Ava picked her phone up from where she had left it on the ground, dusying it off and tapping on the screen a few times before she held it to her ear. The device was silent for a few moments before a crackle sounded and a voice came through.
"Hello?" Kiera answered. "Ava? Is something wrong? You hardly ever call me by this time…"
Ava remained silent for a few seconds, mustering the courage as she struggled to let out the words she wanted to say.
Kiera's voice took on a worried tone. "Ava…?"
"I'm… I'm going to see Eitan…" Ava let out, shakily. "I… don't want to go back…"
The phone was quiet for a long time. "Are you sure?" Kiera asked.
"Yes… I've made up my mind." Ava forced a trembling smile, clutching her phone with both hands. "I'm scared… but I've made up my mind. I don't want to go back… I can't…"
As much as trying to defect was scary, returning to that place, to Xandro, was even more terrifying. Ava had a feeling this time that if she were to follow her conditioning, he would really really break her… beyond repair.
She needed to survive.
"...Alright…" Kiera answered after a moment. "Should I let the rest of the team know?"
Ava nodded, then remembering her friend couldn't see her through the phone, she answered, "y–yes."
"Then, I wish you luck, Cookie… be safe alright?"
"I will." Ava responded before she hung up.
She held the phone in front of her face and entered her gallery, scrolling until she found the document she had taken a picture of the day before.
She'd thrown the business card Eitan had given her somewhere in her apartment. The information she'd gotten from the document was all she could rely on. Her fingers tingled as she read the contents.
She looked up from her smartphone, toward the sky. 'It's not too far from here… right?'
Ava slowly stood up from her place on the ground and dusted herself, not that it made much of a difference. She looked like she had just crawled out of a gutter but despite that, she got out of the alleyway and hailed a cab by the roadside.
The taxi driver peeked his head outside of the window of his driver's seat, scanning Ava from head to toe, his brows wrinkling slightly before coarsely asking, "Where are you going, Miss?"
Ava took another look at her phone screen and pursed her lips. "T–twenty two broodway street."
The taxi driver's indifferent face turned into one of surprise. "Are… you sure?"
She nodded and the driver remained quiet for a long time before saying, "Get in."
Ava practically jumped into the car. It took approximately thirty minutes to get to her destination. Her mouth basically hung open as she took in the sight of the district.
The streets were clean, lined with luxurious buildings and apartment complexes. She spotted a few mansions on the way even, all the while she clawed at her nails nervously.
'I see why the driver asked if I was sure…' She mused. 'This place is insane…'
A few minutes later, the taxi driver stopped in front of a tall apartment building and grunted, reaching out a hand from his seat.
Ava fumbled with the pockets of her trousers for a few seconds before finally taking out a couple of worn out notes and handing it to him. The taxi driver took a look at the bills, visibly displeased.
"You sure this is the right address?" He asked again, his tone dripping with doubt. "If it isn't, I can turn around if you want. I won't charge you extra."
A self deprecating smile crossed Ava's lips. "Yes, I'm sure." She answered as she got out of the car. "Thank you."
"Well, alright." The taxi driver said before hurriedly driving off.
Ava nearly scoffed. 'How rude…'
Well, she knew that it was obvious she didn't belong in a place like this but there was no reason for him to make her overly conscious of it…
She took yet another glance at her phone, then at the building in front of her and walked into the lobby. It was practically empty, save for the receptionist.
"Excuse me." Ava chimed going up to the counter. "There's someone I would like to meet."
The receptionist eyed her critically. "...And who might that be... Miss?"
"He–he stays in unit 207. E–Eitan Berger…"
The receptionist's brows rose. "Are you… sure that's the person you've come to see?"
'I wouldn't have come this far if I wasn't!' Ava wanted to retort. "Yes."
The young receptionist stared at Ava in disbelief. "Has Mr. Berger been expecting you?"
Ava nodded.
"My apologies, Miss, but please have a seat while I confirm."
Ava didn't argue, only looking around nervously before she nodded again. "Alright."
....
Eitan sat behind a desk, with a pair of thin-rimmed rectangular glasses at the top of his pointed nose and a multitude of paperwork in front of him. He scribbled his signature on a document and sighed when his phone buzzed.
He massaged his forehead in frustration. 'Who is it now?'
"Hello?" He started. "May I know who I'm speaking with?"
"Umm… H–hello, Mr. Berger." A female voice sounded nervously. "This is the receptionist from the lobby speaking."
"The lobby…?" Eitan echoed. "Is there something you want from me?"
"N–nothing really… it's just that a lady is here saying she wants to see you…"
Eitan placed a hand on his chin. "Someone wants to see me…? What did she say her name was?"
There was a pause on the phone for a few minutes, then a series of muffled sounds. "It's Ava, Sir… that's her name."
'Ava… Ava…' Eitan recited a few times in his mind, then his brows rose in realization. "...Let her up."
"Pardon?" The receptionist lady was unsure she heard right, but when Eitan didn't repeat himself she made her decision. "Al–Alright, Sir. Right away."
The line went dead and Eitan reclined in his chair. 'Did she finally make up her mind… or is she here to tell me something else…?'
About five minutes later, he heard the ring of the doorbell of his apartment. He slowly stood up from his place behind the desk and went to answer it.
When Eitan swung open the door, he was met with a baffling sight. The young woman at his threshold was unsightly. Her hair was in a mess, her clothes were filthy and her swollen, red eyes gave off the fact that she had been crying for a long time.
Before Eitan could open his mouth to speak, Ava raised a trembling hand.
"H–ello…" She whispered weakly, before darkness claimed her.