The Traps of Black Swan

Limping back inside the station, Ava was trying to suppress her shiver while the fear had clutched her tight enough to choke her.

She flinched when a jacket landed on her shoulder before an old cleaning lady came to her view. The old lady sighed looking at her state before she looked around and pulled her aside, "Why are you going inside again?"

The old lady noticed Ava was fearing her too and she quickly left her trembling hand. "Did you leave anything behind?" She asked in a low, concerned voice.

A part of Ava didn't want to trust the old lady after what she had been through in such a short span but she found herself sniffling, "M-my m-mobile." It came out so low that the old lady took time to understand.

"Stay in the corner, I will get it for you." The old lady whispered before she went inside.

Even though Ava responded to the old lady, the fear seemed to elevate at the thought of what if the old lady brings those people. She was looking right and left to hide somewhere.

Before she could get a place, the old lady returned back breathing heavily, "There you go." She handed her her mobile looking at Ava who looked like a drenched cat. She asked to confirm, "It's yours, right?"

Ava found it hard to nod but she still did. She bowed her head to express her gratitude before she looked at the jacket, "I-I d-don't have my wallet."

Ava knew how hard it would be for a lower-class family to make the ends meet. So she wanted to give the old lady some money for the jacket but the old lady misunderstood her.

The old lady took some cash from her pant pockets and stuffed it into Ava's hand. She looked outside where a drinking water mini truck was leaving. "Come fast." She dragged Ava to the vehicle.

Even though the lady seemed to be old, she was walking briskly but Aari, who was hurt in the knee, wasn't able to keep up with her speed or shrug her handoff. 

Ava didn't get to return the money or speak a word, the old lady forced her to climb the vehicle from behind. Force? It was actually the biggest help Ava could get from a stranger. 

"When the car stops at the traffic signal, get off from this. Don't trust anybody easily. Use this money and reach home safely."

'Home.' Unfortunately, when Ava was thinking about who could help her to escape from the ordeal, she didn't remember the home even once.

Homeless, that's what she always feels despite having a family house where none behaved like her family.

Ava wanted to speak but she fell back on the drinking water bottles and groaned in pain when the car moved. She didn't get to thank the old lady and her tears rolled down when she looked at her hand. 

A few hundred dollars was in her hand and she knew it was possibly the whole month income of that old lady. The little faith in humanity again sprouted in Ava which probably shouldn't have. 

Ava quickly lowered down in the open truck when the car was passing by the gate. Enduring the pain, she was in that position till the car stopped at a traffic signal. She got out of the car holding a water bottle and ran up to the footpath before her legs gave away and she collapsed on the bench. 

She knew she had to leave quickly but she felt her legs weak and extremely dizzy. Even if she tries to leave, she was sure she would faint somewhere.

She looked around, she was sitting opposite the museum, behind her was a huge park which was also called a morning park, a jogging park.  Because it was late in the night, there were none around. Ava Kelly who used to dislike the darkness and staying alone was glad nobody was around her.

She soothed her dry throat before she dialed Hayden Kelly, her grandfather. She tried once, twice, and thrice but none answered her call. She recalled her grandfather didn't look for her or called her even once after she had walked away from the wedding hall. 

'Is grandfather avoiding me? Does he also think it was my mistake? Will he blame this on me?...' The questions were innumerable but there were none to answer her.

She used all her self-control to avoid calling Zain who was in a different country looking after his sick mother. 

Her hand trembled causing her to clutch the mobile tight when reality hit her hard.

Why can't I keep myself safe?

Why am I looking for somebody to protect me?

Why do I have to depend on somebody?

Why don't I have a single safe place?

.

.

She questioned her whole existence, her life. The worst part was when she understood she was nothing, a powerless girl who couldn't protect herself when in real danger.

She endured pain all her life yet, she had really believed the police's duty was to solve the problem in the society and protect the citizens. Hence the thought of living alone always seemed easy with the blind belief that police are there to maintain law and order.

How naive!

Despite it was hard for her to collect herself, she still thought about how to keep herself safe now. A person immediately appeared in her mind. Shawn Rivas, he could actually keep her safe from Leon.

She knew Leon might have a way with anybody but the Rivas family was untouchable for him. So if somebody could actually keep her safe at that movement was Shawn. Importantly, he won't judge her, he will understand her situation, teach her, help her out of her pathetic situation. 

With high hopes, she dialed his number and the call was also answered soon. "S-Shawn…" Her shaky broken voice sounded but she didn't get to continue or speak a word.

"Little Heart…" He cried out in a drunken voice. 

Ava immediately understood he was drunk but her focus shifted from her problem to Shawn, "Shawn, why are you crying?" panicked, she asked, forgetting her pain for a moment.

The typical Ava Kelly, who keeps her friends and family ahead of her own pain, probably death too.

Shawn failed to note her hoarse voice and revealed everything that was hidden from the media and her. "Little Heart, My s-sis and B-Big Mom left us. W-we lost them..." He hiccuped.

Ava Kelly froze. She was drowned in her own pain that she didn't even know what her friends were going through, what was happening in their life. She had met those two women. She couldn't believe they were no more. 

Shawn continued to brief her on what happened with Ariel and Aaron's mother. Shawn's tipsy voice wasn't new to her and focusing on his voice, she was able to catch his words and understand what he was trying to recount to her.

"Little Heart, Sis- Sis hadn't taken the driver with her, she had drunk a lot. Her friends are all bad. None stopped her or called us after seeing her drunk. They let her drive home a-and she met with a huge accident. Little Heart, sis is lying on the bed without talking to me…"

Ava Kelly pressed her palm on her lips. She didn't want to cry with him but wanted to be an ear to share his sorrows. So she suppressed her emotions and heard him continue.