Olivia Strong

When telling the story of my adventures are not always easy, as I don’t understand it all myself. It started subtly that I didn’t even notice, but Clara did. Well I say subtly because my abilities started that way. They reason everything started was not. Clara noticed the change when I would reach for things small that were barely out of range. Then it progressed to knowing things before they happened. I noticed that one quickly. Having déjà vu several times a day is not something you can ignore.

“Come on, Clara, it’s too early to go home,” I begged, pulling on her arm away from the car.

“Olivia, stop tugging me. Fine, what do you want to do?” She questioned with irritation.

“Um… Let’s go to the lake and see if there is a party.” I hopped in the car, waiting for her to join me.

“Ollie, I didn’t hear about anything tonight.” She informed me in her matter of fact tone.

“I know, but we don’t hear about every gathering,” I responded with an eye roll.

“Speak for yourself.” She climbed in with a bang of the door.

We arrived at the lake on the edge of town, and of course, she was right. There was not a soul in sight, but I didn’t care. I jumped out of the car before it came to a complete stop. I didn’t want her to try to talk me out of being here. She has a way of convincing me to do as she wants with a heavy dose of guilt. I walked up to the lake with my toes a mere inches from the water as I watched the waves slowly roll in. Clara stood beside me.

“It is beautiful in the still of the night.” She whispered.

I nodded, unable to think of the right words for the view in front of us. “Hey, why do they say not to come out here after 10? It is wonderfully peaceful.” I questioned Clara, knowing she would know. She knows everything because all she does is read when she is not with me. She says she loves learning new things and understanding the world. I think it’s just her excuse to not talk to people. She is a bit of an introvert and loves her bubble of isolation.

“There are many stories, but the oldest tale is that there is a man that lives in the woods. He secluded himself from our town at the start of his life due to the medical condition that allowed him to breathe underwater. There were other side effects as well, but nobody could be positive what they were or the ones who knew refused to write them down to share. He was protective of his land and his lake. He would allow the locals to use the water and land during the day as long as they respected and took care of it. After 10 was his time to roam free without the wondering eyes. They said that if he caught you during his time, he would take your eyes for spying on him and would make you go crazy to prevent any rumors being spread about his life. The early townspeople sent in groups of their strongest warriors to fight him in an attempt to claim the valuable land around the lake. That is why, to this day; there are no houses built within a 10-mile radius of the lake. Every group was defeated by the man with devastating injuries most life-threatening. After several decades they began to accept his dominance over them and abided by the rules he set. Since then, he has left the people of the town alone just as they have left him alone.” She continued to stare out over the lake letting the silence consume her.

“So how much of that do you believe?” I questioned her in disbelief.

She turned towards me with her, are you serious look. “All of it. We have our history to teach us not to repeat things. That is why I don’t want to be out here. Can we go now?”

“Oh, Clara, don’t be like that. Those stories are so old. Where ever or whenever they originated from, the creature is dead and gone by now. We have nothing to worry about.” I argued with her, not wanting to leave yet.

We sat there watching the waves roll in, avoiding the splash. THUD! I spun around; something ran by in a blur.

“Ollie! I told you! Let’s go now!” Clara yelled at me as she scrambled to her feet to run to the car.

I sat still listening for what it was or if it was coming back. Everything was quiet, tranquil. It should not be this soft next to a lake. There should be all sorts of bugs and animals rustling around. Things were definitely not right. I sprang up and ran to the car after Clara. She fiddled with the keys, unable to get them in the door as I continued to pull on the handle to get in even though I knew I couldn’t.

THUD! CRASH!

The noises were getting closer.

SHOOSH!!

I was on the ground wiping the dirt off my face. The car door popped open, Clara’s arm shot out, grabbing me dragging half of my body into the car while my legs flayed about trying to find the ground.

SHOOSH!!!!

I fell out of the car back on the ground. I spun around jumped in the car slamming the door shut as Clara hit the gas with everything it had. We peeled out in a 180-degree turn to get out of there. We drove straight home at full speed, slamming the brakes to skid to a stop.

“oooh! We barely made it. Ollie, what in the world were you thinking? I told you we shouldn’t have gone.” Clara lectured me, but I couldn’t move. I sat there in the seat, leaning back frozen.

“Ollie! Will you answer me?” She asked.

I was unable to speak. A fire began to spread through my skin, starting at my legs. The pain was excruciating, making it worse that I was unable to do anything about it or even tell Clara.

“Ollie, what’s wrong?” She yelled, grabbing at me to make me move.

I was immobile. Clara panicked. “Ollie! Your face is white!”

The car speed through town, sliding around the corners, running every stop sign and light. She sleds the car in the ambulance bay.

“Help!! Help! Somebody, I need help!”

The next thing I knew, I was being drug out of the car and put on a stretcher to be wheeled inside. One of the nurses began comforting me or trying to.

“Sweetie, it’s okay. You are safe now, we’ve got you. Take a deep breath.”

She placed a mask on my face. The smell of bleach and pure oxygen filled my lungs as the world faded away into blackness.

A bright light stung my eyes as I blinked away the darkness. My body was remaining numb as my senses slowly began aware of the room around. Everything smelled extra clean; the deep scent of bleach flooded my nose. The coverings over me were not the softest, but they were heavy and warm. It was comforting even though I felt lost in the bed I laid in.

“Ollie! Can you hear me? Are you okay?” Clara begged beside me, rubbing my arm closest to her.

Speech a looted me as well as any movement. It’s a strange feeling not to be able to move but have every nerve throughout my body feel every fiber that touched my skin.

“Sweetie, I know you can hear me but are unable to move. You are on heavy sedation to prevent you from moving. You have a broken leg that we had to fix in surgery. It will heal in the next 3 to 4 months, good as new.” The nurse used a sweet, caring, comforting voice that was oddly soothing.

Clara spoke up, “Why is she still being sedated? Shouldn’t she be fine since she came out of surgery 12 hours ago?”

The nurse fidgeted with the machines next to me, taking her time to answer Clara’s question. “Um… that’s not an answer I can give. The doctor will be in soon to fill in any gaps you are currently not understanding.” She turned to walk out of the room without another word.

Clara stared at me. “That was strange. Ollie, can you blink?” She asked

I blinked twice in response.

“Great! One blink for yes and two for no. Got it?”

Blinked once.

“Okay, can you feel your body?”

One blink

“Are you in pain?”

Two blinks.

“Do you know what attacked you? Did you see it?”

Two blinks

“Alright, I guess we wait.”

I closed both eyes, resting while I could. I had no idea what was coming next, and I needed to be prepared or at least relaxed. The blackness soon took me under to a safe place of no beeping, no needles, or IVs. A deep voice whispered in my ear.

“Come back to me.”

My eyes shot open to see nobody around, only the bright white light above. The beeping began again much faster than before. The voice freaked me out but sent a wave of urgency through me to get out of here. I was unsure if I’d be able to walk, but I had to go. I started small, trying to lift my fingers then my hands. The sedation was wearing off. My body was free. I pulled the I from the crook of the inside of my elbow. Throwing the coverings off, I stood up slowly, unsure how my broken leg would hold me. I dropped it on the floor to find no resistance or pain. I grabbed the robe Clara brought for me and walked out of the room. I continued to walk, knowing I had to go but with no idea to where I was being pulled. It was all a blare. The next thing I knew, I was back at the lake 15 miles from the hospital. I sat down next to the water far enough away that I wouldn’t get wet but close enough to enjoy watching the waves splash the sand and dissolve. The moon reflected off the water, lighting up the lake in the most beautiful way.

“It’s about time you made it back here.” It was a deep voice again.

I spun around to see a young guy behind me. He was probably around twenty, very fit and muscular. His hair was almost buzzed off, but he had a five o’clock shadow that aged his features.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Atticus, the only one who can help you.” He grumbled.

“Help? Why do I need help?” I questioned.

“You are like me now, and it's going to take some practice to get control.” He explained.

“Like you? What are we if I'm not human-like before? Did you do this to me?” I demanded.

“Look, you are going to have to trust me. Follow me to a private place where we can talk about this.” He walked away as he spoke.

I stood up, following him. I didn't know what else to do. The pull to be near him was strong, and I knew that was where I was meant to be. He led me through the darkest parts of the forest that nobody cares to venture due to carnivorous animal life. He threaded through as if it was his morning walk to the mailbox. He didn't look around or hesitate at any noise nearby. The brush parted to show an old cabin with overgrown vines climbing the walls, but the ground surrounding was planted with beautiful flowers of all kinds and colors that overtook the grass. A small path to the front door to where we stood was the only way through without disrupting the fantastic landscape. He opened the door for me standing to the side. As I passed by in the narrow walkway, his musky scent enveloped me stopping me where I stood. I looked up in his soft eyes as he focused on mine. His eyes were a caramel brown that an outer ring of yellow glowed, outlining his pupils pulling me in deeper. My hand was holding his muscular forearm, and his hand was on my waist. His head dropped to mine as I lifted to him. The door swung close with a thud startling me to break eye contact. He stiffened up, opening the door again silently but with a push on my waist to move through the threshold. I walked through to find two small beds, two small chairs, and a small kitchen. It was very tight living corridors for one person. We sat in the chairs across from each other.

“Okay, now it's time to fill you in.” He informed me; I didn't know how to answer. I stared back, ready to receive his information.

“We are the guardians of the lake. No, I did not attack you, but the thing that did choose you to be part of its warriors for this town. It may not seem like a good thing at this moment, but it will be. The things I have done and the people I have saved has allowed me to find purpose in this life.”

I continued to nod along as there was no response to him.

“You will slowly grow stronger as you heal from the attack. Some of the stories are real that you heard growing up, but not all the information is given and not the most vital. You will be able to breathe underwater, run extremely fast, and have abnormal strength. You maybe gifted with extra special abilities that will come later.. This all comes with a cost. You will be burdened with the responsibility of protecting the world from the creatures that crawl out. I know it sounds crazy. By tomorrow you should be able to breathe underwater without strain, and I will take you to see the others. For now, we both need rest.” He moved to the bed and was asleep before I could say anything.

I followed suit, moving to the other bed, unable to fall asleep as quickly as he did. I laid there, admiring his facial features. His relaxed face lessened the stress lines making him look much younger, closer to my age than before. His square jaw showed several scars peeking through the prickly hairs as they attempted to grow cover. I dozed off focused on his sweet face.

“Time to go.” He ordered, startling me awake.

I sat up, looking around, still trying to get a grasp on all of this.

“To the lake?” I whispered.

“Yes,” He mumbled back as he headed out the door more careful this time not to stop. He walked to the water but didn't stop at its edge. I did the only thing I could, followed him in. I held my breath once submerged until they began to burn and shrivel up like raisins. He reached over, grabbing my hand and nodded once. I had to try. I didn't have much to lose at this point. I inhaled the water that flooded through me, putting out all the fires within me that I didn't know were even burning. Large creatures swam all around us. Many looked as if they could swallow me whole without a second thought. The others were circling, showing off all their large teeth in a threatening aspect. Atticus, still holding my hand, pulled me back to shore to sit on a rock overlooking the lake. He was a man of little words, and as I'm usually full of questions, I was drawing blanks from my astonishment of the vastness of our small lake.

“Our job is to make sure the creatures stay in check, and when they don't, we return them to the water or destroy them. Each warrior is given a handful of unique abilities, I told you the generic ones, but you will grow more to help you fight. You are free to go, but every night you are to return to train and guard the area with me.” He explained then headed back to his cabin, leaving me to figure out the rest.

Over the next few months of training is when the new powers appeared that Clara noticed. My extra abilities were that I was of small stature and needed help to defeat the massive creatures. The power to move them without touching them gave me a significant advantage in the strength department. As I’m new to the whole thing, I was also able to see the future in short bursts to anticipate when they escaped and what their next moves were going to be. It allowed me to know more about how they thought and planned. Atticus and I continued to work together to bring the best protection to everyone around us. Sneaking around wasn’t always easy, but the super speed made it fun.