OLIVIA

8

I stopped crying abruptly as I realized something. Aivilo was Olivia spelt backwards. At first I didn't know what to think but then my heart started pounding in my chest so fast and hard. I felt like I was hyperventilating so, I went to my room window, opened it and stuck my head outside to receive some fresh air. I closed the window. I tried to think of a reason why Austin would use such a strange yet specific word for the password. Maybe it's just an obsession. But why would he be obsessed with me? Too many things didn't make any sense, I needed a break.

I suddenly felt like I was being watched. I turned around to see if anyone was in my room but I didn't see anyone. I looked outside the window and saw a shadow like figure emerge from the bushes close to my house. I narrowed my eyes and looked closely. The person was a guy, he was muscular and had very broad shoulders. I watched him closely then realized he was walking toward my house. As I was about to get my gun and go downstairs, I felt someone's arm wrap around my waist, a white piece of clothes was placed on my nose and I blacked out.

***

I woke up on my bed. I didn't remember falling asleep last night. I rolled over and closed my eyes. When I was fully awake, I checked the time on my alarm clock that surprisingly never stopped working even after seven years. It was 12:00pm. I gasped, I was supposed to be at work at 9:00am. I wondered why my alarm clock hadn't awakened me and how I ended up in my bed. That's when I started to remember this morning events. I searched for the phone everywhere but couldn't find it. I concluded that the person in my house this morning must have took it. That meant that the phone must have had some important information on it. That's why it was important enough for them to come take it.

What I could not understand was why the person would put it in my house in the first place? If it was so important that they had to come get it then why keep it here in the first place? Also who was in my house? The first person that came to my mind was Austin, but who was outside this morning? Was it the same person that knocked me out? No, it couldn't be. The person outside was still approaching my house when I was knocked out? Were they working together? Possibly. If they weren't wouldn't the person outside have helped me? They would've. I sighed and went to take a shower. I wanted to stay home that day since it was too late to go to work, but I didn't want to think too much so I decided to go to my favourite place.

***

"Mum, where are we going?" I asked my mother. She held my tiny hand in her big, soft ones. It was my seventh birthday and she said she had a beautiful place she wanted to take me. She smiled at me and said, "On top of the world." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion but remained quiet. We walked into a forest and I got scared but she squeezed my hand in reassurance. I calmed down a bit. We stopped in the middle of nowhere, I looked up at her and she pointed Infront of me. There was a huge and magnificent tree. It had thousands of branches with beautiful magenta flowers on them. It was so tall that I thought that if you reach the top, you'd be able to touch the clouds. "Climb Olivia." She commanded and I looked at her, confused again. "I can't climb it. It's to tall." She smiled and said, "Yes you can, just keep looking up." I walked slowly in the snow until I reached the tree. I looked behind me, my mum was following closely behind me. I looked up and started climbing, using my tiny hands to hold onto the branches and my legs for support until I reached the top. I couldn't believe I actually did it. I sat on a strong branch, my mum was beside me soon and she sat. Then she nodded toward the city and told me to look and I did. My mouth fell open and my eyes widened. The view was so amazing, we were so high up that you could see the whole city and the mountains surrounding it. Everywhere was covered in snow but the snow only made it more beautiful. I looked at my mother and we both smiled. She took my hand and said, "See, we're on top of the world."

***

I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath. Thirteen years ago I came here with my mum. Thirteen years ago my stepfather wasn't with us. Thirteen years ago I still had my innocence. Thirteen years ago my mum was still alive. A tear fell from my eyes as I stared at the city that was once so beautiful to me, now it was just a place with painful and dark memories. My mother, my weakness. She died by the hands of the man when abused me and I also went to jail because of that man. It was then I realized that once you lost those that made life beautiful, the world is empty.