Haha I had a thaught. And I am bored.
She watches Bea's eyes light up as Ava mentions moths. Making her chest twist when the brilliant girl rattled down fact after fact, changing to butterflies and all the diffent kinds. She watches the spark in them despite the dark bags and tapping foot.
Listens to Bea as she continues talking about why blue butterflies are blue, pulling out a peace of paper to show her what she meant. Ava didn't pay attention to the physics Bea threw at her - eyes locked on the slightly purple skin around bea's wrists. She only noticed now - after Bea flung her arms in the air demonstrating something.
Someone slams the door in the distance - and Bea shrinks. Winces at it before the hidden fear in her eyes fuzzed and she snapped back to explaining why owl's are so quiet when they fly. Why it is evolutionary good for them.
She is putting off talking about the test. Or trying to distract herself actually. Ava didn't miss the tention in her shoulders, the way her jaw clenched as she looked at the result and the way she sunk back into her seat.
Superion announced the best test, ofcourse it was Ava, only one point over Bea. She watched as Bea's eyes water, as she pulled at the caller of her pullover. As she took a rigid breath.
"Bea." she had nudged her. But Beatrice flinched away, she didn't look at Ava with jealousy or envy, there was no hate or disgust. Ava knew Bea long enough to know what she felt. And it wasn't like Bea could hide them all that well. At least with Ava she could sometimes let the mask fall.
But there was fear in her eyes, deep rooted terror flashing infront of them. It's gone in a second - a smile planting itself on an exhausted Beatrice.
"Wanna go learn at the library together?" she asked. Beatrice nodded. Nether of them wanted to go home.
When Bea turns a little faster than normal it's like something snaps, her arm wrapping itself over her side. "Bea." Ava had reached out. Bea only flinched away from the touch. "Bea what's going on?"
Beatrice dismisses her. Waving a hand though greeted teeth before she reaches for a pill and chugs it down with some water.
Yesterday she visited Bea. Yesterday she saw her shrink infront of her parents. Smart ass, nerdy Beatrice - only talking when talked to. Answering unpleasant questions infront of Ava.
"How does it feel to be the best?" Bea's father had asked her. Ava watched as Bea's hand trembled, playing with a pea in her plate. She had barely eaten anything, everything was thrown together, the steak touching the chips and sauce spayed everywhere.
The salad sat neatly at the side of the plate - it was the only thing Beatrice was trying to stomach. "I don't know. Indifferent I guess. I've always been first when it comes to school." Ava had answered. Hoping to have given the right answer.
"Hear that Beatrice. Wouldn't it be nice for you to be first for once in your life?" Bea's mother stabs. Beatrice just shrinks - yes focused on the pea in her plate as she battles tears. "Talk Beatrice. We didn't raise you to be quiet and not treat your guests with the respect they deserve."
It was as cold as when they greeted her. A simple "Beatrice" and a simple "Mother, Father." there was no touch, no smile, no warmth.
"You are dismissed." Bea's father said 20 minutes later. "Thanks for the dinner mister Young! It was delicious" Ava calls, putting in three sneakers into her jacket when noone was looking and then following Bea into her room.
"Wow." she has muttered. Standing in front of the doorless white room. It looked like a hospital room.
White shelves, white walls, white bed, white bed cover. The paintings on the wall were just white brushstrokes. "You don't have a desk?"
It's the distant look in Bea's eyes that scares her. Her tired eyes and heavy breaths, an occasional sigh.
When Ava asked if she was ok. Bea answered with ofcourse. Dismissing the existence of yesterday completely.
She waves Bea good bye a couple of hours later. With a tight hug that Beatrice sinks in so deeply it feels like her world is ripped apart when they pull away.
Bea's going home. But she isn't.
She knocks on the door instead, slipping into Superion's office. It's no surprise that Julian is seated on the chair, spinning a little as she talks with Superion who is looking out of the window.
"Professor." and both turn around
"I need to talk to you about my friend. The one that had to be braught to the hospital a couple of days ago."
Beatrice isn't at school the next day. Ava's an anxious mess. Beatrice isn't at school the day after either. Ava gives up on texting her all the time. Instead, she skips her way over to Bea's house and leanes up to ring the bell when she hears voices.
"You can not be stupid enough to be second after such a girl." someone spoke. She knew the sound - slowly sneaking her way towards the back of the house.
"Stupid. That's what you are." there's a loud thud.
Anger rages up her spine as she turns the corner - full view of the backyard and a slumped over Bea in a chair - holding onto the handles of the chairs as her mother stands over her, a book in hand.
And Bea looks like shit. Her eyes are bloodshot and her hair is a mess, she shivers under her mother's gaze. A white thank top and a pair of boxers exposing purple and aggressive marks decorating her body. Wrapping around her throat and continuing down her body, some more aggressive than the others, most of them are yellow or purpleish. They are new. A rock sinks into Ava's stomach.
"You are not dyslexic. You are not suffering from some stupid illness if you believe the bullshit the doctors are telling. Autism isn't real. You aren't vaccinated." another thud - only that this time Ava watches as Bea's head snaps to the side, shoulder slumping forward as blood drops down her mouth.
"You are lazy. And stupid. You don't try hard enough. You think about unimportant stuff that is of no use. You aren't disciplined, you are useless." another thud. Ava wants to leap out and beat the woman to a plump. To hit her face in so she chokes on her blood and holds onto her broken nose.
But all she does is watch as a shean of blood tickles down Bea's head, blood dripping down the tip of her nose.
She nearly misses the handcuff around Bea's wrists - blinded by anger and pain. Frustration building in the back of her head because if she slips, Bea will be in so much trouble.
That's why Bea had bruises around them.
"You will never be smart enough to be worthy of our love."
It rains that night. Temperatures freezing in the dark time before winter. The next day Bea comes back with a fever and a scarf around her neck.
"I'm fine." she insists. Superion sents her to her office. "There's a blanket on the second bookshelf." she tells Ava and tosses her the keys.
She knows where the blanket is. She had slept in that office when things got bad at the orphanage, when Superion took her in and offered her a place to stay at when going back was too much.
"She can stay with a friend of Julian's if she is ok with it until the papers get sorted out and we can get her out." Superion had told her earlier that morning when Ava sobbed into her arms "The police is informed." a beat "You should tell her Ava."
Tucked into the warmth of Superion's blanket and Ava's head on her forehead, Bea shivers.
Everything's going to be ok Bea." Ava mutters. Running a hand through Bea's raven hair. Offering her medicine and water. She remembers Bea slumped over in a chair, nails digging into the wood of the handles her arms were handcuffed to, nose dripping with blood, stripped to her undergarments and showered in purple-blue with a book.
And she sleeps - hair sprawled out and body curled up - making herself small. Calms her nerves and holds Ava's hand.
But bea's calm lasts only that long and the next class she get's a test back. It's a B.
Ava finds her hunched over a toilet retching out her breakfast, if she had any that is. "I've never had a B." she sais 'I am scared of what they will do to me' she wants to say. 'I am a failure.' Ava holds her hair as another wave comes and Bea coughs out the rest of her stomach.
Later Ava stumbles over steps, pushes off of all fours when she falls, continuing to climb the flight of stairs like a drugged lunatic. Pushing past the door - swinging it open as she panths Bea's name.
A little note safely tugged between her fingers.
"Ava. I'm sorry. You have been so kind to me. The first to show me kindness and warmth. I will miss you Ava. In the next."
She stops in her track, then, she wrestles Bea away from the ledge, watches her wide eyes spill tears. Manhandles her into a hug and wraps her arms around her as Bea sinks to her knees, face hidden in Ava's shoulder and body shaking with broken sobs.
"I'm so tired." she whispers. Gripping the back of Ava's shirt - holding onto it "I just want it to stop."
The scarf if gone - purple bruises smiling on display. She's burning up as she sobs again. Sinking further and further into Ava's arms.
"You're safe now Bea." Ava whispers in her ear, brushes a hand though her hair and kisses the top of her head.
Holds her until Bea is half passed out and calls Superion.
When Superion rolls up to the hospital with a feverish teenager and no parents - the staff screams at her. Who would blame them? The same teenager collapsed in the library not 5 days ago. She should be tucked in a warm bed and recovering, instead, she is shivering, covered in bruises from head to toe.
But Bea doesn't have a warm bed, and she doesn't have the time to recover.
Now though. She get's the help she needs and Ava holds her hand through it all.
Ava helps her move and Superion helps her out of her parents house, Professor "Please call me Julian I am begging you" Salvious pays an ungodly amount of money to fund a good lawyer and an even better therapist.
Two months later Bea is living with a nice young woman called Shannon and her girlfriend Mary, has a kitten named sushi and is slowly starting to unfold into the brilliant person she is. Ava never leaving her side. Not once.
