When Iwan was brought to the house, he was the only child. Nobody else lived there and nobody ever visited. It was just Iwan, a 12 year old boy who strongly disliked his family and was jealous of his younger sibling and a grown up man who owned the house. It never felt like he was kidnapped, not back then, and he was never asked to do anything suspicious. The man would leave early in the morning, return at lunch time to eat together with Iwan and then he would leave again and return very late at night. Now that he thought about it, Iwan rarely saw his kidnapper during the day.
But it all changed when one day, the man returned at lunch with more than just food. Iwan was waiting for him in the hallway, eager to see if he will get his favourite dessert but instead, he met the big brown eyes of a girl. They stared at each other while the adult undressed and threw his shoes aside. He then helped her take her oversized jacket off and easily kick her worn out snickers away.
Iwan stood there, frozen in his spot in front of the stairs. He couldn’t believe how he came to face the same situation as the one he ran from. Although this newcomer was not a baby and she looked nothing like an angelic child, nor she smelled like she showered in the last days, her simple presence meant he was not the most important anymore.
“Iwan, this is our new friend, Ava. You’ll play well with her when I’m not around, won’t you?”
Even as a young boy, Iwan could hear the subtle threat in his voice. From the moment he had met this adult, he was aware he was dangerous but because he never truly acted in a vile way, Iwan started to believe that maybe he rushed in forming a bad opinion about him.
Since Ava’s arrival, the adult changed the rules in the household. He started to spend more time at home and whenever he’d go out, he would return with new clothes for the girl. Most of them were dresses, one or two sizes smaller compared to Ava’s figure. Iwan stood hidden behind the wall as he watched the man tell Ava to change right in front of him.
“You look very pretty, Ava,” he complimented now and then, his eyes never leaving her form.
Iwan blushed when he saw the 10 year old girl undress down to her panties right in front of his eyes. He was embarrassed for himself but also for her, and yet he never entered to question the adult. Ava had a constant blush but she didn’t seem to find the whole situation weird. She was smiling every time she got something from the man.
“Why are you so happy when he brings you something? Do you have no pride?” Iwan asked one afternoon while the man was gone.
Ava was playing with a teddy bear in a jumpsuit.
“I never had the chance to wear dresses. I always wore my brother’s clothes and kids always made fun of me at school.” She mumbled moving the little hands of the teddy bear. “I do have pride,” she added with a pout.
Iwan scoffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He sat across her and glared at her in the same way he used to glare at his mother’s baby bump.
“So you have siblings?”
“I have three brothers. Two are older than me and one is younger.”
“And? Don’t you hate them? Don’t you hate your parents for not buying you proper clothes?” Iwan asked curiously.
“No. I hate that my parents are poor and I hate those bullies at school but I love my brothers. I miss them.” Ava replied before she looked up at the boy. “Why are we here? I thought he will only give me a ride home but-“
Iwan rolled his eyes and kicked the teddy bear away from her hands.
“Are you stupid? He lured you in with nice stuff and you believe he will let you go back home?” His harsh tone made the innocent girl jump on her feet.
“He will if I ask! You don’t have to be so mean.” She defended herself, something Iwan has not seen her do before. “You’ll see. I’ll ask him to drive me home when he returns. I’m sure my family is worried where I am.”
Iwan watched her with a scowl. There was no way that the man was going to let her go home after a few days when Iwan has been locked inside that house for a month already. Moreover, he was coming from a rich household who could easily find and rescue him…which was not happening. His parents were genuinely abandoning him in the favour of his baby sister.
“This is stupid,” he mumbled, kicking his feet angrily.
That night, the man did not come alone. He called in advance and told them to dress nicely because they will have a special guest. While Iwan wore an improvised suit, Ava was more naked than dressed. Her dress was too short and it fit her a bit too tightly around her chest. She tried something else but all had the same problem. Iwan looked down at his feet and sighed, feeling very uncomfortable. When the man arrived, he smelled of alcohol. Behind him walked the guest. He was very tall but seemed to prefer to slouch when sitting down. They didn’t enter the living room or the kitchen. The guest was a man in his 40’s, probably, and even if he wasn’t, it didn’t matter because they were children and all adults looked very old to them.
“You weren’t joking, huh? My, my how dolled up are you two,” the guest slurred his words before he stumbled closer to the two kids. He raised an eyebrow at how stiff was Iwan and then he turned to look at Ava. “That dress fits you very well, love. Isn’t it too hot in it?”
Iwan frowned at how the guest touched Ava’s arms up and down before he winked at her.
“I’m not hot at all, it’s a bit chilly, really.” She mumbled shyly not looking at the man’s face.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be making you sweat soon,” he said barely keeping himself on his feet. “Why don’t you come along with me, love?”
Ava glanced at the man of the house who nodded, as if he was encouraging her to go.
“Help my friend go and lie down, Ava. I trust you can do that much for me.” He said in that authoritarian voice that he used when he wanted something done.
Iwan watched as a grown up drunkard led the 10 year old Ava up the stairs to the first floor. He stood there, not understanding what happened or what was about to happen. He only heard a loud shriek and a few bumps. His eyes widened when he heard Ava’s scream and his expression changed to one of pure horror. Her screams were very loud and he could hear the guest telling her to shut up, that she was going to enjoy his attentions and that if he liked her enough, he will return. Iwan was terrified.
Suddenly, the noise was muffled by the elegant yet dramatic measures of a classical song. He glanced at his kidnapper and saw him turn up the volume until Ava’s cries were not heard anymore. It was such a significant moment because it was Liszt’s Symphony after Dante’s Divine Comedy and it was the opening movement. It was Inferno.
Iwan sighed, now sitting in the park near the Ramfjord Galleries. He bought a sandwich because he got hungry but now that he remembered this particular memory, he felt like he couldn’t digest anything anymore. A few pigeons flied on the pavement and he watched them as they flocked around the few pieces of paper that he threw at them. He was probably a sore sight: an adult whose hair was messy and whose expression was lifeless. No matter how much he tried, he still had poignant dark circles under his eyes and he looked like he needed a break from life.
He didn’t look, he was absorbed in his pity and guilt, but someone sat on the bench next to him. There was a small distance between them but he could feel the warmth of another human and the movement of the bench as they sat down. He rarely spoke to strangers and had no intention to socialize today or any other day if he were to be honest. Luckily, the person only smoke a cigarette before they got up and left. Now that he was alone, Iwan rubbed the back of his neck and thought about what he should do next. He noticed the envelope on the bench and he groaned. There was no way that someone randomly forgot a red envelope right next to him.
Ava did not return in the room upstairs. After Leo misjudged the situation and interfered in her business, she found it hard to meet other officers.
“Do you want me to get you something?” Leo asked stopped a few feet from the door. She was behind him, leaning against the wall with a grumpy expression.
“Some space would be wonderful,” she snapped at him.
Leo didn't look angry nor did he look like he took her words to the heart. He stared at her for a moment before he nodded and left her alone. Ava waited for him to disappear behind the door before she hurried towards the emergency exit. She sat on the stairs and leaned against the wall, her hands wrapped tightly around her knees.
"Finally," she whispered to herself as she relaxed. With every breathe she inhaled and exhaled, she could feel her mind ease up.
Whoever was behind the crowd outside and the extra drama that followed knew her. They knew more than about the kidnapping, her internships and whatever appears in her CV. They knew her; all the details she didn't want to share with the world, her opinions and her ideals. It was as if they have analyzed her personality and figured out how her mind works.
She flinched when her phone vibrated in her pocket. A new message arrived from an unknown number. It was an address in Oslo. After checking it on Google Maps, she saw it was very close to the police building. After seeing Daniel's face in the crowd and after Anonymous have messed so much with her mind, she wanted answers.
It wasn't hard to sneak out, especially because the officers were busy enough with the crowd outside. Ava held her phone tightly as she followed the blue dot towards her destination. Being by herself in a country where she didn't know the language or the streets, she hoped she wasn't entering the lion's den willingly.
She stopped in front of a coffee store and she checked twice in order to make sure it was a proper Anonymous headquarters. Moreover, it had clients inside and they all seemed to have a good time. Ava walked to the counter and ordered black tea before she chose the furthest table from the entrance. She waited there for a relatively short period of time until someone arrived and sat across her. Her eyes rose but it was not the person she expected.
"Nice to see you after all this time, huh, doc?"
Leo couldn't think straight after he pulled Ava out of the crowd. He couldn't wrap his head around her reaction. Lanchester was sitting next to the young Italian officer and he was so bored that he was swinging back and forth on his chair. Ruben was speaking to the Norwegian officers but none had information that seemed relevant to their case. Whatever was happening outside was not necessarily Anonymous related.
"Is there something more important than the case, Leo?" Lanchester asked after watching him for a few minutes.
"Yes, actually." The blond startled the ginger with his bold answer, "You have known Dr. Atkins for a while now and-"
"No. I recently met her. I was actually sent to her for therapy after I had a meltdown. Believe me, she's just as much of a mystery to me as she is to you. But what I did learn is that she tends to internalize her emotions and experiences. If you want to get close to her, you need to give her space and wait until she opens up to you." Marvin explained using the visit to Bedlam and the play in order to form an overall image of who Ava Atkins is.
"Do you also think she is involved with Anonymous?" Leo asked knowing this question was on everyone's mind, especially Ruben's.
"I wonder..."
That was such a vague answer but it held much importance to the detective. He remembered her invitation to Oslo and how the play itself was a message rather than entertainment. Ava's friends were strongly connected to Anonymous through very odd circumstances and yet he couldn't find a link between them.
"Say, Leo, could you dig something up for me? It's time we figure out the pieces of this puzzle in order to arrange them correctly."
ns 15.158.61.7da2
