Samuel's POV
The moment the minute head on my pocket watch reaches the number twelve I close my eyes. I allow my thoughts to drift to the charge most often on my mind these days and feel a shift in the air. When I open my eyes, instead of Olivia's house, I find myself standing in the middle of the police station. Desk after desk fills the room, and despite the late hour, at least two phones are ringing.
I recognize officer Wright, who is sitting behind his desk, and Nick, who is standing a few steps away with his arms folded in front of his chest. For a moment I think I arrived at the wrong charge and begin to close my eyes. Then, however, my eyes land on the back of a familiar girl.
From her back alone I can tell it's Olivia. Like always she is dressed in a pair of sweats and a loose shirt, which hides her small curves. She has her head turned in Nick's direction, and only then I notice Olivia's mother, Mina, standing a couple of steps away from Nick.
"I'll leave as soon as you tell me what's Olivia doing here," Nick says.
"I want to know that as well," I say.
Olivia's shoulders tense, but it takes her another moment before she turns around to face me.
"Why are you at the police station?" I ask.
Her dark eyes flicker to my right, and I follow her gaze to a somewhat familiar girl standing beside me. I instantly know she's a fellow Guardian, but it takes me another second to realize that she's Mina's Guardian.
"What happened?" I ask her.
She flicks her eyes up and down my body and then turns away. "You've never spoken to me since our first introduction, so what makes you think I'll help you now?" She closes her mouth but then opens it again. Instead of another denial, she hisses, "Bloody hell. They always choose the best moments to mess with my charges."
Without another word, she closes her eyes and disappears. And judging from her words, I'm guessing she felt the fear of one of her charges being in danger because of a supernatural being.
I turn back to Olivia to find her already facing Nick's father. Instead of focusing on her words, I roam with my eyes around the back of her head until I catch a red patch at the center back of her head. A patch of what looks like dried blood.
"What happened?" My hand twitches, but I force it to remain at my side. "Why are youâ"
"I fell and injured myself," Olivia says, but because she's facing away from me, I'm not sure who she's talking to. "When I fell, I remembered the driver from the car accident. And now I'm here to describe the man to officer Wright, so he can finally catch him."
While more questions swarm my mind at her explanation, Nick nods and then wordlessly leaves the room. Once he's gone Olivia gives a detailed description of everything she can remember to Wright. It isn't much, but at least they now know what the driver looks like.
In the end, Wright and his partner Davis promise to catch the guy Olivia described, while Mina takes over Olivia's seat and fills out some documents.
"We need to talk," I tell Olivia the moment she is back on her feet and crutches.
"I'll wait for you outside," Olivia says to Mina and then hops out of the police station.
I follow behind her while making sure she doesn't do anything else to hurt herself. The last thing I need right now is for her to end up in the hospital for another couple of days.
The moment we step through the glass door and onto the already dark street, Olivia stops and turns around to face me. "What doâ" She suddenly stops.
I follow her gaze and find Nick leaning against the building right beside the main entrance. He disentangles himself from the wall and with his hands in his pockets heads toward us.
"You okay?" He asks and nods in the direction of Olivia's head. "Didn't look like a minor injury."
"I'm fine." She reaches for the back of her head.
"Stop it," I cut in. "You'll make the injury worse."
Olivia wordlessly lowers her hand and sets it back onto the crutch. "What matters is that I now remember the driver's face. But what are you still doing here?"
Nick shrugs and sinks his hands deeper into his pockets. "Not sure."
"He probably pities you," I explain instead of him. "His younger brother was also recently hurt."
"Don't forget to go to the hospital." Nick takes a step away from Olivia. "Well, then." With one final nod, he turns and makes his way down the street.
Olivia and I watch him until we're sure he's out of earshot and then turn back to each other.
"Tell me everything," I order her.
Olivia, however, sighs and moves over to the wall which Nick had been leaning against before. "I don't want to. You already heard everything."
"Not why you were leaning against the bathroom door."
"That's because Iâ" Again she stops, but this time she focuses on something behind my back.
I turn around and follow her line of sight. The moment I catch who she is looking at, I freeze. Ten feet behind us stands the always business-like Head Guardian. She begins to move toward us, while the echoes of her heels stiffen the sound of my curses. How the hell did I fail to notice her?
She stops three steps away from us and shakes her head the second I open my mouth to speak. "Do not bother, Samuel Yang. I already saw everything I needed to see."
"It isn't what you think," I still try.
"Not what I think? You want me to believe your charge cannot see you right now?"
"She can see me," there's no point in lying about that, "but it isn't my doing."
"Who else but you can it be?" She shakes her head. "The human is your charge. No Guardian would risk prolonging their punishment by helping the charge of someone else."
"It doesn't sound likely, but that's exactlyâ"
"Do not bother. I truly believed you would be the last Guardian to do something so foolish. Especially because you were so close to the end of your punishment. Yet here you are, having broken one of our most sacred rules." The Head Guardian lets out a long exhale. "Samuel Yang, as of this moment youâ"
"Wait!"
Despite the words echoing inside my mind, it's not me who says them. Instead, it's Olivia, who detaches herself from the wall and hops to stand beside me.
"Don't." I move to stand in front of her, but she smacks one of the crutches against my calf, causing me to stagger a step away.
"Samuel is telling the truth. He doesn't have anything to do with my ability to see Guardians."
"Then who does?" The Head Guardian asks.
"I don't know," Olivia admits, but then continues before either the Head Guardian or I can say anything. "I don't remember what happened on the night of the accident, but I believe Samuel when he says he was nowhere near me."
"That's enough." I reach for Olivia's arm, but she swings the crutch at me instead. I barely avoid another hit.
"You sound recklessly sure of yourself, young human." The Head Guardian tilts her head to the side. "Are you so quick to believe your Guardian?"
Olivia's eyes flicker to mine, but before I can tell her to stop interfering with my business, she turns back to the Head Guardian. "Yes."
"How do you think to prove his innocence?"
"I... I'll find the Guardian who saved me."
She opens her mouth to say more, but I clasp my hand over her mouth. I ignore the strange feeling of my skin touching hers and focus on the Head Guardian.
"Don't listen to her. Sheâ"
"I will give you three weeks to find the Guardian. But if you do not present me with their full name by then, I will prolong Samuel's punishment."
"No, you don'tâAh!" I tear my hand away from Olivia's mouth and glare at her. Did she just bite me?
"We agree to your terms," Olivia says.
"I think this goes without saying, but I will still warn you." The Head Guardian glances from Olivia to me and then back to Olivia. "No one, human or Guardian, is to know that you are able to see Guardians. Do we understand each other?"
"No, Iâ" I take a step forward.
"We understand." Olivia cuts me off.
"I am coming back in exactly three weeks, and no matter what I am punishing the one responsible." The Head Guardian sends us one last glare and then disappears into the dark street behind her.
"That was close." Olivia lets out a loud sigh the moment we're on our own again. "I thought for sure she wouldn't agree with my idea."
I snap my head back to her and level her with my glare. "What. The. Hell. Was. That?"
"What do you mean? I just bought us more time."
"No. You created an even bigger problem for me." I dig my fingers into my hair to keep myself from wrapping them around her shoulders and shaking the stupidity out of her.
"What are you talking about? I'll remember what the Guardian looked like, just like I did with the driver, and everything will be solved."
"How can you remember someone invisible?! Because before the Guardian saved you, you weren't able to see them."
"I don't thinkâ"
"That's just it." I hiss. "You never think."
I stagger to the outside wall of the police station and slam my fist against it. This can't be happening. I can't have my punishment prolonged because of a reckless human like Olivia.
***
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