by CS Patra
Good job, O. You blew it. Again. She rolled onto her side and thought about how she would face him in the office. They still had to get through work together. He would probably be in his lab, working hard at something, and Pam would likely leave her a lot of work. Since she had missed the whole day before, there would double the amount waiting on her desk. That would be enough to keep her from seeing Donnie unnecessarily. It would be a welcome change, because she needed to get away from him. All night, she had lain in bed and thought about him. Even as she finally drifted off to sleep, he was the last thing she thought of.
She had never been this immersed with a guy in her life. When she was in high school and college, her friends would try to hook her up with various guys, but she didn’t have any of it. None of them seemed to want to get to know the kind of person she was. They didn’t seem interested in her, and she would cut it off after the first date. If they were lucky enough to make it to another date, the guy would end up revealing something that would turn her off. One date refused to accept her religious beliefs. Another laughed at her for still living with her parents. A third told her point blank that he didn’t like her, solely because she wasn’t white. From that day forward, she gave up on chasing boys and told her friends to butt out of her love life. She was not going to give her heart away so easily. She promised she would never go too deep until she was really sure.
Why does Donnie do this to me? She’d asked herself while she tried to sleep. He has got to have a flaw that would turn me off. No one is this good to me. They all show their true colors soon enough.
Things weren’t that much better when she got up and went to her office. The workday ended up going by rather slowly. As she’d suspected, Pam had left her a lot of things to file and type in. If Donnie was even here, she had no idea. Both Vijay and Leila had stopped by with some work for her, but they didn’t mention anything about Donnie. She thought about asking, but decided not to. He was on her mind often enough, and she still had a job to do. She had gotten much better at data input, and could get a lot more done in an hour. Despite all this, it was still a boring job. She wished that she had access to the lab so she could see what went on in there. The only time she was allowed in was to get and give out work. She couldn’t spend too long watching them run their experiments or listen in on their conversations.
The worst part about today was not seeing Donnie at all. She wouldn’t tell him of her plans, but she was anxious to catch a glimpse of his beautiful self. She wanted to see his ruffled dark hair or his freckles or anything of his right now. It was getting more and more strange. She told herself countless times that she didn’t have feelings for him. He had never showed feelings towards her, so it made no sense for her to care so much for him. She tried her hardest to forget him, but it was impossible. Every now and then, she would look up in hopes that he’d walk by, but he never came around.
In the middle of the afternoon, she heard him talking and decided that now was the good time to tell him her decision. He sounded a little disappointed, but his voice still made her feel warm inside. She was confident in her decision. Just as soon as she rounded the corner, Donnie was gone. Vijay and Leila were now talking to each other. Sighing, she approached them with her hands in her pockets. They both stopped as soon as she came up.
“Hey, was that Dr. Vaughn there?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, he wanted to know the latest test results of our current experiment,” Leila said. “Things seem to be going well, but not as fast he wants. That’s why he sounded so upset. He wants us to change the temperature and add a few things. We told him we would do that, but I don’t think that made him happier.”
“Is that why he’s depressed? He isn’t satisfied with the results?”
“We think so, but he seems to be distracted by something else,” Vijay added. “I’ve never seen him this gloomy before. I mean, he’s had his bad days, but he’s never looked like this. It’s like he’s not even there. His body is here, and he’s talking, but his life has been drained out. His brain is also working, but you can tell he has no enthusiasm.”
“Really?” Olivia began to feel awful. She wondered if he was depressed over the experiment, or something else. “Did something happen today that might have depressed him? It can’t just be the experiment.”
“No idea. We were hoping you would know. You two have been spending some time together,” Leila said. Olivia did her best to stay calm. Of course everyone else would be paying attention to them; Vijay and Leila had to interact with Donnie on a regular basis. They probably saw and heard things in the building.
“Truth be told, I didn’t know he was depressed. He seemed okay the last time we spoke.” Olivia shrugged. “I think I’ll stop by his office during my break and talk to him.”
“Yeah, you should do that,” Vijay agreed. “Tell him that we’ve made the changes, and will keep all results up to date.”
They left her alone, and the rest of the workday continued to drag on. She waited until three to go down to Donnie’s office and have a quick chat with him. To her delight, he was there, but she saw exactly what Vijay and Leila were talking about. Donnie did look dead inside. He was staring down at a pile of papers and writing on them, but it didn’t look like he cared about anything. His eyes had lost their spark. and he barely seemed to notice anything around him. She wondered if he had gotten any sleep because of how much he was yawning. He stretched out on his desk while she knocked on the door.
“Donnie? Are you busy?”
“Not really.” The depression was evident in his voice as well. “What’s up?”
“I, um—” Olivia tried to think of a good way to bring this up. “I wanted to see if you were—” Donnie looked up, and she started over again. “Are you sure you’re not busy? I can come back later when you’re free.”
“It’s break time now anyway, Olivia. I can put my work away for a while.” He said, turning towards her. It was painful to look at him. Something must have happened to him, because this was not the Donnie that she knew. His enthusiasm had been zapped dry. There was no way she could tell him about her decision now. He would be even more upset that she’d made it without him.
“I just—would you—” Olivia struggled to get the words out. “Do you have any free time after work tonight, by any chance?”
His expression changed, and she saw a bit of the old Donnie again. “I’m working late tonight, but I can do something tomorrow. I’m taking off early then.”
“That’s great! I was wondering if we could meet up at Ms. Howard’s house. There’s something I have to tell you.”
“Why can’t you tell me now?”
“Because it’s—” Olivia bit her bottom lip. “It’s a secret.”
Donnie chuckled. “Okay, you can keep your secret for now. I can meet up there tomorrow. Let’s say around four? Make sure Madeline is there, though. I know she and her friends do like to play Gin Rummy during that time.”
It felt good to see him smile. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Take care, Olivia.” He gave her another smile, and she felt like melting. She had no idea why she never noticed how sweet that smile was before. The edges of his mouth would curl up, and the corners of his eyes would crinkle warmly. It was certainly a nice change from the gloomy Donnie that she had seen earlier. She decided she would tell him her decision tomorrow. As long as Ms. Howard knew, that was good enough.
As soon as work let out, she raced over to Ms. Howard’s house. Just because Donnie couldn’t go didn’t mean that she couldn’t get a head start on this. Her parents would not be home now, so they had enough time to talk. She could only hope that Donnie didn’t change his mind and come over at the last minute. She saw a few cars already parked in the driveway, but none of them were his. Sighing, she got out and was greeted by Ms. Howard. She said hi to Alice and Gemma, who were playing a round of Go Fish. Alice seemed to be winning, judging by how smug she was, and Gemma sat grumbling under her breath. They
both stopped playing when they saw Olivia come in.
“Hello, dear. I see you’re here in time to witness me wiping the floor clean with Gemma.” Alice said as she laid her last card down. “I win!”
“One of these days,” Gemma muttered. “I will get you one of these days, Alice.”
“Learn to play Go Fish, and maybe you will.” Alice joked, looking at Olivia. “So, how have you been?”
“Exhausted. Work is starting to pile up,” Olivia admitted. “I’m finally used to everything, though. I know how this place works. Anyway, I’m glad you’re all here. I really need someone to talk to.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait for Donovan?” Ms. Howard asked. “That boy gets so caught up in his work sometimes. I often wonder how he manages to stay organized.”
“No, I think Donnie might be busy. He looked like he had a lot to do when I saw him today. Besides, he told me he wanted to meet up tomorrow, when he was free.” Olivia said. “I know three days haven’t passed yet, but I think my mind is made up. I want to go to another world.”
There was some silence, so she repeated herself. “I know it’s sudden and I should be wiser about this, but I want to do it. I want some answers.”
“Well, that was quick,” Gemma said. “Most people usually laugh at us when we tell them about our travels. That’s provided we can get them to sit long enough so they listen to us. Are you absolutely certain this is what you want, my dear?”
“Yes, if only to get an answer about what’s behind my dreams. I am being haunted every night by this place. I can’t remember the last time I had refreshing sleep from beginning to end.”
“I saw a lot more in my dream this time,” Olivia began. “I found out that this world is completely covered in snow and ice. It is run by someone called the Frost Queen, and I guess her moods are what control the weather. Anytime she’s calm, the whole world is calm. When she’s panicking or angry, the weather gets worse.”
“Very interesting,” Ms. Howard said. “I’ve heard about the Frost Queen as well. She’s a mysterious figure. I never saw her in my life, but I know she exists. I know she’s not a malevolent person, but she can be temperamental.”
“Yeah, I heard that, too. Anyway, not only did I find all of that out, I also ran into someone who told me about the world. His name was Jei.” Upon hearing that, she saw Alice’s face change from curiosity directly to animosity. “Is something wrong?”
“Jei. That’s a name I haven’t heard in years,” Alice muttered. “The last time we connected was the day he left me at the altar.”
“Oh.” Olivia felt terrible. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. He and I would never have worked out in the end. He came up with some bullshit excuse that he had places to go, things to see, and a life to live, so he couldn’t tie himself down. Then on the day of the wedding, he never showed up. Personally, I think he was just terrified of me. He left here to move from world to world, and I haven’t heard from him since. Not until now, anyway.”
“He seemed nice enough, and he told me about the Frostland,” Olivia went on. “He said I needed coins to get through it, or else I’d be screwed.”
“He’s right. The Frostland has many stores and businesses that require coins if you want to buy things from them,” Gemma said. “Not only that, you can use those coins to get anything you need to get through the storms. You can use them to buy horses, vehicles, clothing, tents, and anything else that can help you survive out there.”
“He gave me about a hundred of them in the dream, but I don’t have them here.”
“Of course you won’t have them here. Those coins will do no good in this world. You will get them back once you go to the Frostland with us. You have to keep your eyes on your money at all times. Thieves do lurk in other worlds, too.”
“He warned me of that as well,” Olivia said. “Anyway, he mentioned that the Hearts Under Ice were gems hidden in the Frost Queen’s castle, and they apparently make that world go round. I’m just curious why you guys want us to get those.”
“We don’t want you to get those. Someone else left you that note.” Ms. Howard corrected her. “Your job is to find out who did it, and why. It’s obvious that you can’t get those Hearts Under Ice without disrupting the current world. You have to trust yourself. Why would someone ask you for them? Why did they give you, of all people, this responsibility?”
“I’ve been asking myself that question all of this time,” Olivia confessed. “I ask myself every time I go to sleep—am I going to end up somewhere else tonight? Will I actually speak to someone, and will they tell me why I’m here? You don’t know how many questions are on my mind. I’m surprised I’m even able to get out of bed and go to work anymore. I don’t know how I get through everything, but I do.”
“Oh, dear.” Alice sighed. “You are an extraordinary young lady. You just have no idea about it yet. If Jei told you about this world, then clearly he sees something in you. Back when we were dating, he refused to talk to anyone unless they were special. You must be special.”
“Yeah, but what does he see in me? He told me where I needed to go if I wanted to find the Frost Queen’s castle. He said it would be different from all the others.”
“He’s right. That castle stands out in a way that none of the others do. However, no one can find the difference. The Frost Queen made so many replicas so she could protect herself and her possessions. You think you’re the only one who knows about the Hearts Under Ice? Thieves from all over have tried to steal them. No one has succeeded. Those who survived never dared to venture down that path again.”
“Wait, people don’t always survive?” she asked naively.
“You’re talking about a world where there is eternal winter, dear. Do you honestly expect to survive that long without much help?” Gemma asked. “Of course, the Frost Queen will be heavily guarded. Her castle is not one that you can walk up to and just knock on the door. She does not see people without them having a good reason to see her.”
“So how am I supposed to do this? I still cannot see why someone would ask me for help. Why not Donnie? Why not the person who had the car next to mine? They would all probably do a better job than I could!”
“I think you have something within yourself that you don’t know about yet,” Ms. Howard reasoned. “You’re scared, and for good reason. However, you were given that message because the person who delivered it trusted you. I can tell you that it wasn’t from us. We can help you get to the world while you’re awake, but we don’t bring messages back like that.”
“Will you be there with me in that world?” she asked. “I don’t know if I can go through it by myself. Donnie said he’d come along, but I don’t know how to take him.”
“You don’t need to worry about that part, dearie. We can take anyone into another world,” Alice chimed in. “The question we have is, are you are ready to go in one two day? Understand that it won’t take just a few hours. While time moves faster in other worlds, it will affect you. It will also affect everything that happens to you. You must be very careful when traveling from world to world. We will be there to guide you, but this is ultimately something that you must do on your own.”
“Great,” Olivia gulped. “Please don’t tell Donnie that I came to see you again. He has no idea that I’ve already made up my mind.”
“Oh, Donovan. You didn’t tell him about your decision yet?” Ms. Howard asked.
“I tried to, but he was so out of it today. He seems so lonely, though. Does he do anything for fun, or hang out with anyone? He never mentioned that.”
“Poor thing has been alone almost his entire life. After his parents perished in that accident, he never really connected with anyone. Whatever fun he has is usually on his on, in his lab. He’s not the social butterfly that you were probably hoping to find. Rest assured though, he is a very good man. He is very bright, and he will make you happy.”
Olivia blinked. “What do you mean
by that? I’m not interested in Donnie in that way.”
“I knew it!” Gemma threw her hands up in the air. “It’s denial! She’s already in the stages of denial! First, she says that she doesn’t feel anything for him. Then, she’ll say that she isn’t interested, when she clearly is!”
“No, I’m not! Why are you so concerned with my relationships, anyway?” Olivia shook her head. “We have much more important things to worry about here. Donnie and I have nothing going on, and that’s that.”
“I know, dear.” Ms. Howard glared at her friends. “Please, we’re trying to keep the girl on our side. She has an important message, and we need to figure out why someone from the frost world would send it to her. Now Olivia, you have to be brave. I need you to come in two days, and you need to be ready. You need to be willing to accept the impossible. You must be alert, and you must not cave in to any temptations.”
“Oh, I’ve been warned about that, too.” She nodded. “I’m not planning to talk to anyone unless I need to buy something. I just want to get this over with.”
“Patience, Olivia,” Gemma said. “This is a delicate matter. Are you sure you do not want to wait for Donovan to decide?”
