Silver Rain

Chapter 24

There were only three times in Olivia's very short life when she couldn't find the answer to something that had penetrated her curiosity. She was always a seeker of knowledge, a relentless pursuer of the unknown, and a solver of puzzles, big and small. Whether it was the intricacies of the human pulmonary system or the complex mechanics of her favorite toys as a child, Olivia would dive headfirst into books, ask endless questions, and experiment tirelessly until she understood.

The first time that she encountered an unanswerable question was when she was maybe eight or nine. She was out for recess alone on the swings, when a group of boys had started teasing her relentlessly, mocking her humanity and her fragility. They were different from her in ways she couldn't yet comprehend, but she knew they were not like her. With their strange strength, keen senses, and uncanny ability to heal quickly from injuries, they were everything she was not. They called her "fragile human" and laughed at her limitations: how she in and out of the hospital constantly, how she couldn't heal herself from her ailments. Olivia couldn't understand why they were so different or why her humanity was a subject of ridicule. No matter how much she asked the caregivers or scoured the limited books available, she found no answers. But as she aged, she realized that those boys were wolves and she lived in a world where she'd always question why she was the odd one out.

The second time was at her fifth-grade choir concert. Olivia had worked hard, practicing every day, her clear, sweet voice standing out among her peers. The night of the concert, she nervously peeked out from behind the stage curtains, watching as parents filled the auditorium. She saw the joy and pride on the faces of her classmates' parents as they waved and cheered. She watched as each child was greeted with hugs and flowers afterward. But when it was her turn to look out into the audience, she saw only empty seats where her parents should have been. There was no one to cheer for her, no one to give her flowers or a congratulatory hug. She didn't even remember what they looked like at this point in her life so she couldn't even manifest their image in her mind. Leaving her alone in the world, a fact she knew but could never fully understand, she found herself caring for herself and learning everything they would have taught her on her own. The feeling of isolation and the unanswered questions about her parents' death weighed heavily on her, deepening her sense of being different and alone.

The third time was now. When the witch pushed Olivia towards the mirror, she initially waited for the sharp sting of the glass breaking against her, but it never came. She instead went through it. The sensation was unlike anything Olivia had ever experienced. It was as if she were falling through a tunnel of swirling light and shadow. The air around her was cold, biting into her skin. She felt weightless, and disoriented as if she were tumbling through a void with no sense of direction or time.

There was no way to explain it scientifically, and for someone like Olivia, who had spent her life seeking answers to everything, this lack of understanding was both terrifying and electrifying. She felt a rush of adrenaline course through her veins as she hurtled through the darkness, her senses overwhelmed by the strange sensations enveloping her.

She reached out, trying to find something to hold onto, but there was nothing. Hands grasping at open air. Just an endless expanse of shimmering light and darkness. Panic rose within her, but she forced it down, focusing on her breathing. In and out, steady and controlled. She had to keep it together, keep her stomach together as she free-fell.

As she fell, snippets of memories flashed before her eyes. Faces, places, and moments from her past. It was disorienting, like watching a movie on fast-forward. Each memory seemed to blur into the next, a whirlwind of emotions and sensations crashing over Olivia like a tidal wave. She saw herself as a child, running through sunlit fields with laughter bubbling from her lips. She saw herself sitting alone in a darkened room at the orphanage, tears streaming down her cheeks, reaching for something under her bed.