"What's worse,
Being wanted but not loved
Or loved but not wanted?"
-Dove Cameron
Dodger knew that Ollie was dead. He was there when the guards sliced through her, and he left her for dead. But, what happens when all clues point to her being ali...
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Months had gone by, and Ashley and Erin settled into the Government house nicely. Erin became Olympia's personal maid as Olympia needed someone she could trust by her side; she needed someone who wouldn't flinch at the sight of the scars on her back or pull on her already-dusted hair. It also helped that Erin looked similar in build to Olympia once she was fed correctly, leading the three to devise a plan for Erin to disguise herself as Olympia when she was too busy to go to public events. Ashley became Olympia's sole butler/ assistant, with Olympia teaching him the ins and outs of medicinal herbs, lest he need to help Olympia with her work. Ashley also helped organize her schedule, being the sole sane person amongst the three; they were like family.
When Olympia told them how she became a Fox, the siblings began to trust her more and more. Eventually leading them to become a twisted sort of family.
Olympia's mother initially didn't react well to the sibling's presence. However, she learned to tolerate them when they began to help around the house, giving Olympia a sort of companionship (Olympia hated most upper-class socialites) that befit her background. Fanny and her father didn't seem to care; they were happy that Ollie was delighted. Belle, however, was most obsessed with the newcomers, glad for the change of scenery. Often, she would steal Ashley and Erin to help her with her research, going as far as to help teach them how to read so that they would better understand what she was referencing when she pointed to the hoard of books in her room.
Erin and Olympia eventually had a bet on how long it would take for Ashley and Belle to get together; you could cut the tension with a knife. The two girls often made vomiting gestures whenever they were together; they were disgustingly adorable. All was well.
But all good things must end, as Belle and Olympia fell ill. The two would have frequent trouble breathing, vomiting, and nausea. There would be days when they could get out of bed and take leisurely walks outside, but most days, they would be too ill to even walk to the bathroom.
What differed between the two symptoms was that Olympia's scar on her back would often start to bleed. Minor cuts and tares would stretch on the already soft tissue of her back. The doctors had no idea what was happening, continuously diagnosing that nothing was wrong with the two, pertaining it as something more psychological than physical. Oh, how wrong they were.
Frustrated with the lack of education in most of the doctors, Belle and Olympia began their own research with the help of Ashley and Erin. Belle scoured through books worldwide, while Olympia tested different herbs from many countries.
They finally made headway when Olympia discovered Hawthorn, a plant that eased the two's symptoms. Blended in tea and crushed into powder, the plant significantly increased the number of days the two could get out of bed; though they still had occasional flare-ups, the treatment allowed them to continue their everyday lives. Olympia regularly went out to pick herbs without Erin or Ashley's supervision, and Belle had started learning about surgery again. All was well. ------ 2 years later
The three girls sat in the governor's office. Olympia was dressed in finely pressed overalls and a frilly shirt. The other two women dressed in frilly dresses for the upcoming ceremony. Ollie wasn't dressed because she had convinced Erin to go in her place, though she only stayed at parties for five minutes and left.
Wrinkled books and dusty paper lay on the floor, chairs, and an oak desk. The government house had to approve a new surgeon at the hospital in town. The young Sneed had just started working there, but with Prof. more drunk than sober, the mortality rate of the hospital was too high. Then Belle suggested hiring a new surgeon, and Lady Fox had Prof. send recommendations immediately.
Olympia held up a letter with a name drawn in scraggly handwriting. "Doc Jerkins?"
Belle scoffed, "He prescribed the wrong medicine to a client in London for gastric problems. The patient basically imploded after taking the medicine for only three days."
"Well, that's a no then."
Lady Jane lifted up a crumpled paper with what they hoped wasn't blood. "Doctor Hastings? It says he graduated from Colombia."
"Absolutely not. He killed both the patient and an observer in one operation. He's the only doctor in history with a 200 percent mortality rate."
The two Fox ladies continued to bicker when Olympia noticed a letter sticking out from the bottom of the pile. Carefully removing it without toppling the whole stack, the paper was cold yet pristine. Upon further inspection, Ollie caught a whiff of salt, and what Ollie realized wasn't coldness but dampness.
She carefully unfolded the letter to be met with neat, pristine handwriting. The Admiral was famous in London, one of the sole contributions to crushing the pirates just west of Australia. But what really stood out was the second signature, which wasn't the Admiral's. Jack Dawkins was written in choppy, strangled writing; it looked like a toddler had written it. A warm feeling spread in Olympia's chest. Jack Dawkins echoed through her head as her figures traced the writing as if she was there when he had written it.
Olympia hadn't even realized when she spoke aloud,
"How about Jack Dawkins?" Jane and Belle turned toward her, pulled from their reverent debate.
"Who again my dear?" said Miss. Fox, her brow scrunched in confusion.
"Jack Dawkins. He was a lieutenant in the Navy, highly praised by the Admiral according to this letter."
Belle quickly snatched the letter from her adopted sister's hands as her mother read the letter over Belle's soldier.
"He has no education."
"Yes, but he has experience. You can't learn everything from a book."
The oldest of the three sighed. "He's an option. We do need more people of lesser status; the rich just won't work anymore."
"Exactly! Think of it as an experiment?"
Belle smiled in remembrance, "Well I have no objections. The commoner could be a good surgeon. Worst case scenario we just fire him." ------- 6 months later
Olympia walked down the halls of the hospital to the professor's office. She was dressed in a sizable billowy dress, her messy red hair tied back with a white cover, and her apron was a pristine white fresh from the press.
Olympia opened the door; the toxic smell of alcohol made her nose burn in discomfort as she covered his face with her hand.
"You called for me?"
"Why yes of course! Just wanted to introduce y-you! Sneed suggested you work with the new surgeon. Why good man, introduce yourself!"
The blond stood from his seat. His sleeves were white and billowed at his wrists. At the top of his head stood a dusted black top hat, which looked more than 10 years old. His chest was covered in a thick, plain blue vest, his hair draping across the edges of his hat and peaking around the curves.
The man stood about a head taller than Olympia and held out his hand.
"Lieutenant Jack Dawkins. Hello." His face is neutral and without emotion, but Olympia could see his face relax slightly, glad to no longer be talking to a drunk professor.
"Herb specialist, Lee." the two scared palms meet, fitting ideally like matched puzzle pieces. "At your service, Doctor."
Authors note: hey guys! I just wanted to say how much I appreciate all the people who have read my book! I hoped you liked this chapter, as this is the last part of part 1! Hooray!
