The mystery lady

After several hours of trying to stay awake, Ava was certain she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. But fate had other ideas. At 4:45 AM, roughly six hours later, her body began to pulse once again, just like it had in the garden the day before. Despite her best efforts, she eventually lost consciousness.

As Ava's eyes fluttered open, she immediately noticed a tiny butterfly-shaped mark on her left wrist. The pain was excruciating, and she couldn't help but whimper softly.

"Ow...it hurts," she managed weakly, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as she curled up in bed, trying to find a comfortable position that didn't aggravate the injury.

"Close your eyes," Keys suddenly instructed, causing Ava to startle slightly.

"Okay," Ava replied softly before obediently shutting her eyes.

As soon as she did, she saw a room filled with candlesticks, all aglow in perfect order.

"What are they?" Ava asked, with her eyes closed and brows, deepened in confusion.

"Candles." Keys replied.

"I know. I__ what I intended to ask was, where are they, and…why am I seeing them?" Ava asked.

"Time and patience," Keys answered. "They're the only way to uncover the answers you seek."

Ava's eyes remained closed as she asked, "What do you mean? How can time and patience explain why I have a butterfly mark on my wrist? Or why I'm seeing candles? Or why I'm in a place I never knew existed?!"

Ava's frustration mounted as she spoke, but suddenly she realized she couldn't open her eyes. Panic set in, and she began to cry out for help.

"It's okay," Keys reassured Ava. "Just hold on." She added.

Almost immediately, Ava's surroundings came into focus. The room was just as she remembered it, with dim lighting that suited her mood.

But something was different. She couldn't turn her head to look at the nightstand, and she sensed that someone was sitting on it.

As she strained to see, Ava realized it was a woman, sitting on the edge of the nightstand and watching her intently.

Ava struggled to turn her head, but it felt as if someone was holding her in place from behind.

"Why can't I—" she began, but Keys cut her off.

"Don't bother," she said.

Confused, Ava asked, "What do you mean?"

The woman on the nightstand spoke up then, her voice sounding eerily familiar. "Don't bother trying to look at me," she said, and Ava realized with a start that the woman sounded just like Keys.

"You...you sound like Keys," Ava breathed, her heart racing. But the woman remained silent, refusing to acknowledge her words.

"I know you can hear me. Please answer me, why am I here?" Ava asked, ignoring her assumption of whether the lady was Keys or not.

"Even I cannot give you the answer. Only Time and Patience will." The lady answered.

"Stop saying that! I don't give a damn about time and patience. I just want my life back!" Ava exclaimed in anger and frustration. Tears had already stung her eyes.

*Silence*

"Hello?" Ava called out, her voice echoing in the dimly lit room. "Lady? Keys? Where are you?"

Her frustration mounting, Ava shouted again, but still received no response. Suddenly, the room went pitch black, and Ava gasped in fear.

"What's going on? Somebody help me!" she cried out, feeling as if the darkness was suffocating her. But no one came to her aid, and she was left alone in the silent blackness.

Less than ten seconds later, Ava caught sight of a faint reflection in the darkness. As she strained to see, the silhouette of a young woman slowly took shape before her.

"Who...who are you?" Ava asked, her voice shaking.

The young woman appeared just as startled, gasping in surprise. "Who are you?" she echoed.

"Why is it so dark in here?" they both asked at the same time, as if reading each other's minds.

"I don't know," the other woman replied. "Can you see me?" Ava asked, her voice trembling.

"I...I can only see your shadow," the woman admitted, her fear and anxiety obvious in her voice.

"What...why are we here?" Ava asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I don't know," the lady replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

As Ava looked around, she realized the darkness was all-encompassing, and there seemed to be no way out. She couldn't be sure if it was her own room or not, but she remembered the layout well enough to know that the nightstand was nearby.

Taking a deep breath, Ava decided to move towards the nightstand, hoping to find a light switch.

But as she reached out to touch it, she realized with a sinking feeling that she couldn't move. It was as if an invisible force was holding her in place, preventing her from going anywhere.

Panicking, Ava tried to pull herself forward, but no matter how hard she tried, she remained rooted to the spot. Her hands and legs could move freely, but she couldn't pull herself in any direction.

While the other lady, was still calling out for help, Ava thought it wise to talk her into helping her up, since it seemed the lady was standing close to the bed.

"You__ you…can you reach out to me?" Ava asked.

"Why?" The lady paused her cries to ask.

"Just…just do it please. I need you to help me up from this bed." Ava said, as her chest heaved up and down.

"Bed? What bed? You're on your feet, and__ I'm lying down…what…what do you mean? What is going on!?" The lady said as the panic in her voice increased.

"Huh?" Ava muttered in confusion. She looked down at herself, but the darkness made it impossible to see anything clearly. The only reflection she could see was that of the other lady.

"I...I can't see myself clearly," Ava said, feeling a sense of unease creeping over her over again. "But I know I was in my room before everything went dark. And...and it still feels like I'm lying down," she added, her voice trailing off.

"I don't understand what's happening," the other lady repeated, her voice quavering with fear and frustration.

Ava felt tears welling up in her eyes as she pleaded, "But can you help me up? Please."

"I wish I could," the woman replied, her own voice shaking. "I've been trying to move, but nothing's working. I can't even lift my leg."

Ava took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Okay," she said, her voice trembling. "Just try to stretch your hand forward. Can you do that?"

The woman's voice broke as she replied, "I can't move any part of my body, miss. I'm completely stuck."

"What is all this? What is happening? I'm sick of all this bullshit! I just want to go home! Somebody please help!" Ava hollered in tears.

"Somebody help us!" the other lady shouted, her voice echoing through the darkness. But there was no response. Suddenly, the said lady felt a tap on her shoulder, as if someone was trying to get her attention.

Then, a voice echoed in her mind, faint at first, but growing stronger with each passing moment. It seemed to be calling her, urging her to wake up from a deep slumber.

Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished, leaving Ava all alone!

"Miss? Are you there? Hello? Can you hear me?" Ava called out, her voice trembling with fear.

"Ava," a deep voice boomed from out of nowhere.

"Who...who are you?" Ava asked, her teeth chattering as she shivered uncontrollably, probably because of fright.

"You have to find her," the voice said in a stern tone.

"Find who? Who is she? How do you expect me to know her? Why should I find her? Who are you? How do you know me? What is happening to me?!" Ava's questions tumbled out in a frantic stream of words as she tried to make sense of what was happening to her.

"Find her and fulfill your destiny," the voice repeated, its tone stern and urgent.

Immediately, Ava felt a jolt run through her body, and then her eyes flew open. She found herself lying in her own bed, staring up at the familiar ceiling of her room.

Gasping for breath, Ava sat up swiftly, and realized that her sheets were soaked with sweat. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she clutched at her chest, trying to calm herself down.

Looking around, Ava noticed that the light on her nightstand was on, and her phone was sitting next to it. She couldn't remember turning it on, but she knew that something strange had happened to her.

Her heartbeat was still high due to the scare she experienced from the nightmare, as she struggled to maintain a balanced breath.

"Who was that? Wha…what did he mean by 'find her?' What was all of that about? Who is the mystery lady?"

Ava muttered under her breath, trying to make sense of the strange voice that had spoken to her. She used her palms to brush her face, as if trying to shake off the nightmare that had felt so real.

Shaking her head, Ava made up her mind that she wouldn't let the voice control her. "No, Ava," she said firmly. "You don't need to find someone you don't even know. Someone you couldn't even see. All you need is a phone call. That's it. That's what you need."

She tried to convince herself that it was all just a nightmare. But deep down, she knew that something was wrong. Something had happened that she couldn't explain, and she couldn't shake the feeling off!