“How long does it take?” she asked Erika.
“He should've been up already,” she replied, shaking her head. “He obviously can't be made into a vampire.”
“Why not?” asked Troy, angry. Olivia lifted her head at the unexpected passion in his voice. He may have hated her and disliked Noah, but even he didn't want to see him dead, she figured.
“Blood drinking human,” was all Erika said.
Troy quickly caught onto her words and asked as he thought back on something else, “So if he won't come back a vampire, would he come back as a zombie?”
“Oh, I just made that up to scare Alexa. There's an actual science behind creating a zombie.”
Olivia blocked out their nonsensical conversation as only one thing came to mind. Noah hadn't been a blood drinker and therefore, could not be brought back.
Twenty Two
The silence between them had been the most comforting thing for Troy and Olivia who sat on the steps. Her hands ran back and forth against her jeans, dark splotches of red fading into nothing as blood soaked them. Noah's blood. She had buried him but couldn't find the strength to wash away what remained. Troy thought about consoling her but he couldn't figure out the words to say to a girl he had been so cruel to. He hadn't been able to see her as anything less than a monster, but even he recognized that she didn't deserve to bury her best friend. She rubbed a hand across her face and down her neck, leaning forward as she began to think. Nothing appeared in her thoughts as she was devoid of them, unable to conjure a single mental word or image as she sat there.
“He didn't deserve to die,” said Troy. He knew it wasn't the best he could offer but how could he say 'I'm sorry' to the person's killer. How much better would that have sounded, he thought.
“That, unfortunately, does not make him any less dead.”
He quickly regretted opening his mouth when she countered, now recovered from her distressed state. She didn't mean to sound harsh and had been directing the words at herself but they were already out, drifting between them before the wind whisked them away and Troy filled the void with more cautious words.
“Maybe it'll bring closure or peace...”
“Did it bring you peace to know that my sister did not deserve her death?”
“I'm just saying....”
“I understand that you are just trying to say many things but as you can see they are not bringing me any comfort.”
Troy nodded his head and looked off in the opposite direction. “Well, does this make it easier for you to confront your mom?”
“She did not kill Noah,” she said and images of her nightmare flashed in her head.
“Not directly but if she hadn't been the way she was, you wouldn't be the way you are and he might just be alive today when you think about it like that.” He then added, “And so would Alexa.”
Olivia was quiet as she stared up at the sky. It had been another bleak evening as dark clouds clumped together and drifted in the pool of gray overhead. She could smell the rain that threatened to pour out of their net in the sky and then she thought of her mother.
“Do you think you can kill her?” he asked.
“My mother loves me as I love her,” she forced the words out, willing herself to believe in them, “and to kill her would be the greatest form of betrayal even after the deaths of others.”
“You honestly think that's the way your mom is supposed to love? Like it's natural to want to kill your kids...”
Olivia stood up. “So that we can be together forever!” she shouted. “You humans think love is linear, that it isn't multifaceted and three dimensional and can take any form. If you cannot see the way my mother loves me, you obviously do not understand it and shouldn't even utter the word!”
Troy had been looking down so Olivia didn't see when his mouth gaped open at her words. It had been his second time being berated by someone a year younger than him on the same topic. He felt his body grow warm as he digested everything she said. “Sorry...”
He had never once apologized and just as her words had taken him aback, that single word had forced her eyes on him. She wanted to say something but before she could open her mouth, she heard pawing at the door behind her and pushed it open. From between the small crack sprang Bear, who whined as he scraped at her leg. She bent down and pulled the puppy into her arms and his overgrown hairs excited the nerve endings in her palms. He snaked up her chest and settled his head into the crevice of her neck, his wet muzzle tickling her earlobe. Troy stole a quick glance at them then returned his gaze to the forest in front of him.
“He really seems to love you...”
“Dogs do not share human emotions,” she said, sitting down.
“Yes, they do actually. They love just as humans do and like humans, they feel a greater sense of love and devotion to those who have cared for them.”
She rubbed her hand across Bear's coat, amazed while how simplistic it was, it was also exhilarating to be able to feel. She wondered if Bear enjoyed her touch as much as he would a human's and to test her theory, she pulled the dog away from her chest and held him out to Troy.
“Pet him.”
“He’s probably gonna try and bite my hand off...”
She pushed the dog in closer and he whimpered, his eyes wary as he stared back at Olivia. Troy sat up and bent over to rub his hand through Bear's coat and his body got tense and he let out a growl. Troy sighed and pulled away from the dog. “He clearly only has eyes for you,” he said with a faint smile.
The dog wiggled it's body out of her grasp and landed in her lap. After circling to find his optimum comfort level, he buried his head onto her thighs and closed his eyes. As she watched the dog sleep, she thought on Troy's words, about having a greater sense of love and devotion to those who have cared about him. “Why don't you seem to love your father? He has greatly cared for you.”
“That's what it looks like, huh?” he asked, shaking his head. “I don't hate my dad...I just have a hard time burying old feelings that's all.”
“What in particular?” She couldn't help her curiosity.
“Just when me and...” he paused, “Alexa...were together, I did something very stupid.”
“Mated with her?”
He shuttered at the word. “Mating sounds unnatural, like I had to do it. But it wasn't like that...I wanted to be with her and I just didn't think about what would happen next if I weren't...you know...”
“Cautious?”
“Yep.”
“After that, was the downward spiral of my life,” he said as he tapped on the steps. “I deferred my acceptance to Dartmouth and decided to get a job on a ship to make a lot of money quickly. In the mean time, my dad had went to Alexa and apologized for doing what he did—kicking us out—and offered us this house which I pay him the money for each month...and it's not like I'm mad at that 'cause I guess he really has been a great father...”
“Then what is really bothering you?”
Troy had finally realized what was wrong with the conversation that he hadn't noticed before: Olivia had been acting like a therapist of sorts. It just seemed strange to lay his past out like that to someone like her, but he was too far in the conversation to let up now. He continued, “My dad used to talk about me a lot. Like all the time, 'Troy did this...Troy did that...' to the point that it got kinda annoying but then all of a sudden I went from being my dad's crowning achievement to his biggest disappointment. I guess that's what celebrities feel like when they make their epic fall from grace.”
“That sucks.”
Troy flipped his head to the side and looked at her with wide eyes. “Wow, you actually managed to sound like a normal teen,” he said in an amused voice.
“I guess I have my moments.”
She had to admit that she had been trying the word out in her head several times before using it and was relieved to have used it correctly. She didn't know that it would illicit such a reaction from him but it felt good to have him rel
ax and not regard her with suspicion and hatred. It felt like she had finally found someone worthy of being called friend, even if he didn't think of her as one. With the absence of one of her only friends, she craved a replacement, but she knew he would never replace Noah, Allison or Alexa.
The net had finally broken and heavy drops of water fell on them, quickly soaking their hair and clothes. Bear had jumped up and ran for the door, slipping through its crack before Olivia pushed it open and walked inside with Troy behind her. The sound from Erika's boots preceded her body and it was a full minute before she came into view. Her hair was swept over her forehead and pulled back into a sleek ponytail, shiny black hair with purple laced through. She wore a tan trench coat and Olivia figured she had a black body suit underneath. Troy's thoughts had been the same and they knew they were right. There was something about the way she looked at them, as if she had prepared herself for a battle and she quickly answered any thoughts that came to mind.
“I don't do this often, so take this as a symbol of how dire the situation is. Fight with us, please.” When Olivia didn't move, she continued. “Tell Troy what happened in your nightmare. Tell him what that vampire showed you.”
“My mother tried to permanently end my life...”
“And who was there?”
“Noah, Alexa and,” she turned to him, “you.”
Troy took a step back, confused, but remained silent allowing Erika to fill the void. “That vampire is a total creep and a jerk but he isn't a liar. Olivia, if you want to meet him, you have to listen to him. In your nightmare, you killed your mom right?”
She nodded then focused her eyes on David who was standing behind Erika. He knew she wanted his take on it and he let out a short breath before speaking.
“I know it's tough to do this and I would have as much hesitation as you if it came down to killing someone I loved,” his eyes flicked to Troy then back to her. “I don't believe you should kill your mom, but I think you owe it to yourself to find out what she has planned and to be prepared.”
She closed her eyes briefly and when they reopened, they darted to Erika. “OK.”
“Awesome. Now shower and look battle ready in ten minutes! Both of you!” said Erika. She turned to David when they had ran upstairs, “Thanks.”
He sighed. “Yeah...”
Olivia's hair was wet as she stared in the mirror with scissors in her hands. Her hair had grown too long for her liking, falling several inches down her back. She tugged at the ends of her hair and snipped it off until her hair sat just above her shoulders and ran the scissors along her bangs, glad to be finally rid of the excess hair. She zipped up her black leather jacket and with the dark jeans, she couldn't help but feel like a character out of a movie about vampires she had seen, but couldn't remember the name of. She had at least remembered adoring the main character.
“You look like Selene from Underworld,” said Troy when she walked into the hallway.
“Was it a film about vampires?”
“Yeah, lots of kickass ones.”
There was a faint trace of a smile on her face as she looked down at the floor. She knew the outfit would have looked better with boots but she couldn't bring herself to put them on and opted for her black sneakers instead. It was like having Noah there to direct her every move and that alone had been comforting. She took her attention off of her shoes and looked up at Troy whose hair was still wet, drops of water running down his face. She had never been fazed by his physique, not even now, but she couldn't help but notice how fit he was especially since her face was just inches from his chest. He backed up and put his black shirt on. “Sorry,” he mumbled, his face briefly flushing red from how intimate the scene was. He was sure his shirt had been off in front of her before but he didn't want to make a habit of it as he knew it would get awkward, fast.
“We should be going,” she said and started down the hall then stopped. She half turned back to him. “What is the meaning of your tattoos?”
“It's a road map of my life.” He rolled his right sleeve up, revealing the rest of his tattoo. “The red characters going down here is something in Chinese and the swallow is an identical match to Alexa's. Got some other things that just helped shape me and remind me of how I should live my life. One is a little stupid and random but most are actually meaningful.”
“What do the Chinese words say?”
He rolled his sleeve back down and murmured, “It's private.” Their brief moment of convergence and amity had met its end and they were back to how they had been before: strangers working together toward a common goal. She continued through the hall and down the steps. David's eyebrows shot up when he saw the way she was dressed and she briefly wondered what it would be like to have a father like him but the thoughts had left her as soon as Erika spoke up.
“Not bad, you look half as awesome as me.”
“I still feel naked,” she said as she rubbed her hand up and down her other arm. “I'd like to get a weapon from home.”
“Isn't your mom going to be there?” asked Troy as he stepped into his sneakers by the door.
“She hasn't been home for weeks so I assume she has left the colony. Actually, I assume the whole place is abandoned.”
Troy pulled his arm through a black jacket. “Why would you think they left their weapons?”
“I don't, but I know my sister had her own stash and so did I.”
Olivia felt the thin cold layer of the opening of her jacket sleeve and rubbed her fingertips along them as she waited for Troy to speak. He didn't. Instead, he walked over to his dad and after a few whispered words he was tugging on Olivia's arm and pulling her to the door. He never once touched her hand and preferred to wrap his hand around her arm where her clothes had been a barrier between them. She stepped quickly and then they were down the steps and sliding into David's car. She heard the rumble of the engine and felt the hum as the car softly bounced up and down in place. She was only moderately aware of what was going on but she wondered why Troy was reacting the way he was. Perhaps Troy wanted to see for himself the life Alexa truly lived? Either way, she was thankful to be heading home and maybe a little nervous at what she would find.
She had never given driving directions before and the way to the colony had still been quite foggy to her so they got turned around several times before finally making it. She jumped out of the car and Troy followed behind her, taking the whole scene in. It reminded him of Bruce Wayne's home in The Dark Knight Rises, particularly in the way the gate separated them from the real world. Vines had crawled up the metal gates and Olivia's hands slipped on the wet lock several times before she ripped it apart. She called back to him, her words muffled by the rain, “Come on.”
There had to have been about a dozen homes, Troy noticed, but none as big as the one Olivia was headed to. She ran up the stairs and saw that the door was ajar but she couldn't sense anything from within the house. The colony was definitely abandoned. She stepped inside and when Troy walked in, he shut the door behind him. She glanced back at him and he mouthed an apology but Olivia had already turned away and was walking up the spiral stairs.
“This is Alexa's room,” she announced and pushed the door open. Troy's eyes stopped and stared at everything he saw before walking into her room. He couldn't believe she had come from a place so perfect, at least in looks.
“I can't believe she left this for me.”
Olivia didn't turn to him as she sifted through Alexa's closet. “That's a very shallow thing to say. Do you honestly think money will keep someone from leaving?”
“Well it'd give them fewer reasons to,” he said, shrugging.
He picked up a child's book he recognized from her desk and felt their hard, unbending pages as he flipped through it. He placed it down and picked up a medical book and then one about Mayan culture. Her desk had been completely covered in books, stacked several feet high and tumbling over each other.
“She really loved books,” he commented.
“She did. She has read me every single book from her collection twice. It had been her second greatest love.”
“What was her first?”
Olivia pulled out two small Kris daggers and held one at his neck, the point pressed against his skin. He felt the tip poke into his flesh when he swallowed and forced his Adam's apple out.
“Fighting.”
He raised an eyebrow when she drew back the dagger and tucked each of them into the pockets inside of her jacket. “She was a great hunter,” she continued. “She didn't enjoy hurting others but she couldn't deny that she was great at it.”
Troy thought back to the girl he had met at the beach and just couldn't see her, as frail as she was, as a skilled fighter and huntress but it must have been true if she fended off a man like they had said. Olivia pulled out chakrams and held them out to Troy.
“What's this?”
“A projectile weapon, like Japanese throwing stars,” she said when he finally took them. “I don't know how many people are with my mother but I do know of one person and those are good things to have against her.”
“Felicity?”
Olivia's eyes shot up. “How do you know of her?”
“I just guessed it was the girl from the blood drive. She told me her name was Felicity,” he lied.
He suffered a suspicious stare from Olivia but she didn't question further and instead, went to her own room. She grabbed a weapon, leaving Troy outside the door for a brief moment and then she was back out. He gawked at the long sword she had in her hand, it's blade slightly curved and golden.
Watching his gaze, she said quickly. “A dao.”
“Was that always your weapon of choice?”
“No,” she said, slightly amused. “I'm not that showy.”
They were back downstairs and halfway out the door when Olivia caught the scent of something. She turned and walked briskly in the direction of the scent. She passed the living room and then the kitchen and was about to pull open the door to where her mother rested when she heard a faint heartbeat and a whisper of words.
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