The Seventh Avenger: Playing With Fire

Chapter 23: The Woman in the Graveyard

          Once upon a time, waking up on Christmas Eve would have evoked an excitement within Ava.

          She would have greeted the day with a wild, toothy smile, rushing downstairs to remind those around her that Christmas was only one sleep away, before she would then be urged to head back upstairs to get ready for the Christmas Eve party organised by the Quills every year. The air would be cool and nip at her skin, turning her cheeks a rosy, red as her family would venture out into the cold towards the car, which would gently blast Christmas carols that she knew all the words too from the speaker, her mother quietly humming along to the merry tunes.

          It wouldn't be long before they then arrived at whoever's house or farm the party was at, music and laughter in the air as gifts were exchanged and delicious food was eaten, leaving Ava's belly warm and full. Family and friends would greet one another, reminiscing and celebrating well into the night, before returning back to their homes for more intimate celebrations. Back in her own bed, Ava would try to fight the exhaustion from the day, blinking her eyes and praying that they would stay open long enough for her to glimpse at the reindeer and Santa from the stories she had been told as a child. But eventually, the exhaustion would take over and she would fall into a deep slumber, the excitement happening all over again when she woke up on Christmas morning the following day.

          This time of year had a beauty and magic of itself to it that had always brought her unceremonious joy.

          Of course, that had been when her mother and brother were alive, and her extended family hadn't alienated her and driven Ava away from the town that she had once happily called home.

          Now, many Christmas Eve's later, as she sits at the kitchen table and miserably picks at her breakfast with her fork, all that sits within her is a pile of dread that she can't seem to shake. If her grandmother, eating her own scrambled eggs directly at the other end of the table, picks up on Ava's glum mood, then she makes no comment on it. It's enough to cause a tiny, flicker of resentment stirring within Ava to grow and grasp her fork tightly.

          Stupidly, she had agreed to accompany her grandparents into town today when she had been too tired to think of the consequences. It wasn't until after she had sent the files to Tony and Lydia early this morning and thought of what the day ahead entails that she fully understood the gravity of the situation, and it's enough to bring her reality to a screeching halt.

          A trip. A trip into town. She was going to the shops with her grandfather, where everyone that she sure as hell does not want to see will be there, waiting. Her body shudders involuntarily at the sickening thought.

          She could try and get out of it. She could lie and say that she wasn't feeling well, or that she had a few other things to take care of instead. But, deep down, she knows that her grandparents aren't stupid. They would see right through any lie she's more than happy to give them; it would be easy for them to figure out that she would be using excuses to remain safe and sound at home that day. And while they wouldn't force her into tagging along if she really didn't want to go (which, she sure as hell doesn't), it's the disappointment from them that she wouldn't be able to stand.

          She bites back a sigh, practically stabbing at her eggs now. All she can do is hope that it's a quick trip. In and out, sorting out last minute Christmas shopping. Nothing more. Nothing less. No stopping to talk to anyone that will – or has, in the past – give her any sort of grief.

          "Ava, darling, are you feeling OK?"

          Ava stills and tilts her head to look at her grandmother across from her. She's watching Ava like a hawk, her brows pinched carefully together as she regards her only granddaughter before her. When Ava doesn't answer, her Nan elaborates, "Are you not feeling well?"