When Stars Fall

Chapter 9

A few days had passed, and I had noticed that Olivia had begun acting weird. I would often find her staring at me when I wasn't looking, and she always averted her eyes immediately, her face flushing a deep red.

Had she found out my secret? Did she know I wasn't supposed to be here? But I had been so careful! How could she have found out?

I brushed aside these worrisome thoughts, reminding myself that if Olivia knew the truth, she would have already confronted me about it. That's just how she was; bold and straightforward.

One day I caught Olivia looking at me during lunch, and decided to question her about it.

"Do I have something on my face?" I asked her. She shook her head, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

"N-no," she stammered. "I just like what you did with your hair today." I fingered my ponytail, frowning skeptically. I always wore a ponytail or bun, so why was today any different?

"But I almost always wear my hair like this," I replied sweetly, voicing my thoughts aloud. "Is there something different about it today?"

If it was possible for Olivia to turn more red, she would have.

"Uh, I-" she paused, biting her lip. "Can I talk to you later? Alone?"

I raised my eyebrow, extremely confused. "Sure? Aren't we usually alone anyway?"

Olivia chuckled, twisting the ring on her middle finger. I had noticed that she usually did that when she was nervous, so something was definitely going on.

"I guess that's true. Meet me at sundown outside the garden?"

"Okay, sounds good," I replied, growing increasingly more suspicious by the minute. If we met up at sundown, that meant that we would probably be returning after dark. Was Olivia up to something? Had she discovered that I was a fake after all?

I stood up from the table, pushing my chair in and taking a step back.

"I have some paperwork to do," I informed Olivia. "I'll see you later, okay?" Olivia nodded, and with a wave, I turned around and strode out of the dining hall. I wasn't exactly lying; I did have paperwork that needed to be done, but that wasn't what I planned on doing. I needed to be prepared in case Olivia pulled a stunt on me. It was time to get studying.

* * * * *

After a few hours of poring over the book I had acquired from the library, I was able to formulate a plan. Werewolves were mainly susceptible to silver and wolfsbane, but since I didn't have any wolfsbane on me, a silver knife would have to do. I tucked one of my knives into my belt, and just to be safe, I slipped a dagger into my boot. If there was truly nothing going on, Olivia would never know what I had had planned. I slipped on a baggy sweatshirt, one so large that it concealed my belt and knife.

Once the sun had begun to set, I headed out the door, and made my way towards the garden. Olivia had taken me there multiple times already, so it wasn't too hard to find it.

When I arrived, Olivia was already there waiting for me. She looked up as I approached, a hopeful look in her eyes.

"You came!" she exclaimed, grabbing my hands excitedly.

"Of course I did," I replied. "Did you expect me to not show up?" Olivia shook her head, a grin making its way onto her face.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. Olivia let go of my hands and took a step back, anxiety creeping onto her face.

"I wanted to tell you something," she began, fidgeting with the hem of her pink sweater. "When you first arrived, I knew that we were going to be great friends. There aren't many other people my age here, you know, so when I found out that you weren't much older than me, I was ecstatic. I didn't have many friends growing up, so I was super happy that we got along." She paused, her cheeks turning red. "But after spending so much time with you, I realized that I don't want us to just be friends." She peeked up at me from behind her curtain of hair.

"I like you, Samantha."

I inhaled sharply, shocked beyond belief. I had not been expecting that. I opened and closed my mouth, lost for words.

"Listen, Olivia," I told her, avoiding her gaze. "I appreciate your feelings for me, but I don't like you that way. I want us to stay as friends."

Olivia's face dropped, and she looked away. "That's okay," she replied quietly. "I don't know what I was expecting. I had a feeling that you didn't like me the same way, but I had to know for sure." She looked up at me, her cheeks flushed. "Can we forget this ever happened? I still want to be your friend."

I nodded, softening at the pain in her eyes. "Definitely. This doesn't have to change anything." Olivia sighed in relief, her shoulders slumping.

"Thank you. I would hate to lose you." She glanced up at the sky, where the stars had begun to appear.

"Maybe you'll be mine one day," she whispered after a moment. She then turned her attention to me, tears glittering in her eyes. "When stars fall."

"Olivia, I'm sorry-" I began, but Olivia shook her head, cutting me off.

"Don't apologize," she told me, turning away. "I'll be fine. I just need some time alone." She began the walk back to our rooms, and I let her go, knowing she needed the space.

"She'll be okay," I reassured myself, watching Olivia grow smaller in the distance.