Ava's Pov:
I woke up in a hospital bed. Barely remembering anything that happened in the last few hours. My wrists were bruised badly, but the ringing sounds in my head made it hard for me to feel the pain.
I saw Leon standing outside the room with a man I'd never seen. He had a serious look on his face the entire time, and so did Leon. I could barely hear their conversation but Leon said something that caught my attention.
"But why would he do this?"
His eyes flickered to me for a slight second after that. Then, he whispered something to the man and tapped him on the shoulder. They both looked at me, the man bowed and then walked away.
Leon walked in looking tense. His hands were in his back pockets and he had sweat all over his forehead. I didn't know him for long, but I knew him enough not to imagine him being scared of anything. Whatever or whoever he was talking about had to be a big problem. A problem I didn't want to be part of.
"Leon." I whispered, trying to sit up.
"No, Ava," he rushed over to support my back. "Relax, your body still needs time."
"What happened?"
"We can talk about that later, you need to rest for now."
"Who were you speaking to and what was it about?"
"Ava, you're asking too many questions."
"I want answers!" I yelled. "Why is it always something with you?"
He stared at me, longer than he should have.
"I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe, but I can assure you there's nothing to worry about."
He pushed my shoulders back, urging me to relax. "Now can you please rest?"
I didn't believe him, yet, I obeyed. I layed back down and slowly nodded. The look in his eyes bothered me. I could tell his mind wasn't at peace with whatever was going on, but I didn't want to push it.
I had been traumatized enough.
He stood up and left.
The nurses walked in right after him to check up on me. They asked me questions that only worsened the ringing in my head. I told them to leave, I wanted to be alone.
They did. And I was plunged back into my thoughts. My anxiety skyrocketed, goosebumps filled my body as I remembered that man's voice. Everything about him was scary, especially the message.
My first instinct was Leon, but a part of me just didn't want to believe it. Why would they even target me if Leon was who they wanted?
Why? That's all that formed in my head.
Why did I take this job?
Why did I leave my home?
Why did I lie about my life so much?
Now, I can't even tell who's after me because I've made so many enemies with my fake lifestyle.
"I can't handle all this." I told myself, before shutting my eyes and going to sleep.
A few minutes later, I woke up to an uproar down the aisle. I was curious so I fixed myself up to check it out.
I scanned each room as I walked further like I was looking for a prize, until….I spotted him.
The man who kidnapped me in the flesh. He had the same outfit on. It bothered me, almost like it was an intentional act to scare me.
From what I could hear he was asking a nurse for an Ava. That would be me. I always loved my name but I had never wished I was named something else more in that moment.
The nurse put up a fight, stating that Leon had requested no visitors except him. I just stood there, watching. I wasn't close enough to be spotted but I could swear on anything that he grinned at me before finally leaving.
I quickly turned around and walked as fast as my legs could handle. I thought I was being paranoid but even I didn't believe that.
I felt the air get tighter around me. If I was paranoid before then it was ten times worse now. Every footstep I heard from outside the walls of my ward made me jump. I knew I wasn't safe, and I hated it more that I could barely remember anything.
I curled up in bed, stopping myself from going crazy. Then, the door flung open.
I gasped. Even after realizing it was Leon my heart kept pounding so loud I was sure everybody within a five meter radius could hear it.
"Haven't you heard of knocking?!"
"Woah, easy there, I'm sorry."
I didn't look at him. I was upset but didn't know why.
"The nurse told me you had a rather violent visitor, who was it?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?"
"What?" He looked genuinely confused. "Listen, Ava, I know all this is traumatizing but you can't assume I have a hand in it just because of how we met. Did you stop and think of how you got to this hospital?"
"Yes I did Leon!" I yelled. "I did think of that and it gave me more reasons not to trust you."
He stayed quiet for a while.
"Marvin heard you scream before you ended the call with him. He told me about it and I asked him to track your phone to figure out where you were. We found you laying behind a dumpster miles away from home. So if you think about it, I'm meant to be the one asking questions and not you."
He seemed calm and collected. It made me relax.
"I'm sorry. But he came for me again."
"Who?"
"The…" I held back tears. "The man who kidnapped me. He was the visitor the nurse told you about."
"My God, what? Did he hurt you?"
"No, no, he didn't get close but this isn't over Leon, I know it."
"Just relax and tell me what really happened."
"I was trying to get a cab back home and all of a sudden I'm tied to a chair with a crazy headache. That man was scary, Leon. There was something about his eyes."
"His eyes? What was wrong with his eyes?"
"They were the perfect shade of grey but it was too scary to admire."
"The man who abducted you had grey eyes?" he leaned in closer. "Is that all you remember?" He looked serious, more than he did before.
"He had a birthmark on the side of his cheek. An odd place to have a birthmark if you ask me."
I wanted to laugh but Leon's expression had changed completely. He didn't just look tense, he looked scared.
"A birthmark?" he asked. There was a crack in his voice suddenly. His hands gripped the bed tighter.
"Leon?"
"I have to go, Ava."
He stormed off.
"Leon? Leon!"