HEROES

PART XXIII

A week passed, and Ava kept asking about her mother but no one dared to tell her. 

"Is she dead?" Finally, she asked. 

"No," her grandmother replied.

"Then why is she not coming back? I miss her", she said with teary eyes. 

"Wait for a few more days, can you?" Her grandmother asked while patting her head.

It's not like she wanted to wait but she doesn't have any other option. Ava nodded, hoping these few days will pass soon. A month passed and finally, she gave up. When will her mother come back? This is what she wanted to know and no one was telling her.

Her grandparents transferred her to a new school that was in Dallas, Texas. She was alone there, with no friends and her only surviving family, her mother was nowhere to be seen. 

She cried almost every day but not in front of her grandparents. One day she was sitting inside her classroom and a group of bullies came and started mocking her, calling her an orphan. She put her head down and tried to ignore them. Soon the teacher came and those bullies settled in their seats. 

Things were not going very well, they started harassing her, they ordered her to bring food for them, and take their bags to the classroom. "Hey orphan come here", one of the girls said," Do my homework", she said, giving Ava her notebook. 

Ava took the notebook without any question and went back to her seat. 

It wasn't that she couldn't fight but she wanted to avoid it at any cost, she didn't want to burden her grandparents anymore. She saw them fighting because of her and this was the last thing she wanted to see. 

"I miss you mom", Ava said and closed her eyes," I wish you could be here", she mumbled. 

One day she was eating her lunch at the school cafeteria and a girl came and put a cold drink in her rice. She remained quiet, everyone who was sitting near her started whispering. Ava remained unaffected, she started eating the rice that was soaked in the cold drink.

Though this was way too much for an eight-year girl, she decided to endure it. 

The next day when she was eating her food the same girl came, Ava saw water in her hand, and she opened the lid and put her hand forward to pour it on her head. She closed her eyes but to her surprise not even a single drop of water touched her body. She opened her eyes to see what was happening around her and from that moment her life decided to take a turn.