The Other Side

Chapter 1

         The blaring of her alarm filled that bedroom and the woman buried beneath the covers jerked suddenly having been torn from sleep. Her hand appeared from beneath the blankets as she brought those digits down onto the device responsible for making the noise. Two or three slams of that palm found the off button and silence was left behind, the woman audibly sighing in relief as she tried to go back to sleep. Why had she set the damn thing anyways?
         “Liv.” The young woman spoke again, and this time, the voice drew her head out from beneath the covers. Sleepy green eyes half opened to look up at the one who was leaning over her, who now had replaced the annoying blare of the alarm to see her off on her morning. “You’re going to be late for school again if you don’t start getting up and around.”
         “School. The bane of my existence.” Liv said moodily as she pulled the blankets back over her head, disappearing beneath them. “I don’t feel like going today, Angie.” Her muffled voice called out from beneath those covers that she used as protection from the outside. Angie leaned over again, reaching out to yank covers off of her. Olivia curled into a ball and hid her face, burying it into the palm of her hands. Angie pulled some of her curly chocolate own hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ears, shaking her head as she reached out and set a hand on Olivia’s pale cheek.
         “Just because your mom and dad are out of town again, doesn’t mean you can skip anymore school. You’re already on your last strike, young lady. If you miss anymore without a credible excuse you’re likely to be suspended, and then how will you graduate?” Angie’s voice never left that soothing undertone she always somehow managed to have. Olivia had spent many nights listening to her sing, and had always found it to be a treat as she didn’t do it often.
         Finally, Olivia opened her eyes and rubbed them, blinking several times to clear the sleep and to let her vision clear. She turned her face to Angie who had taken a seat on the edge of the bed, her hands busy smoothing away the white sundress she wore, those bright pink flowers making her darker skin look all the more brown. It made Olivia smile, knowing that some things would never change with Angie. With some regret, Olivia pulled back the blankets and forced herself out of bed.
         “First, I’m not skipping school. I’ve never skipped school, thanks to you.” Olivia stuck her tongue out at the woman as she said it. “Second, Maria isn’t my mother. She’s the imposter my father tried to replace my mom with.” Olivia sighed as she padded moodily across her room in her flannel ‘Metallica’ pants and tank top and disappeared behind her bathroom door.
         Olivia stared at her own reflection in the mirror once she’d managed to get the shower running. Given the mess her usually straight red hair was in that morning nothing save a miracle was going to tame it. She just had to hope washing it would be enough. Olivia leaned forward and turned on the faucet, snatching her purple toothbrush from the holder with a renewed morning vigor. Filling the bristles with green toothpaste, she lifted her eyes to the mirror again to set to work scrubbing away the previous night’s fungus.
         “Good Morning!” His cheerful voice made her jump and nearly swallow the green paste and toothbrush whole. When Olivia had looked up there behind her in the reflection of the mirror was a pale man leaning against the wall just in front of her shower. His longer white hair was slicked very precisely against his scalp, although he couldn’t have looked a day over thirty. The immaculate white suit with black pinstripes only seemed to mature the years of life he did appear to have. The most striking feature he possessed were his amber colored eyes that seemed nothing less than amused as he stared back at her.
         “Damnit, Whitey. What have I told you about coming in here? What would have happened if I had been in the shower or something.” She didn’t bother to look back at him, instead she set to work brushing her teeth, trying to ignore that he was even there.
         “Then I would have been in for quite a show now, wouldn’t I.” Olivia could see Whitey’s hands touching her shoulders in the reflection of the mirror. “It’s Wednesday, your parents should both be home next week. Aren’t you pleased by that?” She glared at him, the venom in her eyes causing the man to pause, his smile to falter slightly. It was obvious he should have known better than to make such a statement. Before he was likely to get himself burned, Whitey lifted his hands and shoved them into his pockets where they were safer.
         Olivia finished brushing her teeth and rinsed before returning that toothbrush to the matching purple stand she’d pulled it from. Those eyes returned to the image of Whitey in the mirror who had retreated to the same position she had first seen him in.
         “Get out of my bathroom, you perv.” Eyes turned away from the mirror as she stepped over to the small set of wicker purple drawers that were against the far wall of her otherwise white bathroom and pulled out of it, you guessed it, a purple towel which she hung on the silver rack beside her shower. Eyes glanced around ending on the mirror and she was pleased to find she was yet again, blissfully alone.
         Once her morning routine was completed, Olivia returned to her bedroom her body draped in her ‘Slipknot’ robe. Eyes set on Angie who was seated at the foot of her bed, smiling softly at the young woman as she passed by. She found Whitey was also there at her desk reading through her open “Shakespeare's Greatest Works” school book.
         “How does this shit not put you to sleep?” Whitey commented as he rubbed his forehead after only having glanced over half a page.
         “Whitey. Language.” Angie corrected quickly as she stood up and snatched the book from the pale man’s hands returning it to Olivia’s open backpack on the floor by the desk.
         “What are they making kids read these days? Seriously. Who the hell...er...heck cares about Shakespeare?” Whitey continued to complain minding the glare that Angie was giving him as Olivia appeared from inside of her closet, a black pleated skirt and a solid red collared shirt slung over her shoulder. As she set them down on the bed, Angie was quick to shoo Whitey out of the room. He disappeared into the bathroom, the door shutting abruptly behind him. It was only moments later before he burst out into song. “Swinging On A Star” seemed to be his musical choice that morning.
         Angie sighed and shook her head as she returned to the chair in front of Olivia’s desk, crossing one leg over the other and folding her hands neatly on her knee. Olivia had already started to get dressed, stepping into the skirt and sliding it up around her waist.
         “Are you ready for your Literature quiz today?” Angie asked her, attempting to make some small talk.
         “As ready as I can be, I suppose.” Olivia replied half heartedly as she pulled that shirt down over her head and clasped the two bottom buttons. “I didn’t get as much studying in as I wanted to.” She used the term ‘wanted’ very loosely as those eyes drew up to the bathroom door just about the time Whitey hit the second verse of the song. She chuckled, though Angie didn’t share in her amusement.
         “Why not?” The older woman asked as she stood up and came to stand in front of Olivia reaching out to straighten her collar. Olivia was silent, her face a little more serious as she stared at the small gold cross that Angie always wore around her neck. It seemed particularly shiny that morning making it stand out all the more against the woman’s olive toned skin. Her silence was enough of an answer for Angie, who frowned.
         “Nightmares again?” She asked tentatively as she smoothed out the material over Olivia’s shoulders. Olivia nodded as she went to the bathroom door, throwing it open as Whitey was finishing a round of the chorus. He froze, looking over at her with her hairbrush in hand. Apparently he had been using it as a microphone, staring at his reflection in her bathroom mirror. There was a moment of silence between them and Olivia reached a hand out expectantly. Whitey set the brush in her hand and moved out of the way so she could finish getting ready.
         “Everybody's a critic,” he said as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “I have to get going anyways. I’ll see you after lunch.” Whitey gave Olivia a half hearted wave and Angie a firm salute, going so far as to even click his heels together as he came to stand at attention. One moment he was standing there in the bedroom, and the next the man had become little more than an orb of light that flickered out of existence.
         “Olivia, you know you can tell me about this, right?” After Whitey’s elaborate disappearance, Angie walked over to the bathroom door and leaned against the side of it, her arms crossed over her chest.
         “There’s nothing to talk about. I’ve always had bad dreams. I just blame my current case of insanity.” Olivia gave Angie a toothy grin as she finished tossing her long red hair back into a clip to keep it off of her neck in the intense summer heat. Angie looked anything but amused by it but she said nothing in response which prompted Olivia to finish getting herself ready. With a damp head of hair, Olivia gathered her things for school, shoved her remaining books in her backpack, and headed down the stairs to the back door.
         “Olivia!” came a shrill woman’s voice from the other side of the kitchen as Olivia tried to rush through it without being noticed. Obviously, it hadn’t worked. She paused and back-peddled a few steps.
         “Yes, Evelyn?” she said with a sigh as she took a moment to sling her back pack over her shoulder. The elderly woman who had called after her, now known as Evelyn, walked slowly but precisely around the kitchen. With a bent thumb she motioned to the generic brown paper sack at the end of the counter. Beside it was a small white envelope that had been specifically addressed to Olivia herself.
         “Don’t forget those. Your parents told me that they would be sending you a letter from Italy. Be sure that you respond this time. Your father complained he didn’t get your last response.” Evelyn was busy cleaning up a small set of dishes she had used to make breakfast with, her shaky old hand sliding a rag over the counter to leave it spotless.
                   “That’s because I sent them an email, like everyone else does these days.” Olivia shook her head and stuffed the letter into the front pouch of her backpack along with the sack lunch that she likely wouldn’t be eating. Though Evelyn’s face was weathered she had a kind smile as she patted Olivia on the shoulder and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
         “I’ve known your Father for a very long time. I doubt he will ever truly conform to the world’s changes, especially with technology. You had better get going. You only have about ten minutes to get to school and the last thing you need is another speeding ticket.” Evelyn winked at the young woman as she pushed her gently towards the door. With a wave, she was out the back door and walking around the house towards the garage where she paused long enough to input the code on the keypad that signalled that door to open.
         Once it was high enough, Olivia crouched below the electric door and headed towards her little purple car that seemed quite dwarfed in the corner of the four car garage that was empty otherwise. Leaning against it was Angie, who despite not having a watch, was tapping her wrist to make Olivia further aware that she was running behind. Olivia chuckled as she unlocked the driver’s door and climbed in, setting her backpack in the back seat. When she looked up, Angie was seated beside her, her seat belt already fastened.
         "Why can’t you be like normal imaginary friends? You know, the kind that don’t boss me around all the time?” Olivia said with a sigh as she forced her key into the ignition and turned it. The engine roared a few times before finally turning over, likely filling the entire inside of the garage with smoke in the process.
         “Because we both know there’s nothing ‘normal’ about having an imaginary friend to begin with. Someone has to watch out for you.” Angie eyed Olivia warily, her gaze moving from the young woman’s face to her unlatched seat belt dangling near her face. Olivia shook her head as she tugged on the belt and clicked it into place, lifting her hands up waiting for Angie’s ok to take off.
         “As if that little piece of fabric is going to keep you from dying...again.” Suddenly Whitey was there in the backseat, leaning forward between the two women with a cheesy grin on his face, his attention set on Angie’s whose face may have reddened a little.
         “How was it you got yourself into this predicament? Oh that’s right, a drug overdose. I don’t think we need to be talking safety protocol with someone like you.” Angie snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest. Olivia’s amused green eyes turned to regard Whitey as he leaned over and kissed the woman on the cheek.
         “Safety? I always wore a condom when sharing needles. I exercised the highest level of safety, thank-you-very-much.” Whitey straightened his tie as he smoothed his hair back in a haughty sort of way. The comment earned him a rather rough slap on the shoulder from Angie, making him laugh all the more.
         “No, please. Stop. No more. It hurts,” he faked as he straightened his suit jacket with a bit of a glare.
         “I thought you weren’t going to be coming around until after Lunch?” Olivia asked, hoping to break up what would certainly become more than a little argument in her car. After all, she was running behind and the last thing she needed was their squabbling to get them into an accident.
         “Lunch time? You know me. I’ve no recollection of time. Besides, you know you missed me.” Whitey reached up to pinch Olivia on the cheek before leaning back and crossing his hands behind his head, sure to take up as much of the back seat of her tiny car as he could.
         It was turning into a day like any other day.