent minute with the smooth black stone still in my hand. I had no idea what to do with that. I mean, I should've probably gotten up and placed it back in the shelf.

But the mere fact that the person calling right now could very much be my own mother, that scared me.

Mainly

because

she'd

be

angry

at

us. So

much.

"I'll answer that." Grandma finally broke the silence before giving me a pointed glare. "And you, keep that back."

I didn't need to be told twice. Getting up, I took the velvet cloth and wrapped the cool gemstone inside it before keeping it back in the shelf.

"Hello?" I heard grandma's voice, answering the call.

Will raised his brows and sat down on the couch. "If that is mom, we're grounded, Ava."

"I already know that." I murmured, slight worry nagging inside me as I looked back at where grandma was standing.

She was talking and nodding but I really couldn't make out what exactly she was saying. After few minutes, she kept it back and turned towards us.

With a look that pretty much told me everything.

"Your mother is angry." She said with a small apologetic smile.

"Tell us something new, Grandma." William said in a fake enthusiastic voice.

I didn't know how he was even joking about this matter. Right now. For me, nervousness was already clawing at the edges of my stomach.

Mom

would

want

us

to

head

back.

How was I supposed to go there? What if Ian decided to show up? I'd have to face Elliot and Zoe. What if they already knew?

What

if

somebody

in

that party

told me

how

I

was

too

perfect?

"I really feel bad to say this but–"

Will interrupted grandma. "We shall face the wrath of our mother." She let out a small laugh at that. At least, she wasn't still angry about the whole dropping the stone incident.

"Exactly." She nodded. Then she looked at me. I saw her eyes softening a bit and I had to look away almost immediately.

"All right." I whispered before looking over at Will. "Come on. Let's not make mom angrier."

He nodded before getting up and moving towards the door. "It was nice seeing you, grandma." And then he was out.

Instinctively, giving one last look at the black stone, I made a move to head over towards the front door.

"Ava." Grandma stopped me.

I turned around, regarding her with a questioning look.

"It's just a party. Don't stress out too much over it." She said. Somehow, without even telling her, she knew stuff that was going on inside me. Maybe that was why I felt more co for table around her.

"It's just me, Grandma. I stress over everything." I pointed out with a small smile.

"You don't have to."

"Tell that to my brain."

She shook her head at me. "Life has got a lot written for you, Ava. You may think this stage is hard, but soon it'll be gone. Happiness is never out of reach."

I just blinked at that.

"Do you really believe in the Underworld, grandma?" I asked.

She looked slightly taken aback by that sudden question. But nonetheless, she overcame it just as quick.

"Yes." Was her reply.

I smiled at that. A bit sadly. "How am I supposed to believe you then? All you believe in are stories. You encouraging me about life, maybe that's just a story too."

Instead of getting offended, which I would've been, she just matched my smile. As if there was so much more to it. As if she wished she could've told me a lot of things right now.

"Sometimes, stories are real, Ava." She said. "So much real."

ו•———————••×

"I think we took the wrong route, Will." I whispered with a frown as a long, isolated street crept into view. Huge trees surrounded either side of the road. And the night sky wasn't helping at all.

Now that we were going back home, I was the one driving. Mainly because I needed to distract myself from my thoughts right now.

"Do you know what I think?" He made no pause to wait for my reply. "I think, that we should quickly come up with an excuse before our house arrives."

I looked at him with the same frown. But didn't reply. And continued back on driving.

"We can probably say that grandma...needed us." He spoke up.

My frown deepened as the trees seemed to loom above us. A small ache nagged in my stomach. Something just felt wrong. Or maybe it was just my nervousness.

"Or, you can say that you forgot your Chemistry textbook at grandma's place. And we needed it back." He continued.

I rubbed my free palm on my jeans, holding the steering wheel from the other one. I didn't know why I was sweating when the air conditioner was on full blast.

"Maybe mom would be too busy that she won't even get angry." He suggested in a low, thoughtful voice.

I had to roll my eyes at that. Why was he still talking?

Before I could've told him to shut his mouth, my phone rang. I picked it up and my eyes involuntarily looked over at my left wrist. At the pale white scar along my palm.

Which certainly wasn't a scar since I did not actually remember ever getting injured there. Mom had always told me how it was a birthmark. So pale, that it almost looked like a tattoo mark.

I looked back at the ringing screen and saw mom's name flashing on it. I heard Will murmur something in the background. But I failed to hear it as a sharp stinging pain overtook my wrist.

With a slight wince, I dropped my phone and looked over at my wrist. I actually never remembered that scar –my birthmark– ever hurting. Like I said, it wasn't a scar. Just a mark.

But the fact that I actually felt a stinging pain there, that was odd.

For a whole second, I forgot that I was the one driving the car. I heard Will intake a sharp breath. My hand fled to the steering wheel.

"Ava, watch out!"

Surprisingly, it wasn't a tree or a truck or any other car in the way. As much isolated that road was, I saw a tall figure standing in the middle of it.

And I was given just mere seconds.

My eyes widened as the car neared the person. It was a boy. And he was standing still, not caring if the car hit him. I stepped on the brakes real hard.

The car jerked forward.

I heard a loud crash.

I felt the sudden pain.

And then I blacked out.