Pretences (Watty Awards 2012)

Chapter Six

    Olivia knew that Dallas had saw her. This could be bad. Very bad. The silence in the house indicated that everyone else was asleep. So she would have to wait until morning to talk to her mother about this.

    Walking up the stairs to her bedroom Olivia quickly discarded her weapons and tools and crashed on her bed. Not even bother to change out of her street clothes, she closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

    She awoke to the sun shining on her face through her window. Olivia opened her eyes and stretched, getting the kinks out. She got up off of her bed and made her way to the bathroom to take a fast shower. When she was done, she got dressed and headed down stairs. She went to the kitchen where she found her mom at the table reading a newspaper. Olivia sat down across from her mother.

    "Dallas saw me last night."

    Sage looked up from the paper and stared at Olivia for a moment. She folded the paper and laid it down on the table.

    "When you say that Dallas saw you last night, you mean what exactly?" She asked.

    "I resurfaced onto the porch early this morning. I heard his thoughts. I looked up and found him looking at me through an upstairs window."

    "This is serious." Sage paused, thinking. "Just lay low for the next few days. Rylan will be starting school tomorrow. I'm sure if Dallas says anything to him about it Rylan will ease his mind. And if not, we'll just let it blow over."

    Olivia didn't seemed convinced. But she agreed nonetheless.

    "So how was your trip?" Sage continued. Getting up to pour herself some coffee.

    "Easy." Olivia shrugged. "The target didn't exactly want to cooperate, but he wasn't much of a challenge. Though he did transform. So I had to shoot."

    Sage shook her head. "Oh well, you got the job done. How is Nathaniel?"

    "He's good. When I was filling out the paperwork after I brought the Were in he asked if we'd be interested in coming over for dinner. I told him I'm sure that would be do-able but that I'd talk to you first."

    "Hmm." Was all Sage said. Olivia knew her mother wanted to accept Nathaniel's offer, but understood why she was hesitant. "Maybe some other time." She finally answered. Olivia just nodded.

    "I'll need you to take your brother to school in the morning."

    "Alright." Olivia stood up and grabbed herself a bagel off the counter. She smothered it in cream cheese and strawberry jam. After filling a cup with coffee, she took her bagel outside to the front porch and sat down on the porch swing. Enjoying the nice, quiet morning, Olivia let her mind wander. She became so lost in thought that she didn't hear when Dallas called out to her. The next thing she knew, Dallas was standing in her front yard. She blinked.

    "Hey. I, uh, said your name. But I guess you didn't hear me." He looked down at his feet for a second before looking back up at her.

    Olivia looked over at Dallas's house and then back at him. "Sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention." Dallas stayed silent, looking awkward.

    "So, um, can I come up?" He asked hesitantly. Olivia just looked at him, and for a moment he thought she was going to say no.

    "Sure." She replied. Dallas let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and slowly made his way up the stairs to the porch. Olivia moved over on the swing until she was at one end, leaving the other end open for Dallas.

    She knew why he was here. She saw it in his mind. She began to think of excuses to tell him. But he surprised her.

    "How are you?"

    "Oh, fine."

    "How do you like it here so far?"

    "It's alright." He found she wasn't big on giving detailed answers. He was quiet, not knowing what to say next. He knew what he really wanted to talk about, but wasn't sure if he'd actually be able to ask her about it. So they sat there in an awkward silence until the front door opened and Sage walked out.

    "Well Dallas, I didn't know you were here." She said pleasantly. "How are you?"

    "I'm good, Mrs. Grey. How are you?"

    "Please, call me Sage. And I'm doing fine. I was actually just about to head over to your house to talk with your mother. Is Eleanor home?"

    "Yes, she is. I'm sure she'd enjoy seeing you."

    Sage smiled. "Well I'll just go on over, then. You kids be good." And with that she left the porch and walked over to Dallas's house.

    Both Dallas and Olivia watched as Eleanor opened the door and spoke with Sage. She looked over at them with a smile and waved before letting Sage into the house. When the door shut, they both turned and looked straight ahead. Neither knowing what to say.

    "You're lucky you don't have to go to school." Dallas said lamely.

    "I suppose." Olivia said. "Though it can get pretty boring being at home all the time."

    "Well maybe I'll skip one of these days and come keep you company." Said Dallas in a brief moment of bravery. He blushed as soon as the words left his mouth.

    Olivia's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. She didn't know how to respond.

    "Unless, of course, you don't want me to. Then I won't."

    "I would like that." Olivia said quietly. She decided that Dallas wasn't so bad. Dallas's face lit up with a smile. He was certainly good looking. She didn't know why she hadn't noticed that when she first met him.

    "Awesome." Dallas said, still smiling. They sat there for a moment, not speaking. She heard a muffled buzz and Dallas looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, my phone's ringing." He pulled his phone out of his front pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was Slate. He let the call go to voice mail. "I'll call him back later." He said. But as soon as he did, his phone started ringing again. He sighed, this was typical Slate. Call until Dallas picks up. Even if he has to call a hundred times.

    "It's alright, go ahead and answer." Olivia said. "I probably should finish unpacking anyway."

    Dallas nodded. "OK. Well I'll see you sometime."

    "Alright." Olivia smiled. Dallas smiled in return and got up, answering his phone. "Yeah man, what's up?" He walked off the porch and headed over to his house. He turned and waved at Olivia. She waved back and watched as he went through the front door. She sighed and laid her head back on the back of the swing. Getting close to people was always a risky thing. Especially people outside of her circle. Normal people; people who had no idea about the other side.

    But she couldn't help herself. She ached for human companionship. To be able to be comfortable around someone other than her mother and Rylan and everyone at The Agency. She knew she wouldn't be able to let her guard down completely; she had too many secrets to keep. But Dallas wanted so bad to get to know her. It was kind of nice. And she wanted to enjoy it. So she was going to let herself.