Hearts Under Ice

by CS Patra

  “You and Olivia. She’s the only one you’ve told your goals to.” Ms. Howard went on, “What made you want to do that?”

  “I-I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I just felt like it, and she listened. I’m glad she listened, but I don’t think it means anything.”

  “Oh, really? You sound like you’re in outer space right now. Are you all right, Donovan? Did something happen between you two?”

  “What? No!” Donnie insisted, standing up. “Look, Madeline, I should probably go home, too. I have so much work to do, and even more now.”

  Ms. Howard decided to drop the subject right there and let him leave. As they exchanged goodbyes, she noted that he still sounded like he was out of it. He had looked at Olivia in a way that he never looked at anyone else. He listened to her, and took in everything that she said. No doubt about it, he was feeling something for her. He could deny it all he wanted, but the proof was all over his face.

  She knew it was useless for him to resist. No matter what he tried to do, he would never get rid of that feeling.

  Chapter Eight

  Olivia struggled to sleep that night. She moved from side to side, looked at the ceiling, and stared out the window in hopes that something would make her drowsy. Nothing was working. She had to wake up early, yet she could not shut her eyes. The whole time she thought about Ms. Howard, Donnie, and that message on her car. She had no idea who would leave something so cryptic there. Even if it wasn’t for her, what did it mean? Whose heart was under ice, and what could she do about it? More than that, she was thinking about the recurring dreams that she’d had. She wanted to go to the strange world where spirits were roaming around and she was being dragged by some mysterious figure. She had so many questions now. Were her dreams connected to the things Donnie had told her about? Ever since she accepted the position, the dreams had come to her. They occurred in different places, yet she knew that they all meant something.

  The other thing that was keeping her awake was Donnie. It wasn’t just his projects that interested her. She wanted to know all about him. He was brilliant, handsome, and willing to talk to anyone who would listen. The problem lay in being someone who shared his interests. Much as she liked him, she wasn’t that kind of person. Surely, he saw that she had a degree in sociology and psychology. So far though, she hadn’t pursued either one because she wasn’t sure what to do with them. The only reason she was working at the lab was because she needed the money for grad school. She couldn’t follow the scientific and technological parts of this project. She was willing to standby and watch it happen, but she couldn’t fix anything if things went wrong. He deserved someone who could interact with him on the same level.

  Then again, he’s never tried to rub his intelligence in my face¸ she told herself as she stared at the ceiling again. He just strikes me as a very lonely guy. He wants to share so much with the world, and it refuses to hear him out. That just sucks.

  The more she thought about him, the more she wanted to know. He was a good-looking man. She wondered where he had gotten those bright green eyes from, his mother or father. Did he have any siblings? He had mentioned an uncle, but that was all. She wished that he would talk to her about other things. She wanted to know what kind of movies were his favorite, if he had any restaurants that he liked eating at, and where in the world he had traveled to. The more time they spent together, the less she found out about him. She knew what he wanted, just not who he was.

  “Oh, Donnie. Why are you making me feel this way?” she mumbled into her pillow. Sleep was finally starting to come, and she closed her eyes. “I don’t—I don’t want to—we’re just working…”

  Slowly, the room was disappearing around her and she began to see another place. It was her dream world again. This time, she was not surrounded by pink skies or purple clouds, but the land was covered in ice. There was snow on the ground, and the buildings had icicles hanging from them. She shivered and realized there was a lot of frost on the windows. It brought her back to the frost that she found on her car. There were no messages on anything here, but she knew that this was where the frost had come from. She had found her world.

  “You guys sent me the message!” she realized out loud. No one was nearby, but she knew that this place had people. They probably couldn’t get out because of all the snow and ice. It was starting to snow again, so she doubted that anyone would be out. The funny thing was what she was wearing. She wasn’t wrapped up in coats and scarves, but rather in that same ridiculous dress she had worn before. Why did she imagine such an outfit? This was not the kind of dress she would wear anywhere, even if she could afford it. This dream was becoming more and more ridiculous, but she needed to find some answers. Cold and lost, she began walking around the town, and looking for any sign of life. She knocked on two doors but no one answered them. At the third one, she hoped someone would let her in.

  “Come on, come one!” she pleaded, knocking on the door. Her knuckles were turning purple, even though she didn’t feel cold. Why didn’t she dream up a big fancy coat or something? “Let me in! I promise to pay you back somehow!”

  After the tenth knock, the door finally opened and she stepped inside. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! I have no idea how I ended up here, but—”

  “You think you know where it is.” A voice suddenly spoke up. The house itself was dark, so Olivia tried looking for the lights. She finally found a candle, but no matches. The inside of the house was just as cold as it was outside. “You know where the heart lies.”

  “Huh?” She fiddled around for a lighter or a match. “Look, I just want to get warm in here. It’s just cold and dark and—”

  “You have to find the heart under the ice.”

  “What do you mean by that?” she finally snapped. “I got your message, but I still don’t know what heart you’re talking about! Why do you need my help?”

  “Find the hearts under the ice.”

  “The hearts? Wait, there’s more than one now?” Olivia’s head was spinning and she was still cold. “Okay, I can help you, but you need to help me first! You have to tell me what this is!”

  The voice didn’t reply, so she went back to look for a light. The door was still open, but she couldn’t shut it yet because then everything would be completely dark. The outside was providing light for her. But at the same time, the cold winds were making it difficult to concentrate.

  “Bring him with you,” the voice went on. “Together, you will travel and find what you are seeking.”

  “What I am seeking? I’m not seeking anything but a match!” she groaned.

  “You want him.”

  That was different. She stood up and tried to figure out where the voice was coming from. “I need your help. I know you said something about a heart under ice. I can get that for you if you just tell me what it is. Also, what do you mean by ‘you want him?’ Who are you talking about? I just want to get warm and figure out where I am!”

  Something moved in the darkness, and she almost fell over. Before she could say another word, an alarm started to go off.

  Olivia gasped as she opened her eyes and looked at the clock on her dresser. She was up on time, and now she had some answers. Her message had come from this frost-covered world, and the voice was asking her to find a heart under ice. It wasn’t about her, but rather someone who wanted her help. They had left most of this vague, but she at least had an idea about it. The strange thing was that this was a dream, yet the frost and the message had been real. She knew that she could not have imagined that.

  “I’ve got to tell Donnie,” she stated, crawling out of bed and looking around for her clothes. He had been unable to decipher the message before, but this new information might help. He had to have an invention out there that could pinpoint where it came from. If not, then Ms. Howard knew something. She seemed to be far more interested in this than anyone else. She wanted to tell her friends about it, even though most people would have disregarded this idea or denied the possibili
ty of its existence.

  As she went towards the bathroom, her mother came walking down the hallway. “O, you don’t need to head to work. Your boss called and said that he wanted to meet you at Ms. Howard’s house this morning.”

  “Huh?” Olivia knew that she was barely awake, but her mother wouldn’t lie to her. “He wants to meet me at Ms. Howard’s house instead of work? We just met up there!”

  “I don’t know why, but he insists that you go there today as well. It’s perfectly okay for you to take the day off because he approves of it.” Her mother shrugged. “I don’t know what he wanted, but he sounded very anxious. He said that he wants to meet you at her house at nine this morning.”

  “So he wants me to miss work, but he didn’t tell you why?” Olivia was still holding the clothes she had been planning to wear today. “I don’t know if that’s right.”

  “I don’t think it’s right to miss work either, but he insists that you don’t need to go. He said that he’s in the middle of a breakthrough, and that you would understand. I’m sure that if you feel bad about missing today, you could always make it up on Saturday. Anyway, you can go back to bed and wake up a little later.”

  Olivia took a deep breath, her clothes crumpling in her hands. “I guess I can waste a little more time in bed.”

  It was at this time that she realized that she didn’t have Donnie’s personal number to call him back. She could have told him about her dreams much sooner, or even yell at him for making her miss work. Stumbling into the bathroom, she decided that she couldn’t sleep anymore. Instead, she looked at the vast collection of nail polish that she had. It was a strange hour to paint her nails, but at least it would pass some time. Even though she wasn’t a big makeup wearer, she loved nail polish, and changed it up every month. It was one of those guilty pleasures that she liked to spend her money on. Once in a while, she would go into a nice salon and get them done, but she usually worked on her nails on her own. It took some time, and she had plenty of it to waste now.

  Right now, she had China Glaze’s Sexy in the City on her fingers and toes. It was a nice blue color, but she wanted something that looked icy and cold. She just needed to decide which polish to use. This blue was the only one that she had from China Glaze. The Essie nail polishes that she had were darker, and she didn’t always like their formula. She didn’t think that any of the OPI colors she had would work. Finally, she went to her Sinful Colors collection and saw the perfect shade: Cinderella. It was just the blue that she had been looking for. There was still enough to paint both her finger and toenails. Setting up her spot, she got out everything she needed and began to wipe off the old nail polish.

  She was almost finished with her second coat when her mother knocked on the door. “O, it’s your boss. He wants to know if you’re awake yet.”

  “Obviously, or else I’d be in bed right about now.” Olivia sighed, careful not to paint her toe with the polish. “What does he want?”

  “He wants to know if you want to have breakfast with him.”

  “No,” she mumbled. Their lunch date had been disastrous enough, and she was already irritated with this morning’s new development. Her nails also needed time to dry. “I’m doing my nails, Mom, and they’re not going to dry any time soon. Tell him I’ll see him at Ms. Howard’s house at nine like he asked.”

  “O-kay,” her mother said. “Just let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

  Olivia finished up with her nails and put everything away. As they were drying, she thought about Donnie and her dream. She was slightly annoyed for having to wake up so early for nothing, but she was more irritated with his decision. Why couldn’t he wait until after work to do this? She needed the money, despite what he’d promised her. It wasn’t the most perfect job, or something that she wanted to do for the rest of her life. It was just enough money to get by right now. She could just as easily have taken work at a fast food restaurant and her attitude would be the same. It wouldn’t be a job she would be in for the rest of her life.

  On the other hand, she would never have met Donnie if she hadn’t taken the job. She would never have heard about his ideas, or looked into those green eyes, or thought about all of the possibilities that he presented her with. Maybe she would have given a thought about such things in the future, but she would never be so knee-deep into this without him. He had opened her mind up to these dreams and worlds, which she was both amazed at and afraid of. No one else had ever showed her this kind of existence, or even suggested it to her. As much as she hated to admit, it was fun to talk about other worlds. Even if it all turned out to be for nothing, she did like their time together, and she could never regret that.

  I feel so weird. She thought, feeling herself blush. Any time he entered her mind, she got flustered. There was just something about him that made her feel this way. Her heart would beat faster, and she would feel like she was on top of the world. The only other time that had happened was when she had won a big spelling bee back in middle school. That had been the highlight of her life, and nothing else had topped it. Now that she had met Donnie, she was feeling like there was going to be a new highlight on the horizon.

  At least he doesn’t seem to hate me. There were too many guys who had turned her down in the past, so she had stopped trying to please them. They could take her or leave her. She wouldn’t have given them the time of day again. The problem was that they never wanted to know her. They never got the chance, nor did they ever figure her out.

  Judging from how Donnie was acting, he seemed like he did want to know her, at least in as far as the project was concerned. Parallel universes or not, they had a connection. They finally had something they had in common. At the very least, it would bring them closer together. Hopefully, it would not take them so deep that neither one would be able to get out.

  Chapter Nine

  Olivia felt terrible for how she’d acted earlier. After a few hours of puttering around the house, the guilt finally hit her. There was no reason for her to be mad at Donnie for this. Most people would have been thrilled to have a day out of the office. Sure, she needed the money, but she didn’t need to act so childish, either. She decided that she would make it up to him when they met up. He deserved an apology from her.

  Donnie was already waiting at Ms. Howard’s front step when Olivia walked up to it. She stood behind, him but he managed to notice her anyway. As she predicted, he again looked so good when he wasn’t wearing his work clothes. He was well groomed and handsome in those, but this was different. Donnie being dressed down in a hoodie and jeans made him look more his age. She was trying her hardest not to stare at his legs or rear end in those jeans. For some reason, she hadn’t noticed how nice his body really was. The usual lab coat, shirt, and slacks that he wore made him appear so professional and serious. He had a calm, mysterious feel about him at work, and here he seemed the complete opposite. This was the first time he looked like someone she could connect with. Despite that, she remained cool and stood next to him. The apology was hard for her to muster. If he wanted to talk, he would have to start the conversation.

  “Hey, Olivia,” he greeted her. She took a deep breath and pretended that she wasn’t turned on. She had no idea why it was so hard to apologize right now. The words were on her tongue, but she could not spit them out.

  “Hey, Donnie.” She said, crossing her arms. She made sure to show off her newly painted fingernails. Her eye caught sight of his legs again, but she turned away. She did not need to ogle him like that. It made her feel ill. She would never have allowed anyone to get away with looking at her this way. Why should she do the same to him? Taking a deep breath, she faced the closed door and stared at the doorknocker, which was shaped like a bird.

  “Are you mad at me for something?” he asked.

  “Does it look like I’m mad?”

  “You answered a question with a question. I think I can deduce that you aren’t happy with me. Was it because of my request today? I promise you are
not going to be in trouble for it. I made the decision, after all. You’ll be okay.”

  “No, it’s not just that. I wasted my morning painting my nails and trying to figure out weird messages, but I’m peachy,” she said, sounding anything but peachy. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that. I’m just—there’s a lot more going on.”

  Before he could ask, the door opened and Ms. Howard stood before them. She looked as though she had just gotten out of the shower. Her face was nicely scrubbed and bright pink, and she smelled of jasmine flowers. Inside, they could smell cinnamon and coffee from the kitchen. Olivia realized that she was hungry now and wondered if rejecting breakfast had been a good idea after all.

  “Welcome!” she greeted them and pointed to the family room. The strong smell of vanilla was still coming from it. “Go and make yourselves at home. I do have other company, but they aren’t going to be much trouble.”

  “You told them?” Donnie’s face fell. For a second, Olivia felt sorry for him. It was clear that he wanted this to stay between just a few people. “Oh, Madeline, how could you do that after I told you not to?”

  “Actually, I kept my end of the bargain and didn’t utter a word. They figured everything out on their own. I couldn’t hide it anymore.” She closed the door behind them. “They haven’t told anyone else, though. Trust me. Gemma and Alice are good people, and very wise. They sensed something strange was going on in the world. That’s the reason they came over last night and asked me about you. I hid everything, but they still found out. They have a way of reading a person’s emotions.”

  She took them to the rec room where two older women were sitting. One was plump with glasses, and the other was rail-thin with long gray hair and shining blue eyes. They both had to be older than Ms. Howard, but they seemed just as pleasant. Olivia nodded at both of them before taking a seat in one of the armchairs. Donnie took the other the armchair, and they both looked around the room. Ms. Howard had a way of decorating things. Everything was done in shades of red, from the walls to the sofas. The curtains were a soft pink and matched the pillows laying around. She had a lot of wall art, but no photos whatsoever. It was cozy, yet the lack of personal photos made it seem sad. The poor woman really had no family.