Aviana (MC Riders #1)

D E S U L T O R Y

/ˈdɛs(ə)lt(ə)ri,ˈdɛz(ə)lt(ə)ri/

adjective

lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm.

~🎲~

A V I A N A  W O K E  to the feel of her hand in another's.

She blinked slowly a few times, her eyes adjusting to the darkness around her. A yawn built up from her chest and silently escaped her lips, causing her to blink back tears in her eyes. She wanted badly to go back to sleep, but the tugging at her hand drew her attention once more.

She turned to face the culprit; a younger girl with the most electric grey eyes. She looked forlorn, a sad frown pulling down the corners of her lips as she stared up at Aviana with a watery gaze. Instinctively, Aviana's hand raised to stroke the girl's hair in a comforting gesture.

"What's wrong?" Aviana's voice was hoarse from lack of use. She cleared her throat silently, her tongue wetting her cracked lips as she tried to sit up.

Her body groaned in protest, but she didn't let it show, focusing on the girl beside her.
"Your birthday is in a few days," Came the girl's quiet answer.

Aviana was surprised the girl even knew the date but didn't bother questioning it. She let the fact settle in her mind, a defeated sigh escaping her lips. She knew what this meant.

She was nineteen. In a few days, she would turn twenty. That wouldn't sit well with the boss. Avi ana had seen one too many times the sort of things that happened to girls who got too old for the ring. None were pleasant.

The boss was a cruel man, and he liked the girls to go out with a bang.

The knowledge didn't scare her, however. Instead, she felt acceptance and something a little like relief fill her body. She wasn't suicidal, but the thought of dying wasn't unpleasant. Any fate was better than spending the rest of her years there.
"I know," Aviana responded after a moment.

She didn't say anything more - what else could she say? It wasn't going to be alright, she wasn't going to be magically saved in the coming days, the boss wouldn't take pity on her, no matter how much he favoured her. Aviana was to meet the same fate as all the girls before her.

She wondered, briefly, how she would go. A brutal gang rape? One of the boss' machines? Perhaps, if she was lucky, all they'd give her was a shot to the head and be done with it.

Aviana thought it best not to dwell on it. It only served the fuel the panic the optimistic side of her held. She pushed that little voice away, scolding it for having hope. No one was going to save her. They hadn't in the past twelve years, why would they now?

Aviana looked into the girl's watering eyes, mustering a small smile. The girl curled up into Aviana's side, seeking what little warmth she had to offer.

"You'll be okay," The girl whispered. "Right?"

Aviana didn't respond for a moment. She knew she wouldn't be okay. Whether or not she remained alive, she never had been and would never be okay. But for one single moment, she let that stupid voice inside her head control her words.
"I hope so," She uttered softly.

As if someone or something had heard her, the door to the cellar creaked open. The noise halted Aviana's breathing as she clutched the girl closer to her body. The girl let out a quiet whimper, the sound sending anxious tremors down Aviana's arms. Her heart beat painfully against the cage of her chest as she tried to calm her erratic breaths.