Come Closer

Chapter 22

JAYDEN POV

“Jayden?”

My eyes widen when I hear the word she uttered. It was barely audible, but how can I not recognize my own real name? This is impossible. No one knows about my name except the closest ones of our gang. No one knows about my real identity except them. But how can a random gangster girl come to know my real identity? Does this mean everyone in the underworld knows too?

I push her to the wall and seize her neck in my grasp. “How do you know my real identity?” I’m ready to squeeze answers out of her corpse, if that is what it takes. Anger creeps up in my veins as she doesn’t answer. “SPEAK UP!” I shout at her. She starts to hit my hands that are wrapped around her throat with her bloody hands, and I realize that she can’t breathe. ‘I’m giving you a tiny push before I torture you’, I think in my mind before I loosen my grip. I’m getting impatient. This is taking long, and it would be easier to just torture the answers out of her. “Who are you?” This will take her mind in another way. And, I’m curious about the Ghost who has been a nuisance in the underworld.

“A-Avelyn!” She croaks out, and collapses down.

I quickly catch her before she hits the ground. My eyes are widened. This can’t be happening. My mind is racing like it is in a marathon against my heart. I look at her face, which is slightly darkened due to lack of oxygen. She doesn’t look like the Avelyn I know. But if this is really Avelyn I know, I can’t let her die.

………………………………

“How is she?” I ask the nurse that I have assigned to take care of her. She gives a sweet smile. “Don’t worry boss! After taking a rest, she’ll be alright.” I nod at her as she bows and takes her leave. I enter the room, and soundlessly close the door. She is sleeping under the sheets, her head is turned sideways. I slowly step near the bed, and take a seat on the chair beside her bed. I stare at her face. ‘Are you really Avelyn?’ I ask in my mind. I stare at her face, which is now a lot calmer than in that factory. Wait…. Now that I think of it, her facial features kind of represent the girl that stayed by me, from my early childhood, to when we parted ways when I was fifteen. She is two years older than me and her sister, Lyena. What has happened to her? I didn’t see her near Avelyn. Better ask when she wakes up.

I stare at her face, reminiscing the memories of the past. ‘She has changed’ Of course she has; she’s a woman now, not the teenager or the child she once was.

AUTHOR POV

Avelyn stirred in her sleep. She wanted to sleep. But the constant sound of footsteps made the sweet whisper of the sleep fade away. She groaned. ‘Who the f**k is here? Just get lost’. The footsteps stopped. ‘Finally’….

‘Ugh’, this time, the i***t decided to touch her forehead. She opened her eyes, scowling, ready to burn the person with her glare, but frowned when she saw an unfamiliar pair of eyes gazing at her.

The girl was wearing a white uniform, with an apron. A white cap was placed on top of her head. She smiled, a contagious smile which started from her lips and spread to her eyes. Avelyn couldn’t help but return it.

“You’re awake?” She asked. Avelyn nodded, trying to sit up.

“Let me help you” The lady helped Avelyn up, and placed a pillow behind her back, to make her comfortable. Avelyn looked around. She didn’t recognize where she was. She looked up at the lady. “Where am I?” Her throat felt sore and scratchy. The question came out as an inaudible croak. “Here, drink this” The nurse quickly offered a glass of water, and watched Avelyn gulp it down. “I’ll inform the Master that you’re awake” she patted Avelyn’s shoulder and went out.

Avelyn placed the empty glass on the bedside table, and looked around the room. The wood colored walls gave it a comfy and elegant look. It was spacious, and consisted of a dressing table, a couch, a painting of a waterfall framed upon the wall, and several other pieces of wooden furniture including the bed she had been sleeping in. She could see two doors on her left, and assumed they were for the bathroom and the closet.

All in all, the atmosphere didn’t hold anything to alarm her. She rested her head on the headboard of the bed, and closed her eyes. She didn’t have strength to move around. Her body felt heavy. She was drained of energy, and staying still seemed more appealing than ever.

However, she had to jolt up and sit straight when she heard the door closing. In her exhausted state, she hadn’t heard the knock on the door. Avelyn sighed upon seeing the man who had entered. “Jayden”

Jayden strode towards the bed and sat on the chair next to it. “How are you?”

Avelyn didn’t speak and just replied with a shrug.

“Are you really Avelyn?”

She nodded, still looking at him.

James sighed. “I’m asking this just to make sure…”, he paused. He was hesitating. And Avelyn knew what was coming and wanted to get things done. So she gave him a nod, urging him to continue.

“If you’re really her, tell me what gift you sent me on my 15th birthday.” He looked directly in her eyes, as if challenging her to prove that she is the person whom she is claiming herself to be. And Avelyn liked challenges.

“I never sent you a gift on that day. I gave it to you by myself. It was a music box.”

Jayden nodded. “Hmm. That’s accurate. But let me ask a few more questions. After all, you could have been provided with a lot of information.”

Avelyn just raised one of her eyebrows in response.

“How old are you?”

“24”

“What is my favorite color?”

“You don’t have one”

“Where did I keep my dog?”

“It was a cat”

“Was it a male or female?”

“Female”

“Where did I keep her?”

“In your room. Will you stop this?” Annoyance was evident in her tone.

Jayden chuckled. “You always hated being interrogated”

Avelyn rolled her eyes. “Glad you remember that, at least.”

Jayden gave her a small smile. He took her hands in his. “I’m happy that we’re finally together again.”

“It didn’t seem like that before” Avelyn chuckled.

“In my defense, I didn’t know The Ghost was you”

“Hmm..” Avelyn looked down.

“Are you okay now?” She nodded.

“I’m sorry for what I did”

Avelyn shrugged and looked at him. “It’s alright. I’m fine now, see?” She gave his hand a squeeze. All the thoughts of paying him back had left her mind.

“How-”

They spoke at the same time. Avelyn giggled. “I’ll ask first. What brought you into the underworld?”

Jayden gave her a soft laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“I was never brought here, Avelyn. I grew up here.”

Avelyn frowned. “But your parents were not-”

Jayden cut her off. “They were in disguise. They never let anyone know that we belong here. Actually, I came to know on the day we left you guys.”

“But why did you leave?”

“Our family was in danger at that time. And your family had close relations with us. If our enemies had known that, they would have attacked you. My parents didn’t want your family to get in danger. So we left.” He shrugged.

“Now my turn. You have changed.” He said. “I know that you’ve grown up but, didn’t you despise criminals? You always told me that they should be law abiding. But now you’re one of them. Why?”The confusion was clear in his expression.

Avelyn let out an exasperated breath. “Lyena was kidn*pped, and we lost her. The police…”, she sighed. “…they couldn’t find her. I’m in search for a clue. A sign. Anything that would lead me to her.”

“Then why do you attack other mafias?”

Avelyn shrugged. “It’s fun to see others nervous and week. And it helps to trip them when they’re on their tip-toes”

“So you attack us to weaken us?”

Avelyn nodded. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“But we don’t kidnap people!” He exclaimed.

“Well, I didn’t know that. It’s not my fault that you happened to be in my radar”

Jayden sighed. “This has to be stopped. My brother ordered me to kill The Ghost. But The Ghost is you.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t bother you as long as you don’t have my sister”

“I’m sorry about her. For how long are you searching for her now?”

“Over three years”

Jayden was stunned. “Over THREE YEARS???”

Avelyn nodded.

“s**t. It’ll be hard to get a clue. Three years’ time is more than enough to cover up any mistakes”

“I know. But it’s the only thing that gives my life a reason.”

A moment passed with neither of them speaking. “I’ll help you to find her”

“Why?”, was Avelyn’s reply.

“What do you mean ‘why’?”

“You don’t have a reason to help me.”

“I’m not helping. I’m just…returning a favor”

“And what favor are we talking about?”

“The favor you’d grant me in the future.” He smirked.

Avelyn gasped. “No. I’m not promising anything.”

Jayden just shrugged in return. “You can’t stop me. You know that”

Avelyn nodded her head. “Always stubborn. But thank you.”

“By the way, where am I?”

“Took you long enough to ask. In my mansion.”

“You have a mansion? I have one too.”

“Bet it’s cheap looking.”

“Huff! You’re going to have to search for your jaw when it drops when you see it”

She shook her head. “How did I come here?”

“I brought you here. You fainted when I strangled you.”

“For how long was I out?”

“Not for long. Only six hours.”

Avelyn’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. “That can’t be happened!”

You gained consciousness quickly. But the nurse put you to sleep. She said that your body was exhausted. Don’t worry, I didn’t choke you to death.”

Avelyn huffed. “Oh really? Well I’ve to go home now. Nathan must be worried.”

“Who is Nathan?”

“You’ll find out soon. Now take me home.”