As Oliver sat there, waiting impatiently for his parents, a bald man in a black suit came and sat down beside him, where he sat sobbing silently.
"Don't worry," he said with a look of concern, "It's gonna be alright."
Moments later, a doctor approached him with a dumb message, not knowing that he was too smart for his age, enough to understand the situation at hand. He knew it already. His father was dead.
Oliver was led now, to see his already revived mother. The door was opened for him, and he was left alone with his mother in the hospital room.
He gasped out in shock when he saw his mother. Her face was covered with bruises. Her left eye was patched up with plaster.
"Mum," he muttered, in haste to embrace her, But turning towards him, his mother said with a deep rasp voice;
"What have you done?"
Oliver was left puzzled by this question from his mother.
"You're a monster!!" she told him.
Oliver was left in shock by what he had just heard. The statement kept on echoing in his head. This was the most heartbreaking comment that has ever been made to him. His very own mother said such a painful word as that to him. Yes, it was really painful, he was just twelve.
On hearing this, he returned a dreadful look at his mother. Suddenly, the light bulbs began to blink in an unsteady manner. His mother became so terrified. She could feel nothing but blind terror. Something spooky was happening now.
"What are you doing?"She muttered, with raw panic in her voice.
The zigzag line on the electrocardiogram screen gradually transformed into an irregular pattern, and she started shuddering and convulsing aggressively.
Oliver strung up instantly, looking puzzled as a result of the situation at hand. He rushed out of the ward immediately and called out for help.
"Something's happening to my Mum, someone help!" he shouted in the corridor.
He spotted a nurse through the transparent glass door of another room. He raced quickly towards the door to get her attention.
Oliver's heart began to pound harder and harder than it did when he was in the transfigured car. His heartbeat changed in rhythm, faster and faster, like a parading beating drum. The manner in which he stormed into the room, and the brisk behavior that he exhibited, displayed a sense of urgency that drew the attention of the nurse.
"What is the matter?" she asked, "You shouldn't be in here you know".
"Please you have to come with me," he begged, "I don't want my Mum to die".
On hearing this, the nurse suspected that there was trouble. She left the files that she was arranging and followed the young lad. She rushed into the room at once, to see what the problem was.
When she saw Oliver's mother and the way she convulsed, she froze in confusion for a moment.
"What happened to the alarm?" she muttered.
She began to try all she could to stop the convulsion, but nothing seemed to be working. Instead, Oliver's mother more vigorously and violently. She raced out and came back in after a short while along with a doctor and a few other nurses.
"What happened?" asked the doctor abruptly.
"I can't tell doctor, it just came suddenly. And I think something's wrong with the alarm," answered the initial nurse.
They were so busy that they didn't notice Oliver's presence. He didn't understand what was going on, so he couldn't help but study their faces, which had confusion written on them.
"She's hardly breathing," said the doctor."Induce artificial respiration," he ordered the nurse.
They induced artificial respiration, but the situation got even worse. The doctor was trying all he could to save her life. His coat was even soaked in sweat due to the tension. This was really beyond ordinary. He glanced at the electrocardiogram device and saw that the line was gradually transforming. It changed from an irregular zig-zag to a straight horizontal line. There was nothing else he could do at the moment. Oliver's mother ceased to move.
Her heart had stopped, she had given up.
"Bull shit," mumbled the doctor in disappointment. He hadn't witnessed such in his entire career. Someone completely fine the first moment suddenly dies the next.
Later that day, Oliver was taken on another long journey to a Catholic Orphanage in South Dakota. A sister helped him carry his duffle bag and led him all the way up the stairs to show him to his hostel. There, Oliver met his roommate, a blonde-haired boy about his age, with a deep Russian accent named Max Robert.
Max behaved so friendly to Oliver, giving him a warm welcome, and even offered to show him around and introduce him to some of their classmates. Oliver was so surprised at the behavior of this boy towards him. Unlike in his former school, this was actually the first time someone actually acted nice to him and took him as a normal person. He decided to remain alone the rest of the day, it was a long ride, and he had seen hell.
Oliver woke up the next day to the loud sound of the rising bell. He felt exhausted, the aftermath of her sleepwalk during the night, so he decided to stay a little longer on the bed.
Oliver heard his roommate come out of bed, still, he felt weak to get up, she just remained in bed, hoping that night would come back.
Max opened the shutters of the window, and a beam of light settled on Oliver's face. Right now he couldn't help but get up from bed.
"Good morning Oliver, how was your first night?" greeted his roommate, grinning from ear to ear.
"Unfamiliar," answered Oliver.
"That's how it always is," said Max.
"Come quick Oliver, we have to say our prayers," said Max, kneeling before his bed.
Oliver stared at the boy, looking puzzled. Prayers weren't a thing in his family, especially the ones said with that necklace that Max had around his hand.
"Sorry, praying is not my kind of stuff," he said, "I don't know how to."
"Come join me then, I'll teach you," offered Max, convincing him.
Oliver finally came to where Mac knelt down before his bed and joined him.
"Now repeat what I say after," said Max.
"Dear Lord," he said
"Dear Lord," came the smooth voice of Oliver in response.
"We thank you for this wonderful new day".
"Thank you for this wonderful new day," repeatedly Oliver.
"And we thank you for making it so beautiful," said Max.
"And we thank you for making it beautiful," said Oliver.
"Forgive us our sins, and provide our needs, Amen," prayed Max.
"Amen," muttered Oliver.
"See, it's that easy," said Max, beaming with a smile.
"Next, you take your bath and get dressed, then you go downstairs to the large dining hall for breakfast," announced Max.
Oliver quickly undressed and put on his bathrobe. He stared at Max, puzzled about what next to do.
"Bathroom's that door," said Max, pointing at the door opposite Oliver's bed.
Oliver went inside the bathroom. There was a bathtub and a shower tap which were located high above the wall. He took off his bathrobe, completely bare now. After a long stare at his skinny figure in the mirror, he switched on the tap, and sprinkles of chill cold water surged out through the sprouts of the shower tap, dampening his long black hair and face.
"Oh, my hair," he muttered, he had forgotten to cover it.
Oliver was so cautious about his hair. He quickly grabbed a shower hat that hung on a bar and put it on. He saw that there was a button for warm water, so he turned it on, and the temperature of the water changed instantly. It was perfect.
He took his bath peacefully, applying the contents of the liquid soap to the surface of his skin.
After a long shower, he came out of the bathroom wearing his robe. Max was already set to take his bath. He was wearing a blue bathrobe.
As Oliver was putting on his clothes, something about him caught Max's attention. It was a symbol of a star, inscribed on his right chest.
"What is that?" he asked thoughtfully, pointing at the symbol.
On hearing this, Oliver quickly covered himself with a towel.
"It's nothing," he said shortly. "Birthmark."
After Max was done bathing and dressing, he and Oliver went downstairs to the hall to have their breakfast. The hall was crowded with kids of different ages, boys and girls. Max took his food on a stainless tray and went to join a large table, surrounded by many children, chatting and laughing out loud. They all seemed to be happy.
Oliver turned round and went his way to an empty table by the corner of the hall. Placing the tray of food on the table, he stared at the meal. He lost his appetite at once.
Max looked around him, but couldn't find Oliver. He became worried, and he stood up from his seat, to search. He later spotted Oliver where he sat at the abandoned table, by the corner of the hall.
"Hay Oliver, buddy!" he called out to him, waving his arm.
"I reserved a seat over here".
Oliver sighed.
Oliver reluctantly picked up his tray and went to sit at the crowded table. He preferred to stay alone, but he had no other choice. When he got there, he didn't utter a word to anyone. He just sat there, sipping on her cup of fruit drink momentarily.
"Hay new kid, what's the name?" asked a chunky huge boy that sat opposite him.
"Oliver Logan," he answered, with his face fixed on his meal.
"Mine is Drake Parker, but you can call me Sparky," he said.
"Sparky! Sparky! Sparky!..." cheered the other kids in absolute unison.
"Alright, enough of that," he said, ordering them to stop.
Oliver stole a glimpse at the huge boy. He was wearing a gold chain necklace around his neck and rings on his fingers. He wore mascara on his eyes, making him look like a gangster. He looked to Oliver, like someone who would be a problem to him in this new school.
"So what brought you here? Lost your parents?" he asked.
"Clearly, what other reason could it be if not that?" said Oliver, trying not to show intimidation.
"So bad then. But that got me thinking… how did it happen, how did they die?" asked Drake, rather bluntly.
Oliver was mouth opened in disgust and disbelief. Why would he ask such a question? he said in his mind.
He was really struggling to keep his emotions in check, to avoid...