Chapter 3 Before the Escape

On a languid Friday afternoon, Olivia was marooned at her work desk. Her emerald eyes darted towards the clock on her desk. The hands of the clock seemed to be inching along at a snail's pace, each tick echoing in the silence of space. She bit down on her lower lip, and her nails etched crescent moons into the wooden surface of her desk. She silently implored time to hasten its march.

The afternoon had been an endless parade of stolen glances at that torturous clock face - twenty times or more by her count. A sense of anticipation bubbled within her, causing a prickling sensation that made it impossible for her to sit still.

Throughout this agonizing wait, she had sent five texts to her grandmother, each tinged with eager anticipation. When she finally received an affirmative reply from her grandmother two hours prior, relief washed over Olivia like a cool wave breaking against a hot shore.

It had been three agonizing weeks since she'd applied for it, and now, with just one week left before she was due to leave on vacation with Emily, Olivia's passport had finally arrived. She'd been stealing glances at the clock all day, waiting for the moment when she could escape from work and rush home.

She had already requested three weeks off several weeks ago, and today marked her last day in the office before this much-needed break. She meticulously wrapped up all pending tasks at work, ensuring that everything would function seamlessly during her absence.

With another sigh that tasted like freedom, Olivia finally glanced at the clock; only a few more minutes remained before she could leave work behind. Rising from her chair with newfound energy coursing through her veins, Olivia gathered up all her belongings and punched out on the timecard machine before maneuvering her way through the maze-like building lobby and out to the sprawling parking garage.

Just as she was about to unlock her car, a familiar van caught her attention. The exact nondescript vehicle was parked near her house on multiple occasions. An uneasy feeling began to churn in her stomach. Olivia decided it prudent to pick up some essentials from the grocery store before heading home.

With an urgency that made her movements almost frantic, Olivia got into her car and started the engine with a rumble. As she navigated towards the grocery store, she kept stealing glances at the rear-view mirror, half-expecting to see that van tailing her. But after a few minutes of driving without any sign of it, she chalked up these fears to paranoia.

Upon reaching the grocery store, Olivia grabbed a shopping cart and began navigating through the labyrinthine aisles. However, an unsettling sensation clung to her - an inexplicable feeling of being watched. She couldn't quite pinpoint why she felt this way, but there was an eerie sense of unseen eyes tracking each of her movements.

Feeling unease, Olivia inadvertently collided with an old acquaintance from her school days, Kelvin. He was older by a few years, and his family's name was synonymous with the grocery business in town.

"Olivia! Long time no see," Kelvin greeted her warmly, his voice rich like melted chocolate. A lingering fondness for Olivia had always dwelled within him despite her past relationship with his friend during their school years.

Kelvin was a handsome man. His chestnut brown hair fell in soft waves atop his wide forehead, his piercing blue eyes twinkled when he laughed, and his narrow chin gave him a youthful appearance. His nose was straight and pointed, a feature he often joked about.

"So, what brings you to the store today?" Kelvin asked playfully, his smile spreading across his face like butter melting on hot toast.

Caught off guard by the familiar face amidst her disquieting thoughts, Olivia returned Kelvin's warm smile. "Just picking up some essentials," she responded, her voice subtly laced with tension. "It's been ages since we last crossed paths," he noted thoughtfully before chuckling, "You're quite elusive."

Before Olivia could respond to his light-hearted comment, Kelvin continued enthusiastically. "I'm hosting a little get-together at my beach house this weekend. I'd be thrilled if you could join us." His pleading puppy-dog eyes were hard to ignore. Suddenly finding herself distracted by stray strands of hair falling into her face, Olivia tucked them behind her ear as she prepared to decline politely.

"I appreciate the invite, Kelvin, but Emily and I already have plans this weekend," she said smoothly while maneuvering her shopping cart around him as they blocked the aisle. "Emily can join, too!" he replied earnestly without missing a beat. "I'll discuss it with Emily and let you know," she countered diplomatically.

Kelvin handed Olivia his phone to input her number, grinning like a Cheshire cat. She quickly typed it in, and He sent a text punctuated with a cool smiley emoji.

"See you Saturday," Kelvin said confidently, completely disregarding the fact that she hadn't confirmed her attendance. Olivia chuckled at his audacity. Considering his family's wealth and influence in the town, it wasn't surprising. However, Olivia was no stranger to wealth; her academic prowess from middle school earned her numerous scholarships and allowed her to mingle with such affluent individuals. It was through these circles that she had met Emily.

After finishing shopping and buying stuff for the house and herself, Olivia rushed home, parked the car, and turned it off. She looked around, but the white van was not there. Feeling better, she walked into the house. To her surprise, Emily was at her house lying on the couch while Olivia's grandmother was flipping channels on the TV, sitting on a TV console.

"What's happening here?" Olivia queried, her lips curving into a smile. But the moment she laid eyes on Emily, her grin faltered. Emily's usually vibrant face was now a pallor of its former self. Her gaze seemed focused on some far-off point as she looked down, and Olivia instantly knew something was amiss.

"Hey, Liv," Emily greeted her with an attempt at cheerfulness that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Welcome back, dear," Grandmother chimed in from the corner of the room.

"I'm home," Olivia replied absentmindedly, her attention still fixed on Emily. She leaned closer to Emily and whispered, "Did something happen?" Emily shrugged nonchalantly, forcing a small smile onto her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Not much, just family stuff. Can I stay over till our trip?"

"Of course," Olivia responded quickly, trying to return Emily's forced smile with one of genuine warmth. To lighten the mood, she added casually, "Guess who I bumped into at the store? Kelvin." With that announcement made, Olivia pecked Grandmother on the cheek and ascended the staircase with Emily trailing behind curiously. They entered Olivia's room, where she flicked on the light switch and began to undress for a shower.

"But what actually happened?" Emily persisted, eager for more information. "Well... Kelvin invited us to their beach house this weekend for a party," Olivia revealed before disappearing into the bathroom. Emily squealed in delight at this news." Please tell me we're going!"

Olivia heard Emily's plea but didn't respond immediately. A few minutes later, she emerged from the shower wrapped in a towel with water droplets cascading down her damp hair." I can't go," she announced nonchalantly, leaving Emily agape.

"We leave next week, and I haven't even started packing," Olivia explained. Emily, unable to back down easily, gave Olivia her best pleading look. "Please, this will really lift my spirits and set the right tone for our vacation."

Olivia sighed in resignation. "Fine," she agreed. "Yay!" Emily cheered, clapping her hands together. Swiftly pulling on cotton pajama pants and a top, Olivia told Emily she would be right back. She descended the staircase and began sifting through the mail until her fingers closed around her passport. She opened it with a victorious leap of joy before going to Grandmother's room to ensure she was comfortably tucked in for the night.

When she returned upstairs with sandwiches in tow, Emily was engrossed in an animated conversation over the phone in fluent Italian. Olivia had always known that Emily was Italian but had never heard her speak the language before; she'd assumed it was just a title.

With silent footsteps, Olivia slipped into the room and settled onto her bed to enjoy her sandwich while Emily stepped out for privacy. When Emily returned from the bathroom looking flustered, Olivia teased, "If I didn't know you better, I'd have thought you were arguing with Uriel."

"No," Emily replied dismissively as she rummaged through Olivia's drawers for something comfortable to wear for the night. "It's just my dad."

"Emily! Is everything okay back home?" Olivia asked with concern, "Yes, everything is fine. I told you it's just my dad and everything he wants me to do and not do; it's annoying. I'm an adult; I don't need that much supervision, damn." Emily said with sadness in her voice and walked into the bathroom. Olivia sighed. She walked towards the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I will text Kelvin and let him know we will attend his party," Olivia says, trying to help her friend with the tension.

Emily quickly opened the door. "Really?" she asked enthusiastically, "Yes, I will get my cell and text him; hopefully, he is still up," Olivia said the last part quietly. Olivia took her phone from her bed and opened her text; his number was, and a cool emoji popped up first. Emily moved close to Olivia and put her chin on Olivia's shoulder.

She typed her message to Kelvin: Hey, you up? It Olivia. Olivia was going to drop the phone when Emily said, "Look! He is typing." Excitingly, Olivia looked back at her phone and saw the three dots indicating the person on the other end was typing; a few seconds later, it came through. Kelvin: I'm up. What's up? Olivia sighed, and Emily still gave her poppy eyes. Olivia: So what's the Address? Kelvin sent a dancing and a party emoji; Emily got up from the bed and started dancing to imaginary music, saying, "Oh yeah, we going to party!" cheerfully, a little bit loud than the house could take. Olivia looked at Emily and said to her, "Keep it down, grams sleeping." Emily chuckles, covering her mouth. "I forgot."

Kelvin: Well, don't worry about that. Send me your address, and I will get you. Olivia looked at Emily, "Well, that is perfect. It meant we don't have to drive."Olivia signed again and quickly typed in her address. Kelvin: I will be there by 8 o'clock to pick you up.

Olivia: Alright, see you at 8. Olivia put her phone down and looked at Emily, returning to her usual self; her smile stretched from ear to ear, giggling with joy because of the party. Olivia shook her head and asked, "Go to bed." Emily laughed and jumped into Olivia's queen-sized bed, having little whispers before they fell asleep.

As dawn broke, the morning sun shone through Olivia's bedroom window. She squirmed in her sleep as the sunlight kissed her eyelids. The digital clock on her bedside table blinked at 6:50 A.M. As she fluttered her eyes open, Emily's grinning face greeted her from atop the bedpost. Emily looked like the early bird, dressed in black skinny jeans and an off-shoulder crop top with a zip-up front and buckled belt.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Emily crowed, panting slightly from her effort to rouse Olivia from slumber. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Olivia recognized Emily's voice and mumbled groggily, "Why are you up at this ungodly hour?" stifling a yawn mid-sentence.

"Well," Emily beamed, "it's Saturday! Kelvin will be picking us up in an hour." "Oh shoot!" Olivia exclaimed and sprang out of bed like a jack-in-the-box. She rushed into the shower before slipping into a boho blouse paired with camel-brown pants. Checking on her grandmother was next on her agenda.

Her grandmother was not in the kitchen where she usually prepared breakfast for them but had retreated to her room instead. The faint sound of a TV show wafted from behind the closed door of her grandma's room.

Knocking gently on the door before entering, Olivia jumped onto the bed beside her grandmother and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Morning, grams," she greeted cheerfully. "Morning, Oli," replied Grandma with a warm smile, patting Olivia's cheek softly.

"I know you like to keep busy, Grams," Olivia said hesitantly, "but I'm worried about you overworking yourself." Grandma waved away Olivia's concerns nonchalantly, saying, "It keeps me going, dear; I need this. I don't do much else."

"I understand, grams," Olivia said sympathetically, "but once I get this job, I promise to take care of all the medical expenses for your surgery, okay?" Her grandmother gave a silent nod in response.

"Anyway," Olivia continued, "Kelvin is picking Emily and me up soon. We're heading to their beach house for the day."

"Oh really now?" Grandma replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Grams!" Olivia laughed, "I swear it's just a friendly hangout. Nothing more."

As they talked, Emily's voice echoed from the kitchen, "Your breakfast is getting cold!" Before she could leave the room, though, Grandma asked about Emily. "How is she doing?" "I'm working on it," Olivia answered cryptically. She left her grandmother with a thoughtful look and closed the door behind her.

After breakfast, both girls returned to their rooms to pack. When Olivia saw Emily stuffing clothes into an oversized bag as if they were going away for weeks instead of hours, she couldn't help but question her friend's packing strategy.

"Em', aren't you overdoing it a bit?" Olivia asked curiously. Emily shrugged and laughed off her concern. Just then, the doorbell rang, announcing Kelvin's arrival. Opening the door downstairs revealed Kelvin standing in a blue kimono-style shirt paired with shorts that matched his chestnut brown hair tied up in a tiny man bun.

"Hey," Olivia greeted him with an amused chuckle, "We'll be down in a minute." Emily quickly rushed down the stairs, shouting playfully at Kelvin, "I'm here." She was holding Olivia's black weekender bag, an unnecessary accessory for a short trip but typical of Emily's quirky style.

Olivia shook her head at Emily's theatrics and followed her out of the house. The sight of Kelvin's monster truck parked outside stopped them in their tracks. The tires were as tall as they were, and both girls looked apprehensive.

With a swift movement, Kelvin pressed a button on his truck key. Ladders unfolded automatically with a mechanical hum, causing the two women to gasp in unison. "Oh!" Olivia and Emily exclaimed, their voices echoing each other as they took in the sight.

"Ladies," Kelvin announced with a grand flourish of his hand towards the vehicle. It was an old model but well-maintained, its paint gleaming under the morning sun. The interior was spacious, boasting two comfortable seats upholstered in rich leather up front and three more at the back.

Before Olivia could make her move towards the coveted front seat, Emily sprang forward like a gazelle and claimed it for herself. Left with no other option, Olivia gracefully slid into one of the back seats.

Kelvin then slipped on his aviator sunglasses, which glinted dangerously in the sunlight. He turned around to face them both before starting the engine. "Are we all good?" he asked casually over his shoulder.

Olivia flashed him a warm smile from her seat at the back seat and responded affirmatively. "Yes." Her voice carried through the small space of the truck.

Emily chimed in simultaneously from beside him, her distinctively airy voice hinting at her free-spirited nature. "Yes." With both affirmations received, Kelvin shifted gears and drove off toward their destination, which was still two hours away.