From the depths of the ground floor, an increasingly frantic voice persistently called out, "Ava! Ava!" But alas, the resounding silence that followed was as profound as it was unyielding. After the third entreaty, a remarkably handsome young man swung the door open, revealing Ava's seemingly immovable form still ensconced beneath her oversized white blanket, her pretense of slumber expertly maintained. Yet, her façade was destined to crumble, for she was rudely jolted from her feigned slumber. Her body, cocooned on her left side under that voluminous white shroud, had been caught unawares.

In this familial drama, it was none other than Alexander, the ten-years-her-senior older brother, who chose to take matters into his own hands. With a playful yet exasperated demeanor, he hurled a golf ball toward her, accompanying it with a teasing admonishment. "Young lady, Mum's calling. Get up, will ya?" His hands found comfort in the pockets of his attire as he awaited her response, a picture of casual indifference amidst the commotion.

Meanwhile, lurking in the shadows like an unseen puppeteer, Jasmine observed the unfolding spectacle with a mischievous smirk gracing her lips. Having absorbed enough of this morning's theatrics, she executed a silent exit, slipping away unnoticed as she descended the staircase. Her departure did not elude the watchful gaze of Freya, who had been anxiously anticipating Ava's emergence. Freya finally allowed herself a sigh of relief, coupled with a hint of disdain as she couldn't help but scoff. She posed the impatient inquiry, "Where is Ava? Where is she?"

"Don't know," Jasmine shrugged. "At her age, she should know better. I'm already late for my morning class as it is." She reached for an apple in a basket on the table, took a bite, grabbed her school bag, and made her way outside.

Meanwhile, Alexander, still attempting to get his younger sister out of bed, was puzzled by Ava's sudden change in behavior. He was walking towards Ava's bed when Chloe handed him his ringing phone. He paused and glanced at the urgent call, sighing, "I can't believe this." He then left the room to attend to the call.

Chloe, left alone, took it upon herself to clean Ava's room. But her task was interrupted when Ava suddenly stood up from her bed, grabbed a hoodie from her wardrobe, picked up her AirPods Max from the desk, and hurriedly left. Startled, all Chloe could manage to say was, "Ava?" as she stood there, stunned by the unexpected turn of events.As Ava hastily left, she put on her headphones and pulled her hoodie over her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she noticed her mum, but almost ignored her, not stopping her pace. Freya couldn't hold back and yelled, "You haven't gotten dressed yet?! Goodness! Do you have any idea of what it takes to be privileged enough to get enrolled into such an expensive school?" Ava stood there, quiet and holding back her tears, but Freya continued, "Go back to your room and get dressed! You are definitely sitting for your test today!"

Not heeding Freya's command, Ava walked away, disturbed by everything that was going on inside her. Something was tearing her apart, but nobody seemed to pay any attention. She made her way to the gate, tears still rolling down her cheeks. The compound was vast, and it would take her about five minutes to walk to the exit. Alternatively, a car would only need three minutes to leave the grand mansion of the Waltons.

Meanwhile, Jasmine was losing patience, getting angry at Ava's apparent lack of tact. She pressed the car's horn continuously to get her mother's attention, but as she saw Ava storming out of the compound, she was amazed by her little sister's behavior. Jasmine noticed Freya walking towards the car, irritated and ready to drive her off to school. Giving up on the horn, Jasmine let out a scoff.

Freya got into the car and stepped on the gas pedal, speeding towards Ava. Jasmine, trying to collect her thoughts, asked, "Mum, what's going on?". Freya, was still focused and visibly upset, when Jasmine continued , "Christ's sake, what is going on? What's wrong with everyone today? The heck!" The tension in the car was palpable. Freya hit the brakes, turning to Jasmine, and spoke in a hot temper, "Don't you ever dare use that tone on me again, woman!" Jasmine felt stung by her mother's sharp words and turned her face towards the window, wearing a frown.

As the car approached Ava, Freya rolled down the window and pressed the horn, signaling for Ava to stop walking. However, Ava refused to even look at her mother. Freya yelled, "Ava! Get into the car!" but Ava replied tearfully, "Mum, I can't. I just can't."

"You can't? You have a test to write today, and you can't?" Freya exclaimed. Ava remained quiet but continued walking, now at a faster pace. Freya tried to drive slowly beside her, urging her to talk, "If you have a problem, talk to me. I'm your mother, and I care for you, Ava. Can we talk about this...?"

Ava cut in, "I just can't! I just can't, okay?! I didn't study. I am not prepared to sit for the test. I'm just going to fail and embarrass myself in front of everyone. I can't take the test." With that, Ava ran off, leaving Freya sighing, feeling lost about what was going on in her daughter's mind. She was deeply worried and honked at Ava for the last time as she watched her daughter run away.

Giving up, Freya mumbled, "Teenagers are so difficult," and turned to look at Jasmine, who had thrown her face towards the window, quietly chewing her apple. Freya finally resolved to drive her daughter to school, hoping to find a way to understand and help her through whatever struggles she was facing.On leaving the house, Ava was crying her eyes out and kept on running with loud music playing in her headphones. After the phone call, Alexander returned to Ava's room to find only Chloe there, cleaning. Chloe noticed he was looking around, speculating to see Ava, and mentioned, "She went for a walk."

"And Madame?" he asked.

"She is off already," Chloe replied. He paused for a while, nodded, and left.

Three years ago:

Ava looked out the window, smiling broadly while feeling the fresh breeze. She closed her eyes, finding calmness within herself, as the car rode on, enjoying upbeat music through her AirPods Max. Jasmine sat beside her and texted her friend about their location. Their personal driver asked, "Ma'am, where are we going today?"

Jasmine received a notification at 2:00 p.m sharp, "Come to the pool." She then replied, "Nearest pool, please." Upon arriving at the location, Ava took off her headphones, and the two sisters, dressed in stylish and expensive clothes, approached the venue. Kylie screamed, "Jasmine!" and ran to hug her, smiling at Ava. "My God, Ava looks so grown now. I'm so jealous that she is almost taller than me," Kylie playfully flipped her hair and smiled.

Ava took her cousin's joke lightly, saying, "Uh, Christ! It's not that serious, Kylie". Kylie, being the same age but three months older than Jasmine, introduced her friends and cousins to each other, all of whom were of the same caliber. They were led into the dressing room to change into their swimsuits. Sitting by the poolside, Jasmine asked, "What's the occasion, Kylie? Let the cat out of the bag already."

Kylie, submerged in the pool, surfaced, and Ava insisted, "Yes, Kylie, let's hear it." Kylie's friends, also in the pool, chanted together, clapping, "Let's hear it! Let's hear it!" Ava and Jasmine joined in the excitement. Finally, Kylie revealed, "You remember Brian, my crush for about five years...

giggled

I proposed... and... he said... yes!!!"

"Whoa, Kylie, are you serious?" Jasmine exclaimed, stunned. "This is awesome! I'm so happy for you!"

"And I'm so happy for you, since you'll be leaving us to study abroad... and not until you get into the water," Kylie playfully dragged Jasmine into the pool. Her other friends joined in, cheering, "Let's celebrate and be merry!" as they swam and had fun.

"Kylie, congratulations!" Ava called back, smiling. Kylie returned the smile and said, "You're next." Ava scoffed playfully with her legs in the water, but Kylie assured her, "Trust me," and swam off, leaving Ava to smile and sip juice by the pool, enjoying the merry atmosphere and conversations.

Later, as they emerged from the refreshing embrace of the pool, their sun-kissed bodies glistening with droplets of water, Ava, driven by an adventurous impulse that had always simmered within her, decided to venture back into the cerulean expanse despite harboring the knowledge that she was not a strong swimmer. With each step toward the water's edge, she could feel the anticipation and trepidation mingling within her like a dance of fire and ice.