Michrinor: The Fates of The Heirs

Chapter 6 - Ava's Need for Escape

As months went by, Ava's need for her secret place grew stronger. Her father's drinking became more frequent, and her brother acted out more and more. Instead of just rebelling against their parents, Ethan now had many problems at school. He had become known as a bully and often got into fights. He started smoking cigarettes with his friends and stealing alcohol from their father. In another act of rebellion, he paid an older boy to tattoo his arm. When their father noticed the tattoo, his rage flared. Yelling turned to arguing, arguing turned to violence, and violence led to red and blue lights in the driveway. Ava's parents managed to convince the police that Ethan had been in a fight with other boys. Due to Ethan's reputation in their small town, the sheriff's deputies believed Bruce's version of events and turned a blind eye to their suspicions of abuse. Ava was relieved to see them go. As unhappy as she was, she still loved her parents and brother and didn't want anyone to get into trouble, but she desperately wanted the violence and screaming to stop.

Ava's grandparents tried to intervene by asking Ethan to stay at their home for a while, but Ethan's anger towards the world was more than they could handle. After he stole money from his grandfather's dresser, Ethan was asked to return to his parents' house. Ava ate less and less as the turmoil in her home caused her to feel nauseous and lose her appetite. Often, she found herself caught in the crossfire. If the night was bad and everyone was on edge, any small mistake she made resulted in severe repercussions. Though she had escaped any major beatings from her father, she suffered verbal hits to her heart and soul. She was also afraid that one day her luck would run out and her father would hit her like he did Ethan. Her mother didn't help the situation either. If her father was angry, her mother would get irritated with Ava if she thought Ava would make anything worse.

Her teachers began to suspect problems at home or possibly some illness; however, living in a small town didn't merit discreet inquiries into students' lives, and most teachers chose to stay silent. One brave soul, Ava's bus driver, was good friends with her Mamaw Belinda. Over coffee one afternoon, the bus driver asked Belinda if Ava was ill. Belinda knew things were not going well, but due to Bruce's decision years prior to distance himself and his family from his mother, she did not know for certain. To maintain the very little communication and visitation she received from Ava and Ethan, she had to leave the issues alone and rest in her faith that God would take care of her babies. Her faith was well known, and prayer was her weapon. She taught Ava to be strong and find power in the same, which was the only thing keeping Ava from feeling completely alone in the world.

This particular day was no different from most days. Ava's mother, Ella, overslept, and the family was running late for school, so the stress level was high in the Robinson household. Ella was shouting at Ethan, asking him to hurriedly change his clothes and pack his bag for school while he grumbled under his breath. Ava was racing to eat what little breakfast she could in about five minutes, and, the family loaded into the car for school. The remainder of the day was no exception to the chaos. Ethan was caught smoking in the boys' restroom after lunch. The principal phoned Ella about the incident and requested she take him home for the day. He notified her of a week-long suspension and potential impacts on his already below-average grades. The only class he excelled in was woodworking, referred to as "shop" class. Ava's day turned from rough to almost unbearable when the girls known for bullying her, led by Erin, decided it would be fun to throw Ava's backpack, including all her schoolwork and books, into the toilet in the girls' restroom. After one of the teachers heard the commotion, she assisted Ava in drying her papers. The girls ran when the teacher walked into the restroom, and no consequences were applied to their actions since it couldn't be proven they were at fault. This upset Ava, but she kept quiet, sitting in her deep feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, believing that no matter what happened to her, there was no such thing as justice in the world and anyone could hurt her and get away with it.