AVA'S POV
I woke up to the blaring alarm of my phone which annoyed the hell outta me.,.,raising my hands i tried locating my phone in the darkness "where the fuck is my phone,,uhhh" finally locating it on my bedside table i turned it off....
Oh good Lord when will I ever get a proper sleep,.,., but deep down i know, i know i would never have a proper sleep so long am Still under their roof.... Get up u crazy ass I said to myself.. humming a song I got straight to the shower .....,
"As I stood under the warm stream of water, the haze of sleeplessness began to clear from my mind, but the dread of another exhausting day ahead lingered, like the faint scent of yesterday's perfume still clinging to my skin." Uh this life sucks,.,.
Ava Reynolds was a very beautiful lady in her mid twenties with her long red hair that makes her the envy of her stepsisters,.,.
She's is beautiful and she knows it, but it seems beauty wasn't on her favour, working a 24 hours shift surely had a toll on her with heavy eye bags due to lack of sleep
"Ava Ava"?? Evelyn My stepsister shouted my name like a maniac disturbing me from the blissful shower I was having,,."uhhhh not again"i muttered to myself,. Would be down in a minute I screamed,.,. Quickly finishing up my shower I wore my nearly ironed clothes sprayed some perfume,took my bag and went out of the door.,.,.
Good morning everyone I greeted bowing my head immediately,
"Where have you been",.,. my stepmother Raina screamed at me immediately, not even bothering to answer my greetings as If she ever has,.,. I i sle e pttt off I said suttering,.,., "You slept off you fool are you out of your mind who would do the dishes??? Now move to the kitchen to go do the dishes you slut".,.,.she practically shouted at me,.,.looking up to my father reading the daily news paper on the dining he didnt say a word,.,.
I looked at my wrist watch and was shocked to see I was already 10 minutes late from work",.,. Clearing my throat I said "Um mother please can I.....I didn't even get to finish what i was saying before i felt a stinging sensation on my cheeks....
"Who did you just call mother,do I look like your mother you fool?,your mother rots in hell as she is supposed to be because she is nothing but a whore you bastard" she bellowed at me....I clenched my fist so tight my knuckles were practically white,.,., i looked up to my father the second time expecting him to say something, but he didnt and that seems to hurt his more than the slap itself.,.,. Walking out of the dining I ran straight to the kitchen in tears with the mocking voice of my step sisters at the background,.,.
Alva stood at the sink, warm water and soap suds enveloping her hands as she scrubbed the evening's dishes. The cruel words still lingered in her mind, but she refused to let them define her. She thought about her mother, strong and resilient, and how those words didn't reflect the truth.
As she rinsed a plate, Alva felt a sense of determination wash over her. She would not let the hurtful comments affect her or her family. She began to hum a gentle tune, the rhythm calming her thoughts.
I rushed out the door, already running thirty minutes behind for my first shift at the café. I had lost track of time while finishing up the dishes from last night's dinner.
As I arrived at work, flustered and apologetic, my manager, Rachel, greeted me with a mix of understanding and concern. "Ava, you're late again. Is everything okay?" He asked me ,.,. Apart from him and my bestfriend no one literally knows what I face behind close doors.,.,. He has been a very supportive manager to me,.,. I doubt other managers would support me the way he has done to me I am very greatful to him....
So I explained the situation, and Rachel offered a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, we've all been there. But maybe next time, leave a little earlier, okay?"
Feeling grateful for Rachel's understanding, I vowed to be more mindful of my time. I clocked in, said Hi to my colleagues and began prepping for the lunch rush.
It was exactly 12 pm when my shift ended so I took of my apron said bye to my colleague and walked to the bus station.,., to be sincere a 24 hours shift is really a tough one.,. Getting to the library I greeted the receptionist and went straight to my cubicle was just settling down when my bestfriend walked in.....
"Hey bitch"she said.,. Oh hey Emily I replied still arranging my books.,., "Uhhhhh!!! Can u ever be not boring"she said... feeling bad I simply hugged her,.,."Am sorry ok today just isn't the day" i told her.,."ok pookie whenever you are ready to talk am here for you ok?" Ok thanks I said feeling so touched,.,.this is one of the reasons I love her she's an understanding friend.,.,
Me and Emily's friendship go all the way back to secondary school, we were seat mates then, to be honest she did most of the talking I was just a shy timid girl then, but just as the saying goes your friend will always influence you and she did!!! So our friendship clicked at once...
Working in a library was quite easy you could enjoy the quiet and peacefulness of the whole place... My job in particular is just to do research of any new books and also to help people who are confused in choosing a book more like refering nice books to them,.,. Boring right? Yea I know
- As I signed the last file, my eyes wandered to the old, leather-bound book on my desk..
- The silence of the library was broken by the soft rustling of papers from the cubicle next door...
- Suddenly, the lights flickered, and i felt a shiver run down my spine... Who's there? I asked,., no response who's there don't be a coward and come outside still no response
Then suddenly my phone flickered I picked up my phone and saw a text message from Emily.....
EMILY:meet me at the archives during break...