SHIELD OF LIGHT

[SNEEK PEEK INTO OLIVIA'S PAST] PAST]

Sadness was an ocean. Olivia drowned. Every day, she had no choice than to swim.

The way sadness worked in Olivia is one of the strange riddles of the world.

She was stricken with a great sadness, she felt as if she had been set aflame, not only because of the enormous pain, but also because the sadness spread over her life, like smoke from an enormous fire, and because of that, there had always been something called revenge in her soul.

Yes. Revenge for the lost innocent souls!

No matter how much Olivia thought about what happened to her people years ago, she always arrived at the same conclusion, telling herself, "happiness is no longer for me!"

"I can't and will not live a normal life till I take revenge!"

To make taking revenge easier, and to enable her to deal with more lookalike crimes in the future, so she could be the voice of the voiceless, Olivia made up her mind to become a lawyer and had been walking toward it before she considered being a prosecutor the best. Thinking that would make her go deep into investigations as much as she wished, since there was no limit for prosecutors to investigate, unlike lawyers.

But just when it remained a step to step in and take the prosecutor's entrance examination, Olivia didn't care about her sweat, effort and money she put in; once her usual second thought popped into her mind, thinking, "to grow wings in the legal way might be difficult or even impossible,"

"Those that are behind the incident are people of high status. Will they sit down and watch me destroy them easily?"

"If they find out about my background, I may not be able to get a promotion, talkless of becoming what I want."

Finally, Olivia made up her mind, following James' suggestions. It would be the best, "Join the black shadow, connect myself with the needed people, and create my realm of justice shall reign empire,"

"And then, the real final saga will begin!"

Concluding on what to do, Olivia spent last night meeting the people she was expected to meet in order to be a member of the black shadow.

With what she saw inside the shadow empire, in addition to what she passed through on her way home, she finally confirmed that happiness was no longer for her.

Last night, she made a decision she never thought she could make. She became more cruel and ruthless due to lessons she received within a short period of time. She was made to know that in life, you don't wait for what is yours, you root for what you want and snatch it from who it was.

To take revenge, Olivia witnessed a lot she never witnessed in her twenty-three years of existence in just a single night.

Now, Olivia was ready to give it everything within her reach, and everything outside her reach. She was willing to give it all it cost just to take revenge on the dead innocent souls, and become an avenger for the living innocent souls in the cloudy future. Even though she herself doubted her existence till then.

What she was about to do was dangerous, but she didn't care.

Revenge is a must since it's all that it requires.

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With the transparent of pains in Olivia's eyes, she laid her left hand on the apartment's door, and made sure she quickly locked the door and confirmed it was locked before she took some steps more, and arriving at the center of the sitting room, she laid helplessly on the floor.

Thinking about everything in the past, a little smile, without Olivia's knowledge, was kind of displayed in her eyes even though it wasn't noticeable or bright.

Getting to the middle toward the ending of the memory, where every tragedy began, and darkness aroused in her life, her family's life, and the people around her, hot hidden tears from five years ago began pumping out of her eyes. Lining horizontally on her cheek, before some passed through her shoulder before landing on the floor, and some landed straight on the floor.

Olivia wiped away her tears, wanting to force herself to stop crying. But then, she remembered the master's words from last night.

"If you have anything that you want to cry about, do it before you come back here tomorrow. Make sure to shed every drop of tears out of your eyes,"

"Before this time tomorrow, make sure to cry the hell out of your eyes, because from that time onward, no more tears. You will become fearless, brave, smarter than before, more cruel and become one of the most ruthless people on the surface of earth."

Olivia let the tears be, for some minutes, she let her eyes do as they wanted; pumping out tears.

'Why am I doing something I stopped doing a long time ago!?' Olivia thought within her mind.

"Mercy is no longer for me, I need to accept and get used to my eyes being always thirsty of tears, and always make my soul dry and not give it what it wants."

Olivia groaned in pain, holding the wounded part of her stomach. She stood up on her feet and stood for some minutes before she turned to the stairs.

Slowly, Olivia managed to walk to the stairs, and as she took up her left leg to climb up the stairs, she heard a familiar voice from behind. Calling, "Olivia."

Olivia landed her leg on the front stairs, and the person called again, "Olivia."

Olivia continued turning a deaf ear, thinking it was Aila. But laying her leg on the second, third, fourth, and then the fifth stairs, she remembered she locked the door after entering. And also, the voice didn't belong to Aila but someone familiar and close.

"Mother!" Olivia shouted, forgetting the pain she had passed through, the one she was currently going through, and the ready-made ones in the future.

She let go of the wounded area, running to her mother, she continued shouting, Mom!

"Mummy! Mother!"

Arriving at her mother's front, Olivia hugged her deeply in a way that denoted mutuality, love and long sought.

"Where have you been, mother? I miss you." Olivia asked a question with a long-seeking tone.

"Don't tell me you are still crying?" Mrs. Caterina, Olivia's mother asked, adding, "why are you doing something you promise yourself not to ever do again?"

"You should have gotten used to it already." Mrs. Caterina teased.

"Mama, I wish I had gotten used to it already. I just can't." Olivia said with an increase of tears.

Mrs. Caterina let go of her body from Olivia's arms, saying, "it's okay like this, there is a limit to how much you can hug me."

Because of the happiness flowing into Olivia's soul, she didn't mind asking why. She quickly freed her mother, asking, "why did you leave me alone to tackle the tragedy all by myself?"

Mrs. Carolina caged Olivia's head in her hand and lifted it up a little. Mrs. Carolina looked straight into those tearful eyes of Olivia.

"I did not leave you, I never did. You are not left alone to face the dilemma yourself, there she is," Mrs. Carolina said and pointed to Aila's picture on the wall.

"Always for you." Mrs. Carolina added.

Mrs. Carolina walked Olivia dumbly in her hand to the chairs and sat her down.

"No matter how dark the world turns, you're one of those humans that, even if it remains the light of a grasshopper, you should walk with it and don't fall into the pit of the enemy," Mrs. Carolina talked about the past.

"You are the one who shields light in another's lives, while you are in darkness,"

"Your priority used to be seeing everyone around you happy,"

"You are the innocent, kind, hearted lady that lighted other lives with your cute, appeasing smile,"

"Seeing others in darkness, you made your eyes teary,"

"The sweet voice of you put an end to the war,"

"To make other's lives filled with joy, you don't care to do anything within and outside your reach,"

"So what happened?"

"Why the sudden change in and out of you? Mrs. Carolina asked a question.

"Muuuum." Olivia called to her mother while stammering in pain.

"Don't worry Olivia,"

"Put your mind at rest, and everything will be fine," Mrs. Carolina consoled, drawing Olivia's head slowly to her shoulder to lean on.

"Close your eyes and allow everything to fade away into the air. And once you open it, live the great life you deserve,"

"For the meantime, you should lean on my shoulder and cry to your satisfaction,"

"No matter what happens Olivia, live a normal life you deserve. Remember you are love because you love," Mrs. Carolina continued, rubbing Olivia's head down to her back.

"But Olivia, how sure are you that the innocent souls you are destroying yourself for were truly innocent from the beginning till the end?" Mrs. Carolina threw a question.

Olivia slowly raised her head from her mother's shoulder, she shook her head, hit her ear lightly, thinking she wasn't hearing right. And maybe she would hear right if she did so.

"You hear me right." Mrs. Carolina smiled, knowing what Olivia was thinking.

"W do you mean!?" Confusion took over in Olivia.

"I will answer that, but answer the person that is calling you,"

"Someone is knocking." Mrs. Carolina said with a smile, pointing to the door.

Olivia looked at the door, and confirmed someone. She stood up and was walking to the door to check who it was.

Olivia felt a little cold when two steps remained for her to reach the door, and she looked back only to see her mother vanishing from toe to head into the air with a smile on her face, waving her hands.

"Motherrrrrrrrrr!" Olivia shouted, running to her mother to hold her back. But it was too late and all that was left in her hand was sand.

Olivia slowly, weakly kneeled down on the floor and the sound of her knees landing on the floor was heard.

Olivia began hitting her chest slowly, and as she continued, she increased. Shedding tears.

"Olivia! Olivia!" Olivia heard someone's voice, calling her from afar.

"Are you okay!?" The person calling her seemed to worry.

Olivia managed to open her eyes, and seeing Aila standing beside her, she quickly stood up with anger and hissed.

"Have you lost your mind already?" Olivia asked with the transparency of rudeness and hatred.

"Do I ever look okay to you?" Olivia's voice seemed to be a little low and nice.

Olivia stood up on her feet and headed to the bathroom. She remembered being in the sitting room earlier and paused.

"I remember lying down on the floor in the sitting room, how am I here?" Olivia asked a question, turning to Olivia.

Before Aila could open her mouth to answer, Olivia remembered seeing her mother and she quickly ran out of the bedroom, shouting, "Mum!"

"What's going on?!"

"Why is she calling Mum?!"

"Where did she see her?!" Aila was in darkness.

"What's wrong with her?!" Aila asked herself numerous rhetorical questions.

Olivia ran as fast as she could, she slipped on the tile stairs and fell, but didn't feel any pain. Because of curiosity.

Olivia arrived in the sitting room and stood for one minute, looking around. Thinking about where her mother could be.

"We haven't had breakfast, she must be in the kitchen cooking," Olivia thought.

She ran into the kitchen, but saw the well-washed dishes smiling at her, which was her mother's way of doing things.

"She has cleaned the kitchen, she must be in the toilet washing it. She hates dirt." Olivia said to herself, standing at the dining table.

Olivia ran into the toilet at the left side of the room and saw the toilet wall, floor and equipment neat.

Olivia began to think she was dreaming. Wondering if she was hallucinating, she put her head in her hands and weakly walked to the middle of the sitting room with her back.

"What's going on?! What's wrong with me?!" Olivia asked herself.

Olivia wanted to fall on the floor, but a helping hand from behind didn't allow her to fall and held her up.

Olivia quickly let go of herself, knowing that it would take no one other than Aila, who Olivia had warned countless times to stop meddling in her life. Since Aila returned from Spain.

Standing straight on her own, Olivia turned to Diana, who was still asking, "what's going on Olivia?"

"What's wrong with you?"

Olivia snickered, filling her eyes with a little mocking smile. She sounded rude, "I don't know,"

"Did I say anything was wrong with me?"

"I should be the one asking you such a silly question. Because you have been warned countless times to stop being a questionnaire about my life? I haven't been warned?"

"Simple instructions, stop meddling in my life!"

"My life is my life, not yours!"

"I am Olivia. You are John Ava. So does that sound alike?"

"I am entitled to live it anyhow I want, not how you or anybody want!" Olivia roared and attempted to walk out of Diana's sight, but Diana held her back with her left hand. Facing the door, while Olivia was facing the stairs. Standing beside each other.

"Please Olivia, can you grant me a little of your time?" Aila asked.

Olivia chuckled as she smiled, she bent a little to the left, crossing her hands on her chest. Olivia opened her mouth to talk, but laughter held her back.

"You should have asked this question at the beginning,"

"Why end a conversation with an opening line?" Olivia managed to stop laughing.

Silent for some seconds, Olivia disgustingly touched Aila's hand like it was a piece of irritating trash, covering her nose with the upper lips like the air was polluted and she was smelling a bad odor. She let her hand out of Aila's hand.

"I am sorry. I am busy," Olivia tried not to be rude, adding, "had it been I don't know what you will say, I may give you a little of my time,"

"But knowing what you will say, I am sorry I can't offer even another second for your rant." Olivia can't help being rude.

"Please, Olivia, give me a little time." Diana begged.

Without saying a word, Olivia turned back and didn't stop walking till she arrived at the chair and sat down.

"Come and have your seat and do the ranting you are a champion at doing, you have just thirty minutes," Olivia said pornographically.

"These next thirty minutes may be the last minutes we will share together in this house,"

"That's why I am willing to give it to you,''

"So, use it intelligently. I would advise you to go straight to the point and use it wisely." Olivia's tone of advice was rude.

"Okay." Diana accepted insults, just to have a peaceful discussion.

Diana walked to Olivia's front and sat down on the chair adjacent to Olivia.

Aila tried to be affectionate. Maybe Olivia would be a little calm, so the conversation, possibly the expressions would be a little assured.

Diana tried holding Olivia's hand, but Olivia didn't allow that. Taking her hand away, she said, "five minutes wasted."

"Olivia, please I am sorry for everything, you said you were going through something that I don't know..." Diana tried to create an appropriate line that could step down into the depths of Olivia's heart.

"Why are you sorry for me? Did I accuse you of being the one behind my misfortunes?" Olivia interrupted.

"No. Stop saying that," Diana cautioned with a high voice, feeling concern.

"May you never be misfortune." Aila reversed the bad word.

"Never been misfortune?!" Olivia sounded amazed.

"Don't you think that's too late?" Olivia asked a question, crossing her hands on her chest as she bent her head to the left side. Looking at Aila as she slowly put her right leg on the left.

"I am already a misfortune, it is a prayer that can't yield positive results." Olivia declared.

"Olivia, this is not you I knew back..." Aila's eye was teary.

Olivia's eyes widened and she looked up with outrage. She raised her head up a little more and her eyes turned dangerously red.

Olivia looked straight into Aila's eyes with fire almost coming out of her eyes, and Aila stopped talking.

"What changes about me?!"

"Who is the Olivia you knew back then?!" Olivia asked and answered, but Aila said nothing.

"I guess the Olivia you knew then was Olivia, and the Olivia now is the one without the surname John. But despite that, nothing changes," Olivia said.

"A lot has changed for you, Olivia!"

"Everything about you changes!" Diana raised her voice.

"You are the one who was always happy and also tried to make everyone happy no matter what happened?" Diana answered.

"Oh! Is that who I am?" Olivia mocked, faking it as excitement, wearing a cute smile on her face.

"But Ms. Diana John, can a question ask you a question?" Olivia sought permission, and Diana shook her head up and down, denoting positivity.

"How old am I then?"

"I mean when you left for Spain," Olivia asked, and getting hints of where Olivia was driving to, Diana didn't answer.

"Since you can't answer me, I guess this conversation is a waste of time." Olivia hissed, and stood up to walk away.

"Eighteen! You are eighteen then." Diana raised her voice with sadness, preventing Olivia from walking away.

Olivia sat back, asking another question, "Then, how old am I now?"

"Twenty three." Diana's voice was low.

"Diana, you are wise. I know that,"

"But had it been you came back from Spain after five years and met me with the same act of smiling at everyone, shouldn't you correct me for that?" Olivia asked.

"Look Diana, gone are those days when I used to be happy," Olivia declared.

"These days now, from this moment onward, it is either you live and love the new version of me, or you leave me."

Aila wiped the little drop of tears, she deeply breathed in and out with her nose; covering her mouth. She closed her eyes and licked her lips.

"Okay. If that's how you want it," Aila accepted.

"But Olivia, I don't want the new version of you. I don't need it and neither does anybody else want or need it," Aila voiced out.

"Everyone is content with the old you." Aila yelled.

"Are you yelling at me?!" Olivia was surprised, rubbing the upper part of her mouth with her lip.

"I don't beg for this conversation, you want it!" Olivia yelled back.

"I don't care if anybody wants or needs the new version! I am not seeking your opinion! I do as I want!" Olivia shouted.

"I think there should be a solution. What can I do to see a smile on your face again?" Aila was willing to go to any length.

"Stop meddling in my life and let me be," Olivia didn't leave a second for Aila's question to go into the air.

"That's the only way you can do your part to chase tragedy out of my life. Or let's say, your own way to prevent tragedy increasing in my life."

"Okay..." Diana comprehended, trying to say some more words. But Olivia interrupted, "and stop mentioning anything that has to do with your so-called father, I mean Mr. John, your own dad!"

"Olivia..." Diana called with a low voice, cautioning her not to start speaking ill of their father again.

"What?!" Olivia shouted, standing up on her feet again in a challenging manner.

"Olivia, please stop." Diana begged.

"Why should I stop!?" Olivia wondered, pulling her hand forward, as she elevated her shoulder to the same height as her neck in a challenging manner.

"Okay. I will stop as you want. But Olivia,stop meddling in my life," Olivia let out.

"This is an onion, the more you peel, the more you cry!" Olivia yelled and walked upstairs with anger.

Entering the bedroom, Olivia has a glimpse at herself through the mirror.

"I am sorry, it's just too late."

She undressed, and wrapped a towel on her body; covering her from the chest to the lap, and with the clothes in her hand, she walked into the bathroom and made sure to lock the door well.

She remembered how Aila broke in earlier, and she ran back to the door and closed it with all the strength left in her weak body.

Olivia walked to the shower, and stayed under it for ten minutes. She didn't move her body or wash it, but let water pour on her from head to toe.

She turned off the shower, walked to the left angle of the bathroom, and took a sponge with soap.

"I should be quick, James will be waiting already."

Going back to the shower, Olivia saw blood on the floor, and looked at her stomach only to see the blood was coming out more and more from there. She shouted,

"Oh my bad! I stayed under water too long."Olivia felt bad.

Thinking of what to do next, Olivia stood in a place for three minutes till a thought passed through her mind, and she hurriedly walked back to where she took the soap from.

Getting there to see that the first aid kit was still there, Olivia sighed in relief. Placing her hand on her chest, she let out, "I think I have returned it,"

"Forgetting to do something is sometimes the best."

She quickly opened the kit and took out the materials in it.

"Oh no! There are no gloves,"Olivia felt disappointed, opening the kit to see no gloves.

"I will just use the nylon,"Olivia concluded.

She took out the cotton wool from the nylon, wanting to put it down. She thought it would be dirty and she put it in the methylated spirit box.

"Ouch!"Olivia felt pain, touching the wound.

She applied gentle pressure with clothes till the bleeding stopped. She cleaned the wound area with clean water, finding out there was no iodine.

She gently applied a thin layer antibiotic till it reached everywhere, and after doing that she covered it with bandage.

"Now, I am done."Olivia felt relieved.

Trying to stand up on her feet, Olivia didn't know what to do and couldn't say a word or make a move as she watched blood begin to rush out till the bandage turned bloody red.

"What do I do?!"

Olivia opened the first aid kit, and from gentle pressure to a little harder and to the hardest, ignoring the pains she was passing through, she roughly cleaned and tried to stop the wound. But it wasn't stopping and didn't look like it would stop soon.

Olivia was tired and stopped cleaning it.

She stood up and walked to the laundry basket, not minding how dirty the clothes were or the effect they might have on the injury, she took three pairs of her skirts.

"This isn't soft."She thought to herself, holding three pairs of her thick short skirts.

She walked back to the laundry basket, and saw two scarves and one soft long gown that would work perfectly. But as she wanted to take it, she retreated, thinking it belonged to Aila.

"What will she do if I use it?"Olivia wondered.

Olivia took the scarf and gown. She wrapped them tightly round her stomach at exactly the injured area.

It was painful, but Olivia endured and ruled over her body, and didn't moan till she finished.

"This is good now."Olivia turned round, feeling excited, and accomplished.

Olivia thought of returning the kit to where it was supposed to be, but didn't. Thinking she would return it later in the day, when she returned. She returned it to where she took it.

She flushed the bloody cotton away, washed the clothes she used to clean the wound and washed the floor till no traces of blood could be seen on it.

"I should dress up now."

"Aila will be in the bedroom, it won't be good if she sees me like this."Olivia thought to herself and stopped walking to the bedroom, and went to the laundry basket, and wore one of the dirty clothes.

"What's going on?!"Olivia wondered, going to the door to find out it was jammed.

She tried opening the door full force, but it wasn't working.

"Damn it!"Olivia shouted, hitting the door with her leg.

"Ouch! Ah!"Olivia groaned in pain, as a result of her wound retaliating for stressing it; hitting the door.

"Olivia, are you there?"

"Are you okay?!"

"Is everything alright?!"Aila asked from outside.

Feeling a little relieved, Olivia slowly took her hands away from the wound. She stood straight, positioning her hands around her waist.

Knowing the only option left, asking Aila for help, Olivia didn't want to. Rather, she chose to stay inside the bathroom.

"Olivia, are you okay?!"Aila asked again.

"Can't you see the door is jammed and can only be opened from outside?!"Olivia sounded rude, indirectly asking Aila for help.

"Oh!"Aila understood, she moved closer to the door and opened it.

"Thank you."Olivia showed gratitude, walking pass Aila.

"Olivia."Aila called.

"What again?!"

"What else do you want?!"

"Do you want more than to thank you?!"Olivia asked.

"I am sorry."Aila felt guilty.

Olivia looked back and turned to Aila. She sounded confused, asking, "sorry?!"

"Who are you sorry for?!"

"You."Aila answered.

"Me?!"

"Did you do anything wrong?!"

"What happened?!"Olivia pulled Aila's leg, knowing what she was talking about.

"The slap."Aila answered.

"What slap?!"Olivia asked, adding, "Did you slap anyone that you want me to apologize to?!"

"Olivia, I didn't mean to do that, I just lost it. I lose control."Aila explained.

"You lost your temper or what did you just say?!"

"I can't believe this,"

"Look here, the truth is that you hate hearing the truth. You can't stand hearing the truth about how dirty minded your father was!"

"You refuse to acknowledge that he committed a sin, a heavy sin that ruined many lives!"

"He made the innocents be punished, letting the victims suffer more and more!"

"He witnessed evil and didn't say it till everything collapsed!"

"His heartless act then, left many that survive being homeless, made some did what they shouldn't have done, and till date, they still suffer for doing so!"

"Because of his own greedy act, thinking about himself, he drew tragedy to the past, made the present full of sorrow, and made the future dark!"

"Those that survive then, regret surviving. Wishing they should have been dead!"

"Olivia, you don't lose your temper. You just hate hearing the truth and want me to keep quiet. But I am sorry to disappoint you, I can't."

"Olivia, I am sorry."Aila begged.

"Sorry again?!"

"I didn't expect you to be doing this. I am not the one you should seek forgiveness from. Mine is minor,"

"You should seek forgiveness from everyone that suffers from your dad's hand."

"Did anything happen while I was away?!"

"What happened when I was in Spain?!"Aila asked with tears.

Tear rose up in Olivia's eyes, but controlling herself, she answered, "what you lose is more than temper, you lose a lot more than you think,"

"You are still asking if anything happened, when a lot happened!"

"Mom died, Andrew died, Elsie's family died! So do many of our family friends!"

"And you still have the mouth to ask me if anything happened?!"

"What could have happened more than that?!"

"Isn't that enough?!"

"Is that nothing to you?!"

"Do you expect much more than that?!"

"Or could it be that you planned it with yourdad and you planned more than what happened?!"

"I guess he didn't performed well to your expectations."

"Olivia, please stop it."Aila pleaded.

"Why should I stop?!"

"To avoid you getting pain?!"

"Look, your pain is and will never be nothing compared to what I am going through right now,"

"Come to think of it, I don't blame you for being like this. Because almost everything he achieved was spent on you,"

"So, he eats the fruit of his labor by you taking after him after his death,"

"You are the mini devil of father,"

"And who knows if you are not the Mini version of him, but the devil himself?!"

"A young snake and scorpions venom are stronger than the old ones, so the devil in you will be more than his."

"Olivia, we need to talk."Aila acknowledged.

"Talk about what?! I have no time for that. I have no time to regret giving to you again."Olivia let out.

Not waiting to hear more words, Olivia went out.

Aila walked to the bed, and lying weakly on it, she wondered, "before I left to Spain, Olivia loved dad most. Why The Sudden Changes that she turned out to hate him most?!"

"What her heart full of scars,"

"She sounded like she wants revenge?!"

"What exactly did father do?!"

"Who are the innocent?! Which victims is she talking about?!"

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"Hello Leo,"Olivia called, walking out of the compound.

"What do you mean I should come right away?!"

"Okay, I will be there soon."