Chapter 10
Helicopter somewhere over the Californian desert
Hannah sobbed as she clutched Olivia's arm to her chest. It was so much heavier than she remembered, like a dead weight, and cold. It served to make her sorrow more than she could bear. "I'm so sorry, baby girl."
Richard glanced at the doctor with graying hair, seated across from them. Despite the glasses and the gray streaks he didn't look older than his late thirties, how had he come to know Olivia. It seemed too convenient that he'd learned of her location so quickly, even if he was her consulting doctor.
"Bart called me," Emil said answering the quiet assessing look Olivia's father was discreetly giving him. "He's been looking into Olivia's appearance as I'm sure you're aware. He learned of her location when one of his contacts in the San Diego P.D. called his office. A warehouse in San Diego suffered an explosion. There was a long list of people who needed identifying. One of the officers recognized Olivia from his report."
"She was being held there? Why was she just left at emergency?"
"I don't know much more than you do," Emil lied easily. "What I do know is that whatever her captors did, it's put her into a catatonic state and altered her molecular structure."
Richard's lips pulled into a tight line. Unlike Hannah, he had yet to touch his daughter. Just looking at the tubing in her nose, the pale taught pull of her skin, the cuts and bruises that scarred her arms, he couldn't bring himself to make the move. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare. As much as he felt grateful over the fact that he had her back, he wondered if there was anything left of his precious baby girl. He wondered if it were more humane for her never to wake up, for her to stay asleep and never know any more of this horrible nightmare.
They landed twenty minutes later at S.T.A.R Labs and Hannah let the doctors wheel Olivia away to the entrance opposite the helipad. Richard held her in his arms and hugged her tight while she cried softly into his shoulder.
"This is my fault, Richard. I'm so sorry. I might never be able to tell her sorry I am," Hannah sobbed brokenly.
Richard felt his own eyes burn with tears at his wife's distress. Her beautiful blue eyes red rimmed and awash with tears, her cheeks blotched and her nose running he never loved her more than he did now. While Olivia had his heart, a father's love, this woman was his life. Without her he knew he couldn't keep up the fight to go on. "How is any of this your fault?" he asked genuinely confused, and wishing to heaven he could ease her pain.
"She's... I was never supposed to get pregnant. At least not until I understood. I didn't even know what was going on with me. I wasn't supposed to get pregnant," Hannah finished brokenly.
Richard felt his heart thump unsteadily in his chest. He could feel his muscles tightening. It was getting harder to breathe. He had a quick mind. It's what helped him stay ahead in the courtroom. It's what kept him in league with those sharp witted young attorneys the schools were turning out these days. They had conceived Olivia very soon after Hannah's recovery. So grateful to have his wife back, he'd never given much thought to her mysterious illness in the first place. That and the fact she'd been more of an attentive wife after her recovery, almost completely leaving her work behind until Olivia was in grade school. She'd put her family first from the day she'd woke up from her year long coma. "What do you mean?"
"The headaches. She's always been so smart, Richard..."
"There are plenty of smart kids out there. MENSA tests from..."
"I faked the test!" Hannah argued, pulling away from him. "I fabricated all of them. After she finished my chemical equation without a single mistake at four years old, I was too scared to take her to anyone. I made up all those tests myself. I took her to doctors I could trust. Or ones I could blackmail into keeping quiet. You never wondered why she never ever got sick growing up? Why she never had a cold or had to stay home from school with the chicken pox or the flu like other kids?"
Richard frowned and tried to calm her nervous pacing by taking her arm. She pulled away from him and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Why aren't you yelling? I made our daughter into the freak of nature that she is and you're just standing there, don't you care?"
Richard got angry then. He took this flailing woman with wild eyes and wind swept hair and shook her. "She's not a freak, and neither are you. You made a mistake. We both got past that years ago. Olivia is the best thing that ever happened to both of us. So she's a little different. I've always thought she was perfect."
Hannah sagged in defeat. She beat against Richard's chest halfheartedly and let out a sob. "She'll hate me. When I tell her, she'll hate me. All her headaches, now this. She won't ever forgive me."
"You know that's not true. Olivia can't hate anyone, least of all you. Now let's get in there. She needs her mother now more than ever, so pull it together. We need to be strong for her."
Wordlessly, Richard ushered her toward the glass doors and they went in search of Olivia's new doctor, Emil.
They stopped outside her room. It was more of a laboratory set up than a hospital room. Machines and lines hooked up all over the place. Richard recognized the one that looked like a heart monitor, the rest he could only begin to hazard a guess as to their function.
Emil saw them through the shutters and met them outside. "Due to her altered molecular structure we are having trouble determining the extent of the damage done to her physiology. I have a CO2 sensor set up to monitor the depth of her expiration and I've put her in an oxygen chamber to help her breathe. I can't source a heart beat and her chest is barely moving. She's impenetrable."
Hannah and Richard shared a look and she knew he was wondering the same thing she was. "That's not an ability she's had before."
"We've only had two sessions together. She was hoping I could find the trigger behind her headaches. I wasn't aware she had any unique abilities."
Hannah sighed softly. "I've heard about some of the research S.T.A.R. Labs has done into the metahuman population. I'm not sure I want Olivia to be treated here."
Emil smiled. "I can assure you that while I work here, my research is my own. Olivia is a private case. My employers won't be privy to any information regarding her treatment."
Hannah glanced at her husband. "If we find that you've broken our confidence or Olivia is mistreated in any way, there will be a very public case brought against you and this organization."
Emil nodded and handed her his clipboard. "I've read your work before, Dr. King. Please make yourself at home, I'd certainly appreciate the assist. You know more about Olivia's medical history than I've been able to source and I could use any insights you might have as to how to approach things from here on out."
"Have you tried drawing blood?"
Emil nodded again and held the door for them as they all entered Olivia's room. "There's a catheter in her hand but it's almost as though it's fused with her skin. I can't draw blood and she's not taking fluids either. I'm beginning to think she might have triggered a defensive mechanism. If she doesn't come out of this state soon, I'm afraid having been deprived of nutrients and having suffered physical trauma to this extent..."
"Don't say it," Hannah warned. "My daughter's a fighter. She'll pull out of this. In the mean time I want to see if we can monitor brain activity. I've been reading those waves since she was a baby, I'll know what to look for there's anything hinky going on in there."
Watching his wife's face transform into one of purposeful ambition, Richard allowed himself a small smile of relief. They weren't out of the woods yet, but just seeing her with a sense of determination gave him reason to hope. Hannah wouldn't rest until Olivia was awake and healthy again.
Twelve hours later, Richard stood in the hallway with Bart. He'd called the young man hours ago to thank him for finding Olivia and for information on her captors. Bart told him all he could regarding her arrival to the Valley Hospital but that the perpetrators had yet to be caught and brought to justice. Richard hadn't been happy but Bart had assured him that he hadn't given up looking for answers yet. He had speculated if there was a link between the explosion of that compound and Olivia's resurfacing. Richard had said he'd help to see what he could dig up using his own sources.
Bart zipped out a few minutes ago to get coffee and bagels. It had been a long night and he knew that Olivia's parents hadn't left her bedside since flying back with her from San Diego. He walked down the hallway to Olivia's room when he noticed Emil and a short haired African American woman talking animatedly outside her door.
He zipped into a room closer to where they stood and edged to the doorway to listen in.
"I want to know everything that happens inside that room," the woman said with cool authority.
Emil sighed. "If I'd known taking your offer meant I'd lose all my rights, I wouldn't have accepted. I've turned a blind eye to your questionable code of ethics but I draw the line at breaching doctor patient privilege."
"Her mother has been on our radar since experimenting on herself in the eighties. While we have no proof that she has abilities of any kind, the brief I've seen proves that her daughter has. You know how we proceed from here."
"She's been here less than twelve hours, who do you know anything concrete." Emil seemed less than pleased with the idea that he might have a mole working in his lab.
"Let's just say we've been keeping tabs and the latest report I received provided some enlightening information. I'm keen to meet her when she wakes." Her smug assessment of the situation had Bart on edge. He didn't like this woman one bit.
"If we're done, I need to get back to my patient."
"I'll be waiting, doctor."
Bart waited until her heels clicking on the tiled floor could no longer be heard. He whipped out of the room and into Emil's office before the doctor had even had a chance to sit down.
"Dude, how could you? You sold out to some secret government chick?" Bart said planting his hands on his hips while looming over the doctor condescendingly.
Emil leaned back in his chair tiredly and quirked an eyebrow at Bart through his thick concave lenses. "So you heard Waller. You're lucky she didn't see you. You're on her watch list you know."
Bart snorted. "She can watch all see wants."
Emil grimaced. "Arrogance is what got you caught last time. Be smart, Bart. Stay out of this okay."
"So you're going to give her what she wants?" Bart practically yelled.
Emil gave him a long suffering look. "I'm going to tell her parents what Waller wants. And let them decide. Right now there's not a lot more we can do for Olivia. Unless her condition changes miraculously, she might never come out of the coma."
Bart swallowed tightly, the bag of bagels and tray of coffee he was holding long forgotten. "You said they've been trying to get through to her right? Talking and stuff? What if that's not enough. Can we go deeper?"
Emil smiled brightly at his young friend, before turning to tap away at his computer. "I can't believe I didn't think of that. You just might be onto something."
When Diana took Emil's call, she immediately patched him directly to J'onn who'd gone home for the night. J'onn had agreed to meet them and flew to the Lab to find his friends. They met him on the roof.
"Her parents are extremely worried and suspicious of everyone. I think rather than try to make up a back story you should just disguise yourself as a lab technician. I have to hook up a new tank of O2 soon, you could wheel it in. I'll try and get the parents to take a break."
J'onn scanned the database that Emil had brought him on the tablet and chose a form of one of the orderlies that wasn't on duty.
Bart watched as J'onn transformed before his eyes. He blinked. "I don't think there's any getting used to that."
His eyes glowed red briefly before J'onn smiled. "I would be concerned if you did."
Bart glanced down at his hands. Finally remembering the coffee. "I guess I need to make another breakfast run."
Emil clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm sure they'll appreciate the gesture."
About twenty minutes later, Bart had coaxed Richard into taking Hannah home for awhile. Get some sleep and a proper breakfast. With a nod, he promised to stay until they returned.
Bart watched J'onn or whom he believed was J'onn now looking like 'Bernard' wheeling a tall oxygen tank down the corridor toward him. He held the door for him and closed the door behind them.
"I wouldn't have a clue as to where I'm supposed to put this."
Bart whooshed into superspeed and the task was done in a second. The near empty tank now on the dolly. "Done. Is she in there, J'onn?"
His usually green friend stood silently by Olivia's bedside. His hand lightly resting over the perspex chamber that covered the bed.
"I can't sense her mind. Perhaps if I had physical contact."
Bart scratched his head at the mental image that popped into his head. J'onn flashed him a disapproving stare and Bart blushed in embarrassment. "I know what you meant," Bart said in his defense.
J'onn reached up and activated the control that lifted the oxygen chamber from the bed. He raised it only slightly so that he could fit his arm underneath. Taking the hand that had the catheter still inserted, he put his thumb over the metal.
Ordinarily if one was to do that to a person, it would cause a lot of discomfort. Olivia didn't even blink, but Bart flinched for her.
"It was the only weak point I could discern," J'onn explained, wanting Bart to understand that he didn't want to intentionally cause Olivia pain. "It will be my access. Unless of course, you think I should try another method to provoke a physical connection." J'onn looked at him directly and raised an eyebrow.
Bart stared back at him slightly open mouthed. "Did you just crack a joke? It was a joke. Right," Bart answered, his face reddening, letting out a nervous chuckle.
J'onn's lips turned up in a small smile and he focused his attention back on Olivia. "Olivia, it's J'onn. I'm here to help you."
1984
Olivia was sitting on the carpet playing with her toy octopus. Her mom said she wasn't old enough to get a real aquarium yet so she had to make do with her plush marine life and visits to the city aquarium until her mom decided she was responsible enough to have a salt water aquarium of her own.
A pair of jean clad legs appeared in her peripheral vision and she looked up from arranging her blue octopus' tentacles, as one of her toys let out a high pitched squeak.
"You're standing on Bubbles," she pointed out calmly, surveying the newcomer with a mildly interested gaze.
"Stuffed toys are for babies."
Olivia narrowed her eyes at him. "Who said they're just for babies?"
For awhile people had wondered if she was deaf because she hadn't said more than a handful of words till she was almost three years old. Or so her parents kept repeating every time someone mentioned how well spoken she was for her age, her mom argued that she'd spent the first thirty odd months of her life just listening so she aught to be able to use the right words considering at least one of her parents made his living out of speaking well.
Oliver took his shoe off the plush dory fish and frowned at it. Plucking it off the floor, he turned it over in his hands. He dropped it on the floor again and kicked it closer to her. "My dad says those things are just for babies. Kids are supposed to play with cool stuff like bows and arrows."
"Do you want one of my plushies?" Olivia said holding up her speckled orange star fish. He didn't look like he really believed what his dad had said, but then she could never really tell with Oliver. He always looked like he was in a bad mood. Or maybe he just didn't like being stuck with her. Their fathers were in a meeting again. And it was taking a long time. Their meetings always took a long time.
"No," he said rather harshly. But he sat down and peered at her more closely. "You're not like other babies."
Olivia tried very hard not to get upset. She wasn't a baby, she was nearly four. Well three and a half. He was only two years older. Why would he call her a baby? She sucked in her bottom lip and clamped down on it hard.
"Oh, now you're gonna cry. Mom's gonna kick my ass."
Olivia's eyes went wide at his words. He said a bad word. Daddy had said it once and mommy had pinched him. She did it under the table but Olivia knew she'd done it because of daddy's expression.
Oliver rolled his eyes at Olivia's face. She looked like a cartoon with her eyes all big and wet. "If you don't tell, I'll give you a lollipop."
Olivia frowned and let out a big breath. "I'm not supposed to have..."
"Geez are you a goody-goody all the time?" He unwrapped the sucker and stuck it in her mouth. Grabbing her hand, he hauled her to her feet. He moved away so quickly that Olivia nearly tripped over. She did that easily enough on her own, it didn't help that he was a lot taller and impatient. "Now come on, I'll show you a real star fish."
Present day
J'onn lifted his hand and his eyes stopped glowing. Bart about pounced on him in anticipation.
"Well?"
J'onn shook his head. "She didn't sense me at all. She didn't even see me, I was standing right in front of her. Well next to her young friend anyway."
"Speak English, dude. She's okay though. In her mind?" Bart had a hard time trying to picture what went on in Olivia's head. She was conversations ahead of him sometimes. He knew women thought on different wavelengths but sometimes he had wondered if Olivia was especially unique. After yesterday, he now knew that was true.
J'onn frowned and gently touched her hand again. "She's very deep in her own memories. She's reliving the past. Perhaps it's where she feels safe or perhaps it was her last line of defense against the mental probes they were employing against her."
"Can you pull her out?" Bart asked more worried than before. If she didn't know she was safe now, she would keep her guard up and with her guard up they couldn't help her. "Can't you tell her she's safe."
"I can keep trying to reach her, but we haven't got a lot of time. We can't really do this with her parents here."
Bart clenched his fists. "I'll stall them if I have to, you're the only one who can get in there J'onn."
1988
Olivia sat curled against Laura Queen's side as she read aloud from the large leather bound storybook in her lap.
Her parents were on a rare vacation away together to celebrate an anniversary. Usually they included her in everything they did from interstate conferences to medical lectures but when it came to their wedding anniversary, Olivia understood she needed to be left behind. It was nice to know that her parents still loved each other. A lot of her friends and classmates came from broken homes, while she envied them in a few things, she was intensely grateful for the love that her parents obviously shared. Like the Queens. Oliver was lucky that way too.
Ordinarily, if her parents were going away she would just stay behind with Henry, their butler. But Henry was in England visiting with his sick mother.
Olivia loved the way Laura's voice animated the characters of the story in The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen. Laura also had a beautiful smile to accompany that sweet voice. It was like sunshine, all warm and bright. She also had the prettiest sparkling green eyes that glowed whenever she looked down at her after reading a particularly thrilling section of the story.
It as silly to feel anxious but whenever she was away from her parents, she couldn't help the nagging fear that they might not return to her. So many things could go wrong. She wasn't naive, she knew that being with them wouldn't stop bad things from happening, but at least she'd be with them. They'd be together.
Her parents trusted the Queens to take care of her and she knew she had to make it easier for them to do that duty by being an obedient and understanding child. There was no sense in letting her anxiety show when there was nothing that could make her parents return any quicker. At least not without the expense of their enjoyment of their holiday. So instead she reminded herself to focus on the moment, and the enthusiasm Laura poured into the story and the warm affection she was showing her by squeezing her hand and smiling at her continuously.
There was stomping noise in the passage way outside the room and both Laura and Olivia looked up. In the doorway stood seven-year-old Oliver dressed in Hulk cartoon covered pajamas, glaring daggers at Oliver from where he stood.
"Olllie, why aren't you in bed?" Laura inquired lightly, though she frowned disapprovingly at him
"That's mine," he said pointing to the book.
Olivia looked up at Laura and sat back quietly. She knew better than to push him on that claim. Oliver had a fiery temper. "Is it okay if I go to sleep, Auntie Laura? I feel a bit tired."
Laura raised an eyebrow and looked across at her in concerned surprise. "I thought you were enjoying the story."
Olivia smiled. "I was but maybe we can read it a little more tomorrow with Ollie. Gerda does an awful lot to try to find Kay."
Laura tucked her in and kissed her forehead. "She does indeed. Goodnight, Olivia."
Taking Oliver by the hand, she handed him the book and turned out the light. Closing the door behind her.
Present day
Bart noted the nano-second J'onn was back. It was easy now that he knew what to look for. That tiny de-wrinkle of his brow just before his eyes took on their regular non-glowing appearance.
"I think I understand the significance of these memories."
"What are they about?"
"The question is whom. I recognize the woman from one of Oliver Queen's memories, but this is the first time she has appeared. The boy has been there before."
Bart grimaced. That name was the last name he wanted to hear. He'd be happy if he never heard the name Oliver Queen again.
"There are children too. I know Olivia, but the boy is unfamiliar to me. And as they are memories, mere representations, I can't interact with them."
Emil opened the door from his adjoining private office. He had overheard the last part of his conversation. "If you believe they are memories of Olivia's past. Perhaps I could age the faces, see if anything comes up. It would help if we could learn his identity."
"I believe we already know who his is. From his age and association, I believe the boy is Oliver Queen. The woman called him, Ollie."
Bart's face fell, there was no escaping the guy. Now he was probably the only one who could bring Olivia back.
"The memories are moving forward. We can hope that the past will catch up to the present, in the mean time I will continue to try to reach her."
Ashram Monastery, Ladakh
Hal waited at a great distance until he saw the last lantern go out. There would be no buffers this time. This time he'd get through to Ollie whether he wanted to listen or not.
Using the ring he scouted each of the huts by x-ray until he found Oliver's quarters. It was little more than a ten-foot cube with small desk and a roll out sleeping mat.
He landed soundlessly and hovered across the floor. He knew from experience how much noise those creaky old boards could make. He kicked at Oliver with the toe of one of his green boots.
Oliver snorted mid snore and rolled onto his stomach. Hal rolled his eyes and kicked him again, a little harder this time.
Oliver rolled and flew into a crouched position, his arms immediately taking a fighting stance. His eyes narrowed, searching the darkness until he recognized Hal's form. "Why are you here?" he asked with a quiet hiss. Dropping his arms, he sat back on his mat and stretched, rolled his shoulders and then craned his neck from side to side. He didn't think he'd ever get used to sleeping on the unyielding ground.
"Here." Hal thrust the picture under his nose. "This is what she looked like before."
Even before he looked down at the photo Hal illuminated with the glow of the ring, Oliver felt a chill run through him at the ominous tone in Hal's voice. He took the picture and glanced at it. While he didn't remember it being taken, he vaguely remembered the occasion. He'd had a lot to drink that night. She looked so happy in the picture, so innocent and full of aspirations. Hal replayed the last transmission he had from Emil revealing Olivia's condition.
"She's still in a coma. We're having extreme difficulty monitoring her condition because of her altered state. If you think the ring can provide any kind of assistance, we'd appreciate the visit."
He showed Oliver a floating image of Olivia. Bart was hovering by her bed and J'onn seemed to be in a trance holding her hand.
Oliver turned his head away sharply at the sight of all the machines, the cuts on her arms, the ghostly pallor of her skin. "She's in good hands now. Thank you for rescuing her."
"Do you know she suffered for you?" Hal growled his voice low. "They wanted to know about the Green Arrow. They cut her up and invaded her mind and still she didn't give in. Don't you want to tell her that she matters? Don't you want to thank her for protecting you?"
Oliver's eyes flew to his and Hal almost faltered in his verbal attack. His eyes were awash with tears but the look there was hard and unrepentant. "You think I don't care? I never asked her to protect me. I'd have preferred she tell them everything. I'm not worth her loyalty. You're supposed to know me, Hal. I'd trade places with her in a heartbeat."
Hal drifted back and rested his shoulders against the wall. "It's too late for wishing now but it's not too late to tell her you care."
"And what good will that do?" Oliver snapped, balling his fists in the light sheet under him.
"It'll give her a reason to fight," Hal reasoned calmly. "The ones that die, the ones that just slip away, it's because nobody asked them to hang on. Nobody gave them a reason to want to come back."
Oliver ran his hands over his scalp, his hair was starting to grow back. He could feel the bristles. "If I go back now, it'll freak her out."
"Does it really matter? I don't think she'd care about that honestly. She doesn't seem like the just appearances kind of girl."
Oliver snorted softly. "No, she isn't. Then again I could wear a fresh ash, not brush my teeth for a week and she'd still smile at me like I'm Michael friggen Buble."
Hal chuckled. "The women dig the songs. It's all the voice."
"Whatever, the point is that she's better off without me around, Hal. It's bad enough that they used her to try to get to me once. The best thing I can do is stay away. For both me and Green Arrow to stay gone."
Hal shook his head. "Fine, if you can live with that?"
Oliver didn't answer but he didn't move to get off his mat either.
"Just remember, the thing about wishing, Ollie. Sometimes you get exactly what you want."
1996
Olivia started down the staircase her entire body taut with apprehension. She felt completely overdone. She'd never worn this much make up before, her hair had enough product in it to burn a fresh hole in the ozone and her dress made her feel entirely too exposed. It had a deep scoop in the back. Not low enough to reveal her underwear but low enough that she felt a slight breeze all the way to the small of her back. How her parents had managed to convince her this was a good idea still annoyed her to no end. A must for her young adult experience, they said. A night that marked the end of one phase of her life to the next. "A night to remember," her mom promised. Olivia sighed. Not only was she dressed to the nines, looking like a walking may pole all lean limbs wrapped in yards of billowy fabric with moussed up, voluminous, riot of curly hair but her parents had picked out a date for her. How embarrassing. As if she couldn't find her own. She checked her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her eyes looked as though they were about to spring free from her face. The make up technician had used a curling wand and thick mascara, along with shimmering eyeshadow to emphasize her eyes. They were emphasized all right. She looked like a freak. Her felt her cheeks grow warm and she chewed her lip. Only remembering the dark pink lipstick when the oily metallic taste hit her tongue. Great now she'd stained her teeth. Turning to the mirror again, she forced a wide grin to check. She was sporting lipstick all over the bottom of her four top teeth. Wiping at it with her index finger, she checked again and nodded in assessment. It'd have to do. She definitely wasn't going back into that bathroom again. They'd have to drag her kicking and screaming. The least her mother could have done after strong arming her into accepting all this treatment was to stick around for moral support, but she'd disappeared as soon as the beautician had arrived.
Taking the stairs slowly, she held onto the rail to steady herself. Her platinum colored strapped heels were the highest she'd ever worn. They'd had to buy ones with extra inches because of the length of the column designer gown her father had bought for her. It had a small train and it draped over her legs like a summer breeze. The delicate satin fabric was so wispy, it felt like she was wearing nothing at all. She instinctively hugged her midsection with her free arm, only barely remembering not to bite her lip again. Was it too late to back out now? What excuse could she come up with that would be valid enough to convince them she couldn't attend?
On the second landing, that's when she saw him. He was standing next to her father by the front door. He looked so handsome in his white Armani suit. Obviously, her parents had told him what she was wearing so he could match. She paused for awhile. They hadn't noticed her yet and she wanted a second just to take him in. She hadn't seen him since her sixteenth earlier in the year but instead of time helping her to her forget about him and dull her feelings, just seeing him there all dressed up, devastatingly cool and dashing made her heart race. She'd fallen for him when they were about ten years old and he'd excitedly shown her his secret 'Sherwood' forest, complete with lofty tree-houses, rope ladders, swinging bridges and tire swings. It was a kids dream wonderland. It was the first time he hadn't looked at her with a scowl of disdain at being left with a 'her'. Or perhaps it was because he was stuck at home for the school holidays and none of his friends from boarding school had been able to come with him and she was his only option for company. It turned out to be the best summer of her young life. When she saw him again the next year though, he'd brushed her off for his friend Gregory, who'd been able to spend one week of the summer with him. She was back to being that unwanted family guest or in clarification, a pest. As the years followed and her efforts to disguise her feelings failed miserably, she became an embarrassment to him. His friends teased him mercilessly and Olivia did her best to become invisible. Her hands shook as she took the stairs slowly, counting her breaths so she could get her racing heartbeat under control.
He stood stiffly at her father's side, nodding at something her father said. He looked uncomfortable. He probably didn't want to be here either. Her parents had probably begged him or blackmailed him into being her date. With a last steadying breath, she took the final stair and moved quickly to greet her father. She kissed him lightly and then smiled briefly at her escort.
"I guess the sooner I get going, the sooner this torture experience can end, right?" she joked lightly, sparing a glance at Oliver.
Oliver seemed dazed. He was looking at her blankly, his eyes fixed on her face but not really seeing.
"Ollie?" she queried softly.
He blinked and offered his arm quickly. "Ready?"
"Wait," her mother called rushing down the corridor toward them. She had a camera in hand. "You can't go without a photo."
Olivia stooped her foot, her fingers squeezing her clutch tighter. "They're going to do the mug shots at the Prom, Mom. Do we really have to do this twice?"
Her mother scowled disapprovingly at her. "Indulge me okay?"
"I thought I was already," Olivia muttered quietly.
Oliver must have heard because his lips quirked into a small grin and she watched him suppress a snort of laughter. So she wasn't the only one who thought this whole thing was just a way for teens to parade around trying to out do each other. And for the popular kids to pick on the outcasts for not being fashionable or for being single.
"If it helps any, I'll try to make this as painless as possible."
Olivia gave him a beaming smile and felt her cheeks grow warm at the dazzling smile he gave her in return.
"Liv," her father said.
When she turned in the direction of her father's voice, a flash went off and she blinked trying to combat the shock her eyes had just endured. "Thanks, Dad," she said with sigh.
Her mother knew how much she hated posing, so obviously had roped her father in an effort of misdirection. Her mom had the camera back now and was looking at the snap. "Okay, now one of the both of you and I'll let you go. Smile."
Olivia put the requested smile on her face and said through her teeth. "Already did that too."
Oliver chuckled and took her hand, squeezing it. The flash went off again and he ushered her in the direction of the door. They were about to leave when her father took her elbow.
"Try to have a little fun, okay honey. And curfews off, just for tonight," he said with a wink.
Olivia rolled her eyes. Why her parents even bothered with a curfew was laughable. She was always home for dinner, her mom had her on a strict diet and would have a minor meltdown if she even put a foot into a take-out restaurant. "I won't be late, Dad. This isn't my idea of fun remember."
"See that's why I asked Ollie to take you. At least I know one of you knows how to act your age."
Olivia spared him a withering look. Her father had just managed to insult both of them in one sentence. She quickly kissed the both and waved to both of them when she reached the passenger side of the car.
"Have a good time, sweetie," her mom said waving after them.
Arriving at the hotel, they did the required posing for the yearbook photos and keepsake albums in the lobby before heading inside. They were among the late arrivals. Most of the students were already in the ballroom, with the festivities well underway. As soon as the walked through the ballroom doors, she felt the mood shift. The music didn't stop playing but there was a ripple of surprised gasps and as soon as a sea of eyes turned in their direction, Olivia wished she'd runaway yesterday and returned on Monday in time for school. Screw the panic it would have caused her parents and the search party the would have mounted. Nothing was worth this attention.
"Smile and wave, Liv. Just smile and wave," Oliver prompted with a grin.
Olivia elbowed him and swallowed tightly. She waved briefly and then tugged him in the direction of the drinks table. She suddenly felt as though she could drink a gallon and still be thirsty. Pouring a cup of punch, she gulped it down and set the cup on the table, steadying her nerves. "What do they have on you?" she asked quickly.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion.
"To accompany me. What did they have over you?"
Oliver's lips pulled into a tight line. "So I didn't think to ask you. Doesn't mean I don't want to be here."
Olivia folded her arms over her chest. "Oh come on Ollie, even I don't want to be here. This isn't exactly the type of thing you go for. And since when have we ever gone anywhere alone together? All through high school you couldn't stand to be within ten feet of me."
Oliver looked away and said nothing. Olivia just nodded mutely, his silence spoke volumes.
"Oliver, is that you?" a feminine squeal happily announced.
Olivia felt a shiver snake down her spine at the girl approaching. It was Genny Taylor. She'd dated Oliver last year for a couple of weeks. The girl was dressed in a red dress with a heart shaped neckline that displayed her ample cleavage to distraction. Her blonde hair seemed to shimmer like running water under the flickering disco ball lights but it made her pale skin and crimson lips look a little scary. If it weren't for the red hue, she could have pulled off a Mortisha impersonation.
"I think I'm entitled to at least one dance with you, don't you think?" she said practically purring as she cosied up to Oliver's side, locking her arms around his waist.
To his credit, Oliver looked a little uncomfortable. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't want her make-up to stain his suit. "I'm with someone, Genny."
"Who, Olivia?" she eyed Olivia up and down dismissively. Then she smiled up at Oliver and gave him doe-eyes. "I'm sure she won't mind, babe."
Olivia was sure she threw up a little in her mouth. She reached for her cup and refilled it with punch. Taking a sip, she lowered it again and waved him away offhandedly. "Go on Ollie. It's not like I'm here to dance. Besides it will make the lie more convincing when I tell them that there was definitely dancing. I don't have to add that we weren't dancing together." Genny didn't need to be told twice. She headed to the dance floor with Oliver in tow.
Olivia took her drink and went in search of her friends. At least she'd be able to kill time talking to people who were actually interested in what went on in her head. Two of her closest girlfriends had come to Prom together and were currently sitting at a table watching the almost unbelievable antics of their classmates on the dance floor. Joking around and sharing Prom preparation horrors, she found she was actually enjoying herself. Before she knew it, an hour had passed and there had been no sigh of Oliver. Not that she'd looked once she'd seen what Genny constituted as dancing. Watching the girl plastered herself up Oliver's front, while using him as a dance pole in-front of the entire student body, wasn't exactly her idea of fun.
It was past nine. If they did a drive thru run which she was sure Oliver would appreciate considering his taste for red meat, they'd get back by ten. A pretty decent night out in her opinion. Olivia stood up and craned her neck. She couldn't see him anywhere. Scanning the crowded dance floor again, she spotted Genny with the football team's second string quarterback, but Oliver was nowhere in sight. Saying goodnight to Fran and Heather, she went in search of him.
On her way through the ballroom, she spotted a white suited figure duck out of the frosted glass double doors. Lifting her skirt, she hurried after him as fast as her heeled feet would safely carry her. She exited the doors and searched for him but she couldn't see a single white suited man in the lobby.
A hand touched her shoulder and she turned around. An African American man with glowing red eyes stood watching her expectantly. She stared back, slightly opened mouthed. "Who--who are you?" she asked slightly breathless. Something about him felt familiar. She should be frightened, considering his close proximity and the unnatural state of his eyes but she wasn't afraid. He put her in a strange sort of calm. When he held out his hand, she felt herself raising hers to reach for his. She watched their fingertips grow closer.
"Olivia?"
Olivia turned at the sound of his voice. She watched as he stalked toward her, his face twisted with anger. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize how long I'd stayed with them and..."
"You left we with her. Here I thought you were this really sweet girl. Mommy and daddy's little miss perfect. I thought, no way Olivia leave me Genny, she wouldn't be that cruel, but no, you do this disappearing act and I'm stuck trying to get her claws out of me for an hour!"
Olivia glanced behind her but didn't see the mysterious, unsettling stranger that up until a second ago was standing right behind her. To say Oliver was less than impressed would be an understatement. He was positively livid. "I thought you liked her," Olivia argued defensively as he reached her side and caught her arm in a tight hold. "You guys had a thing."
"That was before I'd spent five minutes with her. I spent the rest of the time trying to get away. Sure she's not bad on the eyes but she's got serious issues."
Olivia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. As if his other girlfriends had been all that different. Either he really didn't seem them coming or he was a masochist. "I didn't think you were the type that needed rescuing from anything."
Oliver hissed and pushed her up against the wall, trapping her there, his hands around her upper arms. "You're so completely clueless aren't you?" he said his face looming very close to hers. Olivia trembled and he smiled at that. "You should be scared. What were they thinking letting you out like this? Do you have any idea what they're saying about you? That you're a cock tease. That you try to be this proper nerdy girl but that underneath you want it just as bad as every other cheerleader and pop princess around. They think you've been blowing them off because you're holding out for a rich bastard. Is that it Liv? Are you above them?"
Olivia blinked rapidly and swallowed, where was all this coming from? Did he just forget how old she was? She was sixteen. Of course most of the guys didn't even take a second glance at her while roaming the halls, she wore baggy sweaters to hide her rapidly 'blossoming' feminine body and faded jeans. The fact that she was still a virgin came from the fact that she wasn't all that interested in the males in her circle and none of them had shown much interest in her. She hated the fact that her bust caused male distraction. They were hardly playboy worthy but more than noticeable. It's why she'd almost cried off even going to Prom when her parents had proudly produced her gown. Instead of down playing her figure, it flaunted it in every way this side of appropriately legal. Somehow, between arriving to pick her up and leaving Genny, Oliver had managed to find an abundant source of alcohol. It was the only explanation she had to explain the dramatic shift in his attitude. He'd been fine when she left him, civil and polite. He'd never spoke to her this way before. She leaned a little closer. His breath smelled like a brewery. "Have you been drinking?"
Oliver smiled darkly at her again. His lips brushing her cheek when she turned her head sharply to deflect what his obviously target was. "So what if I have?"
She knew she was living dangerously but she had to act quickly. There was no telling what Oliver would get up to whilst intoxicated. He tended to be wildly unpredictable while sober. Putting her hands into his trouser pockets she closed her fist around his keys.
"See I knew you weren't over it. You played it so cool at your party, barely talking to me I thought I'd actually missed my chance. You've certainly turned into the swan I always knew you would be."
Olivia withdrew her hands just as quickly as though he'd burned her and tucked his keys into the bodice of her gown. His eyes followed her actions and he grinned wolfishly at her. His fingers clamping down on her hips anchoring her to him.
"Do I get to go fetch?"
Olivia gave him a withering look. "The way I see it, you let me drive you home or you take a cab. I'm not letting you drive. I'm leaving now by the way, so you're off the hook. You can spend the rest of the night however you want." She brushed past him.
"Oh no you don't." Oliver grabbed her arm and yanked her flush against his chest. His eyes bored into hers. "You promised to have fun and I didn't see you having any yet. Some of the guys have set up a poker game upstairs. I'm gonna join, you want in?"
Olivia's eyes widened. Unlicensed games were illegal. Not to mention the fact they were underage.
He half smirked at her internal battle and released her with a small shove. "Come or don't come, your loss." He shrugged and put his hands in his trouser pockets. "Although I would like to see you explain how you're home early without me." He scowled suddenly. "Daddy dearest will think I ditched you, and we can't have that so I guess that means you're coming with." He caught her arm again and tugged her along in the direction of the bank of elevators.
He was being such an arrogant jerk that Olivia felt like putting her heel in his foot if only just to put a bit of clarity into his drunken stupor. Instead, she clenched her fist at her sides and waited wordlessly as he pushed the call button for the elevator. Her parents were always on her case about taking more risks, acting more like an average teenager. Get her nose out of her books and live a little. Well playing babysitter to her childhood play-friend was definitely risky, some might even question her sanity. At least she could argue that she was only following sage parental advice. As his grip on her arm gentled and they stepped into the car, she hazarded a glance at him. His eyes locked with hers for a brief moment he seemed more like his cautious and distant self. He suddenly released his hold on her and diverted his attention to the ascending numbers. Obviously he wasn't drunk enough to remember that he didn't like her very much.