*3ºperson POV*
Katherine had just received a call from Olivia, ordering her to come to her office. Immediately. Miss Mellows had no idea what matter could possibly be important enough for her instructor to demand her presence in such a demanding manner. Despite her thoughts, she quickly did as she said, tidied up her workstation, and headed hurriedly to the woman's office, heart beating fast and mind spiraling.
"Hello Katherine, I know you're busy so I'll keep this brief. Bianca came here a moment ago to tell me she wanted to work on neurology and do research on dreams. She told me her decision was highly influenced by some advice you gave her… What were you thinking exactly?"-Olivia declared as soon as Kat closed the door behind her, that sudden accusation took her off guard completely.
"I… Honestly, I just gave her advice as a friend, I didn´t tell her what to choose and I didn´t even know she had already made her decision. I simply told her to follow her heart and her gut. I'm sorry…"-Kat said shyly, completely out of her element. Her usual bright tone was lackluster.
"You don't have to apologize, Katherine. I believe you. However, I'll talk to Victor about it and leave him to decide if it's a good idea for her to explore that world. Speaking of, have you made any progress on it?"-Miss Jacques' expression softened at Katherine's vulnerable state.
"I'm afraid not, it's all still very subjective and unexplored. But I'll keep digging, Liv."-She promised, relief filling her stomach, and determination bottling again as she left and went back to work.
Olivia was now hesitantly standing outside Victor's office, again. She hated this, now regular, situation. With a final exhale of bravery, she stepped in.
Atlas was on the glass balcony behind his desk, observing the extensive views he had of the running field. He was so focused he didn't sense Olivia's presence until she was standing beside him.
"Mr. Atlas, I have to inform you that Bianca has decided to study neurology and specialize in dreams. Miss Mellows and Bianca herself have assured me she's doing this because she wants to follow her gut and find out what she's hiding inside. Although I wouldn´t allow her to explore it by herself, I am leaving this matter for you to decide. Tomorrow's meeting might be a good chance to talk to her about it."-Olivia robotically stated, painfully not letting emotions show.
"How long are you gonna stay mad at me, Miss Jacques?"-Victor asked, Olivia looked at him and distant memories came floating back.
She had just been transferred to Atlas, and her interview with Victor's father, who was the superior back then, had gone perfectly. It was expected: a well-trained, intelligent girl like her was the ideal fit for this organization. To clear her mind after an exhausting initiation day, she went to the running field and started running some laps, it was her favorite way of clearing her busy mind. However, a guy she thought she would never see again made her stop short. Those green eyes and that cheeky smile were unforgettable.
"Hey Bunny, how long are you gonna stay mad at me?"
That memory that she thought had been buried in the depths of her heart went up to the surface so easily, so inevitably, that she didn´t know what to do with herself. She felt like she couldn´t suppress her feelings anymore, she couldn´t control her emotions like she had been able to for almost 10 years now. All progress felt undone.
"I…I'm not mad at you Victor, I could never be mad at you. Not even if I wanted to."-She confessed, wearing her heart on her sleeve. It didn´t matter if she had lost her professionalism, nothing mattered.
"I know, Bunny. I know. I'll talk to her tomorrow, you're dismissed."-With that said, Olivia Jacques left the office, tears of frustration accumulating in her eyes.
She had tried so hard to move on, but Victor Atlas still had that same effect on her since the first time she ever saw him. He had always been the only thing she didn't have any control over, and that drove her crazy.
. . .
Aiden walks beside me, we are bordering the obstacle course and going through an ally I had never even seen before. I'm too nervous to speak. He would casually look at me from the corner of his eyes while taking a puff from his cigarette. Eventually, we reach a rusty garage door, oddly placed considering the modern building that stood above it. Aiden throws his cigarette bud away and proceeds to open the oxidated door, revealing a dark room. My brain is telling me to get the hell out of there. Strangely, my feet are guiding me inside, curiosity and gut instinct leading my body once more.
"Prepare to be fascinated, my darling."-The tall boy says proudly, he flicks a switch and big industrial lights illuminate the space. It's a lab, it looks abandoned or at least not used. There are closets filled with various materials, it seems like it was now some sort of storage room.
He goes all the way to the back of the large room, signaling me to follow him. When I go up to him, he briefly looks at me and points to a huge structure that was covered by a large red fabric.
"What's this?"-I anxiously ask. Aiden looks at me and smiles, grabbing my hand and facing me.
"It's hard to explain with words, you'll have to experience it yourself. I know this whole thing looks really sketchy but you have to trust me for this to work. I know that's hard as well since you've just met me. The only thing I can say for you to get to trust me is this: I also have that feeling, I also have visions, I also have weird dreams, and I also know there's something inside me wanting to get out. The only way that we can find out what's really going on is with this. My father has hidden it from me and from every one of our kind, that's why now I keep it hidden from him here."-He looks at me while those words fall passionately out of his mouth. How could he know I had visions and weird dreams? What did he mean by "our kind"?
My confused thoughts only increase as he uncovers the big structure. It looked like a portal, made of silver and gold embellishments, with intricate buttons and a big voluminous lever. Aiden lowers it and the machine starts creating a spiral of lavender smoke.
"Welcome to The Passage, Bianca."