The Promise Path

~ Chapter Four ~

"I will see you tomorrow, no matter what. I promise." Then, she turns around and runs out of the house after her parents, who decided to wait outside. As the front door to Avery's house closes, her eyes close fully and her world goes dark.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

That evening, there is another knock on the door. Avery has just woken up, and so it takes her a few moments to register the sound. At first, she thinks it didn't actually happen. That is until there is a second knock on the door, letting Avery know that there is definitely somebody at the front door. Groaning, Avery slowly stands up and takes small, careful steps towards her bedroom door. Her legs are very weak.

She stumbles the rest of the way to her door and grabs onto the door frame to stop herself from flying head first straight down the stairs, which are located across from her bedroom door. Avery takes deep breaths before continuing to try and make her way downstairs to the front door.

She hears the visitor knock on the door again, somehow sounding more urgent this time. With a sigh, Avery attempts to move farther down the stairs. She soon finds out how bad of an idea it is. Avery's weak legs collapse under her, sending her sprawling forward down the rest of the stairs, where she eventually ends up in a heap at the bottom. She starts to see black spots as she drifts into unconsciousness, fearfully wondering if she'll be able to come back from the darkness this time around.

After hearing something heavy hit the floor in the house, Daniel tries to open the door to Avery's house only to find it locked. Muttering curse words under his breath the whole time, he uses his powers over air to unlock the door as if he was using a key. He frantically pushes it open, panic filling him as soon as his grey eyes land on Avery's crumpled form.

"Avery!" He wails in despair, flying forward to Avery's side. He kneels on the floor next to her body and rushes to find a pulse as his heart beats erratically. Once he finds Avery's pulse, a sign she is still alive, Daniel calms down immensely. His heart rate is still beating quicker than normal, since the overall concern and fear for Avery hasn't fully gone. In fact, it only increases once he notices the increasingly bloody bandages wrapped around her right arm.

Panicking, Daniel gently swoops her into his arms and rushes up the stairs, deciding to enter Avery's bedroom since the doorway into it is right across from the stairs. He gently places Avery on her bed and sprints into her bathroom, coming to a sudden halt in shock and horror when he sees the pink-tinged bath and floor. An unmeasurable amount of pain, worry and anger fill Daniel once he realizes what's going on. He fights the urge to scream, knowing that Avery needs him right now.

Daniel rummages through all of the bathroom cupboards but doesn't find a first aid kit, and right when he's about to give up and search in another part of the house, he sees the kit on the bathroom counter. Sighing in relief, he rushes back over to Avery's side. He unwraps her bandages and puts new ones on after wiping her forearm clear of blood with a wet hand towel. After Daniel finishes rewrapping her wounds, he searches for Avery's pulse again. Once he has found it successfully, he can't help but release a sigh of relief.

Then, Daniel realizes he hasn't seen Avery's father. Coming to the conclusion that he must be at work or shopping or something, Daniel then considers who else he could go to for help on what to do for Avery. An idea immediately pops into his mind, and he only hopes that they're at home.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lucy is lying on her bed, looking up at her ceiling that is painted like a canopy of trees with little shafts of light shining in between gaps in the vivid green leaves. She sighs, unable to stop her mind from wandering to Avery. Her every thought is plagued with the image of her friend looking so unusually pale for her dark skin tone and looking tired and weak due to blood loss. Lucy can't help but worry about Avery and hopes that she is alright.