Turns out Markus was just playing a prank on us no doubt to get closer to Olive. It would have been a cute display if Ms Heathers hadn't shown up to ask us to go back. She even had to point out that my English was faulty. We left soon after her awkward encounter with Olive and along the way I noticed Vee looked absentminded. I asked her about and she said she was fine. When I pointed out that she was walking rigidly she blamed it on her slit even though she had been freely walking earlier.
"I'm trying to keep my thigh from showing." she said and when I raised my brow at her she added,"This dress has a slit."
She raised her leg to show me or prove it to me and she had forgotten all about freckle boy. He started coughing and she pulled the dress back in shock. I obviously laughed at her and she glared.
"You should pay attention to your surroundings."Markus said and I said,
"It just means you mean nothing to her so she didn't even notice you."
"That's not the thing Mr Rogers," he said,"It means she is already comfortable enough around me."
Olive and I stopped walking while he continued. Smooth....I see where he is taking this. I stared a challenge at him and he stared back.
"Let's date." he said to Vee and I saw how shocked she was by it.
I walked towards Markus who was glaring daggers at me; who would believe we scream like girls every night? I shook his hand and we started smiling at each other. I congratulates him but when I looked at Vee my smile faltered because she had contorted her face in such a way that she looked like two different people on each side; one angry and the other confused. I walked towards her asking if she was alright but then she broke into a lightning sprint and Markus and I watched for a while. What just happened?
"Stop running Vee!" I screamed starting to run after her.
"Liv!" Markus screamed catching up to me.
We tried to run but damn was she fast! We slowed down when we reached the sign that Markus told me was meant for the sewing room. Sewing room? More like sewing manor or warehouse. It was huge and shorty was standing by the door like she was guarding it. I relaxed a little bit after seeing Olive stop running to talk to Elise. I couldn't see what was inside and just waited for Olive with Markus.
"What happens in there?" I asked trying to fill up the silence even though I was crazy worried about Olive.
"The punisher hands down punishment to the offenders and they can't come out until they finish.
"Is the punishment severe?"
"I don't know because I've never been there. I had four offences last year just before being chosen to be the head boy. They expire after three weeks of no offenses."
"I have three."
"What?! How?" he asked then looked in the direction of the sewing room,"Liv! Are you okay?"
I had already turned when he said her name. If she looked bad earlier then she looks horrible now. Then in the next moment she collapsed and was in Markus' arms and then on his back. We rushed her to the clinic as fast as we could. While running there it felt like I could lift Markus as well because he was a bit slow. When we got there, a boy named Sky who is apparently in the Red cross club attended to her.
"She has some self-inflicted cut marks on her, probably years old. Is she mentally ill or suicidal?" Sky said.
"No!" I shouted and pushed past him to enter Olive's room,"What....? Vee what are you doing?"
She was standing, eyes shut, in the corner closest to the bed with a glass of water in her left hand and a screw in the other. Her forearms did have cuts but these were fresh. Markus who had also come in gasped at the sight that he beheld and he quickly run to take the screw away from her. I was too scared to move forward as she fought back against Markus. She took it from him and nearly slit his wrist when he tried to take it again.
"Snap out of it Oliver!" Markus screamed and Sky run past me to help Markus but somehow she overpowered them both and put the screw in her mouth.
I finally had the strength to move and I pinned her to the bed, spilling the water she had and breaking the glass. I stuffed my index finger and thumb in her mouth as she convulsed beneath me. My eyes became moist with tears and my vision became blurry but I managed to take out the screw. She started crying and so did I. I don't know what happened after that and the next thing I know I was sitting on a chair outside the clinic, traumatized.
"You okay?" Markus asked with a shaky voice.
"Are you?" I asked back and my voice sounded like I had been singing for hours nonstop.
"No. You and Liv just went full freak on me and Sky and you think I'll be okay?!"
"Freak?" I asked and he looked shocked.
"Yes. After crying together you started screaming and almost killed me."
"What?!"
"You seriously don't remember?"
Almost killed him? He must be joking, right? A loud thumping of footsteps of a person coming out of the clinic could be heard and I got up ready to stop Olive if it was her and Markus did the same. It was Sky, panicking and breathless.
"Guys! You need to see this."
He run back in and I looked at Markus to make sure I wasn't imagining things. He was the first one to go in and I quickly followed. We went to Olives room and found Sky standing by the bed looking down at Vee who was fast asleep. I walked closer with Markus in front of me and we all witnessed Olive's cut marks disappear and she even became plumpish again. The dark circles that had been under her eyes disappeared too.
What is going on here?! If Vee and I don't leave soon, I fear we won't exit this place as living beings.
"What are you all watching?" I heard shorty ask and I snapped my head to look at her. She looked so worried that I was speechless. Her long black hair was a little disheveled like she had just survived a stampede.
"I can stay her with her. You also need to rest."
I can tell she meant the last part for me more than anyone else. Rest....? In that room, on that floor? I'd be better off sleeping here.
"Are you sure?" Markus asked,"You looked terrible."
"Bad hair day I guess." she said shrugging her shoulders.
Our eyes locked for the briefest moment and it felt like she had given back a piece of me I had not been aware was missing; my courage.
"Sleep tight shorty." I said and she smiled a little bit.
"Will Sr Drevin take overnight?" Sky asked and she nodded.
I glanced at Vee one last time and walked over to give her a kiss on the forehead.
"Goodnight Vee."
"N...night...Ollie..." she whispered back and l looked at the others to check if I was the only one who heard her speak.
"Did you guys hear that?!" I whisper screamed and they nodded.
I looked at Vee and smiled down at her and I ended up planting another kiss on her forehead before leaving. The sky was darkening already. Elise walked us out of the clinic and I asked Markus to let me speak to her in private. I led her to the back where no one would see us and waited a little bit to make sure Markus had really left.
"What do you....?"
She didn't get to finish the question as I I had planted my lips on hers. Her eyes were wide open and so we're mine. I used my right hand to pull her closer to me by the waist and used my left hand to cover her eyes. When I heard her sigh into the kiss I also closed my eyes and we were like that for a few more seconds. I was the one to break the kiss and when I was about to uncover her eyes she stopped me.
"D... Don't. If you have something to say just say it like this."
"Thank you for taking care of Olive and I. And...." I think I like you.
I couldn't say it and I saw how she was waiting to hear what else I had to say.
"Take care of yourself, shorty. That's it."
"Goodnight." she whispered shyly and then she run away after pushing me away. Her hair fluttered behind her and she nearly fell while taking a turn. The clinic was so close to the forest and I believe I saw someone hide behind a tree. I guess that'll mean an offence for both Elise and I. Oh well.....it was a lovely kiss and I won't forget it.