New Limits

Chapter 13

Avery had dozed off on Ryan leaving him to entertain himself. Avery was soundly asleep for twenty minutes when she started having a flashback.

*Flashback*
Avery was curled up on the ground asleep when Jed came in.

"Wake up cousin its time we have some fun"

When Avery doesn't budge or say anything he goes over to her and kicks her leg lightly.

"Wake up Avery"

Avery slowly sits up.

"Go away Jed"

"Now that is no way to speak to your cousin who has done nothing but be nice and look after you for a few weeks. You should be more respectful than that. Your parents thought you better than that"

"Are you kidding me Jed you do not look after me you've been doing nothing but being a complete asshole to me. You have hit me kicked me punched me. Not to mention you have threatened to kill me and have almost succeeded four times. If you think that what you are doing is looking after me then you are not only a psychopath but you are a complete idiot and stop calling me cousin, we may be related but you are not family and you never will be. My cousin Jed died years ago"

Hearing that pissed Jed off he advanced towards Avery. She quickly got on her feet and made a run for the door, she tried to open it but it was locked. She looked behind her to see that Jed was two steps away from her. She turned around to face him trying to figure out how she was going to get out of this.

Jed walks up to her and grabs her neck and pins her against the door harshly. He tightens his grip around her neck slowly choking Avery.

Avery starts to struggle to get free this only causes him to tighten his grip further making it impossible for Avery to breathe she ends up blacking out. Jed throws her to the side and leaves the room locking the door after him.

*End of Flashback*

Avery wakes up gasping her hand immediately going towards her throat to try and remove the constricting feeling that's there. Ryan immediately goes to her bedside.

"Avery it's okay it's okay your safe"

She starts to cry. Ryan pulls her into a hug and for the first time, she doesn't flinch away from him instead she hugs him back while she cries not wanting to let go.

Wishing that she could forget about everything that Jed had done to her.

"He's still torturing me and he's not even here. Everything he did to me over the last four months replays in my mind and dreams I can't escape from it"

"Avery I'm not going to tell you that it will be alright or that eventually it will stop happening because I don't have the answers and I don't want to give you false hope. But what I will say is that we all will help you through this no matter how long it takes we will all be here we will get you the help that you need and you can guarantee that I will stick by you and help you in any way that I can"

Avery pulls away from Ryan so she can look at him and determine if he is telling the truth.

"I'm telling the truth, Avery, I'm not just saying it to try and make you feel better I mean it and I'll prove it to you"

Avery smiles at Ryan.

"I know you do Ryan but you and I both know that their is no fixing this. Their is no way to make me somewhat normal again. It's always going to haunt me. It will forever be in the back of my mind slightly humming making sure that I can never forget about all the beatings and the near death experiences"

Avery pauses for a moment looking down at her hands. The tears really starting to fall. She chokes back a sob before continuing.

"There was so many times where I had wished that he had just done it that way I wouldn't have to deal with everything he put me through"

Ryan tries to fight back the tears. Hearing that felt like a knife was shoved into his heart. He couldn't bear the idea of Avery dying because of Jed. He didn't want to lose her. She was his best friend he hadn't told her yet but he loved her and wanted to be with her.

Avery notices the tears slowly running down Ryan's cheaks. She reaches towards his face and wipes them away.

"I'm still here Ryan, you haven't lost me. I'm still here"

"I don't want to lose you Avery"

"You won't lose me. I'm not giving up if I didn't give up after all that I'm not going to now"

Ryan smiles at Avery.

"You are the strongest person I know. You went through all that and you are still fighting you really know how to surprise us all don't you"

"I couldn't leave you all behind and put you through grief so I fought back and then just fought to stay alive. I'm not strong I just refuse to give up on those I care about"

Avery pauses for a moment and looks towards her lap and starts to twirl her thumbs.

Ryan reaches out and places his hand on top of hers and gently moves his thumb across the back of her hand.

"Avery I.."

"Ryan please don't say anything about that. Can we just talk about something else"

"Sure, so have you seen that new movie"

Avery chuckles a little and looks up at Ryan with a small smile on her face.

"I'll give you a point for effort but Ryan I haven't been out much for over four months"

Ryan looks down and shakes his head before laughing.

"Out of all the things to say of course I'd change the subject to something completely stupid that we can't talk about"

They both start laughing at Ryans mishap.

For a moment Avery felt normal as if the past few months never happened. She felt as though everything was the way it was before Jed had taken her. For the first time in months for that brief moment she felt like herself again.