wow it's kinda been a while. i know most of you guys don't even read these things (lord knows i hardly do), so i'll just get to the point.
Olivia woke to the sound of the dogs barking. She scrambled to her feet, throwing on a pair of loose sweatpants and a dark t-shirt. She padded down the stairs on silent feet, speeding up when she heard heeled boots walking on the gravel driveway. Quietly palming a folding knife from Will's worktable and tucking it into the pocket of her sweatpants (you really never knew at this point who could be on the other side of the door), she strode towards the door, the dogs parting before her like the Red Sea before Moses. Yanking the door open slightly, Olivia came face-to-face with a woman she'd never met before.
Alana jerked back in surprise as the door opened on its own, her copy of the key almost falling out of her hand. Before her stood a short young woman, probably no older than 18, with sleep tousled hair and suspicious gray eyes. "Can I help you?" The girl asked, voice still rough from sleep. She didn't open the door any further, but continued to study her through the small gap.
Alana recovered quickly, her years of psychiatric training kicking into gear. "My name is Dr. Alana Bloom. I've been dog sitting here for the past few weeks. May I ask why you're in my friend's home?" She kept her tone polite, but her face blank. Could this girl be some sort of twisted murder groupie that was enamored with Will's killings?
The girl's eyes flashed briefly, but it was gone before Alana's trained eye could identify it. "It's very kind of you to look after them while Will is... away, but that's no longer needed." Her tone was perfectly polite, but there was a sharpness to it that Alana didn't understand.
"I'm afraid I can't just leave — I don't even know who you are. How did you even get in? Are you here because of Will? Do you think he likes being a killer? You shouldn't take advantage of the sick." Alana admonished, her indignation on Will's behalf causing her cheeks to turn pink.
The door finally swung all the way open and the young woman stepped across the threshold, eyes fierce. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders in tones of brown and caramel, the curl of it tugging on Alana's memory. She looked incredibly young in a pair of large sweatpants and a loose fitting t-shirt. Those hard, unforgiving gray eyes fixed Alana to the spot. They made her short stature seem imposing; Alana felt quite small as the younger woman glared at her.
"Convincing him that he committed those deeds is only fracturing his already fragile psyche. If you knew anything about the inner workings of Will's mind, you wouldn't throw around those accusations lightly. He needs someone who believes in him, not a sea of friendly faces telling him that they think he killed four people, especially when he is innocent of all charges." Each word was cool and precise like an xacto knife cutting through flesh, clean and neat. She jutted her chin out, eyes dark with an emotion Alana couldn't identify. "While I acknowledge the loyalty you obviously have for my brother – even though it is twisted – I'd appreciate it if you gave me your copy of the house key and stopped dropping by." She smiled tightly; it didn't reach her eyes. "Sudden guests make me uneasy."
Alana was so stunned that she actually handed over the key without protest. Will had a little sister? It stung that Will never said anything to her about it. But now that she looked at the young woman standing before her with clearer eyes, Alana could see the slight similarities. The curly, almost unruly brown hair, the small nose and arching forehead. But while Will's eyes were a frosty blue, the girl's were a steel gray, as void as emotion as they were of color.
She cleared her throat, trying to get her bearings. "I never knew that Will-"
"Had a sister? Yeah, I'm sensing a theme." The girl muttered. "Clearly he wanted to keep my identity close the chest, although I can't imagine why." Alana could tell that the girl knew exactly why Will had kept her identity a secret – she just didn't trust Alana enough to tell her. Apparently Will hadn't either.
"Well, I guess I'll be on my way then." Alana felt out of place on Will's front porch in front of his standoffish little sister. Applesauce whined and pressed closer to her owner's legs, sensing the tension. The girl's cold gray eyes warmed at the sight of the mutt at Alana's feet.
"Hello there," she murmured, squatting down in front of the dog and holding out her upturned palm to let the dog smell it. After a few delicate sniffs, Applesauce was putty under the girl's gentle touch. "What's her name?" She asked, looking up at Alana, her earlier hostility forgotten for the moment.
Alana couldn't help but smile at the parallel between the siblings: all confrontation became irrelevant in the sight of a dog. "Applesauce. Because she'd always try to eat mine from off the table."
The girl beamed down at Alana's dog. "Applesauce – what a great name, huh girl?" She continued to stroke the dog's ears, content to remain on the front porch for the time being. Alana wasn't sure what to do. The awkward silence was broken by the girl's soft voice. "I'm Olivia, by the way." She seemed most like Will in that moment – eyes downcast, shoulders hunched, almost hiding behind the large dog that sat between them.
"It's nice to meet you, Olivia. I'm sorry to have woken you up." She waited a few seconds, testing the waters, before forging on. "It must be hard, staying here all by yourself." Alana did feel bad, the poor thing looked too small in her massive clothes, curled up around a large pile of dogs that all vied for her attention. And to come home only to find that her only brother (or maybe there were more of them – how could Alana know?) was a serial killer locked away in a mental institution couldn't have been easy... Alana's heart went out to the girl.
Olivia nodded stiffly, clearly uncomfortable with the piteous look Alana was wearing. "Thank you again for looking out for the dogs for Will. I'm sure he appreciates it." Her polite, stiff smile was firmly back in place as Olivia stood up again, disappearing back behind the threshold and into the sea of fur and wagging tails. "Have a nice day."
Alana nodded before the door was shut, not unkindly, but firmly in her face. Rattled by the younger Graham's rollercoaster emotions, she shuffled back to her car, Applesauce trotting happily beside her.
Olivia watched with narrowed eyes through the window blinds as Dr. Bloom pulled out from the driveway. She knew she'd been harsh to the older woman, but hearing the words thrown in her face that Will's "friend" truly believed he could commit such horrible crimes set her teeth on edge. And the way Alana's pupils dilated when she said Will's name – there was something going on between her brother and that woman. And that look? Olivia hated pity. Ever since she was younger and dealing with her empathy, all she ever got was that exact same pity-look. The only person she'd ever met who hadn't looked at her that way was Will. He was the only one who really knew what it was like. "She had a cute dog though, right guys?" She said, turning back to her fan club. Buster whined, eyeing the door.
"Alright, alright. Come on then." She yanked open the door again, laughing as the dogs lunged for it in a torrent of wagging tails and bright eyes. They bounded into the crisp autumn air, doing their business and happily nipping at each other. Olivia watched them, a fond smile twisting her lips as she leaned against the doorway. When the dogs started to wander too far, she stood up straight and whistled once. "Come on guys!" She called, quickly getting out of the way as they poured back into the house. After filling several large food bowls, the dogs were out of her way in the small kitchen, happily chowing down.
Feeling the twinge of hunger herself, she perused the fridge for a bite to eat. All she found was some seriously expired milk and a hunk of the weird cheese that Will liked. Clearly the FBI agents had cleared the place out (although why they left the milk and cheese was a mystery to her). Looked like she'd have to wait on food.
Olivia was about to hop in the shower, her toiletries and towel bundled in her arms, when her cell phone started to ring. Frowning at the unknown number, she set the stuff aside and pulled her phone up to her ear. "Hello?"
"Olivia. It's Jack Crawford. I wanted to let you know that you can visit Will today. I cleared it with Dr. Chilton. He is quite eager to meet you."
She didn't even want to know how Jack got access to her personal number. "Thank you Jack. You have no idea what this means to me." After a few pleasantries, she hung up. Unable to contain her delight for a second longer, she took flight across the floor before launching into an elegant ballerina split mid-air. She landed on her toes with her arms above her head. "I'll see you soon Will." She whispered happily, twirling once before heading back to the bathroom.
sigh. another short chapter. that's another little taste of Olivia's character. but i can promise you won't have to wait as long until the next one - i'm officially back from camping.
