August 7th, 2003
(my first fan-fiction story. Yay!)
Chapter 1
"My, my!" said a short, elderly looking teacher, whose hair had begun to show signs of her age with its silver streak down her auburn waves. She spoke to a younger student, a girl of fifteen with curly brown hair, green eyes and sort of heavy body weight. "Olivia Bloomwood, I have never in all my years of teaching advanced gardening seen someone with as much talent in the greenhouse as you have shown here the past year!" the teacher finished happily.
Olivia's eyes shined with happiness and pride, but not too much pride, and answered, glowing, "Thank you very much, Mrs. Chamone." She gave Olivia a wide smile and continued surveying the row of plants cared for by the other students. The reason Mrs. Chamone had pointed out Olivia's project was simple: all of the students had started their various plants a week and a half ago as their final grade, and had gotten only to the budding of their flowers (if there were any) while Olivia's cucumber plant had passed that stage and had grown into a three foot long vegetable. All of the other students were an envious of her as her plant was green, which is really saying something, since her project was the shade of green that would make a deep forest green look like a neon yellow. She noticed their jealous glares, and turned quickly back to tending the vines of the plants, but smiling all the while inside.
Later that day, the bell rang at 2:00, and Olivia proceeded to the weather-worn flag pole where she was going to meet her boyfriend, Mitch Malory. Mitch, she thought, I can't wait to tell you about my day.she had had a wonderful day, getting the best grades in all of her classes on their previous exams, but this was just an excuse to think about him. He was the first guy to ever take a real interest in her, and she loved him for it. Well, almost loved him for it,; she had promised herself that she wouldn't admit to love until she actually knew it was there, and although she really, really liked Mitch, she knew that love for him wasn't in her yet. The one thing that had shaken the foundations of her thoughts about her feelings for him had happened the other night when she was talking to him on the phone. They had been discussing the upcoming final exams starting on Monday, but Olivia had really been just listening to Mitch's voice. Half way through their conversation, Olivia could have sworn that she had heard another voice, not belonging to his mom or sister, but another woman, in the background, but she couldn't be sure. He said he had to go and. "study" for the exam, and hung up; he didn't even wait for her to say goodnight.
As the myriads of students spilled from the double doors of the Bell Monte High, Olivia finally spied her boyfriend, but then she wished she hadn't. Instead of her heart leaping, as it normally did when she saw Mitch after school, it sank to deepest pit of her soul and a shattering silence engulfed her body: she couldn't hear the laughter of her classmates, happy at the weekends arrival ("Finally!), or their worries that they normally confided to each other ("What am I going to do about these exams!?"). The only sound was the slow thudding of her heart, which had found a new resting place in her throat, trying to climb out of her body. Mitch Malory, her boyfriend, with his close cut brown hair, slightly muscular build, tanned skin, and grey eyes, was not with his usual pack of goon friends waiting to great her; instead Leslie Myer, captain of the cheerleading squad, with her blond hair, cold dark eyes and low cut fashions to make sure all the guys would see all she had, was under his arm, gazing up at him smiling. Olivia couldn't hear what they were saying, but she was sure that they were talking about her, and how Mitch was going to break up with her as soon as he saw her again.
This can't be happening.the words in her head came as a sonic boom breaking the silence that had previously existed. I-I-just don't believe this, she said to herself again. Yes you do, answered a voice in her head, you've always known it wouldn't last. First boyfriends rarely do, but you knew you didn't love him, so don't let him break you, that's just what he wants. And no tears!!! The voice finished and Olivia struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out of her eyes like Niagara Falls. Instead she listened; she knew that the voice, wherever it came from, (it sounded so much like her mom, who had died in a car accident a year earlier) was right, and that she didn't love him. So, with her head held high, she turned on her heel and marched away, not letting the tears that wanted to break free from their prison behind her eyes escape her will power to hold them there.
However, she should've known that it wouldn't be that easy. Mitch had turned his head and had seen Olivia turn and walk away and knew that she knew about him. He panicked for a moment, and then remembered what he was going to break with her anyway. He smirked to himself, gave a goodbye kiss to his new girlfriend, and proceeded to catch up with Olivia. It wasn't hard, and soon he was striding next to her, smiling, but she didn't turn to look at him. Her face was staring strait ahead and she didn't even acknowledge his existence.
"Hey Olivia, wait a minute." He said to her, in a commanding way, but it was to no avail; she wasn't going to listen to that cheating, rat-gutted jerk anymore. So, instead-
"Sorry, I don't throw my lot in with a cheating moron like you. Oh and by the way, I'm leaving you; it won't be the other way around." She then quickened her pace and sped off for home down the driveway of the school. Mitch just stood there in shock; she had never been so aggressive towards him, and it sort of scared him. But he didn't let it bother him, and he walked down the sidewalk to his car. As he got in to start it up, he looked up and noticed something he hadn't in the four years he had been in Bell Monte High School: a three foot tall bleeding heart plant was growing in front of a large maple tree in the grass. He gazed at it puzzled for a moment, then dismissed it as having been there all along, started his car, and drove home to talk with his new girlfriend on the phone.
Chapter 2
All through that afternoon and following day, Olivia had spent her time pouring over her notes preparing for her final exams which were coming up on Monday, but she couldn't concentrate; the thought of being so alone as she was before she met Mitch- No, said her mother's voice in her head, you can't do that. You make yourself alone if you do that. Don't let that weasel do that to you. He'll get what he deserves in the end. She smiled at this and continued reading and rereading her notes. "The square root of 144...oh I've already read these!" she said aloud at 7:30 on Saturday night. She put her head in her hands and sighed deeply. Then, the phone rang and she picked it up to the sound of her friend Julia's voice, "Hey Olive-Girl!" she said happily, "what's happening?" "I'm studying," Olivia answered, trying to hide the depression in her voice. "What's wrong? I know there's something.you can't hide it from me; you should know that by now! We didn't spend an entire year talking in geometry about nothing, you know!" Much as she hated to admit it, she had to tell someone, and Julia would listen and understand. "Well, there is something." she ran into the story of Mitch and Leslie, and when she finished, she did feel a little more relieved. There was a pause over the phone, and then- "Oh my God, that jerks." Julia said pityingly, "but you did break with him before he could with you, right?" "Yeah, I wasn't gonna let that moron get the best of me." Olivia laughed softly. "Hey, a couple of us are going out dancing at the Crow's Corner, you know, the under 21 club on Madison Avenue? We're coming to get you whether you say yes or no. Be ready in 10 minutes." And then there was a click as the connection closed. Olivia held the receiver to ear for a minute, and then put it down, shaking her head and smiling weakly. She got up from her chair, making her feel like she had been part of it since time began, stretching; she went to her closet and began to dress for the club.
At around 8:00, Olivia, Julia, and a few of their friends got out of the car and went into the club. For the first half hour, Olivia forgot all about her problems and danced her pains away; that's right, sweetie, said her motherly voice, that jerk of a boyfriend you had doesn't mean a thing to you anymore. Good for you! But then, who should strut through the door with a trophy on his arm but Mitch Malory, with a flock of goons following in his wake, laughing at his pointless jokes just to be his friend. Julia saw this and turned to Olivia. "Hey, Olive-Girl, you may wanna look out." She pointed at the newest arrivals to the club. Unfortunately for Olivia, she turned at the wrong moment and Mitch saw her very recognizable form. He left his group with his girlfriend and came over to the dancing group of friends. Her friends tried to make an impenetrable ring around her, but he just walked right through, not caring if he hurt anyone when he pushed them. He smirked at her and held his girlfriend closer. "So, still not over me, hey Olivia?" he said with the air of a complete show off. "Get the heck away from me, Mitch." Said Olivia ominously, turning to face him. "I have no desire what so ever to even hear your name anymore. I don't associate with cheaters or morons, which both constitute you." And she turned back to her dancing, her friends smirking at Mitch and turning around also. Not wanting to be outdone, Mitch's smile faded and he said, to inflict the most amount of damage on her as possible, "yeah well, good luck finding someone who'll actually love you, you fat cow." Mitch had no time to duck, because Olivia's had come around and slapped him across the face with a resounding smack that was almost as loud as the music. "Get-away-from-me." Olivia said, anger rising and making her appear as an ancient volcanic goddess who hadn't received a sacrifice in over a decade. The group surrounding her turned with amazement at the sound and stared shocked at what she had done. Olivia just stood there and waited for his departure, but he didn't leave; apparently he didn't know when to quit. "That was the first time you actually made an impression on me." Mitch told Olivia. "You'll never get anywhere like that." And he went to slap her back, but he never got the chance: Olivia, using a new-found lighting quick reflex, caught his hand as it was about to come in contact with his face. Her knuckles were white as she clutched his hand, and he looked complete taken aback. Olivia's eyes burned a fierce green, and the dance floor started to rumble. The dancers stopped moving to look around in a vain attempt to pinpoint the cause of the vibrations. But her eyes remained locked with Mitch's as the quivering ground got louder, and then, to the amazement of everyone, a long, profound-green vine with twelve smaller vines attached to the end burst through the ground between Olivia and Mitch. Olivia let go of his hand and he stumbled back to the ground; Leslie was still standing in utter bewilderment, and then stepped back a few paces. "Oh my God."she said, quietly, but since there was no noise everyone could hear, "she's.she's.one of.them. A mutant." And then she smiled. "A freak. No wonder Mitch broke up with you." But she didn't have her chance to laugh, because at that moment the vine from the floor lunged at her and kept her on the ground, tightening around her entire body. And then, Leslie began to stop struggling, and became paler. The vines were sucking her life force and giving it back to the Earth from whence it came. Suddenly, out of the silence of the dance floor, Julia screamed, "Olivia! Olivia, stop it! You're going to kill her!" Olivia then snapped out of the trance she was in and became herself again. Realizing what she had done by looking down, she quickly tried to release the vines from Leslie's body, but they wouldn't budge. No, no! she thought in her head. Stop! I didn't want to kill anyone! And the vines suddenly released her and the vine returned back to the ground through the hole in the floor. Leslie, sat there on the floor, regaining her energy, and looked absolutely horrified at what had just happened, and so did everyone else, especially Mitch. "I-I-I'm so sorry!" Olivia pleaded, horrified, too, at what she had done. But when she tried to reach down and help Leslie up, the girl pushed herself away and screamed, "Get away from, you freak!" Odette stepped back from her, and then turned to face everyone looking at her with either a face full of amazement/confusion or absolute revulsion. Realization dawned then that she must run; get as far away from here as possible. As she began to walk towards the door, the crowd of onlookers parted to let her through, and then she began to run, out of the front door and down the street. In the distance as she ran, she could hear the sirens of the cop cars going to the club, and everyone would tell them: this mutant came and tried to kill a girl. Hitting people as she ran, she turned and ran into the wooded area, leading into the forest that was around the block from the club, not caring where she went or how she got there. All around her, as horrifying thoughts passed through her mind, large white lilies sprang up behind her, as she ran deeper into the woods, finally slowing down and stopping in a glade soaked with moonlight. On her hands and knees, sweat poured down her brow, dirt on her pants legs, her whole body shaking. What have I done, she asked the voice of her mother in her head, what have I become? For once the voice was silent, and this only made Olivia feel more alone than she already was. Curling up in a ball, she was about to cry, when.Now, I said no tears. Her deceased mom's voice sounded in her head. You are who you are, make the best of it. I won't be able to help you anymore. Good bye, my darling, and good luck. And the voice faded away, forever.
"Mom?" Olivia asked the voice out loud, "Mom! Come back, please! I need you! Please.come back."she was going to cry again, but then, she realized she didn't want to fall into a well of self-pity, so she pulled her head up and looked to the moon, shining with untainted light down on her, renewing some kindle of hope that had been in her whenever she heard her mom's voice. Getting up, she looked around her, and at the path of lilies that had followed her to this place. Gazing around, she knew what she had to do, and so began testing out what gift and curse had been bestowed upon her, to shape her new life and home; or so she thought.
Chapter 3 (August 8th, 2003)
Chapter 1
"My, my!" said a short, elderly looking teacher, whose hair had begun to show signs of her age with its silver streak down her auburn waves. She spoke to a younger student, a girl of fifteen with curly brown hair, green eyes and sort of heavy body weight. "Olivia Bloomwood, I have never in all my years of teaching advanced gardening seen someone with as much talent in the greenhouse as you have shown here the past year!" the teacher finished happily.
Olivia's eyes shined with happiness and pride, but not too much pride, and answered, glowing, "Thank you very much, Mrs. Chamone." She gave Olivia a wide smile and continued surveying the row of plants cared for by the other students. The reason Mrs. Chamone had pointed out Olivia's project was simple: all of the students had started their various plants a week and a half ago as their final grade, and had gotten only to the budding of their flowers (if there were any) while Olivia's cucumber plant had passed that stage and had grown into a three foot long vegetable. All of the other students were an envious of her as her plant was green, which is really saying something, since her project was the shade of green that would make a deep forest green look like a neon yellow. She noticed their jealous glares, and turned quickly back to tending the vines of the plants, but smiling all the while inside.
Later that day, the bell rang at 2:00, and Olivia proceeded to the weather-worn flag pole where she was going to meet her boyfriend, Mitch Malory. Mitch, she thought, I can't wait to tell you about my day.she had had a wonderful day, getting the best grades in all of her classes on their previous exams, but this was just an excuse to think about him. He was the first guy to ever take a real interest in her, and she loved him for it. Well, almost loved him for it,; she had promised herself that she wouldn't admit to love until she actually knew it was there, and although she really, really liked Mitch, she knew that love for him wasn't in her yet. The one thing that had shaken the foundations of her thoughts about her feelings for him had happened the other night when she was talking to him on the phone. They had been discussing the upcoming final exams starting on Monday, but Olivia had really been just listening to Mitch's voice. Half way through their conversation, Olivia could have sworn that she had heard another voice, not belonging to his mom or sister, but another woman, in the background, but she couldn't be sure. He said he had to go and. "study" for the exam, and hung up; he didn't even wait for her to say goodnight.
As the myriads of students spilled from the double doors of the Bell Monte High, Olivia finally spied her boyfriend, but then she wished she hadn't. Instead of her heart leaping, as it normally did when she saw Mitch after school, it sank to deepest pit of her soul and a shattering silence engulfed her body: she couldn't hear the laughter of her classmates, happy at the weekends arrival ("Finally!), or their worries that they normally confided to each other ("What am I going to do about these exams!?"). The only sound was the slow thudding of her heart, which had found a new resting place in her throat, trying to climb out of her body. Mitch Malory, her boyfriend, with his close cut brown hair, slightly muscular build, tanned skin, and grey eyes, was not with his usual pack of goon friends waiting to great her; instead Leslie Myer, captain of the cheerleading squad, with her blond hair, cold dark eyes and low cut fashions to make sure all the guys would see all she had, was under his arm, gazing up at him smiling. Olivia couldn't hear what they were saying, but she was sure that they were talking about her, and how Mitch was going to break up with her as soon as he saw her again.
This can't be happening.the words in her head came as a sonic boom breaking the silence that had previously existed. I-I-just don't believe this, she said to herself again. Yes you do, answered a voice in her head, you've always known it wouldn't last. First boyfriends rarely do, but you knew you didn't love him, so don't let him break you, that's just what he wants. And no tears!!! The voice finished and Olivia struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out of her eyes like Niagara Falls. Instead she listened; she knew that the voice, wherever it came from, (it sounded so much like her mom, who had died in a car accident a year earlier) was right, and that she didn't love him. So, with her head held high, she turned on her heel and marched away, not letting the tears that wanted to break free from their prison behind her eyes escape her will power to hold them there.
However, she should've known that it wouldn't be that easy. Mitch had turned his head and had seen Olivia turn and walk away and knew that she knew about him. He panicked for a moment, and then remembered what he was going to break with her anyway. He smirked to himself, gave a goodbye kiss to his new girlfriend, and proceeded to catch up with Olivia. It wasn't hard, and soon he was striding next to her, smiling, but she didn't turn to look at him. Her face was staring strait ahead and she didn't even acknowledge his existence.
"Hey Olivia, wait a minute." He said to her, in a commanding way, but it was to no avail; she wasn't going to listen to that cheating, rat-gutted jerk anymore. So, instead-
"Sorry, I don't throw my lot in with a cheating moron like you. Oh and by the way, I'm leaving you; it won't be the other way around." She then quickened her pace and sped off for home down the driveway of the school. Mitch just stood there in shock; she had never been so aggressive towards him, and it sort of scared him. But he didn't let it bother him, and he walked down the sidewalk to his car. As he got in to start it up, he looked up and noticed something he hadn't in the four years he had been in Bell Monte High School: a three foot tall bleeding heart plant was growing in front of a large maple tree in the grass. He gazed at it puzzled for a moment, then dismissed it as having been there all along, started his car, and drove home to talk with his new girlfriend on the phone.
Chapter 2
All through that afternoon and following day, Olivia had spent her time pouring over her notes preparing for her final exams which were coming up on Monday, but she couldn't concentrate; the thought of being so alone as she was before she met Mitch- No, said her mother's voice in her head, you can't do that. You make yourself alone if you do that. Don't let that weasel do that to you. He'll get what he deserves in the end. She smiled at this and continued reading and rereading her notes. "The square root of 144...oh I've already read these!" she said aloud at 7:30 on Saturday night. She put her head in her hands and sighed deeply. Then, the phone rang and she picked it up to the sound of her friend Julia's voice, "Hey Olive-Girl!" she said happily, "what's happening?" "I'm studying," Olivia answered, trying to hide the depression in her voice. "What's wrong? I know there's something.you can't hide it from me; you should know that by now! We didn't spend an entire year talking in geometry about nothing, you know!" Much as she hated to admit it, she had to tell someone, and Julia would listen and understand. "Well, there is something." she ran into the story of Mitch and Leslie, and when she finished, she did feel a little more relieved. There was a pause over the phone, and then- "Oh my God, that jerks." Julia said pityingly, "but you did break with him before he could with you, right?" "Yeah, I wasn't gonna let that moron get the best of me." Olivia laughed softly. "Hey, a couple of us are going out dancing at the Crow's Corner, you know, the under 21 club on Madison Avenue? We're coming to get you whether you say yes or no. Be ready in 10 minutes." And then there was a click as the connection closed. Olivia held the receiver to ear for a minute, and then put it down, shaking her head and smiling weakly. She got up from her chair, making her feel like she had been part of it since time began, stretching; she went to her closet and began to dress for the club.
At around 8:00, Olivia, Julia, and a few of their friends got out of the car and went into the club. For the first half hour, Olivia forgot all about her problems and danced her pains away; that's right, sweetie, said her motherly voice, that jerk of a boyfriend you had doesn't mean a thing to you anymore. Good for you! But then, who should strut through the door with a trophy on his arm but Mitch Malory, with a flock of goons following in his wake, laughing at his pointless jokes just to be his friend. Julia saw this and turned to Olivia. "Hey, Olive-Girl, you may wanna look out." She pointed at the newest arrivals to the club. Unfortunately for Olivia, she turned at the wrong moment and Mitch saw her very recognizable form. He left his group with his girlfriend and came over to the dancing group of friends. Her friends tried to make an impenetrable ring around her, but he just walked right through, not caring if he hurt anyone when he pushed them. He smirked at her and held his girlfriend closer. "So, still not over me, hey Olivia?" he said with the air of a complete show off. "Get the heck away from me, Mitch." Said Olivia ominously, turning to face him. "I have no desire what so ever to even hear your name anymore. I don't associate with cheaters or morons, which both constitute you." And she turned back to her dancing, her friends smirking at Mitch and turning around also. Not wanting to be outdone, Mitch's smile faded and he said, to inflict the most amount of damage on her as possible, "yeah well, good luck finding someone who'll actually love you, you fat cow." Mitch had no time to duck, because Olivia's had come around and slapped him across the face with a resounding smack that was almost as loud as the music. "Get-away-from-me." Olivia said, anger rising and making her appear as an ancient volcanic goddess who hadn't received a sacrifice in over a decade. The group surrounding her turned with amazement at the sound and stared shocked at what she had done. Olivia just stood there and waited for his departure, but he didn't leave; apparently he didn't know when to quit. "That was the first time you actually made an impression on me." Mitch told Olivia. "You'll never get anywhere like that." And he went to slap her back, but he never got the chance: Olivia, using a new-found lighting quick reflex, caught his hand as it was about to come in contact with his face. Her knuckles were white as she clutched his hand, and he looked complete taken aback. Olivia's eyes burned a fierce green, and the dance floor started to rumble. The dancers stopped moving to look around in a vain attempt to pinpoint the cause of the vibrations. But her eyes remained locked with Mitch's as the quivering ground got louder, and then, to the amazement of everyone, a long, profound-green vine with twelve smaller vines attached to the end burst through the ground between Olivia and Mitch. Olivia let go of his hand and he stumbled back to the ground; Leslie was still standing in utter bewilderment, and then stepped back a few paces. "Oh my God."she said, quietly, but since there was no noise everyone could hear, "she's.she's.one of.them. A mutant." And then she smiled. "A freak. No wonder Mitch broke up with you." But she didn't have her chance to laugh, because at that moment the vine from the floor lunged at her and kept her on the ground, tightening around her entire body. And then, Leslie began to stop struggling, and became paler. The vines were sucking her life force and giving it back to the Earth from whence it came. Suddenly, out of the silence of the dance floor, Julia screamed, "Olivia! Olivia, stop it! You're going to kill her!" Olivia then snapped out of the trance she was in and became herself again. Realizing what she had done by looking down, she quickly tried to release the vines from Leslie's body, but they wouldn't budge. No, no! she thought in her head. Stop! I didn't want to kill anyone! And the vines suddenly released her and the vine returned back to the ground through the hole in the floor. Leslie, sat there on the floor, regaining her energy, and looked absolutely horrified at what had just happened, and so did everyone else, especially Mitch. "I-I-I'm so sorry!" Olivia pleaded, horrified, too, at what she had done. But when she tried to reach down and help Leslie up, the girl pushed herself away and screamed, "Get away from, you freak!" Odette stepped back from her, and then turned to face everyone looking at her with either a face full of amazement/confusion or absolute revulsion. Realization dawned then that she must run; get as far away from here as possible. As she began to walk towards the door, the crowd of onlookers parted to let her through, and then she began to run, out of the front door and down the street. In the distance as she ran, she could hear the sirens of the cop cars going to the club, and everyone would tell them: this mutant came and tried to kill a girl. Hitting people as she ran, she turned and ran into the wooded area, leading into the forest that was around the block from the club, not caring where she went or how she got there. All around her, as horrifying thoughts passed through her mind, large white lilies sprang up behind her, as she ran deeper into the woods, finally slowing down and stopping in a glade soaked with moonlight. On her hands and knees, sweat poured down her brow, dirt on her pants legs, her whole body shaking. What have I done, she asked the voice of her mother in her head, what have I become? For once the voice was silent, and this only made Olivia feel more alone than she already was. Curling up in a ball, she was about to cry, when.Now, I said no tears. Her deceased mom's voice sounded in her head. You are who you are, make the best of it. I won't be able to help you anymore. Good bye, my darling, and good luck. And the voice faded away, forever.
"Mom?" Olivia asked the voice out loud, "Mom! Come back, please! I need you! Please.come back."she was going to cry again, but then, she realized she didn't want to fall into a well of self-pity, so she pulled her head up and looked to the moon, shining with untainted light down on her, renewing some kindle of hope that had been in her whenever she heard her mom's voice. Getting up, she looked around her, and at the path of lilies that had followed her to this place. Gazing around, she knew what she had to do, and so began testing out what gift and curse had been bestowed upon her, to shape her new life and home; or so she thought.
Chapter 3 (August 8th, 2003)