Taking Flight

CHAPTER TWENTY - FOUR

Ava stared up at her ceiling, her alarm clock beeping beside her.

Surprisingly, she was able to get some sleep after Hangman left. But it didn't mean she felt well-rested, though. The voices in her head were back, and they were back with a vengeance. They were only momentarily interrupted when something shifted next to Ava, and the alarm shut off.

Ava looked beside her and saw Izzy turning to face her. When Izzy saw that Ava was wide awake, she gave a small sigh. "You know you don't have to go to training today," she pointed out. "No one would mind if you took a day for yourself, Ava."

"I would mind," Ava murmured quietly.

She had a mission to do, and if her team was training, she was going to be there with them. No matter what else happened, no matter what drama there was in her personal life, she wasn't going to disappear on them. She knew what it felt like to miss someone that you should've been able to count on. It wouldn't be fair to the team if she wasn't with them now.

Izzy had also been expecting this answer. She knew her best friend well enough to know that Ava was her own worst critic. And she would never give herself a break. Sometimes, Izzy wanted to smack her on the head for it. But she knew Ava was used to depending only on herself, and she was going to do things her way if she could.

"Fine, then," Izzy replied with a roll of her eyes. It was too early to argue with Ava anyway, so instead, she grabbed her best friend's hand and gave a small smile. "If you're going to training, then so am I." Or as the old adage went, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Thanks to Izzy's new plans, Ava spirits somewhat lifted. She wasn't going to argue with what Izzy wanted, either. Having her and Hangman around would definitely make things easier. This was a morning that Ava did not want to face alone, and, somehow, she knew the two would not leave her hanging – despite Hangman's reputation.

There was a small knock on the door that interrupted the moment between the two best friends.

Ava furrowed her eyebrows, not really knowing who it could be.

Izzy decided it would be better if she was the one who checked on their early morning visitor. That way, she could punch any unwanted guests in the face and protect Ava from further trauma. Throwing the blankets off, Izzy left Ava and Rex on the bed as she padded barefoot towards the door.

She took a deep breath and tried to appear as intimidating as possible. It was usually easier when she hadn't just woken up. Still, she swung the door open, ready to scare away whoever was bothering them when she met her father's green eyes.

"Isabella?" Cyclone's surprise was evident in his voice.

"Dad," Izzy replied, not that enthusiastic about who it was. She wasn't happy to deal with her father so early in the morning, but she couldn't exactly punch him, either.

Cyclone was more surprised at the fact that he didn't know his daughter was at the base – the base he was supposed to be running. But he wasn't surprised to find her with Ava. He already knew that, if any bad thing happened, the two of them always found their way to each other. They were like magnets that way.

Cyclone shook his head and entered the room without waiting for an invite from Izzy. She rolled her eyes at his back before shutting the door and following after him. Ava, who already heard the two talking, expected to see the Admiral.

They hadn't seen each other since the incident last night, but she knew Cyclone wouldn't initiate the conversation about that. He always waited until Ava was ready to open up. By then, she was usually the one who approached him. No, this morning his visit was more out of duty rather than personal concern.