Soon enough, they strolled through the clothes store with a variety of clothes swimming kits etc. With the boys scouring through the next floor for clothes, Olivia was left to find a dress that would impress Carl. While Olivia was on her own mission, the girl with auburn wavy hair and hazel eyes came to her.
"Nice choice, but we don't need party dresses." Tara Hazel Flaming said looking at the dress on Olivia's hand.
"Oh! As they always trouble us let's make them break the bank" Olivia replied with a mischievous smile.
"After a long time. Right?" Tara asked with a smiley face.
"Yeah, did you enjoy doing more and more brain surgeries?" Olivia asked making Tara smile again. They were friends at the time when Olivia learned about the medical sector, before her father's death, which caused problems between Elsa and Olivia, as a result, Olivia left the medical sector with uncompleted surgeon training to join the hydrology sector.
"Yeah, I loved it. Remember you did one brain surgery too. You were always on the top." Tara replied.
"Which is why I had no friends only you at the time," Olivia replied looking at the dress.
"Yeah! It was good times, before your dad's death." Tara said lost in memory.
"Are you still blaming your mom for not crossing the medical restrictions to save his life? I meant it's not fair" Tara asked in a soft voice staring at Olivia's face trying to find a clue.
"Well for some far, I meant she was a chancellor, if she really wanted, she had ways to find those medicines to save him, but what I'm angry about the most is the way she abandoned me," Olivia replied calmly as it was the easiest question ever but Tara knew it was the most hurting question ever for Olivia. She regretted asking it.
"I don't understand Liv, she is good to me. Always helped me. She worries about you." Tara replied looking at a dress.
"Interesting" Olivia said in a not caring tone. Tara was to ask something more but the other girl from the Astro sector came to them.
"Hey, spacewalker! I believe I know you," exclaimed Tara, her gaze fixed on the tall girl with beautiful curly dark hair that cascaded down to the floor. The girl's round, dark eyes turned to Tara and Olivia who were already looking at her.
"Oh don't tell me you hate me because Marcus is your boyfriend. I don't know why he is so mean to me." The girl replied in a begging voice making Tara smile again.
"He's jealous I guess" Tara whispered in a funny tone leaning forward.
"Are you talking about that boy with brown eyes? Your boy next door who chose Astro sector because you refused to be his girlfriend?" Olivia asked running through old memories.
"Yeah, yeah, He is," Tara said laughing.
"Oh is he in our team? Good for you but he hates me, remember? Thanks to my mom he thinks I'm responsible for his parents' deaths." Olivia said and Tara looked at her in a funny mode.
"Nothing good for me. He's not my boyfriend. We were friends long ago. I haven't met him for years." Tara said and Olivia nodded in disagreement smiling.
"OK. I believe you." Olivia teased and looked at the other girl making Tara blush.
"Curie, isn't it?" Olivia asked and the girl agreed.
"Yeah, "I'm Curie Clark. What do you know about the girl ahead of us, Melvin Snow?" Curie whispered looking at the girl standing a few rows next to them.
"I think I know a bit about her. She is the youngest student in the chemical sector. She has double majors but hasn't finished her final year yet in the communication sector. She was 11 when she joined. Also, she has the special attention of Chancellor Johnson and Madam Evens as she is so talented in both sectors. Also, she has a good connection with Chancellor Bostic. She has a brother who is a highly talented and famous figure in the security sector. He is also Chancellor Bostic's adopted son. Do you remember that tall boy? Sir Bostic was very concerned about him joining the team. Well, he is the youngest student in the security sector in 50 years. Military training is known to be extremely rigorous, with harsh punishments and strict rules. However, this boy was at the top of his class. He is now one of Chancellor Bostic's two main private guards with a high ranking. Also a trainee* with a silver honour medal" Tara finished her low voice talking looking at the girl called Melvin.
"Thanks walking Wikipedia." Olivia joked and Tara looked getting ready to tease Olivia but Curie disturbed them.
"I tried to talk to her but she's not friendly. I've met her before while I was studying in the mechanical sector. She said She loves black colour because his brother's favourite colour is blue. Nonsense. I don't understand the way her mind works. Look like she hates him."
"Did you hear? Kalvin's favourite colour is blue as well. He might like to see you in that dress. He's so hot. " Tara joked looking at the blue dress on Olivia's hand but it made Olivia feel uncomfortable.
"I don't care. He's big-headed. We are wasting time. Come on. We have a lot to do within a day." Olivia said moving forward.
After the lunch break, they were ordered to go to one of the swimming fools in the hydrology sector. Madam Penny Browns and Sir Bostic came there with a male teacher and a female teacher.
"So are you ready? We need to make sure you all can swim and dive as basics because we are talking about a mission that takes place in water. So let's get into work, no more talks." Chancellor Bostic said with a smiley face.
"OK, girls and boys on two sides as we need your full focus on this" Madam Browns said looking at Carl and Olivia in a funny voice. She knew them in person as they both were talented students in her sector.
"She said it to you" Olivia whispered to Carl teasing him as he walked away from her smiling.
"First, let's see who the fastest swimmer is as a start." Madam Browns said looking around.
"That's Olivia I bet," Carl said teasing Olivia making Tara and Curie smile.
"Let's see" Kalvin said in a challenging voice looking at Olivia. It wasn't a pleasant look. Looks like he has some reason to hate her. Another person who can hate Olivia for being the daughter of Elsa Blake!
"Everybody on the line. Ready? 1, 2, 3, GO!" the teacher gave the signal and everyone jumped into the water and started making their best effort to be the fastest swimmer in the team. Finally, it ended up making Olivia the best swimmer and leaving Kalvin in second place. Bell saw the upset look on Kalvin's face and helped him out of the pool. Kalvin looked at the winning look on Olivia's face and frowned not caring about the fact it was a friendly look in her eyes.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"Finally found someone to give you a competition." Bell Bostic teased helping Kalvin get out of the water and Kalvin looked at him in disagreement.
"That's Elsa's daughter," Kalvin said in an angry tone and Bell looked at him in wonder.
"I don't understand why you hate Elsa this much," Bell whispered and Kalvin turned to jump into the pool again but Sir Bostic stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.
"Kal" he whispered in a soft voice and Kalvin knew what he was about to say. He was expecting this. He turned around to see his teacher's face.
"I taught you for seven years. Took care of you like my own child. I know Melvin is too important to you so I don't blame you. You won't see me until the moment you leave for the expedition. Please reconsider what you chose. You and Maxwell are all I have. What would he feel to see you doing this? Although he wasn't your own brother he became a good brother to you. Wasn't he?" Bell begged. Kalvin had never seen Bell so upset and helpless like this. He saw the way the strongest man he ever knew turned into a fragile person to protect his loved ones. Kalvin gazed into the brown eyes he trusted the most but saw the fog of frustration shrouding them.
"Bell I'm sorry, I have to do this you know. Please don't look at me like that. I didn't mean to hurt you." Kalvin whispered and Bell turned around sighting and nodded. Kalvin knew the meaning of this action. Bell is hurt!
"I wish you luck," He said and started walking away. Kalvin opened his mouth to do his best apology but the words didn't come out. So he just bit his own lip and jumped into the pool again, getting angry with himself. But what can he do? On one hand, it's his only sister with his mother's promise on the other hand it's Bell and Maxwell (Bell's other adopted son.)He is torn!
It wasn't hard training for Olivia at all as she was a great swimmer as well as the best diver in her sector. During the training, they had enough time to get to know each other. She found out the nerd boy with blond hair and blue eyes who didn't like to talk with people much was from the Mechanical sector. As she observed Tara talking to a brown-haired boy called Marcus, Olivia felt a sense of exclusion. It seemed like he was ignoring her presence entirely. And to make matters worse, she sensed that Kalvin wasn't pleased with her participation as well as Melvin. But amidst all this, Carl was always around, making her feel included. They were informed that there would be two nurses one mechanical student and a soldier from the security sector few common workers have volunteered for this. The latest small high-tech ship, Diane-14 was currently in the process of preparation for the expedition. In the evening they were gathered in a room which was chosen for the expedition team, as they were already informed to be there at 4 p.m. They were waiting for one member of the Octagon Council to appear. Olivia looked around as Carl was busy in a talk with Marcus. She noticed the guy named Kalvin standing a few steps ahead, watching his sister who was engrossed in conversation with Brayan. Olivia realized him being a high-ranking soldier was no surprise as his strong personality was even shown in the way he stood. She went to him with the idea of getting to know him except the fact, he didn't seem to be impressed about her participation in the team.
"Looks like Melvin has found a new friend, Brayan Grant, he doesn't like to talk much just like your sister," Olivia said in a polite voice. Kalvin looked at her in an unaccepting mood.
"Yeah, she is and do you know why she is angry with you?" He asked in an angry tone and Olivia looked at him in wonder. What is he coming for?
"Because your lovely mother killed our father and she became an orphan at 10 years old. I had to do unforgivable things to protect her and she hates the things I did. Your mother is a murderer!" He finished his talk in a rough voice making Olivia uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry for your loss but my mom is not a murder, she had to sentence people to death as a chancellor but she never killed anyone by herself," Olivia explained in a calm but confident voice looking at the burning eyes of Kalvin.
"Hah! It seems like there are secrets between you and mom but that's not my problem. She shot him and she wanted to kill me and my little sister too. I have nothing to talk about with you and I'll be so glad to see you leaving this team or to see you dead. What would your mom feel to see you dead?" He said in a very rough manner almost barking mad. Is it a warning sign? Did he just thread Olivia? Everyone in the room looked at them as they heard him yelling. Olivia seemed to be frozen by the bitter truth she heard. Carl went to her immediately and grabbed her hand.
"Liv" he whispered softly but she didn't react. The door of the room was opened and Elsa Blake entered the room with Kane Johnson making the situation even worse.
"You murdered a person!" Olivia went to Elsa screaming at the top of her lungs as soon as she saw Elsa. Elsa was surprised by the fact she said than the scream.
"Oh, sweetheart you are mistaken" Elsa's voice started to crack as she tried to find something to convince Olivia she was innocent.
"You killed a man! You shot a man! You tried to kill children too! You're a murderer!" Olivia yelled again almost crying. Her rosy cheeks were turning red from anger and two big tear drops started making their way down from her eye corner to cheeks. Elsa was surprised and hurt. She inhaled heavily as she tried to calm down her mind and looked straight into Olivia's eyes.
"I can explain to you but who told you?" Elsa whispered as calm as possible but it wasn't enough to calm down her daughter.
"Does it even matter? You are a murderer! You hid things from me just like you always do. You don't love me. You never cared for farther." She was screaming and crying. Elsa couldn't hold back her emotions anymore. She grabbed her daughter's hand as she tried to explain but Olivia pushed away her hand angrily.
"Go! Go! Go away! Like you always did. I don't want to listen to a confession of a murder! Go away!" Olivia cried out loud and Chancellor Kane Johnson grabbed Elsa's shoulder as Elsa opened her mouth to speak.
"It's better to leave Elsa," He said kindly. Elsa wiped her eyes accepting his advice and walked out with Chancellor Johnson, grabbing her own head. Eventually, Olivia was left with bitter truth and cold tears. Carl grabbed Olivia's hand again and made her sit down on the sofa. Then he leaned toward her and stared into her eyes.
"Liv, please tell me first what happened?" He asked in a soft voice trying to make Olivia feel loved like a father trying to make happy his crying baby.
"Carl she's a murder! She killed Melvin's and Kalvin's father!" Olivia hardly whispered sobbing.
O...Liv," Tara said, looking upset as she stood beside her. Carl turned to Kalvin looking for answers leaving Olivia to rely on Tara.
"What is the meaning of this?" He questioned Kalvin looking straight at him with an unpleasant look. His eyes were holding the message 'Who are you to hurt my princess'.
"I told her the truth!" Kalvin clearly said calmly ignoring Carl's mood.
"What truth?" Carl asked full of curiosity.
"The fact that her mother is a murder." The young guy with brown hair stood to help Kalvin. Carl looked at him curiously.
"What is your problem with Elsa?" he asked not in a pleasant voice.
"She sentenced my parents to death. For stealing medicines to cure me when I was 13." Marcus explained.
"Marcus! You know that's not fair to blame Olivia. Medicines are limited resources, no one can cross the restricted limits." Tara explained standing up to defend her old friend Olivia.
"So I should've been left to die? " Marcus asked leaving Tara speechless.
"I didn't mean such a thing! It's the rule. Everything happens for good." She eventually said and Marcus looked at her disappointed.
"It's disappointing to hear you wish my parents' death" He said turning away.
"I didn't say so. My parents were sentenced to death for trying to run away when I was 12! You know it! They wanted to be free of work, they broke the rule and paid the price. I begged them not to do it but they never listened. We are all struggling to survive." She explained and Marcus sat on the sofa exhaling heavily. All attention was on Tara, Marcus and crying Olivia, so nobody saw the way Melvin looked at Kalvin. If anyone saw it they could've dived more into the talk of Elsa being a murder but unfortunately, no one noticed it. Carl's thoughtful and caring nature was on full display as he sat down next to Olivia. Without a word, he gently invited her to rest her head on his chest, providing a comforting and reassuring presence. His actions spoke volumes, showing that he was there for her and willing to do whatever he could to make her feel at ease. He let her cry enough without saying a word. After she was relaxed then he raised his voice gently.
"Liv" He whispered softly kissing the top of her head. Olivia looked up at his eyes still relying on his chest.
"Letting you cry it out was the only way, sorry" Carl whispered squeezing her hand. Olivia nodded with watery eyes.
"Whatever your mom did, it doesn't change the fact she loves you. She has been through a lot. She made difficult decisions. So just forget what happened. Now one chancellor will appear through that door to educate us about Bermuda. Now tell me my brave girl won't cry in front of them." With a gentle whisper, he tenderly patted her head, offering comfort and solace. Olivia gazed up at him, tears streaming down her face, but with a calming gesture, she wiped them away and nodded in agreement. "Now smile, yeah that's my girl" Carl said smiling and kissed her lips softly which made Olivia smile too. So that's how the storm was passed. Why did Kalvin act so rude? Is he a bully? Was hurting others funny to him? Don't forget he's Melvin's brother.