Chapter 29: The Epic Sleepover: Part Four
In another part of the Clawthorne Observatory, Luz, Willow
and Anne were doing their search for the missing Sprig.
Though, despite the urgency to find the Pink Frog Boy...Anne couldn't help but get distracted.
"This is SO COOL!" spoke Anne, marveling at her surroundings.
Anne paused to inspect a trinket of some kind sitting on a table.
She didn't have the slightest clue what it even was, but was fascinated by it all the same.
For a moment, all the stress and anxiety she was feeling was forgotten.
And Anne felt like a Kid again, reliving the joy she and Marcy felt when they explored King Andrias' castle together in Newtopia.
"This stuff IS kinda impressive!" chirped Luz (also examining random items.)
"It's kinda like the trinkets that I saw in Emperor Belos' Treasure Room."
Anne then picked up what looked like a glowing blue gemstone crowned in a metal band and attached to a ribbon like a medallion.
"oh, I SO wanna keep this!" exclaimed Anne.
"You may need to ask Miss Gwen first, since this is all their stuff." spoke Luz.
"Oh, I will." said Anne. "TRUST ME, I've learned my lesson about stealing magical items."
Anne then blushed, a goofy grin creeping on her face as she thought back to the last time she pilfered an antique object of magical power...
...which had triggered EVERYTHING that had happened to her recently.
"I still can't believe half the things you talked about earlier today!" spoke Luz.
"I mean-, I *DO* believe you. But, It just sounds so AMAZING!, I can't get over it!"
Anne smiled at her fellow human. "yeah...I suppose it is, looking back at it all."
"GIRL, I'm jealous of you!" continued Luz.
"Getting to live in a Frog Village, and work on a Farm. I mean, don't get me wrong,
I love living with Eda, but she IS a wanted fugitive...which CAN make things hard for me. US."
"I can see how that would be aggravating..." mused Anne.
"but, Wartwood wasn't all good either. At first, anyway.
When I first started living there, I was shunned by everyone there.
Sure, no one was after me. But, it felt pretty lonely being an outcast."
Luz nodded. "I...sorta know that feeling. Being the only human in the Demon Realm.
But, they DID at least give me a chance, so I guess you had it harder than I did...sorry."
"Hey, It's no biggie dude. We both had our own adventure that were different." spoke Anne.
"BUT, hopefully I can get a taste of what you've gotten up to
once I enroll in this Hexside place and live out my Cynthia Coven Fantasy!"
Luz smiled. "I can't wait for that! What sort of track are you interested in?"
Anne thought for a moment. "I might try my hand at...Potions.
I am good at cooking, and potion mixing is kinda the same thing.
But, I also want to be good at Healing...in case anyone I care about get hurt."
"Sooo...you want the same tracks as Olivier, then." mused Willow.
Anne blushed. "guess so."
It was then that Willow paused and finally approached Anne. "Is it okay if I ask you something personal?"
Anne smiled at the bespectacled girl. "Sure, Dude. I'm an open book."
Willow looked shy, but tried to muster up some courage to speak.
"How WERE you able to get Olivier to open up enough to...form a Relationship with you." began Willow.
"I've known him since I was a child. and yet, after...what happened to him,
He just...Changed. He withdrew from everything, and even 'I' couldn't reach out to him."
Luz watched as Willow acted a little uncomfortable.
"forgive me if I sound...Jealous." continued Willow.
"But, what exactly is it that YOU did that I failed to do...Why did I fail, while you succeeded?!"
Anne gave Willow a comforting smile. "It's okay...I get why you might feel that way."
Anne then breathed out as she took a moment to think back to how she first met Olivier,
and the series of events that led to their relationship reach where it is now.
"To tell you the truth...I don't really have a clear, easy answer." began Anne.
"Ollie was indeed very distant and reclusive when I first met him.
He was so polite, and yet also opinionated: If he didn't like you, he would certainly let you know it.
It was...HARD, getting close to him. I mean...we got along well enough,
but he always kept me at arm's length and shut me out when I tried getting closer."
"You must've really saw something in him to keep trying, despite all the times he pushed you away." mused Luz.
Anne smiled to herself. "I'd like to think that...BUT, my actual reasons were more selfish.
See, at the time Ollie first appeared, I was...Kinda all alone in that Frog World.
The only other humans there besides ME was my two childhood friends: Sasha, and...Marcy."
Anne paused as she mused on them both for a moment.
"Sasha...she was always the Cool Friend." continued Anne.
"but, I failed to see how that 'Coolness' had degraded into her becoming a bully.
And, We...had a recent falling out, and weren't talking to each other anymore."
Willow grimaced, finding Anne's story scarily similar to hers and Amity's history.
"Marcy was...Well, she's kinda like you, Luz."
"REALLY?!" exclaimed Luz, surprised and excited.
"yeah...But, she was travelling Amphibia as a Newtopia Ranger,
so my chances of seeing her again were pretty difficult..."
Anne then scowled. "much later, I found out she was hiding a secret from me.
That she KNEW that the Calamity Box was magic from the very beginning,
and got us all sent to another world on purpose so we could leave the real world behind.
She wanted us to have these crazy adventures together, and NEVER be apart."
"That sounds wonderful!" squealed Luz.
a glare from Anne ultimately forced Luz to change her tune.
"I get why she did it...but, she could've asked us FIRST." continued Anne, a stern tone in her voice.
"She took me from my family, and put us all in serious danger.
I know she didn't want us to separate, but we ended up doing that ANYWAY!
and...as much as I am worried about her. I am still mad at her for betraying my trust like that.
Willow stared at Anne...and smiled weakly.
"I see now why Olivier trusted you. You and him both were betrayed by a friend."
Anne matched Willow's meek smile. "yeah...I know. Me and Him just...GET Each other."
Anne then frowned again. "course, even before that...I was desperate to be closer to him.
Mainly because, apart from Sasha and Marcy, he was the only 'human' besides me in Amphibia.
a new face that I didn't have a personal history with...and, a BOY at that (not that any of that should matter...)
Look, what I am trying to say is...I was lonely. Being the only human in a real life fantasy world
is a lot harder to live in than what you might think. And, I was starved for human companionship.
I needed...SOMEONE to talk to who understood me.
Sprig is my friend, yes. But he is still a little kid, AND a Frog.
and there are some things I can't talk to him about...things he can't understand."
"and, Olivier did." inquired Willow.
Anne nodded. "Once I got him to trust me...Yeah.
It wasn't easy, though. I had to be patient...earn his trust bit-by-bit."
Anne then blushed "but, somewhere down the line...I came to realize that
he was MORE than just a companion to me. I don't know when it started, but...I grew to LOVE him.
I loved his loyalty...his honesty. How he Always stood up for other people,
and wasn't afraid to stand his ground. In a way, he inspired me to be a better person."
Willow smiled warmly. "yeah...Ollie was like that too, when me, him and Amity were still friends.
I am so happy to hear he didn't lose any of that...though, I miss seeing him smile."
Anne grinned. "I will never forget the first time I ever saw him smile. It was...so wonderful."
Willow looked at Anne. "I'm glad that Olivier could meet you...Thank you so much for helping him."
Anne half-smiled. "I wish I could do more...I wish I could undo what happened to him."
Willow nodded. "me too."
Luz made an expression that looked almost 'constipated.'
"Is ANYONE going to tell me just what this 'terrible thing' was that happened to Olivier,
and what it has to do with Amity, and WHY Olivier is so angry with her?!"
Willow and Anne looked at Luz.
"It isn't our place to tell you." said Willow.
"Give him time, Luz. Ollie will tell you when he's ready." added Anne.
"but, Trust Me: He has his reasons for feeling the way he does."
Luz frowned. Unhappy that she still didn't know what was going on.
She wasn't ignorant. She hadn't forgotten that Amity Blight was once a horrible person.
a Bully, who reminded Luz of similar girl from her own world that always picked on her.
But...Amity was a different person now. and, even Willow had forgiven her.
So, Luz just couldn't understand why Olivier was still angry, and refused to accept Amity's apology.
Just what DID Amity do that was so terrible, that even SHE didn't want to talk about it?
Luz hated not having all the facts...but she knew pestering everyone
over it wouldn't get her answers any quicker.
"I sure wish I could've known Olivier before...Whatever it was that happened to him." mused Luz.
"The way everyone keeps talking about him...He sounds like such a different person.
Not at all like the Olivier that I met earlier today, who is just seems Angry all the time."
Anne frowned. "yeah...I wish I could've known him back then, too."
Anne then chuckled to herself. "sometimes...I have this vivid dream. One that feels like a memory.
In it, I'm a little kid, playing with Sasha and Marcy at the Playground where we always hung out.
Only...in my dream, I heard a boy crying. I go to see what's wrong...and I see Ollie.
He's just a kid (like me), and still has his ears.
He is lost, and I keep him company until his family comes back for him.
We play for hours...Mom even looks after him when he gets tired.
Eda eventually does find us, and take Olivier home...but we remain friends."
Anne then exhaled sharply. "I know that never happened...but I wonder what if it DID.
What if...me and Ollie HAD known each other all our lives.
Could I had done something, ANYTHING, to change what had happened to him?"
"anne..." spoke Willow, approaching the human. "trust me: there isn't anything you could've done."
Anne's eyes began to water. "I wish I could believe that...BUT, I feel I could've done something."
"You are doing enough just being his girlfriend." continued Willow.
"He is much happier now that you are part of his life.
So, just keep doing what you are doing...and everything will be fine."
Luz looked at the two girls "but...what about Amity?"
Anne and Willow looked at Luz.
"Do you think things will ever be fixed between Olivier and Amity?" continued Luz.
"I mean, they used to be best friends...Do you think they'll ever be friends again?!"
"That is up to OLIVER to decide, NOT US." answered Anne, an edge in her voice.
"I'm not about to force him to forgive someone that he once trusted.
Not when *I* still have my own trust issues with my own friends. It isn't my place to judge him."
"but-"
"Luz, Anne is right: This isn't something you can force." spoke Willow.
"even...I'M, still not that comfortable around Amity.
she...She really hurt me. Hurt US. and that pain isn't easy to get past."
Luz looked at Willow. "You and Amity still talk."
"and, it's a struggle for me every. single. day." said Willow.
"and, it isn't fair to compare myself to Olivier. He endured far worse than I did."
Luz exhaled stressfully. "can't you at LEAST give me a hint at what that is!?"
Anne and Willow looked at each other...and then back to Luz.
"Only that when Olivier needed Amity, his Best Friend the most, she...wasn't there." answered Willow.
"Ollie...had his very innocence taken from him." spoke Anne, her nearly voice breaking.
"and while Amity wasn't the one who did...IT. She was the one that stood by...AND WATCHED IT HAPPEN."
Luz froze as her imagination went wild trying to piece together this mysterious event.
Some images in her mind made her cringe, and HOPE it wasn't as bad as what she was thinking.
But, if even HALF of what Anne and Willow implied was true...
Then it suddenly made sense why Olivier seemed so angry all the time.
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard from a distance.
The trio looked to where the noise came from...and ran towards it.
[End of Part 29]