[Part Thirteen: Braving the Storm]
It was sundown by the time Anne Boonchuy, Olivier Clawthorne and Maddie Flour rode Bessie the Snail away from the Misty Peaks and back into the Frog Valley.
Anne was 'driving' Bessie, but looked back to Olivier and Maddie behind her.
Maddie was making an inventory at Thunder Stones and Zapapede 'Juice' that they collected, while Olivier was just laying against the rear of the saddle in a lounging posture.
Olivier looked really tired (which was completely understandable after today.) His head was arched back as he stared up at the sky that was gradually transitioning from dusk to night.
Anne then looked to Maddie. "Hey, Mads."
Maddie looked to Anne. "Yeah?"
"Wanna take the reins for now??" said Anne. "I kinda need a break."
" Sure! " said Maddie, hopping over to the front of the saddle.
Anne handed Maddie Bessie's reigns, and then crawled over to where Olivier was. Smiling and blushing at the same time, she laid down beside the Witch Boy. mirroring his posture.
Anne smiled at Olivier... but he didn't acknowledge her.
"hey, uhh... Ollie?" spoke Anne, a neutral expression on her face now.
"what?" spoke Olivier bluntly.
Anne exhaled as she stared up at the sky with Olivier. "I'm sorry."
"for what??"
"for everything that happened today." said Anne. "Things weren't supposed to get this crazy."
"I will admit, things DID get out of hand." spoke Olivier. "But none of it was your fault."
"was it??" inquired Anne, unconvinced. "It was *MY* idea to come out here to begin with."
Olivier shrugged. "okay... MAY-BE you set today's events into motion. But you're not an Oracle, Anne. you couldn't have known what would happen today."
Anne frowned as she watched the olive sky turn dark green as night finally fell.
"I just wanted to cheer you up, Ollie..." Anne continued, sadness in her voice. "I hated how upset everyone in Wartwood made you feel with how they treated you. I just wanted to take your mind off of it by doing something fun together."
Olivier paused as he considered Anne's words... he then exhaled sharply.
"well... you certainly did take my mind off of that unpleasantness in the Frog Village." admitted Olivier. "and while things could've gone better... I won't lie, I guess I... DID, kinda have fun today."
Anne briefly glanced at Olivier. "you really mean that?? you're not just saying that to be nice?"
Olivier kinda WAS just trying to be nice and cheer Anne up... BUT, that didn't mean he was lying either.
"yeah... Today was fun." repeated Olivier. "I might still be mad about the situation in that Frog Village, but I do feel much better now than I did before this whole trip started. So you DIDcheer me up, Anne."
Anne's smile returned.
"and, it's not like this whole trip was a total waste either." continued Olivier.
"We charged that old phone like you wanted, we gathered some Zapapede Juice to make Zap-O-Rade, AND we even got to collect those Thunder Stones from that mine as a very lucky, unplanned bonus."
Anne chuckled lightly. "yeah... I guess things DID work out in the end."
The two 'humans' stare up at the sky as hundreds of stars began to twinkle and shine.
Once again, Olivier felt a strange contentment as the beauty of this natural world surrounded him. The peril he had faced today now just a distant memory that didn't seem to matter much anymore.
a gentle breeze then blew against his face, and the tranquil sounds of the night filled his ears.
"you know... I love the nighttime here in Amphibia." spoke Anne, her voice soft.
"I could have the most stressful day that makes me almost want to rip my hair out. And yet… nothing relaxes me more than just spending hours stargazing in this strange world."
Anne and Olivier kept their eyes, both staring at the vast night sky.
"yeah... night is my favorite time too." spoke Olivier. "It's peaceful... and quiet."
"Thinking of you, wherever you are..." spoke Anne, speaking softly.
"We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I will step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows: starting a new journey may not be so hard, or maybe it has already begun.
There are many worlds, but they share the same sky: one sky, one destiny."
Olivier glanced at Anne. "huh?"
"sorry. that's a poem I once heard." explained Anne. "I didn't get it when I first heard it... But it just feels right to say right now."
"hmm." Olivier returned his gaze at the night sky and pondered Anne's strange words. "it's... a nice poem."
After a brief pause of silence, Anne spoke up once again: "Is it okay if I ask you something, Ollie??"
Olivier let out a sharp sigh. Still not liking the nickname Anne kept calling her. It was a name he had heard before in... Better times. But now it just felt tainted.
Regardless, he brushed it off and answered: "since it'll be a long journey back, I suppose so."
"Tell me more about the world where you come from." spoke Anne.
"You told me some things about it, but I want to know more... It sounds kinda cool!"
"I would like to hear more about it too!" spoke Maddie, her eyes still on the road ahead.
"okay, Okay... If only for Maddie's sake." said Olivier, as he inhaled deeply and tried to think back to his home.
"I grew up on an island in a boiling sea..." began Olivier.
"In my world, the seas are boiling hot where only the hardiest of creatures can live in them. There are other island continents, and all of them were formed from the bodies of fallen titans.
The Titans themselves were powerfully god-like beings who died centuries ago. Yet their bodies still hold powerful magic that witches and demons thrive off of."
"creepy..." spoke Anne, mildly grossed out that whole civilizations apparently lived on the corpse of some giant monster.
"I think it's Fascinating!" said Maddie.
"You WOULD,Mads." commented Anne.
"So, what about you?" continued Anne. "What was daily life like for you, Ollie?? Didja go to school like I do??"
Olivier scowled. "I... used to. But after my "assault", Mom took me out of it. which I was fine with."
Anne frowned as she glanced at one of Olivier's amputated ears. "I'm sorry... what was this school like?? Was it a Magic School like 'Swineboils' in the Cynthia Coven books??"
Olivier glanced at Anne. "huh?"
"Cynthia Coven. It's a book series about an orphaned witch girl's adventures in a private school of witchcraft." explained Anne.
"oh... Well, it IS kinda like that." said Olivier. "only it's a public school."
" Ah. gotcha. say no more..." said Anne. "So, that outfit you wear... is it a school uniform??"
Olivier nodded. "yeah. The Hexside School of Magic and Demonics. In fact, this was my mothers old uniform that she used to wear when she was a student there.
"Cool! My outfit is also a school uniform." said Anne, pointing to her clothes. "The Saint James Middle School. "Kicking butt and taking names, We're the school they call SAINT JAMES!"
"I kinda figured that given the coat of arms on the front," said Olivier. "Whose Saint James, anyway?? Sounds like a priest of some kind."
"dunno... some Catholic dude that lived a long time ago." said Anne.
Olivier looked bewildered. "what's a... Catholic??, sounds like a type of demon."
Anne covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "N-no, ho-hah... It's a human religion."
"oh. Soooo... you're Catholic??" inquired Olivier.
"naw, dude. My family are mainly Buddhists." said Anne.
Now, Olivier was REALLYconfused. "What the heck is a Buddhist??"
Anne grimaced, realizing this conversation was going into some controversial territory.
"nevermind... It's not important." said Anne, desperate to change the subject. "your... sleeves and leggings. Are those the colors of your school??"
Olivier looked at himself. "ah... No, they are coded to the tracks I am part of."
"Tracks?" spoke Anne, puzzled. "what's that??"
"You remember how I mentioned the Coven system of my world??" began Olivier.
Anne nodded, so Olivier continued. "The Tracks are a simplified version of that. Every student is assigned a track that teaches a specific form of magic.
Usually students are assigned just ONE track to prepare us for the single coven we are fated to join once we graduate. However, students ARE allowed to join multiple tracks. My mom was the only one to try joining all of them."
"I see... so, which tracks were you part of??" asked Anne.
Olivier began to point at one of his colored sleeves. "This one is for the Potions track... and this is for the Healing track.
I joined them both in hopes of learning a way to finally break my mother's curse. But, all I really learned from them was how to regulate life force energies, and which combination of potions can create medicines or poisons... Plus some culinary skills."
"Sounds awesome!" said Anne, fascinated.
"I guess... but Hexside was still a watered down version of the taursh*t Coven System that has governed the Boiling Isles Society for as long as I can remember.
You were expected to master only ONE type of magic, and nothing more. Because once you are given the Coven Brand, you are restricted to only ONE type of magic."
"I still think that's ridiculous," said Maddie. "Why would any witch want to limit their own potential!??"
"And besides that, it sounds kinda... Evil." commented Anne. "like what some church people in my world warn us about."
"Mom would just love you two." chuckled Olivier. "yeah, she was also suspicious of the true nature of the coven brands. Which is why she refused to wear one. And that is part of why she is now a wanted criminal, and why we had to live like outlaws all of my life.
By the time I was seven, I had memorized all the escape routes and guard patrols in Bonesborough. And when I was five, one of the first things I was taught was to pickpocket without being seen."
"DANG, and I felt bad for shoplifting." spoke Anne.
"yeah, well... when you have to live like an Outlaw you have to do what you can to survive." said Olivier. "But even though we were thieves, we weren't bad people. Mom only targeted those who she felt deserved it... or could afford it."
"Sooo... she was like Robin Hood, or Sly Cooper then." spoke Anne.
Olivier looked mildly puzzled. "huh?"
"Nevermind, I'll explain it to you later." said Anne. "So can EVERYONE in your world do magic like you do??"
Olivier let out a sad sigh. "yes, everyone can do magic... but there are none in the isles like ME."
Anne frowned as she noticed the change in Olivier's demeanor. "ollie?..."
Olivier sat up for a moment (to which Anne did the same.) "Ollie, are you okay?"
Olivier remained silent as he stared off into nothing.
"everyone in my world is capable of performing magic..." repeated Olivier.
"But as you know, I wasn't born with the vital internal organ that naturally produces magic. And as far as I know, I am the only one in my world whose magic is tied to their own life force."
Olivier frowned as he held up his hand and produced a tiny orb of light that pulsed.
"My mother has enough power in her finger to have fried that King Zapapede without even trying..." continued Olivier.
"I have the same potential, but because of my... Disability. I am incapable of ever reaching her level. I tried, but all of my old classmates in Hexside easily surpassed me. And no matter how strong I get, I will always be weaker than all of them."
Olivier's light orb sparked, and then fizzled out. "sometimes I wonder why I even try... I'll never be-"
" stop saying that. " said Anne, finally.
Olivier looked at the Thai girl. "what?"
"Having a disability doesn't make you weak, Olivier... If anything, it makes your accomplishments mean more. In my world, there are people who can't even walk that not only trained to be athletes, But became Champions.
Now obviously it isn't easy to live with a disability all your life. But the important thing is that you NEVER give up. It's... like my Gym Coach always said: If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."
Olivier paused as he pondered all that Anne just said.
"Anne's right, Olivier." spoke up Maddie. "You might not be the strongest witch who ever lived, but you're the strongest I've ever met! I've seen you do things with magic that I never thought was possible! And *I* hope to reach your level one day."
Olivier's eyes watered upon hearing that. Someone... ACTUALLY looked up to him, and aspired to be like him?! Part of him wished that everyone at Hexside who mocked him could hear what Maddie just said.
"yeah, dude..." said Anne, as she lightly punched Olivier's shoulder. "I bet if you really put your mind to it, you could be the most powerful wizard who ever lived!"
" WITCH. " corrected Olivier. "Wizards are something else entirely."
"oh..." spoke Anne, now blushing awkwardly. "sorry. I hope I didn't just offend you there."
"no-no, it's fine... I'll get you schooled on Boiling Isles Culture later." said Olivier. "And while I appreciate the sentiment, I don't want to be the most powerful Witch ever. I'm just fine with being 'strong enough'. I know what happens to witches that let their ambitions go to their heads."
Olivier then stared at the vast landscape of the passing Frog Valley, lost in his thoughts.
"even good witches can lose themselves once they become obsessed with gaining more power."continued Olivier. "makes you willing to do whatever it takes to achieve your goal... even if you have to hurt someone to do it."
Anne frowned as she looked at Olivier. "you're talking about your 'friend', who hurt you... right?"
Olivier didn't answer, so Anne continued as she too stared off at the Amphibian landscape.
"I'm sorry if I am overstepping my boundaries with you, Ollie." spoke Anne. "I don't mean to be pushy... I just really want us to be friends."
Olivier breathed out softly. "friendships take time to develop, Boonchuy. you can't just force it.
And I have major trust issues, so you can't expect me to open up to someone I just met yesterday."
"I know..." said Anne, frowning. "I'll try and take things slower between us."
Maddie frowned, and silently made a similar vow to herself. Teachers and Students need trust too. And she would also need to earn it.
"well... if it means anything, I trust you a TINY bit now." said Olivier. "You and Maddie did risk your safety to save me from that King Zapapede. So... I guess I can at least try and give this friendship thing a chance. You are trusting me Afterall."
Both Anne and Maddie smiled at this.
Another breeze then blew against the teenagers faces, which Olivier closed his eyes and inhaled. The Witch Boy then laid back down and resumed stargazing with Anne doing the same as she laid next to him.
"I guess this realm isn't the worst place to be stranded in..." spoke Olivier, softly.
Anne smiled as she looked up at the starry sky and started scoot closer to Olivier.
"It's not exactly paradise... but there is no other place I'd rather be." said Anne.
Olivier flinched at Anne's close contact at first, but eventually relented due to the minimal space on the giant saddle.
The pair continued to look up at the stars and red crescent moon in the vast green sky. The sounds of crickets and what oddly sounded like frog calls started to lull them both to sleep.
Eventually both teenagers could no longer stay awake, and drifted off to dreamland.
((*KA-CRASH!!*))
Anne and Olivier were startled awake by the sudden sound of thunder.
They both looked around, and found themselves back in the deep forest. However because it was nightfall, it was too dark to see with only lightning flashes briefly illuminating the way.
"M-Maddie??!"spoke Anne.
"Sorry..." spoke Maddie, still driving a now anxious Bessie. "a sudden storm swept over... and I think I've lost my bearings!!"
Olivier moved forward to Maddie. "Here, let me take over for a bit."
"Do you know the way back to Wartwood?!" questioned Maddie, as she stepped aside.
"No." said Olivier, as he sat in the Driver's Seat. "But I know my way around a forest, even at night. Just give me a minute, and I should find some kind of shelter to make camp until this storm passes."
Maddie sat with Anne, who held the frog girl in her lap.
"At least the trees will keep us from getting too rained on." said Anne.
"Nature's Umbrellas." remarked Olivier with slight sarcasm.
As Olivier directed Bessie through the dark forest, Anne (and even Maddie) shivered at their new surroundings.
What was it about the nighttime that turns a once calming place into something terrifying?! The tree branches almost resemble monster hands due to how dark it was, and the rumbling thunder didn't help.
However, while Anne (and Maddie) felt afraid... Olivier didn't.
He grew up in a forest not unlike this one (heck, one could even argue he was "born" in a forest.) And while it was also in a forest where he experienced 'the worse day of his entire life',he still felt safer in a dark woods than he would in the dark streets of a town, or city.
"hope we don't run into those Hedge-Hog things again..." spoke Anne, thinking aloud.
"why did you have to go and say that?!" spoke Maddie, now even more worried.
"Even predatory animals have the sense to take shelter during a storm." said Olivier, calmly."They want to survive the same as us, and some things are more important than filling one's belly."
Anne and Maddie took a moment to ponder this. "guess you're right. STILL,I hope we don't run into any of them."
"If we do, they won't be hard to scare them off." said Olivier.
Ten very long minutes went by where no one said a word as they listened to the sounds of the forest.
The storm wasn't letting up unfortunately. In fact, it only got worse as gusts of wind picked up.
The thick trees and foliage shielded the party from the worst of it, though it was clear they needed to find some shelter from the unrelenting storm, and SOON.
Olivier searched around, his two-toned eyes gleaming in the dark.
The occasional flashes of lightning aggravated his above average night vision, but he was able to make something out in the dark forest that Anne, Maddie and even Bessie could not.
"I think I... Yeah,I think I do." muttered Olivier.
"What?!" spoke Anne, desperate for some good news.
"I think I see a cave over there..." spoke Olivier.
" Really!?... How, It's nearly pitch black out here!" exclaimed Anne. "I can't even see my own hands in front of my face!"
" Trust Me,I can see something," said Olivier.
Anne exhaled. "alright... I trust you, dude."
Olivier guided Bessie in the direction of the cave he saw at a distance.
It took some doing to coax the blinded snail, but eventually she headed in the right direction.
Sure enough, the next lightning flashes revealed the mouth of a small cave. Bessie quickly entered it (which was just large enough to accommodate her size.)
Now sheltered from the rain and wind, the three hopped off from Bessie who tucked into her shell.
Anne stared out at the cave entrance, watching as the storm worsened outside.
" man... it's nasty out there. It's almost like a hurricane!" said Anne.
Olivier walked over to an open area and started to collect some rocks and place them in a circle.
Anne and Maddie turned and watched as Olivier next gathered some plant matter, and placed them into the circle of rocks and then proceeded to draw a ring of light.
a burning flame then ignited at Olivier's finger tip, which he wick at the makeshift campfire. Sure enough, the plant matter ignited and a fire was stoked. Granting the party both light and warmth.
"This will have to be our camp until the storm dies down," said Olivier.
Anne grimaced. "You mean we'll have to spend the night HERE!!?"
"If the storm doesn't let up, we might have to." repeated Olivier. "Why?, you too pampered to rough it in the woods??"
"N-NO!" exclaimed Anne. "well... Maybe.Look, I tried "roughing it" once and it didn't work out for me."
Olivier looked at Anne, his eyes a bit softer. " Elaborate..."
Anne exhaled sharply. "Me and the Plantars once went on a camping trip... and we were ambushed by a clan of cannibals."
"oh..." said Olivier (reacting far too calmly than he should be.)
"Before that... I was living in a cave like this one before I met the Plantars." continued Anne."I... Really didn't enjoy it. Which is why I am so grateful to Hop Pop for letting me live on his farm."
Olivier was silent for a moment... he then stoked the fire. "It's just one night, Anne. you'll live."
Anne scowled at Olivier, not liking his apparent indifference. " thanks for the concern."
As Anne sat down at the fire in a huff, Olivier noted Anne's aggravation... and exhaled sharply.
"(*deep sigh*)I'm sorry, alright... I didn't mean it like that." said Olivier.
Still annoyed, Anne eyed Olivier.
"Try to focus on the bright side." continued Olivier. "This time, you're not alone. ANDyou have two witches here backing you up."
Anne breathed out, her frustration finally leaving her. "I suppose you do have a point there."
Maddie hopped over to Bessie and took something out of one of her satchels. The blue frogette returned and revealed she had a loaf of bread and some pastries.
"I brought these in case the trip went on for too long and we got hungry," said Maddie.
Olivier took the bread loaf and broke off some to share with Anne and Maddie.
Anne also took what looked like donuts that had crunchy bug bits as sprinkles (normally she would find this gross, but by now she was used to such things.)
As the trio ate their snacks, Maddie was smiling in a way that got the teenagers attention.
"What's with the creepy smile, Mads?" asked Anne, politely.
"oh, nothing... I'm just really enjoying this adventure we've been on today." said Maddie.
"We trekked a forest, climbed a mountain peak, explored a forgotten mine and FOUGHT a KING ZAPAPEDE!!I've... done things I've only read about in story books today, and I had a great time!"
Both Anne and Olivier looked down at Maddie, bewildered looks on their faces.
"um... well, I'm glad you had fun today." said Olivier, finally. "and like I told Anne earlier: I kinda also had fun today, despite the danger we were in."
Anne smirked. "You should've been there for me and Sprig's adventures a couple months ago."
"I'm sure you will tell me all about it." said Olivier, only half interested.
"Alright, I will!" exclaimed Anne, giddy.
Olivier's eyes widened. "no, wait. Anne!, I-"
"The first adventure I went on with Sprig... was kinda embarrassing, now that I think about it."began Anne. "It was during my first week with the Plantars, and Hop Pop wanted to keep me locked in the house."
"What in the Demon Realm for?!" said Olivier, NOWinterested.
"He made it seem like he was trying to protect me..." continued Anne. "But I think it was more likely that he was worried I would disrupt the town in some way.
Anyway, I broke out with Sprig to go do something fun and show him what it's like to have friends since apparently the little guy never had any friends at all growing up, and I was his first one."
Maddie frowned upon hearing this. Amazed that she and Sprig actually shared something in common.
"So, we went to a lake to go swimming... But it had a 'Keep Out' sign-"
"Let me guess: You ignored the sign and jumped in anyway." inquired Olivier.
"Yep... and me and Sprig were nearly eaten alive by a giant snake." said Anne.
Olivier grimaced, suddenly remembering the giant snake that *HE* had fought off
to protect Maddie on the day that he first met Anne and Sprig.
"So, how did you and that Sprig kid even survive without any magic??"
"Sprig let himself get swallowed whole... and used 'Pain Peppers' on the snake."
"So hot, they'll make you wish you were dead!" exclaimed Maddie, smiling.
"Ah... So you have those here too huh?" mused Olivier. "Mom used to make gas bombs using Pain Peppers."
"Cool!"exclaimed Maddie. "I wonder what else our world's have in common with!"
Olivier couldn't help but smile (though quickly hid it) "I guess only time will tell." As Olivier took another bite of pastry, he then looked to Anne again. "Got another story??"
Anne smiled happily and then took a moment to think.
"well... There was a time when me and the Plantars went on a quest to gather ingredients to make the ultimate human dish: PIZZA!"
Olivier looked puzzled. "what's a... Pizza??"
Anne stared at Olivier for a moment... and then smiled so wide, she even creeped out Maddie.
"Pizza is the greatest Italian masterpiece ever bestowed upon mankind!" began Anne. "a flat, round base of dough baked with a topping of tomato sauce and cheese, and an assortment of meats (and sometimes veggies). Pepperoni!, Sausage!, Mushrooms! It's Fan-Friggin-Tastic!!"
"I don't believe we have anything like that in the Demon Realm... or at least the Boiling Isles." spoke Olivier.
"Oh, you haven't LIVEDdude until you've tried one!" continued Anne. "I tried to make an Amphibian variant with the Plantars... but it didn't end very well. The last ingredient, Tomatoes, was guarded by this monster plant and nearly killed all of us!!"
"So that's what that weird vision I had about Sprig was about..." mused Maddie, Also recalling her 'role' in this story in question, minor as it was.
"yeah... still, I wish we could've made that Pizza." said Anne, feeling a little depressed.
Olivier shrugged. "well... you could always try and gather those ingredients again. You don't give up on a quest just because you failed it ONCE."
"maybe... But next time, I won't drag the Plantars with me into danger." spoke Anne.
Olivier made a soft noise in his throat, taking a brief moment to brood on everything.
However, he was broken from his thoughts by a faint chittering sound.
"what's that??" spoke Olivier.
an Expression of DREAD then appeared on Anne's face. "oh... no..."
The three turned, and saw a menagerie of insects the size of a small animal start to emerge from the darkness. Anne breathed heavily, old memories of her first week in Amphibia flashing back to her.
"so... many... c-crawling... Everywhere!"
Maddie was tempted to use one of her curse pouches on the bugs, but decided to hold off on that and see what Olivier was going to do.
And sure enough, Olivier did start to draw a spell circle in the air. The golden ring of light turned orange, and Olivier's eyes started to glow.
The witch boy then made a 'Stop' gesture with his hands... and the insects all stopped.
Anne's jaw hung open, amazed at what she was seeing. Olivier then made another gesture, and the bugs all retreated back into the cave.
"H-How did... What was THAT?!" exclaimed Anne.
"Beast Keeping Spell." spoke Olivier. "It can Tame and Control wild beasts."
"Cool!" exclaimed Maddie.
"Ditto, but... I gotta ask: Why didn't you use that on the King Zapapede earlier today?" asked Anne.
Olivier scowled at Anne. "because that beast was TOO BIG, and I was already running on fumes that day."
"oh..." said Anne, feeling embarrassed now. "Okay, that makes sense... So, does that mean the bugs-"
"Won't be bothering us for the rest of the night." said Olivier. "I commanded them to leave us alone."
Anne breathed a sigh of relief. "thanks, dude. I appreciate that a lot."
"no... p-prob- (*Yaaawn*)-lem...." spoke Olivier, who suddenly yawned mid-sentence.
"still feel sleepy?" spoke Anne.
"yeah... aren't you??"
"a little..." said Anne, who was now starting to feel drowsy.
"well, I'm gonna turn for the night." said Olivier, as he stood up.
"hey!, where are you going?!" spoke Anne, confused.
Olivier didn't answer. He just walked off and climbed up Bessie's shell. Anne and Maddie looked up as Olivier climbed into the saddle, appearing to be laying down in it.
"Isn't it better to sleep closer to the campfire?!!"called Anne.
"cold never bothered me..." answered Olivier, not bothering to look down. "Good Night."
Anne frowned as she continued to stare up at Bessie's Saddle that obscured Olivier from sight.
She then looked down to Maddie... who looked back up to her. "he seems to want to be alone..." spoke Maddie.
Anne shook her head. "that may be what he wants... but he shouldn't be."
Unbeknownst to Anne and Maddie, Olivier overheard what they were saying. He frowned a little, silently reconsidering his choice of a sleeping spot.
But just as quickly as the doubts formed in his mind, he buried them just as quickly. As tempting as it was to climb back down to stay, he reminded himself: "it is better this way..."
"You say something Ollie!??"called Anne, again.
"No." answered Olivier again, turning to his side. "good-night."
No further words were spoken. As the minutes ticked away, Olivier finally drifted off to sleep.
Yet, Anne and Maddie didn't sleep... not yet.
The two girls silently looked at each other. They said not a word, yet communicated perfectly. Both were thinking the same thing, and so they sat in complete silence and waited.
After an hour had passed... the two girls decided to chance climbing up Bessie themselves.
Maddie was the first to peek over the saddle, spying Olivier with his back facing her. Anne soon poked her head over as well, seeing Olivier's sleeping form same as Maddie.
Olivier appeared to be fast asleep, and didn't even notice the two were watching him.
Maddie again, was the first to take action by climbing into the saddle. She helped Anne in as well, both girls doing their best to stay silent and not wake Olivier.
After waiting for about a minute, Maddie creeped over to Olivier's front and looked at him. The froggette then laid down beside him, curling up against him like she were a stuffed toy, or pet.
Anne grinned, resisting the urge to squeal at how cute that looked.
Once the moment passed, Anne then crept closer and decided to lay down behind Olivier.
Checking to see that Olivier was still sleeping, she took a moment to inspect the boy. The first thing she did was take a closer look at his scars hidden under his auburn locks.
Anne held her breath as her eyes refused to blink as she stared at the old injuries. The scars looked Very deep, and were lined in a way that made clear that whoever did this to Olivier did so deliberately.
(( "who could do something like this?!")) thought Anne. (( "this is just Cruel... Disgusting! oh, Ollie... I'm so sorry."))
Anne didn't know why she felt so bad about this. Afterall, she barely even knew Olivier. Yet she felt as bad for him as she would if this had happened to someone like Marcy (and even... Sasha.)
But that was the thing about Anne: she always felt compassion for other people, especially when people were hurt. It was part of why she had such a problem saying *No* to Sasha for so long. She didn't like to upset, or disappoint people.
And right now... Anne wished she knew what to do to help Olivier, to take his pain away. But, Anne wasn't a Genie... so all she could do was be a good friend to him.
With that though, Anne finally laid on her side, her back against Olivier's.
Even though he wasn't consciously aware that they were even there, Olivier could still physically feel Anne and Maddie's presence, which gave the witch boy some contentment as he continued to sleep soundly.
He moved around a bit, but breathed softly... his usually troubled mind now calmer.
[End of Part 13]