Silverton's Journey

Chapter 8

Olivia woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for air. She jumped up as she felt her entire body burning with heat. Alice was peacefully sleeping beside her with her hand snaked around Olivia's body.

Olivia carefully removed Alice's hand and placed her feet on the cold ground. She slowly tiptoed out of the room and opened the front door. A gust of wind blew on her face.

The girl walked into the front yard and sat on the ground. Her hair flew over her face in the wind and she kept removing it. It sure is windy here.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the sky. Hundreds of stars glistened like diamonds studded on the velvet blue horizon. It was a beautiful sight that she could see every day of her life.

All of a sudden, Olivia felt the atmosphere getting colder. Olivia turned her head to the left to see the red-eyed man standing beside her.

The girl flinched at the sight of him. "Wh-why are you here?" she stuttered.

Leon smiled a little and said, "Don't you want to go back?"

Olivia said hurriedly, "Of course, not!"

Leon let out a sigh and looked at the sky, fascinated by the view. There was a short moment of silence.

Staring at the sky, Leon muttered, "I know you have already decided. You want to go back." Olivia was startled and quiet. She tilted her head and looked up at his eyes.

"How do you know?"

Looking away from her, Leon said, "I can say it by just hearing your voice. You were lying when you said you did not want to go."

The girl played with her fingers and inquired, "Sir, I had a question bothering me for a while."

"Go on."

"How did you know that I was here when you first came to take me?"

Leon's eyes slightly widened as he heard the question. He looked down at her and uttered with a chuckle, "I knew I would find you, even if you were a thousand miles away."

Olivia was astonished. Those were the very familiar words haunting her for years. A new wave of thoughts and questions flowed through her mind like a whirlwind.

Before she could ask him about those words, Leon laughed. "I was just joking."

"Then... you still haven't answered my question."

"I do not intend to."

Olivia frowned and strode back to the front door. Just before she could enter, she heard Leon's voice.

"How about tomorrow morning? I'll be waiting."

When she turned around to ask more, there was none.

***

It was morning. Olivia had not slept the entire night. Her body felt heavy and weak, but there was her fluttering heart that kept her awake.

She was somewhat excited.

Olivia got up from bed and looked at the window. The soft sunlight forced its way into the room. The girl wondered, How is he supposed to be out in this light?

Tiptoeing out of the room, she went to the place where she talked to Leon the previous night. It was early in the morning and there was no one on the road. It was slightly foggy and windy.

Olivia walked back into the house and found Alice standing in the middle of the corridor. Alice murmured while rubbing her eyes, "Where did you go, sis?"

Seeing her, Olivia felt blue. Olivia had to leave the girl behind. For a moment, she was stuck in thought. Should I really go? What will happen to Alice if I go?

Alice stepped closer to her and waved her hand. "Are you listening, sis?"

Olivia blinked a few times. Alice came to her and hugged her tight. "Sis, please don't go anywhere." It was as if Alice knew what had been in Olivia's mind.

Olivia slowly patted her head. "You know it's not safe for you to stay with me."

Alice sniffled angrily, "It's all because of that devil!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. He was here.

Olivia gently let go of Alice and walked towards the front door. Alice asked in a whisper, "Who's there?" Her slightly shaking voice revealed fear.

Listening to her voice, Olivia stopped. She whispered, "It must be him."

Alice rushed to the door and placed her hand on the knob. "Don't open it. Please."

"I'm sorry."

Alice stood behind Olivia as Olivia opened the door. She peeked at the tall black-clad man who had a faint smile on his lips. His hood was over his head, preventing the sunlight from touching his skin. But he still looked uncomfortable, even in the slightest warmth of the morning.

Olivia was silent as if she had lost all words seeing Leon. Her face looked paler than earlier.

The girl, on one hand, did not want to leave the family she had been living with for as long as she could remember. It was a heart-wrenching thought to leave them forever.

On the other hand, Olivia was somewhat curious to know about her past. She needed to know more about Nordlys and the vampires residing there.

"Are you not going to let me in?" asked Leon, smiling nervously.

Alice ran to her parents and woke them up.

Mr. and Mrs. Leroy came to Olivia and met Leon for the first time. They knew the time would come when Olivia would have to leave them. They knew that someday, Olivia would return to her home. And that time had come. They all had a small conversation in which Leon explained the matter to the couple. Alice was absent during their talk.

After talking to Mr. and Mrs. Leroy, Leon walked to Alice's room to see her sitting in a corner of the bed, looking out at the window. He knocked on the door to seek her attention.

The girl turned to him and glared at him with reddened eyes. She said with a shaking voice, "You are a devil. A very heinous one."

"Alice, I promise you will see her again."

Alice's face did not change; rather a drop of tear escaped her eye. She looked at him with disbelief for a moment, and finally said before turning away, "You can't buy her with a hundred coins."

Leon came out of the room and saw Olivia peeking inside the room. She was ready to go, dressed up in the black dress and black cloak. As Olivia stepped forward to go in, Leon stopped her by holding her forearm. "Alice is angry with you."

Olivia stood at the door and said to the girl, "Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

Without looking at her, Alice scoffed, "Go to hell with him."

Olivia came away and bade goodbye to her parents. Though Olivia had been feeling the excitement of going back to Nordlys, the farewell was rather melancholic.

When it was time to leave, Leon took a glass shard from his pocket and rubbed it. Black smoke-like substances gathered around it, creating a dark hole. Alice's parents were watching it with great interest. Leon held Olivia's hand tight and jumped into the dark portal with her.

As well as accepting the truth that Olivia belonged to Nordlys, she had accepted the fact that she was Ophelia Silverton.