Seeing Blind (Rough Draft)

Chapter Five

Avery woke up screaming and in a cold sweat. She hadn't had a nightmare in six months, the longest she'd gone without one.

Dad came rushing in, frightened. "Avery, what happened? Did someone try to break in? Nightmare? What? Tell me." He came over and sat next to a heaving Avery, putting his strong arms around her shaking form. "It's okay, baby," he whispered, soothingly. "I'll wait until you can talk."

His short, dark hair was sticking up on end and he was only in a t-shirt and boxer briefs.

Could she tell him? He obviously didn't know about the attack and to go through the memories again, the pain...no Avery couldn't go there again. Never again.

She swallowed, quickly thinking of a lie. "I-I thought I felt something crawling on me." Bed bugs, that was a good lie. Technically, it could be true, with how old the house was.

"What? Oh my God, quick get out and let me check! Jesus, the workers said the mattresses' and floors were fine."

Avery watched her father fret over nonexistent bugs in her bed, changing the sheets, still shaken cold by her nightmare. She wrapped her arms around her waist. She had to let her mother know that the nightmares returned, though. She was the only one who knew Avery had them. But her mother wasn't answering her calls.

"I-I um, am gonna get changed and go for a run," Avery told her still panicked father, grabbed some clothes, and went to the bathroom to change.

Halfway through her run, Avery stopped in ' The Fitness Zone' intent on getting some sort of steam out. She knew she couldn't afford it, not on her father's salary. If she could afford some of the gyms back at Fifth Street, then she couldn't afford this one. Her mother wasn't around to make the payments.

There was a girl about Avery's age behind the desk, one of the few workers in at this early hour. She had shoulder-length black hair and was taller than Avery, even though Avery could only see the top part of her behind the desk.

She didn't see the guy from the last time she came in. Even with so few employees, Avery felt like the odd one out. Which she was, in a way.

"Um...hello." She approached the desk. "I was wondering if I could check out your kickboxing class?"

The girl smiled at Avery. Her name tag read Martice. "Hi!" she said, perky. "I've never seen you around here before, obviously. But you can start with a free lesson if you'd like. If you like it and want to work out more here, you can sign up for a six-month membership."

Avery nodded. "The free lesson sounds good." Anything to keep her out of the house, even if she had to be near people not worth her time. It was better than walking--or running--around where trouble could find you at any time.

At least here, there were security cameras, she hoped anyway.

"Awesome!" Martice clapped excitedly. "Ambrose is the one who does our tours and, lucky for you, he's here right now. Let me go get him and you two could start your tour." She walked away, to the back.

No. No, no, no, no. She was never going to see Ambrose again, now he was doing tours, at seven in the morning? Why? Why did the universe hate her so much?

Maybe coming in here wasn't such a great idea.

She had opened the door, intent on walking out, when he called, "Avery? Where are you going?"

Damn, so close.

She should just go, that's what she did last time. It wasn't hard.

Ambrose didn't let her this time. Hand on the door, he looked down at her. "A tour? The parking lot doesn't really showcase our gym, how about you stay inside and I can show you the real gym? Martice said you wanted a kickboxing lesson, too? Can't do that in the parking lot."