The hunger starts to set in. Her stomach constricts begging her to give it some food. It rumbles and she groans loudly, so that the guards will hear her.

“Shut up, ya big baby.” And Italian-American accent said from behind the door.

She has been in this dump for a day and a half. She is strapped to a concrete slab with four chains. She has tried every way that she knows and has been taught to escape. But nothing lets her free. Her cover had not worked like the agency had told her it would. This league called, Bloodshed, captured her while she was undercover as a student at law school. Although she argued to the agency about that, they thought she did look like a law student. She is only sixteen years old. She is surprised that an agency for spies, that the president doesn’t even know about, could not keep her undercover for at least an hour or two. Bloodshed caught her in twenty-eight minutes. And that they think that she can go undercover when she is about ten years younger than everyone else in that school.

Suddenly the door opens and the head of Bloodshed walks in. He calls himself X. Nothing scary or creative, just the letter X.

“So, we meet at last, Ava La Monte; the youngest spy in the nation, for an organization that apparently doesn’t exist. But we know all about you, Ava. You were born in Chicago. And that’s were you grew up. But then your parents suddenly vanished, and you were left in the care of your grandma in Canada. And that’s were everyone you knew thinks you are. You told them that there is no cell service there and your grandma doesn’t have a computer.”
“And yet you are here in San Francisco, California. And you are a spy for an organization that your grandfather founded. Until, he disappeared along with your parents. And then your grandma just died, out of the blue. And so you became the owner. And yet they took it away from you. Because you were too young. And then you showed them that you were the best spy on the team. Anything to say, Ava?”
“Let me go.” She yells through her clenched teeth. But it comes out as a whisper. Her throat is so dry, she could not speak. It is getting harder for her to breath. Every time she tries to breath, her chest constricted and it stung her throat.
“Ha.” X laughs. “You are weak. Now you will die, as did your family.”
She stare at him with horror on her face. He laughs harder.
“Yes. This is true. We captured your parents and grandfather. Sadly your grandmother died, on her own. And I know you can’t talk, so I’ll answer your next question on my own. Where are your family, you may ask? They are six feet under in a constant sleep. I think you know this well. I believe it is called……Death.” He hisses the last words.
She hears a creak of the door. The men turned around but then a smoke bomb is thrown into the room. The smoke quickly masks the entire room. Some shouts from X and the yelling of men being knocked out, was the only thing she could hear. But the next sound is so quiet she could barely hear it. It was the clinking of her chains being unlocked. She is free in just a couple of seconds. She is so relieved. She doesn’t care who freed her, as long as she can complete her mission.
She swung her hips to the side and she is suddenly standing up with a gun in her hands. Someone must have handed it to her because she didn’t remember having it before. Then the smoke cleared and she could distinctly see X standing across from her with a gun to his head. On the hand was a black ring with a single white dot.
“Chase.” She whispers.
“You didn’t think that I would have let you die. You’re my world. And I’m supposed to protect you at all times. Now enough chit chat. X, I have an entire police force outside waiting to arrest you.”
Suddenly she began to feel faint. The world was spinning and she was blacking out. She heard a gunshot and landed on the floor. She was not in pain, just unconscious. She could hear something, but couldn’t make it out. Then it began to become clearer,
“Ava! No!” Chase yells. “Wake up Ava! Wake Up!”
When Ava fell, the gun went off and hit X in the arm. He was now on the floor. Chase ran over to Ava and was yelling like a maniac. He called for help and the police came in and arrested X.
“Please help her! She’s dying.” He yelled at the police officer.
“Ok, I’ll call an ambulance.” He said back.
“No that will take to long.” He yelled. Then Chase ran to Ava and picked her up. He carried her to his motorcycle and rode off to the hospital. When he finally got there they took her as soon as possible. He paced and paced and finally snapped.
“I need to see Ava La Monte.” He said to a nurse. “It’s an emergency.”
“I’m sorry but only family is allowed. Are you her brother?” She asked.
“No, but she has no family. They are all dead. I am her only friend. Juts please let me see her.”
The nurse sighed and led him through to her room.
During this time Ava was going in and out of a dark sleep. She kept seeing her parents and reaching for them. She was remembering the day that she found out where her parents and grandpa had gone. She also remembered the day that her grandma died and how the secret agents had landed a helicopter on their front lawn to take her away to a strange world. And most of all she wanted Chase. Then she heard his voice next to her.
“Open your eyes Ava, please. I just want to know that you’re ok.” He said over and over again.
She begged her eyes to open, but they wouldn’t budge. She wanted to see him one last time before she died. At this time, she was sure that she was going to die. She felt his hand slip into hers, and rejoiced inside. She felt stronger with Chase at her side. She squeezed his hand, and he gave a shout for joy.
She opened her eyes and he was crying.
“Oh, Ava. Thank God you’re ok. You scared me half to death.”
She smiled and said, “Could you get me some water?”
He nodded his head and ran off to ask the nurse if it was ok. He came back with a bottle of water. He rose up her bed and helped her drink it.
“Thanks Chase. I love you. Thanks for saving my life.” She said with her new stronger voice.
“The good thing is you’re healthy and Bloodshed is gone. X is in jail along with his partners.”
She suddenly became dizzy. The room became very dark and she was scared. She knew that she was going to die at this very moment. She knew something that was extremely important. And she had to tell Chase. So she said quickly,
“Chase, they are not all gone. Bloodshed still lives.”
Then she put her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. Chase’s eyes were wide not only because of the information that she just gave him but because his girlfriend, and the person he was supposed to protect at all times, just passed out cold.
“Ava? Ava! I need a doctor in here fast! Hurry up she’s dying over here! Help!! Oh, please help!!”
“CUT! That’s a wrap people!”
Leslie Maddia stands up from the hospital bed while Jackson Conroe pats her on the back and says,
“Great job today, Leslie. You play a very good spy. Especially, when you are a damsel in distress.”
“Thanks. You’re not to bad yourself. Want to get some coffee?”
“Sure.”
Leslie Maddia walks off set with her costar and puts the pressure off the show and onto looking good in front of the paparazzi. This, coincidently, is the name of the show.

Review from the next week’s magazine:
Pressure is the best TV show I have ever seen! Last week’s season finale was the best one yet! Leslie and Jackson make an adorable couple of and on screen. I can’t wait for the new season of Pressure!