chapter 23

*A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more*

Ava woke up very early in the morning. The sun was yet to rise. She couldn’t sleep as always. She took out her phone to spend the time but was not in a mood to use it. To calm herself she did some meditation. While meditation her body craved to practise martial arts. Since she was thrown out of the classes she was full time with hynmike and the recent troubles didn’t give her time to practice it. 

After the meditation, there was nothing else for her to do. So she took a walk inside the hostel. The corridors were so quite. Usually,y it was always filled with the noise of music, gossips etc when girls came back after their classes. But in the morning everyone was dead asleep. She then went straight to the Academy. No one was there except the janitors who were cleaning the Academy. She had a walk inside enjoying the beauty of the rich interiors.

On her walk, she saw her class of martial arts and wished to enter it. As it was early morning and no one was around so she entered it. The first-day memory flawed on her mind. The place was still filled with so much positivity. 

The equipment was shining as new because it was cleaned every time after use. It showed how respectful the students were to their subject. The academy had various weapons each one with its own uniqueness. She took off her jacket and looked around to make sure no one was watching her. 

She took a stick and began her practising with it. She swung it around and did as much as many moves she remembered. Actually, she remembered every bit of it. She practised so hard that her lungs were heavy ready to burst anytime. 

But.........as she practised some clear visions we’re seen by her where many people were killed, someone was promising something. She didn’t stop, she couldn’t stop...

“seek and find....believe in love. I’ll come for you...with the visions, she began hearing voices of horses, people screaming, someone telling someone something......she was going crazy. Finally, she gave up by striking so hard but someone had blocked it. Her eyes were filled with tears seeing and hearing everything...her eyes were a blur because of tears and she couldn’t clearly see who it was. As she bad strikes with too much force and frustration, she fell down losing balance.

It hurt her. She felt pain falling in a thud. She shook her head to have a clear view. No one was there. She blinked 2-3 times to make sure still there was no one. She was totally confused about what was happening.  Who was there with her? Who had blocked her strike? Was she hallucinating or had she gone crazy??

She sat there to get a clear picture of what was happening...her head was spinning...she didn’t know what to do...it was already morning, classes were about to start in an hour’s time...she rushed to the washroom not to be seen by sensei. She didn’t want any more trouble.

On the way, she bumped into Hynmike. Seeing her so fragile, he helped her handle herself and took her to his cabin.

She rested on her usual seat and drank a full bottle of water given to her by hynmike. She was out of breath...

“calm down....take a deep breath, inhale and exhale. Relax” Hynmike’s soft and relaxing voice helped her calm down her anxiety. 

“What happened to you in the morning itself? What made you so anxious?” he inquired the reason for her condition.

“these visions are driving me crazy” her rough attitude sounded frustrated. 

“what are you talking about? What made you do frustrated?” Hynmike couldn’t figure out what she was talking about.

“The visions I get is what my actual problem is” she was so tired even to talk...her voice trembled in short of breath.

“First calm down and tale some time. Relax and don’t stress yourself. I am here to help you”. Hynmike supported the kid to handle herself.

She caught hold of his hands and kept on holding it till she relaxed her mind and caught back her breath. The moment she touched her, she felt relieved of her anxiety.

Taking rest for a while got her some strength to talk about somethings she wanted to.

After making sure that she was able and ready to talk and start the session he permitted her to start.

“Okay. Now tell me what is the problem?”

I think you should know it from the starting. So I’ll start from my childhood again” she was emotionless. 

“I don’t know when it started, I used to get visions and nightmares that didn’t let me sleep. It drives me crazy. But I hadn’t ever thought about it much, so.....”

Why haven’t you thought about ever? It is the biggest mistake you did your entire life. Have you never tried to know why we’re you getting it?” he was sounding furious about her ignoring her own mental issues. 

“I have. I had consulted a psychiatrist when Liam’s family made me to. And that man told me that it was the aftereffect of my insomnia. The lack of sleep and rest was what had caused me the visits and nightmares” she relies on him in a weak voice.

“Have you shared it to anyone? Talked to anyone about the visions you get?” Hynmike was adamant to help the poor kid from her troubles.

“Liam knows everything about it. He too was with me when we consulted the psychiatrist. From there on whenever I had it he had handled me.” She replied.

“How did he help you?” Hynmike wanted exact answers.

“He never let me think much about it and take the stress. Whenever I talked about it, he always told me to shake it off my head, that he was with me and I was not crazy” she remembered those days when Liam had held her when everyone in her high school used to consider her crazy due to her anger.

“Do you think that your visions and anger and connected in any way” he got a doubt and asked her the same to know whether she felt it too.

“I...don't know....” she tried to connect it but as her mind was already stressed out she couldn’t think much of it. 

Hynmike somewhat had started understanding her actual problems. She was unaware of everything happening to her. But what perplexed him the most was why had liam always made her not think about her visions? Maybe if she had, she could have understood her actual worth. 

He doubted on the reality of liam and wanted to get ava to know her true worth. Hynmike knew what he had to do.....