𝑴𝒚 𝑩𝒐𝒅𝒚𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒅 | 18+

You haven't seen crazy yet, sweetheart (A)

Ava's POV

Faint sunlight seeps through the curtains of the bedroom and filters onto my face. My eyes flicker open and I flinch. With a groan, I turn on my side.

"Dante?" I call out but there's no answer.

I flip up, throw a robe on and make my way downstairs. As I walk down, voices from below become clearer.

"Oh come on, this is ridiculous! She's insane if she thinks we can find her sister,"

"Shh, chill out man,"

"Nah dude, I'm actually pissed, I can't understand why Dante is following this pathetic-"

Click.

My outstretched arm is weighed down by a gun in my hand which connects with his head. The man's eyes fly wide as he slowly turns to face me. "You were saying?"

"A- Ava," he stutters.

My lips twist into a broad smile. "Yes?"

His arm raises and he wraps his hand around my wrist. "I- I'm so sorry, let's just-"

My arm swings up and comes crashing down on his face, he falls sideways in his chair and stumbles to the floor. My smile falls as I look down at him. "Touch me again and it'll be the last time you have hands," I growl.

"You're fucking insane!" The other one screams.

"You haven't seen crazy yet, sweetheart," I say in a monotone voice.

"Ava!" Dante's voice rings in my ear as he bursts into the room. "What's going on?"

I sigh. "Some losers needed to be reminded who's in charge,"

He groans, running a hand through his hair. "Ava, that's not how we do things around here,"

My brows furrow as I stare at him for a moment. "They insulted me."

"Okay, then you can talk to-"

"Talking does nothing. They need to see what I can do, then they'll respect me-"

"No, then they'll fear you,"

I turn to the side while rolling my eyes and walk out of the room towards the training grounds. The air is thick with a metallic tang as guards swing at each other. Anger pulses through my veins as I approach as a lone guard.

"Spar with me," I demand. His gaze lifts as he looks me up and down. He takes a step forward, towering over me as he matches my intensity.

"You sure?"

I give a quick nod in reply and start circling him, we both lock eyes and observe each other's every movement. I clench my fist, pressing my nails into my palms. My opponent's jaw ticks before taking a step and throwing the first punch. I duck swiftly and throw an undercut, hitting him in the jaw.

He steps back with a grin while feeling for blood, "Damn shorty, you know how to throw a punch," And with that said he jolts forward, throwing a mock punch then circling and tripping me over. I stumble to the floor face first, lessening the blow with my arms. Groaning, I turn onto my back and flip up.

"Fuck you," I spit before going in for an attack, every strike a release of my pent-up anger. My fists land with a sense of brutality that betrays the storm brewing inside my mind.

"Ava," Dante's voice makes me flinch leaving my opponent just enough time to knock me onto my ass.

"Shit," I groan as Dante lends me a hand up.

"Easy, Ava. Breathe." He urges, his voice cutting through the chaos around me.

I scoff, unwilling to listen to reason. "What do you want? I was in the zone."

His gaze doesn't waver as his hand gently caresses my cheek. "You need to deal with this... this anger inside of you, but not here, you need real help, Ava."

The guard I was sparring with retreats back into the corner leaving me with no option but to go with Dante. "Let's get you cleaned up, hm? I'll walk you to your room,"

I sigh, my expression softening as I take his hand and he guides us to the edge of the grounds. Once back in my room, the adrenaline begins to wane, leaving him exhausted. I strip down and step into the shower, the hot water a blessing to my bruised and aching body. 

The water cascades down my face, washing away the dirt and anger, leaving only a sense of loneliness. It's been weeks since I've seen any of my friends or family. My whole world flipped the day my mother introduced me to Dante, my partying days are over.

I miss my friends.

With a towel wrapped around me, I settle onto a chair and reach for my phone. I dial Katy's number and as soon as her familiar face lights up on the screen I smile. "Miss me?" She teases, her voice a welcome annoyance.

"More than you can imagine," I breathe, my words carrying the weight of the unspoken challenges I face.

"You okay, girl? You seem... down,"

"I... I'm not okay,"

"Hey! I'm here for you, what's up? You can tell me anything,"

Tears form in my eyes as her reassuring words sink in. "I missed you, Katy," I sob. We talk for hours, breaking my anger with laughter as we share memories and gossip. Katy is exactly what I needed, the familiarity only true friends could bring. As the conversation flows, I finally feel at ease in the midst of this chaotic few weeks.

As the sun starts to set, golden light filters into the room. I snuggle up in a burrito of blankets, the echoes of the training ground and the warmth of Dante's touch lingered in my mind. Even if things are hard right now, even if I'm... different, I know we can get through this.