Hourglass → Ace; Nancy Drew [1]

xiv. the whispers in the walls

THE WHISPERS IN THE WALLS
CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Olivia's chest was warm, her heart fluttering with every kind of emotion as she scanned the screen. With bright eyes, she took in the gentle text that formed a little paragraph. Though small, it was clear it was filled with admiration, love. It gave Olivia goosebumps as though she were freezing cold, but it simultaneously filled her with a warmth she didn't often get to feel.

"You really care about her, don't you?" Olivia smiled wholeheartedly, handing the phone back to George who had written the paragraph. The raven-haired girl leaned over onto the kitchen counter and grimaced, as though disgusted by the very notion. "Don't even try to deny it. You're her friend."

"Alright, alright..." George pulled away from the metal table of dough-rollers and disorganized cutlery with her hands raised in surrender. "But it was mostly Odette."

Even after weeks of Odette's presence, Olivia was still starstruck. She was in disbelief of the very possibility that someone could be body-sharing with a ghost, let alone her own friend– someone she knew in the flesh– doing it. How was Odette even possible? "Ah, yes, Bess' secret admirer," Olivia chuckled, though the usual joyous glimmer in her eyes was absent. No matter how funny or grin-worthy, too many things had been on Olivia's mind. Between the new information, she'd received from her father about Hillary, her argument with Ace, and her now uncontrollable visions, Olivia did not know where to place herself.

She was in limbo, in between everything. She felt trapped in a world where she did not know where she belonged or how to cope. And the one thing that ever made her feel like things could be okay, she couldn't talk to.

"What's up with you? You seem off," George stated, glancing at Olivia briefly while she wiped down the oil from the stoves in the kitchen. Olivia slowly made her way toward where her friend had gone off to while she was in a daze.

"Nothing," she shrugged. "I guess I'm just tired. I mean I found out two days ago that my grandma was a horrible person."

George winced. "Yikes, that's not nice."

"But..." Olivia raised her index finger suggestively as she spoke. "I also have a feeling Hillary might've left more than just a ring behind."

"Why's that?"

"My Dad mentioned the institution she was admitted to. It's just outside town; I'm hoping I could maybe find something there– a file, her room, anything." George dropped her towel onto the table when she noticed where Olivia was going with her statement.

"No way- you know how busy I am. Did you ask Ace?" George scoffed with an eye roll while she began to make her way toward the exit of the kitchen. Olivia groaned and followed close behind, eager to convince her friend to accompany her.

"Ace is... busy."

"What about Nancy?" The door swung behind them as they entered the diner. It was empty, much to their dismay. Business had been low the last few days, and it somehow stressed and soothed George at the same time. On one hand, it meant less money was made, but on the other, it gave George time to adjust to Odette. "Besides, Nancy's more likely to find files or clues than any of us.