Ava - The Hostage

The mattress and the extra pillow were a welcome relief from the couch that Ava had been lying on. The girl was peacefully fast asleep, and when Ava glanced at her she noted that the girl was drooling all over her pillow. Oh dear thought Ava, she must not have been able to sleep under so must stress and the pressure of being held captive by her captors. Ava decided then and there that she too would catch a few winks; since she was rather tired from all the anticipation and the horror of finding this girl in such a position.

Exactly two hours later at a quarter past eight, I open my eyes and to my absolute shock find that the bed is empty and there is no sign of the girl anywhere. I run outside and check the corridor, it's clear so I take the lift down all the while my heart rate accelerates worried about where the girl could be. I quickly scan the lobby and find that she is not there so I walk to the main entrance and through the glass I see her crouched in a corner, kneeling on the floor crying.

By the time I am close enough to her, she has wiped her tears and she quickly stands up and faces me sensing I am behind her.

"What do you want from me? She asks.

"I don't want anything from here, I am only trying to help you. You know we found you the way you were, so you know you can trust us. We want to send you back to your home if you have one."

"I have one," she replies wiping her face dry.

"I just want to leave this place," she says pleadingly.

"You will be together with us, we won't be here long, my family is leaving tomorrow afternoon," I say doing my best to console her.

"Shall we go back to my room, I'll order room service, you need to eat something you are not thinking straight."

"Ok," she says following me back to the room.

I call for room service and thank God they bring in a feast for two.

Stuffed black pepper roast chicken with a side of potatoes and Caesar salad with two bottles of apple juice. I watch her eat greedily like she has not eaten in days and wonder just how long they kept her without food or water. She stops midway and observes me for a moment, looking down at her plate.

"Please don't look at me like that, I can't remember the last time I ate anything."

"Oh, I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable, do enjoy yourself, if you want anything more don't hesitate to ask," I tell her trying to ease the tension that is evident from her posture.

"That's kind of you, thank you," she says relieved and a bit more relaxed.

"Ava, you have to tell mom and dad that we cannot leave tomorrow, I just met some nice people here and I want to get to know them more." "Please,..." she says pouting, completely oblivious to the girl's presence.

"Hello, there sorry did not notice we had company, I'm Mary-Anne," she says extending her hand to the girl to shake.

"I'm Olivia, but you can call me Lila."

"Lovely to meet you", says Mary-Anne

"So, how'd you two meet?" Mary-Anne asks glancing curiously from me to her.

"We met outside her room actually, we were just passing by."

"We?" asks Mary-Anne.

"Yup, Jaxon and I."

"I see" says Mary-Anne nodding her head.

"I'm going to catch a shower adn go straight to bed, I didn't sleep well last night." She says pulling out her pyjamas and towel and entering the bathroom.

"Do you want to shower, I can give you something to wear our sizes should'nt be so different." I offer her.

"Thank you, I'd love that." She answers giving me a small smile.

It's a start but I can tell she is slowly warming up to me. I grab a pink t-shirt and a blue pair of jean shorts and give it to her. She takes them both, quietly and looks at me for a moment and I see gratitude shining in those brown eyes of hers.

"Is there an extra towel?"

"Yes there is in the cupboard, in the bathroom, and a toothbrush and toothpaste too. Make yourself at home." I tell her, hoping she settles down comfortably.

"Hey when we leave this place, you'll be staying with us till we can locate your family, is that ok with you?"

"Yeah, I mean I don't really have much of choice, but I don't think my family would want to be located." She mumbles to herself, looking down and folding the clothes I've just given her.

"Why not?" I ask.

"It's complicated, I'll tell you someday but not today," she says meeting my questioning look with a frightened gaze of her own. Figuring out its best not to pry, I nod my head and continue eating my share of the portion of food on the cart that has been brought up.

"I would appreciate it, if you kept my location a secret for now till I try to figure out why someone would want to kidnap me and who they might be."

"Of course," I tell her reassuringly.

She smiles that sad smile of hers and walks into the bathroom the moment Mary-Anne is out.

I take it that she will fill in more details when she is ready so I finish my apple juice and talk to my sister.

"Mary-Anne, we have to leave the hotel tomorrow, I want to go home."

"You're no fun." She says pouting once again.

Conversation ceases for the rest of the night as we get ready for bed. I can only wonder what tomorrow might bring and if Jaxon and I will get more answers or receive more questions regarding this girl that we have taken under our wing for the time being.