The scoreboard

Ava 'woke up' feeling severe joint aches. She immediately concluded she needed a warm shower and some hours of sleep.

"Ugh…" she groaned softly. After a couple of seconds, she held her phone up to her face. Thankfully, her eyes had turned normal again. Using the phone as a mirror, she checked what she highly believed was her face, for any injury or bruise.

Seeing that there was no need to panic, Ava who remembered everything that happened moments ago, sighed before dropping her hand on the ground again. Almost immediately, her stomach rumbled.

"I'm hungry…" Ava muttered. "Go home." Keys replied.

"Oh. You still exist." Ava said.

"That is such a baseless statement, giving that you're aware of the device in your hand." Keys replied.

"Yeah. I mean, you can't blame me for not expecting you to be here anymore. First, you're not actually an AI. Second, you don't need me, and neither do I." Ava countered.

"It is unwise for you to make such statements that has to do with the future." Keys stated.

"Are you sure?" Ava asked, before she held the phone to her mouth. "Where were you when I was about to get killed? Huh? Or when the Pri_ when the character or guy, or whatever you want to call him - was about to lose his leg? Where were you?"

"In this device." Keys replied.

"Which is the reason why I think you should just die or get lost!" Ava exclaimed.

*Silence*

"What?" Ava asked, since Keys did not reply nor respond. "Don't tell me you're mad… you don't have the right to be mad." Ava said, as she began to feel bad about her utter bluntness.

"Oh. I thought that's a person. Turns out it's just a scorpion." Keys said, without responding to Ava's words.

With terror written all over her, Ava immediately sat up before literally jumping to her feet.

"Where?!" She asked looking around.

"Your 11 O'clock." Keys replied. Turning around, Ava sighted the black scorpion approximately two feet away.

"Ahhhh…" Ava exclaimed in fear as the scorpion was fast approaching her.

"Stay away from me!" She exclaimed, while she looked ahead to see if crossing it with large strides would be possible.

"I'm afraid the scorpion doesn't understand you. So you might have to take it into your hands, and explain yourself to it properly." Keys suggested.

Through her gritted teeth, Ava muttered a couple of words that sounded like "I hate you." before she crossed the scorpion, and skedaddled away from there immediately.

By the time she got to end of the quiet passage, Ava discovered it was the same place she remembered waking up. She was currently standing by the pedestrian lane of the beautiful city.

It was evening already, and so Ava felt the need to return somewhere. To freshen up somewhere, eat something, and sleep somewhere! She was in need of it.

As if Keys heard her thoughts, she advised, "You should take a cab home."

Holding the phone up to her ear like she was receiving a call, Ava replied, "What home? The only home I know is in Lantern...Even if it's just an apartment."

"You're an adult, think like one." Keys replied. "I thought you don't give advices." Ava immediately countered. But Keys kept mute.

"Besides, do you expect me to spit on the driver's hand? Huh? WISE one…" Ava asked rhetorically.

"Your pocket." Keys stated.

"What happened to my pocket?" Ava asked within a quirked brow. But Keys kept mute.

With an exasperated sigh, Ava dug her hands into the pocket of her pants.

Her eyes widened a little at the amount of cash she could feel with her hands.

"Oh my! How come I wasn't aware that I had notes in my pocket?"

"You're 20 Minutes away from your residence." Keys stated, ignoring Ava.

Glaring at her phone, as if it was Keys, Ava was about to speak up, but Keys beat her to it, "It'll rain in 30 Minutes. I don't want to catch a fever."

Ava scoffed laugh before she opened her mouth to speak again. But almost immediately, thunderstorm roared, sending chills down her spine, and very much shutting her up.

"You might not like the consequence of your stupidity if you don't do the needful." Keys advised.

Gritting her teeth in anger, Ava decided to finally flag down a cab.

**

"Winsteria street, Belle LV." Ava said to the driver. With a confused look, the driver asked,

"Umm, do you mean Winsteria street or… there's another Winsteria_"

"Winsteria Mr." Ava said, realizing she had just included the name of the city as well.

"How much?" Ava asked.

"5 Stellars ma'am." The Cab driver replied. Ava mouthed an ''Okay" before asking the driver move since she was already at the back seat.

Neither the cab, nor the driver rang a bell for Ava who sat comfortably without buckling the seat belt. Immediately the driver started driving, the phone pinged.

Tapping on it twice, Ava saw 'Lukewarm' displayed on the screen. She didn't need to think much to realize it was courtesy of Keys, her 'very special friend'.

Well, as much as she wanted to rain insults on Keys, she had to hold back because she didn't want the driver to drive into a mental facility instead. She also didn't know how to text back, so it was 1 - 0 on the 'Scoreboard' for Ava and Keys.

Before Ava was done chanting some 'Ignore her Ava' in her head, a smirk emoji popped up again.

"I just want to strangle you" Ava muttered, gritting her teeth.

"Are you talking to me miss?" The cab driver asked.

"Oh, no. Sorry about that. It's just a stupid and completely useless character in the novel I'm reading." Ava replied.

"Oh, I see." The driver responded with a slight nod.

"I feel like flinging my phone through the window, so I can do away with the stupid character whom I hate so much." Ava said.

"Oh…but that won't change anything." The driver answered. ''Yeah. You're right." Ava replied.

Glaring at her phone, a wink emoji appeared on the screen again, causing Ava to bite her lip, so she wouldn't get to say a word.

'I'm definitely smashing this phone when I get to wherever Winsteria is.' Ava decided inwardly.

The driver on the other hand shook his head with a small smile. Seeing the look on Ava's face, he was amused by how emotionally invested the young lady was in the work of fiction. A Fictional work which he also applauded for being so immersive....

Oblivious man!