Ava was so excited to learn all these different powers and she was very determined to achieve the ultimate power; the ability to control someone's body. She thought this was the ticket to finding her best friend.
The next day came and Ava woke up in a happy mood but as she got ready and ran downstairs, she saw no-one. She walked towards the fridge with an apology note from her mom. She scrunched up the piece of paper and threw it away. She sat down and had her breakfast waiting for Noah to come. She waited and waited until she figured that he wasn't going to walk with her, so she made her own way to school. Before class, she looked for him everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found.
"Hey Aiden," Ava said.
"Hey A, everything alright?" he asked.
"Have you seen Noah?"
"No. He cancelled all the plans for the next week with us and he hasn't texted me at all. I'm a bit worried about him," Aiden answered.
"Okay, I'll try to text him. I'll let you know if I got any news."
"Thanks A. See ya around."
Ava waved at him and went to her first class. Noah didn't attend any of his classes. Ava was getting worried that something had happened to him as he walked home. She then remembered their conversation from last night. She couldn't help but think that maybe one of the members took him. Ava looked above her to see her teacher talking to the class. She tried calming her breathing down but all she could think about was Noah. Her breathing got heavier and quicker, she looked around trying to undo her top button as her hands got shaky.
"Miss Salford, is everything alright?" the teacher asked.
Ava looked at him straight in the eye and then looked at Matt who had a worried face. She ran out of the class, trying to get her breathing to a normal rate. She heard footsteps behind her. Hoping it was Noah she turned around just to be met by Aiden.
"Ava. What's wrong?" Aiden questioned.
Ava hasn't heard him say her full name in a long time, she was shocked as her name rolled off his tongue. She tried to answer him, but no sound came out except a shaky breath. Aiden pulled her closer to him and hugged her.
"I'm always here for you. We'll find out where Noah is," he reassured her.
Ava couldn't tell him all that they were up to, she was scared of what he would think of her. So instead of saying something she just nodded as a tear rolled down her face. The end of the day came, and Noah was still nowhere to be found. He hadn't turned up to school, so Ava figured he was at home. But it still didn't explain why he didn't answer any of her call or texts. Ava want to the school's office and waited until it was her turn to talk.
"Hello. How may I help you?" the receptionist asked.
"Could I please have Noah Carson's house address?"
"Why do you need his address?" the lady asked looking strangely at Ava.
"Mr Waltzer asked me to give his work to him since Noah didn't come to school."
She nodded as she rapidly typed some random stuff on the computer as she aggressively chewed on the gum in her mouth. She wrote down something on a piece of paper and handed it to Ava. Ava looked at the piece of paper to see that it was an address: 16 Bridgeway Avenue.
Ava walked out of the school and walked towards Noah's house. She was excited to see him as she hasn't heard a word from him the whole day and she had been getting worried. The minute Ava turned towards his street she was shocked. The contrast between his street and the other streets around it was dissatisfying. The road was filled with rubbish and the dustbins were toppled over across front lawns. Homeless people overflowed the streets and houses that looked broken down. Ava's attention was drawn to a young woman who looked a few years older than her. She was dressed in many layers and she had a skeletal looking face, her hair tied back but still clumped with grease. The woman was balled up like she was afraid to release her knees, rocking in time to the beep of a truck backing up, her eyes fixed on nothing at all.
Ava took her eyes off her and continued walking down the middle of the road as she felt dozens of eyes staring at her. She finally reached door number 16 and the minute she looked at the house she felt like she was in a haunted house. The door looked like it had been broken down several times and it was at the point of breaking. One of the windows had no glass but seemed to have been smashed as there were bits of glass around the corners. The lawn had bottles of beer spread across and loads of rubbish on it. Ava slowly walked towards the door, carefully knocking on it so that the door wouldn't topple over. A few seconds later a man opened the door. He looked like he hadn't showered in days. Ava looked down to see that he had a cigarette in his hand and behind him were many bottles. He bared his nicotine-stained teeth, all crooked, so the scene between his dry, cracked lips resembled a derelict cemetery. He coughed, a wheeze coming out at the same time.
"What do you want?" he questioned aggressively.
"Umm. I'm looking for Noah Carson. I was told he lives here."
"Noah?" he repeated.
"Yes."
"Pfft. He doesn't live here anymore," he stated taking a drag of his cigarette.
"Ruth! Whose at the door?" a woman shouted.
"No-one just a child asking for Noah."
Ava heard footsteps approaching towards them. Suddenly a lady popped up. She looked very malnourished. Her legs and arms were bony, and her cheekbones showed off way too much. She had bruises in some areas which she seemed to be alright with. She had large purple bags underneath her eyes, and she looked like she had been suffering for a long time.
"Hey," she said calmly.
"Hi. I believe you're Noah's mom?"
She nodded in agreement.
"I'm Mrs Carson and this is my boyfriend, Ruth," she spoke as she put her hand out.
Ava shook her bony hands. She could feel the flesh and bone, no muscle or fat was visible.
"Have you seen Noah?" Ava asked.
"No sorry. Noah doesn't live here anymore," she bluntly stated.
"What do you mean he doesn't live here?"
"We kicked him out a few months ago. I don't know where he is staying," she said cheerfully.
Ava apologized for the inconvenience and walked away. She couldn't believe it. Noah had been kicked out of his house and he hasn't said anything about it. She looked across the street thinking where he could start searching for him. Suddenly her phone began ringing. She took it out of her pocket and read the caller ID.