The Element of Surprise

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Olivia's P.O.V.

Silence fills the tense atmosphere as we all wander into our own thoughts. Claude had said he was a delinquent. What did he mean, exactly? Was he being truthful or .was he only trying to get a rise out of my brother? I glance over at him shyly. He is hunched over with his head lying between his hands. He looks so innocent with his eyes closed and his breathing deep and even. He doesn't act like a delinquent, but he certainly fights like one.

He sighs heavily and lays back on the couch, his eyes still closed but his arms laying palm-up over his legs. I shift my gaze down to the scar on his forearm that I had noticed that first day I met him. At the time, I was not in a good position to observe the healed laceration...but I am now. I know I shouldn't, but curiosity compels my eyes to study the scar more closely. It looked like it had been a deep wound, made by a very sharp object, most likely a knife. It went from his forearm all the way up to his collarbone. Well, I am pretty sure it does. The end of the scar peeks through the collar of his t-shirt. I inspect the scar for a few moments until I feel eyes on the side of my face. My shoulders tense and I slowly pivot my head up to Claude's face, meeting his gaze.

He smiles at me weakly, a hint of fright behind his eyes. It was almost as if he is afraid that I will run from him. I admit, I am a little scared, but something inside of me tells me he would never hurt me, that he would protect me. I smile back at him reassuringly, but then look down at my hands. I still have to figure some stuff out though. Bobby clears his throat and the rest of us snap our attention to him.

"So...Claude, why don't you give Olivia a tour whiles me and Benny get dinner ready? Are you staying for dinner, Olivia?" he asks. I have not known him long, but I know that the way he is talking now is highly uncharacteristic for him. He is meant to be light and bubbly, but is now strained and formal.

"Well, I wouldn't want to intrude..." I trail off. I thought I say disappointment flash in Claude's eyes but, maybe I am just imagining things.

"You wouldn't be intruding." Benny interjects, "Any friend of Claude's is welcome here." he says in a suggestive tone, as if there was a joke that I had missed. Bobby covers his mouth with his hand trying to stop his giggles from escaping. Benny elbows his twin in the ribs and Claude glares dangerously at him, but Bobby only smirks and heads to another room, most likely the kitchen. Benny heaves a heavy sigh before standing to follow his brother. He turns to me as he is leaving.

"Have Claude give you the tour while we make dinner." He says with a sweet smile. A loud outburst of pain came from the kitchen followed by a stream of profanity. Benny groans and murmurs under his breath something about twins, an idiot, and not being able to believe that they came out of the same womb.

Claude and I are left alone, thick tension lacing the room. I can feel his eyes burning into the side of my face but I don't dare look back at him, afraid I would get lost in his sharp blue gaze. I am not afraid of him, I am afraid of talking about it. I have never really been good at confrontation. 'Come on, you can do it Liv. Man up!' I say to myself. 'Well, I can't actually man up because I am a woman...what am I doing?' I clear my throat and turn towards Claude. His bottom lip is trembling slightly, between his teeth and his eyes full of nervousness. I smile sweetly at him.

"So, what about that tour?" I ask, standing. His jaw drops slightly and he stares up at me in shock. I don't waver in my stance and continue to look down at him with a smile. He shakes his head slightly, as if to shake off his shock. He squeezes his eyes closed, and stands slowly, as if once again becoming oriented.

"Um...yes. Sure, yeah." he says, avoiding eye contact. "So, this is the living room and where the guys just left is the kitchen. Follow me, I will show you the upstairs." He explains without looking anywhere close to my direction as her leads the way to the stairs. We walk in silence up the old, creaking stairs, when something catches my eye, one of the few framed photos in the hallway. We walk in silence up the old, creaking stairs, when something catches my eye, one of the few framed photos hanging on the walls of the hallway. I stop and step closer to the hanging picture. It was a group shot of around fifteen people in their twenty's for an organization, but that's not what caught my attention. It was the logo of the company that caught my eye. It is familiar.

"Hey, you okay?" Claude asked from behind me. I turn to see him very close behind me, observing the same photograph I am. He has a sad yet proud expression displayed on his face. He looks down at me briefly then back at the picture, still trying to avoid my gaze. "My parents worked for a scientific research organization called-"

"N.W.O." I say in astonishment. "The New World Organization." I cannot believe this is happening. No, this can't be right. Right?

He looks at me in utter confusion. "Yeah. How did you know that?" I slowly turn to face him, still not being able to believe this. His face is still expressing confusion to my knowledge of this elite scientific group.

"My parents work at that organization, too." I say, my body starting to tremble in shock. I turn back to the photo hoping that somehow my parents would disappear from it and this whole thing would be some weird trick in my mind. But that's not what happened. "That's them." I say, pointing to the young couple that used to be my parents. I turn back to Claude and look him in the eye. His blue irises are widened in shock as he stares down at me.

My mother has a lot of explaining to do.