Flying Free

by Abigail Davies

  I hate violence with a passion, it’s all I ever knew and thought was normal when I was growing up, but seeing how Elena and Trevor lived opened up my eyes to what normal actually is.

  Why people can’t just use their brains first and talk it out or, even better, walk away, I don’t know. Scott will have to deal with the consequences now and maybe he’ll regret it in time, but if his face is anything to go by, as I pass him in the back of a police cruiser, then I don’t think it will be any time soon.

  I don’t bother to answer Jackson as he calls my name from the other police cruiser, I keep my eyes forward and stay silent as I get in the last empty car.

  My mind whirls with so many thoughts on the way to the station; will I be arrested? I was in a bar underage after all, I didn’t drink but would that matter?

  When we get to the precinct, the officer leads me to a waiting room and waves at the chairs, indicating for me to sit down. I shuffle closer and sit on the hard, unforgiving chairs and wait for what comes next.

  After a couple of hours, I decide to lay down. Closing my eyes, I try to get some sleep because it looks like I’ll be here longer than I thought. I’m in that weird stage of not being asleep but not quite awake when I hear a familiar voice.

  My stomach dips and for a second I think he’s here for me when I realize that the officer didn’t even take my name.

  “I hear he’s been at it again?” he huffs to the man behind the desk as I sit up and crack my eyes open.

  “Yeah,” the officer who brought me in replies. “Over a girl.” He tilts his head over to me and I brace myself for what’s about to come.

  He spins slowly, his eyes landing straight on me. “Ava?” He frowns, his eyes squinting and filling with anger as he scans my face.

  “You know her?” the officer behind the desk asks.

  “Damn straight I do, that’s my little sister.” I smile at how he calls me that and then wince when my eye throbs with the movement. It still feels weird how I’m considered part of their family and, to be honest, I’m still getting used to it even after all this time.

  “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

  “Long story,” Charlie tells him and steps towards me, dismissing him. He crouches down and looks at my eye, his thumb and pointer finger resting on my chin, moving my face to the side so he can see it better. “What happened?”

  I look around not wanting to talk to him out here, not when other people can hear me. Sensing my unease, he stands up and holds his hand out. Taking it, I let him pull me up and then follow him into an office.

  Sitting down in the chair that he waves at, I chew on my lip as he perches on the edge of the desk in front of me.

  “So?” He raises a brow. “What happened?”

  “Well...” I clear my throat. “I met Jackson.”

  He smirks at me, his brown eyes creasing at the corners. “I can see that, darlin’.” He crosses his feet at the ankles. “Care to elaborate?”

  “Well... I went to a bar-”

  “You went to a bar?” He gasps, his feet planted firmly on the floor as he stands up.

  “Yes,” I say, rolling my eyes at him and then wincing at the movement. “Anyway, I recognized Jackson when I was there but I couldn’t place where from and then when Scott said his name-”

  “Scott?” He frowns, balancing back on the edge of the desk. “The roommate’s boyfriend?”

  “Yeah, so I went over to Jackson and kind of introduced myself. Then when we were walking out, Scott tried to stop me and he, err...” I look around the room, noticing all the framed pictures and certificates on the walls.

  “What did he do?” Charlie asks, clearly trying to restrain himself.

  I stop and stare at him for a minute. Charlie is the person I talk to the most, conversation is never stilted with him and I feel like my mouth takes off when I talk to him because I’m free, I can say what I want without fear of saying the wrong thing, without fear of anyone knowing how messed up my past is.

  “He grabbed my arm,” I whisper, looking down and hating how I sound. It shouldn’t be a big deal that he did that, I don’t want it to be a big deal. “Then Jackson told him to let go and he did.” I say, bringing my eyes back to him. “But then Scott punched Jackson and he just stood there and took it.”

  I bite my lip, not wanting to say anything else because I know Charlie won’t be happy, but the fact that he can already see that obviously something has happened to my face and the raise of his brow I get when I don’t carry on, is enough to get me talking again.

  “When he went to punch him again, he well... he hit me.” I point to my face and huff as if it’s no big deal.

  “Motherfucker!” Charlie grits out, his fist banging down on the desk making a pot of pens tip over beside him.

  I nod, agreeing with him and used to his outbursts, Charlie’s harmless, all bark and no bite as people say. I may be scared of a lot of things right now but that doesn’t mean that what Scott has done doesn’t make me angry. I’m angry, so angry, and I really don’t want to see his face in my apartment again.

  “What’s going to happen with Jackson?”

  “I’ll get him out,” Charlie says as he scrubs his hands down his face. “Wait here while I go and get him and then we’ll take you home.”

  “Okay.” I smile when he squeezes my shoulder gently and plants a kiss on the top of my head before he walks out of the door.

  It’s just my luck that the first night I decide to go out and face my fears so that I can pull the post-it notes off my wall, is a night that I get into trouble.

  I wake up groaning and holding my hand to my head, I need painkillers and some ice. Rolling out of bed with my eyes still closed, I wave my hands in front of me and try to walk to my door.

  “Dammit!” I shout when I stub my toe on the edge of the desk. Maybe it’s not such a good idea to try and walk with my eyes closed.

  I crack one eye open and close it again, the light shining through my partially open blinds is way too bright.

  “You okay in there, Ava?” Charlie asks through the door with a knock, concern edged in his voice.

  “Yeah... No... Kind of,” I huff, rubbing my fingers along my head to try and stop the thumping.

  After Charlie had got Jackson out last night, they’d both driven me back to the apartment. Charlie said he was staying to keep an eye on me which, in turn, meant that Jackson stayed the night too.

  I told them time and time again that I was fine and that they didn’t have to stay but obviously they both got there listening skills from their father so they ignored me.

  I know that they’re only trying to look out for me but if their concern was that Scott would turn up, they didn’t need to worry. I doubt he’ll be back anytime soon.

  Picking up my cell, I check my messages to see if Jess has replied to me and when I see nothing I shake my head and huff. Putting my hand on the door, I open it still with only one eye cracked open. I don’t even attempt to open the other one because I can feel how swollen it is without even looking.

  “Jesus,” Charlie breathes as soon as I open the door. “You look like shit.”

  “Wow,” I murmur, putting my hand on the wall and letting it guide me into the kitchen. “Don’t hold back there, Charlie, say it how it really is.”

  He chuckles as he follows behind me and I can feel him at my back the whole way. Just as I turn into the kitchen, he says, “You after some pain killers?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Go sit down, I’ll grab you some.”

  Not having to be told twice, I go into the living room and raise a brow at what I see.

  Jackson’s lying on the couch, his feet hanging over the arm and his head hanging precariously on the edge of one of the cushions. His mouth is hanging open and his hand is resting on his chest over his heart.

  My eyes move to the floor and I spot the pillow and blanket that Charlie made into a bed. Not being able to resist, I lay down and sink my head into the soft pi
llow as I pull the fluffy blanket all the way up to my chin.

  Turning onto my side, completely snuggled up, I watch Jackson as he mumbles something in his sleep.

  He looks so much like his older brothers but different. My eyes move to his hand that still has dried blood on and I inwardly cringed. I’m starting to understand why Elena hasn’t introduced me to him.

  “Stop staring,” he mumbles, his eyes still closed.

  Gasping, I clear my throat before replying, “Sorry, I-”

  “I’m joking, little Ava.” His eyes meet mine and I can see how much he’s going to get me into trouble, they’re full of mischief.

  “What the hell, Jacko?” Charlie thunders when he walks back in, “Get the fuck up.”

  “Jeez, calm down, Charles.” He snickers as he lifts up into a sitting position. “There ya go.” He winks at me and taps the seat next to him.

  “I’m good here.” I shrug. I actually am, Charlie had taken my favorite blanket and I loved to wrap myself up like a burrito in it.

  Taking the pills that Charlie hands me, I swallow them with a little water and sigh. Even though I’d said last night that they didn’t need to stay, I was glad that they had.

  That was the thing that I missed most about staying with Elena and Trevor; being able to see everyone and knowing that they were really close if I ever needed anything. I’m not exactly far away now, it’s only a couple of hours at the most but it’s not the same.

  I frown, wondering how Charlie had got to the station so fast so I turn to him and ask. “How did you know to come here?”

  “I...” His eyes roam around the room and do that thing they always do when he’s trying to hide something.

  “Charlie?” I ask again, leaning up onto my elbows. “What’s going on?”

  “Ah, well...” He clears his throat as his eyes meet mine. “Ma said she was worried about you so I said I’d come down and check on you.”

  Blowing out a puff of air, I lay back down and look up at the pristine white ceiling.

  “How long you staying for?” I ask, turning my head back to him. Even though he originally came to check on me, I intend to make the most of my time with Charlie while he’s here.

  They both look at each other and shrug. “I ain’t got nothing on this weekend,” Jackson replies with a raised brow.

  “I’ll drive back Sunday night,” Charlie says then smirks. “Why?”

  “Well, I’ve been meaning to do some decorating,” I leave that statement hanging in the air and wait for them to get my meaning. I think it’s about time that I make some changes and I want to start with my bedroom.

  “We’ll help,” Charlie says, leaning forward on the couch. “Go and get ready and then we’ll get some supplies.”

  I hold my hand out to him as he stands up and let him lift me off the floor. I need a shower to wake me up first and then possibly a smoothie on the way to the hardware store, just for extra energy.

  Walking into the lecture on Monday morning, I see Jess and Scott for the first time since Friday night.

  I try my hardest not to look in their direction but I can’t stop my eyes flicking to them briefly as I make my way to my seat.

  Neither of them have been back to the apartment all weekend, not that it has bothered me.

  We spent all day Saturday stripping my bedroom down to its bare bones, and then re-doing it all, I even made a wall dedicated to my post-it notes. I could see on Jackson’s face that he was wondering about them but when Charlie shook his head, he just smiled at me, not saying anything.

  Before they left on Sunday, Charlie wrapped his arms around me, telling me how proud he is of me. It meant the world to me that he said that. It wasn’t until they had both left that I noticed that Jess hadn’t been back to the apartment.

  Though Jackson has been messaging me none stop since they left, mainly random jokes and pictures, but it kept my mind off things.

  The buzzing of my cell as I sit down brings a smile to my face and I already know it’s him before I unlock the screen.

  Some would think it’s weird that I feel a connection with Jackson but to me he was just another version of Charlie and Ty, he’s kind of a mixture between the two.

  I found myself telling him about my freak out the other week with the new lecturer, Thomas. Being behind a screen and not having to say it face to face gave me confidence and even though I had a brief second of regret as I was waiting for him to message me back, there really was no need to worry because he was surprisingly understanding.

  From: Jackson

  To: Ava

  What up little Ava?

  (to view this attachment click here)

  I click on the attachment and snort at the photo that’s he’s sent me. Using one of those silly filters, he’s completely distorted his face and I have to cover my mouth to try and control the laughter that’s bubbling up.

  “Something you’d like to share with us, Miss Johnson?” I jump in my seat, not realizing that the class is full and ready to start.

  “Oh... no.” I shake my head and gulp as I shove my cell into my pocket, ignoring the buzz of another message.

  His brows raise and his jaw clenches as he shakes his head, his eyes landing on the obvious bruise around my eye before turning back to the board and pointing at something he wrote.

  Tapping my pen on the table three times, I start to write notes but I’m finding it hard to concentrate. I can feel eyes burning into the back of my head and I have to restrain myself from turning around.

  Butterflies take flight in my stomach as the class ends and I wish that I can just leave at the same time as everyone else instead of having to wait until the room is almost empty.

  “Ava?” Jess calls from the end of the aisle. I look at her, picking my bag up off the floor and swallowing past the growing lump in my throat. Her walls are firmly in place not letting me see what she’s thinking so I take a step towards her, aware that Scott and a couple of his friends are waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “Can we talk?”

  “Sure.” I say, shrugging my shoulders. Her eyes flick to my eye that has a lovely purple tinge to it and she winces. Looking away, she tilts her head to Scott and he looks briefly at me before shaking his head and walking out of the room, his friends following him out.

  “Ava...” she says as I stand beside her and wave my arm at the stairs, signaling that we should walk and talk. “I’m sorry about what happened on Friday.” I open my mouth to say something but she continues. “I’m a little confused to be honest.”

  “Yeah?” I ask, turning to face her as we walk to the main doors. “Why is that?” I grit my teeth, trying to hold in what I really want to say but I need to remember that it’s not her who did this to me, it’s Scott.

  “Why would you just walk up to him? That’s not like you.” Her face is a strange mix of apology and pissed. “And you know that Scott can’t stand him.”

  I snort at her; she’s apologizing but in the same breath she’s trying to make an excuse for everything that happened? Is she saying that it’s my fault?

  “One,” I say, holding up my finger and standing at the top of the steps as we walk through the main doors. “Your boyfriend gave me a black eye.” I point to my eye and hold up another finger. “Two, Jackson is one of the Mackenzie brothers.” I wait for her to make the connection because she knows about Elena and Trevor and I’ve told her stories about them and spoken about the family as a whole, even the elusive brother that I hadn’t met at that stage.

  “Mackenzie...” I say with a shake of my head. “As in Elena and Trevor? Jackson is their youngest son.”

  Her eyes go as wide as saucers and she steps back, ever the drama lama. “Holy... fucking... shit.”

  “Yep.” I nod and smirk at her.

  “Girl... you need to fill me in. Start from the beginning.” She hooks her arm through mine and practically pulls me out of the room.

  I’m completely still, frozen to the spot. Taking a deep breath, I ce
nter my whole body.

  I’m exceptional at staying still for long periods of time, something that takes practice but after years of it, it’s now automatic.

  I’m laid out on my front in the muddy ground as low as I can possibly get. Squinting one eye, I look through the scope of my sniper rifle, placing my pointer finger on the trigger, I take another breath and pull, aiming for the middle of the makeshift target.

  I’ve been lying down here now for over an hour, shooting at the same target trying to waste time while I wait for my turn on the only computer we have in our small compound.

  There’s only five of us on this mission; a mission that we’ve been on for the last eighteen months. Being together and working as a team for that long, living every day and night in each other’s pockets, means that we’ve become really close; we’re basically a family.

  That’s the thing when you have a team like I do, you have to build trust but when you have it, you have it for life.

  When Daley, my boss, put me on this mission he said that I’d be home within nine months. Those nine months came and went, with another nine following after.

  With my job, I have to go dark a lot and my family, which compromises of just my little sister and my nephew, know how it is. This time though, talking to them hasn’t been often, the last time I spoke to Kay was about six months ago. The only reason that I’m able to talk to her now is because tonight will be the end of this particular mission.

  I have no idea whether it will go good or bad but either way I won’t be telling her that. There’s no reason to make her worry, I need to keep my head in the game.

  Taking a breath, I pull back and drop my head thinking about what waits for me at home.

  Before this mission, I’d got out of the special forces, I’d served my time and even though I knew it would be an adjustment, I wanted to spend some time with my family and also start to make a solid life for myself.