Adrift → Ace; Nancy Drew [2]

i. the resurrection of olivia irvine

THE RESURRECTION OF OLIVIA IRVINE
CHAPTER ONE

Each footstep lay heavy on the wooden plank floors, leaving behind an eerie patting sound. The shape of her shoe against the wood left wet imprints of darkness as Olivia ascended the stairs, dense, and weak. A shadow followed her as she moved slowly, hanging over her like a cloud of numbness while she pushed the splintery door open with shaky hands. The creaking sound it made seemed almost intentional, like it wanted to introduce her into the room ominously– or prepare her friends for what was to come.

In sync, they all looked up at her with wide eyes, disregarding the activities they'd previously been doing. Their eyes were no longer glued to their phones or one another as they spoke; they served their undivided attention to Olivia.

Yet, none of them spoke.

It was as though the moment she had stepped into the room, as did the darkness looming outside. The restaurant was silent, and so were her friends. They only stared at her, as though she looked like a corpse, as the luminescent moon shone heavily on the back of her head.

"Thank God," George was the first to speak. Her chair screeched as she slid it back and climbed to her feet. "We thought you might have turned all crazy again after we left you at the lodge."

"George!" Bess hissed and was quick to follow her toward Olivia, who took a heavy step into The Claw, a trail of salt water following her inside. The two girls piled onto Olivia, tightly wrapping their arms around her drenched body, disregarding the wet imprints she left on their shirts.

George furrowed her eyebrows as she pulled away, making space for Nick and Nancy to welcome the girl. Taking a step back, she stared down at her fingers that had just been in contact with Olivia's ice-cold skin and shuddered, goosebumps prickling her skin. She glanced at Bess, Nick, and Nancy to see they seemed unbothered, as though Olivia's mere touch hadn't raised hairs at the back of their necks.

Another creaking noise sounded, but this time not from a chair. Olivia snapped her aching neck toward the old kitchen door. Ace stood with hands on either side of his body, gaping at Olivia. He swallowed sharply, the sound of his gulp loud in the silence of the night. He seemed almost nervous but licked his lips and began to walk slowly toward the group standing at the entrance of the restaurant. "Where were you? We were calling you for hours," he mumbled as he dug his chin into her shoulder and circled his arms around her torso. He closed his eyes, not wanting to let go. "Why are you wet?" Pulling away, he frowned and looked her up and down.

"Yeah..." Nancy trailed, her eyes dark and focussed like a little investigation was taking place in her mind. "Why are you wet?" She repeated Ace's question with a higher-pitched, curious tone.

"I didn't realize it was raining," Nick said.

"It wasn't." It was the first time Olivia had spoken since she entered the restaurant, and somehow, two simple words were enough to silence the other five people. "I drove into the sea." Her face remained blank, chestnut-brown eyes looking between her five friends as she spoke. A series of "What the Hell?" and "are you okay?"'s echoed through the room.