Dire {h.s.}

6

Ava Manakova

My entire body is weak from any remaining piece of strength. My head is foggy with a pounding headache. The fear from earlier still trembles through my veins, and constricts my breathing. My lungs that have somehow found a way to grasp air. I peel my eyes open slowly, and to my surprise, a stone ceiling stares back at me. I release a heavy breath, recollecting my thoughts.

"She's awake." I hear from my left, and soon the presence of more people surrounds me.

"Ava, are you alright?" a voice that I've heard before asks.

"I hope she is." another says.

"We never had a fainter."

"That's not a word." a voice argues.

"Yes it is."

"No its not––"

"Guys shut up!" the voice that seems more familiar shouts in a whisper, cutting silence between the two bickering voices. Slowly, I turn my head to the side and meet with more than one pair of eyes. The girls from before stand in a group near me, but the girl with brown eyes––Jade, I think she said her name was, sits closer to me. They are pooled with concern for me as she searches my face for something. "Ava, how are you feeling?"

I take deep breaths, trying to recollect my surroundings, other than the girls. My head rests against what I can only assume is a pillow. The room is real. I thought it was a nightmare, but no. "I-I don't feel––good." I manage to say through the immense amount of pain I'm in.

"I know, we're waiting for them to get back. Then we can ask for Advil or something, alright?" she says softly. Is she talking about Louis and that strange man from earlier?

"Louis?" I ask in a whisper, on the edge of breaking out into another cry again.

She looks a bit taken aback by my question, they all do. They gawk at me, their eyes a bit wider. Slowly, she nods and asks, "You know his name?"

I nod. "The second guy mentioned it––am I not supposed to know?"

Jade shakes her head. "No, no, we didn't know their names until way later. They don't tell anyone their names."

"What is the other one's name?" I have to ask.

"Harry."

That's one I've never heard before. It's probably the most unusual name I've heard.

"But don't ever say it!" she tells me with a warning look, as if the whole world would blow apart if I did.

Panic rises within me like a vial.

"H-How long have y-you been here?" I ask nervously, holding a breath and waiting anticipatingly.

She sighs deeply and lets her sad eyes fall. Fear clenches around my heart, holding it from dropping.

"Three years."

My heart drops, maybe even stops beating for a second or two. I can feel nothing but hurt and fear heat my cheeks and start war with my lungs and oxygen all over again. Tears uncontrollably escape the corners of my eyes. She didn't want to tell me, but she knew she had to. And looking around to see the rest of their reactions, I can tell that they knew it would be too much for me to hear. They knew I would freak out, maybe even more than before. No, certainly more. My heart has never beat this fast, to the point where it's on the verge of jumping out. When I see the apologetic look pooling in her eyes, I find the slightest hint of a glimmer. A fresh tear escapes her eye and slowly rolls down her cheek, along with the kept secrets and memories she holds with her. She has definitely seen more than I have, and I can confirm it with just the tiniest bit of emotion in disguise.