The Trade Off | The Lost Boys

Chapter 7

Ollie sat in the shower for a while letting the water pelt at her legs and her shoulders before slumping back out to the bedroom. She felt like a fish in a bowl, not free to roam, but on sight for everyone to see. She was within and without.

She thought that vampires were innately dangerous and callous and forever self loathing...but she thought back to Max. If she were being honest with herself she would call him a nerd, but he was awfully kind to her. Olive huffed out a laugh at the thought of it.

How could he hurt anyone?

Walking back to the other door she grabbed the handle with hopes that it would open, but it wasn't a dream. She was still locked in. Ollie paced around for a moment before plopping on the bed, water dripping from her hair onto her shoulders and back. Why would they need to lock the door? If they were vampires, locks would be the least of her concerns. She was starting to think that she was all part of a cruel prank, and that they were trying to mess with her. But if so, why?

She laid back, resting her head on the pillows and staring up to the ceiling.

"What's the point? Why is this happening?" She murmured into the pillows, squeezing her eyes shut. She pulled the towel tighter around her, then added a blanket for safety.

The monsters couldn't get her under the covers, right?

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Olive's dreams were hazy, but seemed to be never ending. It felt like a continuous loop.

She was overlooking a carousel, the old horses blurring together, the music pounding in her ears.

To The Shock Of Miss Louise.

She knew the song, watching as the horses flew by with the abrasive tune. Was she humming? She walked closer, pushing through the line and nudging shoulders with those around her. Ollie heard snickers, but something was drawing her to the carousel. There was another voice humming along. A hand reached out, and without hesitation she let it sweep her up onto the ride. She was spinning, her eyes were blinded by the lights and her helper was long gone. The lights twinkled around her and she laughed in delight. It was bliss. What else was it supposed to be? She felt like she was missing something. Looking around, Ollie searched for the hand who helped her up, but she was at a loss. They had all but disappeared in front of her, lost in the haze. A sickly feeling crept over her and she leaned against one of the horses, holding on for dear life. The ride wasn't stopping. Was it speeding up? She must have been seeing things, but she saw someone. Right? There was someone there? There must have been.

Her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to look away from the ride. She looked out towards the boardwalk, and for a moment she thought that she saw something...the fast paced ride had suddenly slowed and she saw...herself. It was brief, but she couldn't help looking at the eyes staring back at her. They were cryptic, old. She wasn't staring back at herself, but at something ancient. Something evil. The eyes looking back at her burned a fiery red. She tried to cry out, to move, to run - but she couldn't.

Wake up.

The carousel jumped to life before she could get a good look, and when she looked back out the the crowd there was no one there. She was all alone.

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Olive woke up to a gnawing feeling in her stomach, not knowing if it was from the dream or if her stomach was in revolt. When was the last time she ate? She felt like a zombie. Her hands went to cover her stomach and she curled up into a tight ball with a groan. She needed to eat. Ollie could briefly recall jumping straight into bed after her shower, but had she dozed off for long? She couldn't remember falling asleep. The clearing of someone's throat behind her made her startle up, her head bobbing up at an unprecedented speed.